Late Spring, 2019 (includes mid-summer!)

(Aug. 7, 2019)

I'm adding another section to this blog, placing it "at the top" of a nearly-complete blog which I last looked at about 6 weeks ago.  It has been a quite-different time for me, as I had my first- ever admission to a hospital.

I've had swelling in my legs, off and on, for perhaps 10 or 12 years; it comes and it goes, usually not causing me much trouble. So mostly I've ignored it except to make a point of elevating the affected leg as much as possible (NOT possible much, my last several working years).  This time my skin began to blister, and the rupturing blisters would begin to infect - which we were cleaning with antiseptics and treating with antibiotic cream.  My local doctor also put me on oral medicines for a week, but gradually the infection worsened so that on July 10 he referred me into Antique Medical Center in San Jose.

 

 The glare of lights made getting the lobby-desk area photo a challenge.  This quite-sizable hospital is the "private" hospital in San Jose; there is also a large "Provincial" hospital at the other end of town.  This very clean and efficient facility is Catholic- owned.  Oddly, while there I never saw any "sisters," although we nearly always encounter several different "orders" of nuns out-and-around when we are in San Jose on our routine errands.

I was in the hospital for eight days, mostly because I needed IV antibiotics and other medicines to defeat the infection.  I also had one surgical-cleaning procedure on some of the wounds, which turned out to be the main factor in getting them to heal.  I am now 2½ weeks out of the hospital, and getting around pretty well with only some stiffness and moderate soreness remaining.

All of this is probably the reason I didn't get any photos of our July 4 celebrations.

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(June 26, 2019)

I looked at some of the things in my last posting, and  I can't believe how long ago some of them seem.  I guess that comes of being busy -  and it seems we have more than enough to prevent us from slowing down. 

I attended a wedding at Valderrama, about  30 miles

from home.  This municipality is located inland "up-

river" from the main highway which runs along the coast

line.   I had seen the road-sign many times near one

of the longer river-bridges on the highway, but I

never had a reason to explore that direction before.

The actual venue turned out to be several ROUGH

kilometers beyond Valderrama, and UP into the

verge of the western mountains on our island.

The last few hundred yards of approach were quite steep,

and the "parking pads" beside the driveway were already

filled.  I barely managed to make a turn-around and park

headed out-bound (GLAD I did that, later!) with the incline

so steep I had tires- spinning as I backed uphill.  Note

the rear tires chocked with large stones.

The climb from the car to the office area, and THEN onward 

to the wedding site, was enough that I ONLY went down again

after the ceremony, for the reception.  In all, perhaps nearly

100 yards of uphill steps.

 

The same stairway as above, shown from the the other
direction.  GOOD place to install a zip-line.

 The location is in a pristine mahogany forest, unusual to
find on our island; this looks to me like relatively young
forest, not centuries- old,  so perhaps it is re-growth.

A beautiful open-air site, on a misty/ foggy day.

Fortunately only a couple small sprinkles while

we were there, no actual RAIN. 

The now- ubiquitous cell phone/ camera mimics
the real scene.  The groom is the son of some
friends, and the bride is a school teacher; both
appear to be early- 30s.

I made some extra effort to "stalk" the bridesmaid wearing the high platform shoes, as 
she was moving among guests and other wedding party members.  I think it would
take some courage to wear those on the steep downhill trek, though perhaps for
the uphill they were helpful.  (Would she need a parachute to save her, if she
ever missed a step?)

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The VBS graduation had more than 100 participants, with presentations by age-group and certificates and awards, the sort of ceremony which would seem pretty familiar in the U.S., but everything with a slightly different "flavor."  

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 Certain things that I see here catch my eye on the second
 look.   What I noticed about this tricycle-load is that some of   the packing boxes are wooden.  Not much seen in the USA   for decades.

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For Timmy's 5th birthday party, he chose this "race track" themed cake from a magazine photo and asked "nah- NAI"  (grandma) to make it for him.   His color- choice of RED  came out more like pink, but it made a fine centerpiece on the table. 

The items that look like cat-tail reeds (or small bottle-rockets?) are sections of hot-dog with marsh-mallows in between, on BBQ skewers.

The "8" shape of the race track is a little "off theme" for B.D. #5, but Timmy wouldn't know about that just yet - - and I've never seen a  "5" shaped race track.

