Always on a Sunday

Sundays at our house means a hearty lunch—sometimes the main course can take a while to make and sometimes the dish is a family tradition.  But always special. 

And I was in trouble.  The bananas I bought at the supermarket were not ripe enough to put into the Pochero- a ginger-flavored soup made up of beef shank, saba bananas, potatoes, cabbage or pechay tagalog.   More often than not, Pochero is the main dish for our Sunday lunches. No bananas. No can do.

I did not relish the effort of going out early in the morning for one ingredient.  But this was just the reason I needed to visit one of the Sunday markets in the City.  The market used to be located inside the Lung Center of the Philippines compound but had since relocated about two years ago to a bigger location closer to the main thoroughfare—EDSA. 

  

Wild (Garden) No More

He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth,' and to the rain shower, 'Be a mighty downpour.' Job 37:6



The weatherman said that the interment heavy rains does not mean summer is officially over. Apparently there are conditions that need to be met before it can be declared that the rainy season is upon us.

Daddy Cool

A postcard with a picture of the famous Stonehenge ( giant rocks arranged in a circle in the UK) arrived in the mail three days ago. 

It was my daughter’s Father’s Day greeting for my hubby.  “You rock!”, she scribbled on the back of the picture. 

I smiled at her attempt to capture in just two words what her dad is to her.  This in turn lead me to think about my own dad.  What sort of a father was he and what he meant to me.

My father has been gone for more than 30 years and I go back to that time when he was a very big part of my life.

Scrapbook Eloquence

  A very close friend got married a couple of weeks back.  I was invited to the wedding.  But there was one little problem.  The ceremony was held in America and I could not fly out to join in the celebration.

But all was not lose.  A bridal shower had been organized by dear friends. An appropriate gift could be sent through friends who were flying out to attend the wedding. But that was not all.  Those who could not make it, like me, were given the task of coming up with relationship tips.  How to handle finances, conflicts, relatives and such other issues that married couples face to insure a long and happy ever after ending.

I was assigned to come up with tips on how to keep the “bedroom fires” burning long after the honeymoon stage. A tricky subject.  Although I have been married a little over 30 years, my hubby and I are still hard at work keeping the embers glowing.

Reflections

“Mirror, mirror on the wall

   Is that you mommy

   Looking back at me?”

Growing up, you could say that my relationship with my mother conformed to the usual phases that most girls go through: 

Up to age 11-  I looked up to my mother.  She knew everything.  I wanted to grow up and be like her. Specially the part about baking goodies for my children. 

The Moment

My train of  thought was interrupted.  The old windows were making that sound again.  You know that sound old windows make when the wind wants to take it off for a spin.  Like the windows are trying to refuse the wind’s invitation by holding on by its hinges. Back and forth, the windows rattled.

Well, there was only one thing to do: bring myself and my thought outside to enjoy the late afternoon breeze. 

Gelling

What could be better than whiling the hot afternoon hours chatting away with friends of like mind?

Chatting away while taking a nice dip in a cool pool!!

 

DFA: A Test of Patience

I just recently finished getting my expiring passport renewed.

There’s good news and there’s bad. 

Remembering Past Summers

“….summer breeze makes me feel fine

blowing through the jasmines of my mind”   Seals & Crofts

The noontime newscaster announced that the day was turning out to be another record breaking scorching summer day.  Nothing in the world could make me part with my electric fan.  A short time away from the warm artificial breeze and beads of perspiration would quickly form on my forehead and drip into my eyes.

A Gem of a Valentine

I gave in on Valentine's day.  Yes, I accepted the suggestions of my hubby to once more get outside help. 

For a little over a year now, my hubby and I have managed to take care of house chores by ourselves.  When my last helper bid good-bye, we felt that we had had enough.  Although we were grateful for their assistance in running our household, we wanted to experience what it would be like to manage our house by ourselves.