un homme et une femme

Henry David Thoreau

Ramos Pond in Barangay Macatbong, Cabanatuan City, Philippines, is home to several species of fish, notably Tilapia mossambica, mudfish, catfish, carp, small shrimps, and molluscs. The three ponds are surrounded by bamboo, narra, mahogany, mangoes, java plum, acacias, ipil, eucalyptus, and many other tree species. Migratory birds are often spotted hunting for snails at certain times of the year. I consider this place a humble version of Thoreau's famous Walden Pond. It is a shame that unthinking local authorities once attempted to convert an area adjacent to this picturesque place to a garbage dump. The feisty residents of this small village, who had better environmental sense, fought hard for their rights to a clean and healthful environment and won.

kamagong seeds ? mea culpa...

Today is a serendipity-filled day !
After searching for a long time I finally located the famous and highly-prized "iron tree", commonly known as kamagong (Diospyros philippinensis), now very rare because of greedy loggers. The proud owner of the kamagong tree, Mr. Ancheta of Poblacion Centro, Aliaga, Nueva Ecija, gave me 27 mature seeds for planting. I hope at least some of these seeds will grow into the mature tree that is known for causing chainsaws to snap and nails to bend...Updated June 13- It's not kamagong after all but dungon-late (Heritiera littoralis). The wood is just as hard though. Thanks to Mr. Ramon Bandung, herbalist of the UP Institute of Biology. Kamagong is mabolo, Diospyros philippinensis. I still consider myself lucky...

may offerings

summer colours

today we harvested a few macopas, tamarinds, indian mangoes, and duhat, providing an otherwise dreary day with a kaleidoscope of colours. summer is incomplete without this visual feast. the trees occupy special niches in our 640-square meter residence.

ebbing summer days

Summer is nearly over. The first rains of May came at dawn today and woke me from sleep. It came in sheets and I was unable to do my five kilometers. Why do I feel vulnerable each time summer gives way to long days of continuous rain? On the other hand, after succumbing to the reality of puddles and soaked shirts and mudtracks, the rains seem to offer a haven, an excellent camouflage for tears and sadness. Who will ever know one is crying in the rain?
reramos

firetrees

today i planted eighty firetree seeds in small plastic bags. firetrees are adored for their fiery red blooms that light up the summer skies. they grow to great heights and the bullet-shaped seeds are encased in a hard scabbard-like pod that requires quite an effort to open. of course i do not expect all seeds to germinate and become adult trees... if half or a third of them reach maturity that would be a good batting average already!

shifting gears

Clouds Over Macatbong

ethereal question

arakawa

"A good question is never answered. It is not a bolt to be tightened into place but a seed to be planted." - John Ciardi