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Some things just take my attention (momentarily) because of

odd coincidence.  A few years ago, I probably wouldn't 

have imagined using "Horse" brand cement from Vietnam, for 

a building project in the Philippines. Cement has dropped 

in price here by a hefty $2.00 per sack in the last several

years, now costing about $4.60,about half the $9.00 or so

I seem to remember in the USA around 2010.  Prices are

converted from PH Pesos,  and sack-weight here is

40 kg. = 88#, pretty close to USA sack-weight of 90#.

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A "small thing" I had noticed for several years is that our Communion Juice used for Lord's Supper at church varied from time to time quite noticeably from powdered packet-juice to sometimes cola (!) to quite a rich fruit- wine which I guessed was purchased by someone passing through San Jose or somewhere that it would  be available.  I wondered just a little bit about this but never enough at the right time to strike up the subject. One day it came up in conversation with some other members.

It turned out that Sister Louisa, the pastor's wife, is

able for a brief time each year to get "lum-boy," 

which is about an  like "extra large olive" in size and

shape, also having a similar pit inside.  The purple

flavor and color seem like a type of plumb, except

that if not completely ripe it is quite astringent. Avail-

able for only a few weeks "in season."  This is made

into the communion beverage I couldn't quite identify.

I waited for many months to get some"lum-boy."

After being thoroughly washed, the fruit  is put into a plastic pail in layers, with perhaps a pound of brown sugar every 2- or- 3- inches.   It is then covered and left alone for several weeks.

Nature takes its course and the liquid produced is carefully strained and put into bottles, producing something very much like  plumb or bing-cherry taste range, similar to home- made fruit-cordial wine  I've had a few times when visiting "farm folks" in the USA.  It's pretty g-o-o-d!  Mixes well with home- made ginger ale. (Click this link to see the ginger ale project from last October's posting.)

I added one extra wrinkle to the process, as I had some 2- gallon size zip-lock bags;  I tested one to be sure it wasn't leaking,










 then put it on top of the fruit, using the water in the bag to create a loose seal - - preventing unwanted micro-organisms from coming in contact with the fruit.   

I'm expecting to have a little bit of this ready to sample on July 4, U.S. Independence Day.

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People load things, and ride on vehicles, pretty much any

way they want to, here.

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Our small building project is continuing:  

From the outside, the project is so "hemmed in" with other

structures and tree foliage, it's hard to get photos.

We installed a solid ladder/ stair-set to access

the new room, as we had been using a portable

step- ladder for the "Mezzanine floor- level" 

climb, when going up the water-reservoir tower.

I joke that our next project will be to design and

build an escalator.  This new structure has its

right-rear corner wrapped around the water

tower, and its upstairs is the same as that 

"mezzanine" deck of the water tower.

I got this photo of our "roof- metal haul." as we were on our way

home from San Jose (45+ miles)  one afternoon.  ONLY the

flat- metal pieces were ready that day, so another trip was

required to pick up items like the ridge-cap, gutters, and

various custom- made flashing pieces.

(Now, August 7 posting again)

A few days ago much of the tree foliage was removed in

a routine trimming, so now the installed roof, + right-side

and front dormer-structures are visible.  The small bit

of roofing, barely visible beyond the carport and tan-

metal new roof, is the roof of the water-tower, about

25 feet above ground-level.  The ladder seen 2 photos

above is in-between the new structure and the car-port.  

The left front corner of the structure, partially masked by

the corner of our adjacent house.  The large "A frame"

room upstairs will have a very nice aspect when we get

it finished.

Well, this seems like a good place to "wind it down" for now.  We still have 3 or 4 "crew days" to get the window frames installed  with some exterior siding to trim them in.  THEN

we can call the glass company to come out and glaze them, THEN we do a little more exterior stuff to get the structure sealed.   We will DELAY working on the interior for a while, although I think I can buy roof insulation and electrical materials in small enough lots to be affordable, so as to keep "chipping away" at the finish.

Aaaand,  there are a few other things coming up.  Tomorrow we will try to get to San Jose and pass through the annual ordeal of vehicle registration., plus a few other minimal errands.   SOON, I hope to do an Iloilo trip to go to our vehicle- dealer there and smooth out a few rough items about the car.  BTW, it has gotten to be fairly reliable lately, just REALLY finicky about start-up from "cold" but OK for the rest of the day after that.  My stiff-left-ankle limits my driving to distances of 15 - 20 minutes, so I will have a "hireling" along on longer trips.

Here is my "shout out" to my step-mom Mamie.  She is relocated to a residential home in Bakersfield.  The manager of that home is in the process of getting her communications set up, and I hope to get this posting to her either via her OWN computer or via the contact info that HE has given me.  Hope you ENJOY THIS!!  Ask Mr. Lopez to help you navigate back to previous postings you man have missed.  It's pretty easy - - -

As for you- all (that's y'all lots of places) - the rest of our friends and readers, we frequently take a few moments to call down blessings on you each and as a group, hoping that you find your lives just-enough- challenging but not too hectic;  productive and pleasing without too many rough edges.

Have a great day!

TJ and Bernadette Larson

Tibiao, Antique ("an-tee-kay") Province

Philippines

(I moved to Antique Province about 7 years ago, and now I's dun turnin' into one - - -)

Projects and Projections

We've had 4½ months of dry, hot weather, since the last notable storm came 2 days before New Year's Day. Overnight temperatures above 80°F., and daytimes above 90°F, with humidity higher than any of the "humid" places in the USA.   Our city-piped water, coming  from nearby mountains has, gotten down to a little more than a one-hour trickle after it is turned on around 5:30 a.m.  We have had enough of this fresh water for cooking and drinking, but sometimes not for vendor-ice making*.  Other neighborhoods are having to import water in 5-gallon plastic "jerry-cans." Our electricity usage has been higher than usual as the fans and air-conditioner (overnight) work harder to relieve the high air- humidity.  AND the rice crops have been mostly empty hulls, not much grain.  We hope for some relief soon, as we are several weeks into usual rainy season.

 (*We sell ice from our freezer, pretty much "routine" for anyone who owns a freezer here.  Newer readers,  this link should open a posting which explains a little about the ice situation, scroll down in the text to the heading "miscellaneous."  Also just above that is a GOOD, tasty general recipe for Philippines- style adobo which is meat cooked in a sauce similar to pot-roast.) 

I've been keeping a pair of ear-plugs handy with my hat, for the last couple months.  We have been in an election cycle (mid-term?) which seems to include the national legislature as its top level and everything "down" from there to the local barangay officials (who form the neighborhood counsel).

The ear-plugs are at least slightly useful when the campaign sound-blasters pass by.  Seems like there are no legal regulations  on the volume of sound broadcast here - - and these units can shake the reinforced-concrete walls from 100 yards away.  We have heard re-tooled familiar melodies  for weeks, now:  "Life goes on,"  "You Are My Sunshine,"  "On the Top of the World," plus a number of Filipino folk songs, all re-worded into political jingles, to jangle everyone's nerves.

Posters and sound-trucks are the main means of campaigning here.  We have very little local radio, and no TV.  'Multiple identical posters' is a common motif; I have seen up to 3- dozen all-the-same posters either covering a wall or suspended as banners.   I noted the very local election mindset on one poster below, where the candidate listed family connections including great-grandparents.

The elementary school is the polling place, and our road has been congested with voters, vendors, and vehicles, all morning (Monday, May 13).  One good thing is that the sound-blasters have to stop operating beginning the day before the election.  There seemed to be about 300 people waiting at the school around 9 a.m.  Polls had opened at 7  a.m.

 New School Building

I showed the beginning of this project two postings back.  The
project began about 4 months ago and has moved steadily, 
but fairly certainly it won't be usable  for quite a few months
yet, possibly the 2020 school year.  This view is as if you
had stepped around the left corner of the  school office
building (above photo, polling site)  and walked back 30 
yards between other classrooms.  

  This view is from beyond the school campus, the diagonal-
opposite corner of the new building.  The light-colored building
 just visible  beyond the construction is the elementary school
classroom where the palm trees were, previous photo.   

This temporary stairway is made from many long bamboo

poles, with smaller poles wired into place as steps; used
for moving all the second-floor materials upward
as the project continues.

We heard a rumor that the completed building will be used
for grades 7 through 12;  I noted that its main entrance
and permanent stairway seem to be at the far end of the
building, away from the elementary school.  If so, having a
high school within walking distance will be a nice asset to
our area.

The 60th- birthday LARGE-letters from a couple months ago got creatively re-purposed on the first day of Youth Camp a couple weeks ago.

My fondness for Tex-Mex/ southwestern cookery persists.

One morning recently there were "just enough" little bits of

beans, pork roast, cheese, and  ONE home-made corn

tortilla, to put together this "take" on huevos rancheros,

= Rancher's eggs, which have a couple scrambled 

eggs buried in them.  Almost NO materials for such

cooking are available as packaged goods, here.

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We've had a fairly major "push" to get the second-story roof on our small building.  The plastic tube our helper is holding is carefully filled with water - no air bubbles! - and is the most common way of determining whether points some distance from each other are equal/ level.  The water-level in the tubing allows for the comparison, which in this case was for setting the position of one of the frame-members.  
   Because of obstructions it's hard to get perspective of the roof- shape;  it is quite a steep A-frame, with the front also sloping like a tall hip-roof.  There will be dormer/ pop-outs on both sides and front, to allow for windows.  The photo at right is viewing from inside  near the back wall towards the front. Above, the east-side dormer; 4 dormers with large windows will provide lots of fresh air and light inside.

Goofy Projects Division Entry

The panels on the inside partition wall (downstairs) couldn't be fitted very closely at the edges, because of irregular cement-work.  All the edges needed molding to conceal them.  (The electric plug-in at the top of the wall will allow for a wall-mounted oscillating fan.)

Considerable table-saw and router-work (+ lots of sanding and painting) yielded about 75 feet of molding for the two sides of the wall.  The object containing the mini- Coca Cola bottle will become a corner-block with a fake rosette-carving.  Installed below, it still needs some paint and putty work;  and we're discussing whether to  paint it all white, or to paint the floral-motif bottle-bottom pale yellow.  The walls are a very light dusty-lavender color.

Returning from a San Jose errand-day last week, we made

a planned side-trip a few miles to Sibalom; their market

reputed to feature good quality bamboo furniture at favorable

prices.  The load racks on the Suzuki allowed us to easily

load and secure this bed for the 40+ miles returning home.

The 1600 peso-cost worked out to $31.  (Seems like a
fair deal to me, but maybe we were bamboozled -  -)

A day later, given a couple coats of varnish, it was ready to move into the house.  Most native-Filipinos seem to prefer sleeping minus any thick pad or mattress; these hold the person's body-heat, so sleeping is more comfortable without them.  Most likely, we will have available a memory-foam mattress pad to be used, or not used, by preference.

Bernadette's brother Alex has been doing all the welding for our roof framing, but he

stays busy with other projects in-between.  I happened to walk through the family

compound one afternoon, and saw this just-completed table.

It is a simple Shaker-type table, but well-made;  what makes 

it impressive is that all the wood is hand-worked from rough

cut slabs sawn by chain-saw.  There is NO SOURCE of 

factory-made lumber pieces here.  The table top is quite 

a few pieces of varying widths, carefully planed and fitted. 

This link goes to an earlier posting which has several 

photos of our nearby chain-sawyer splitting a 2-inch 

slab into 1-inch thicknesses.  1- inch stock wood is only

gotten around here with much effort.

Old road tear-out and new paving often don't seem to be

coordinated.  The pavement on this one block of roadway

beside the MAIN PLAZA  in our capitol city was pretty rough

and needed to GO,  but now some new pavement needs

to COME.  Soon, we hope.

I sometimes remember to take a few "postcard" type photos, to remind myself of just how much simple beauty is nearby.  This house, nestled against a protruding hill and surrounded by rice fields, is about 3 miles from where we live. Scenic and peaceful looking.

(Still the constant format- struggle with the "blogspot.com" format, I note in the "preview" that nearly all my photos have moved from side-by-side to vertical, but at least most of the text is fairly close to the right places.) 

It seems like we will be "busy by spells" with the roof project; I am about halfway through figuring out the metal-roofing order, only possible to do now that the frame is completed and measurable.  Ordering and getting the material may take a couple weeks.  No huge urgency to "put the top on," as any rain will only fall on the cement-slab upstairs floor. 

We also have a couple weddings and at least one San Jose overnight trip coming up, plus I really want to get to ILOILO and take care of some "wanted items" sometime soon.  (Actually I want to be there getting my stuff, without actually having to travel back and forth to do that.)  There are always a handful of things-not-available nearby, which we desire as minor luxuries.

Hope you all are doing well - - 

TJ and Bernadette Larson

Tibiao, Antique Province, Philippines