nature's colorful symphony

paradise on earth, similar to a golden sparkling sky. not an ILLUSION, the title of the on going melody, kinda sad. but these are true and lovely May spring flowers captured for eternity, that bring smiles :) pics taken yesterday, pls. click to enlarge...

my tulips, a cat and memories of a waterfall

finally i have a shot of this cuddly light brown furry cat that J.C. is feeding since January around the house with sausage, he said. again i hear that usual rant, "mom if no one owns that cat, can i have it?" laughs. I'm not for cats for i prefer dogs but I'll take this cutie in "if" no one owns it, but with this lovely creature, i doubt it...it is owned by someone, one of our neighbors maybe...J.C. is an animal lover. we even have this video of dogs at Patar beach for he prefers to take their shots than us, laughs. but this cat is really a beautiful one with its soft delicate semi- brown furs. i wish i can hug her or him but it might run away or worst it's one of those wild astray cats. but still, she or he is very cute, really :)

***

yes, it's tulips' time once again. in Holland, Michigan, at this time of year there are millions of tulips for everyone to enjoy, but I've never been there. even in the upper peninsula where the grand hotel is, the setting of my favorite movie, "somewhere in time" i also just saw it in pics. it must be magical in there this time of year. rich people here in the u.s. had vacation homes up north, so they say.

***

if i think of magic, i think of the Niagara falls. we've been there twice. both in the Canadian and the New York side. a lot of people in love get married there or make it their honeymoon place, these are folks all over the world. no wonder for it is a stunning place to be. i remember the smell of the fresh floating mist of water touching my face as i walk at the edge of the cliff over looking this gorgeous waterfall as it cascades loudly down below. it is very very invigorating... to the soul and to the spirit second only to the sights and sounds you get in a beach. and it's true. when will be my next trip again? maybe when my brother will be here, God willing. his ten year visa as a tourist will be expiring soon, but never got around to visit me bec. of his business, while others can't even get a visa to come here. and here he is with a pass that he hasn't even used it yet, the irony...and yes, several times we've been to Toronto, Canada. it's only 4 hrs drive from here. maybe i can visit Brian, laughs. but he never even answered my e-mail, so i don't think it will happen, laughs. it's okay though, still i wish his success and happiness in the future. time heals broken hearts as the wind covers heavy foot prints etched in the sand...

our little abode at springtime

our 3 bedrooms, plus 1 downstairs and 2 baths little house with a finished basement which is equivalent to another floor only buried underground for tornado shelter purposes. we're lucky indeed for no such thing yet had ever happened in our city for years and years now. thank God :) yes, glorious spring is here, with my pink and purple red bud tree that i planted 4-5 years ago. two of them but the other one is male i think for there is no bloom. oh well. and yup we just had our driveway done. Michael could bike better without bumps to navigate now. pics are all taken today :)

snapshots of spring

moon child, i am one :)

... the last painting is by vincent van gogh..."Goodnight Moon" by Shivaree is the music, i love it :)

this elephant paints its own self

wow! the elephant is a lot better of a painter or a drawer than me. amazing! and with flower pa ha, laughs. truly unbelievable!

The Wooden Bowl

I guarantee you will remember the tale of the Wooden Bowl tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, a year from now. A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year - old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered.

The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. 'We must do something about father,' said the son. 'I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.' So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, 'What are you making?' Just as sweetly, the boy responded, 'Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up. ' The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

On a positive note, I've learned that, no matter what happens, how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things: a rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I've learned that, regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life. I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as making a 'life..'I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.

I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But, if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.I've learned that every day, you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch -- holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.I've learned that you should pass this on to everyone you care about ..I just did.

THANKS DEAR FRIEND ERLINDA. YOU JUST MADE MY DAY :) YOU ARE A TREASURE!

colorful spring :)

i wish that our lives will be as happy and bright and as colorful as the flowers of spring. would that be nice? but this is just a dream for of course there will be pains, frustrations and sufferings in between like our share of the cross that Jesus carried to the valley of skulls. but let's all carry our crosses bravely for we know that God is just around the corner to extend His love and His help for us. true. just have faith and believe for it will happen :) "on the sunny side of the street" is i'm sure all of us would want to be in. like for ex. we detach ourselves to sad and bitter or humiliating experiences of the past. a proof that one does not want the cloudy and gloomy sides of life. we abandon it like a skunk, laughs. it's true. i observed it happen to you and to me as well...for we don't want sadness after all and if you said that you do that is just a lie, i would gladly bet my last dollar on that, laughs. as a smile and laughter is preferable to a pout and a cry. and i know I'm right on this one :) but this is a given for we all like happiness after all...when all is said and done :)

love is in the art and love is spring :)

"today i celebrate my love for you" and "lovely spring" :) thanks to you dear artists for your works of art. entertaining is just too shallow and not enough to describe your works of art here. a salute to you and your creations. truly wonderful and really great...(^_~)...the music is "kiss" by prince :)

thanks...

for passing by...it is a very nice spring day today. it's time to garden again, my love and my hobby and thanks to my husband, he does the dirty work for me :) like prepare the soil, laughs. he also likes to plant this and that. he has these tiny seedlings of sweet clementines rooting in the window sill, laughs. and an avocado, yes for God sakes, it won't grow here outside bec. of the winter weather that we have, but there goes an avocado tree that will be dead someday, sad. but he is also a gardener at heart like me, so i'm happy :> and even my only brother likes to plant. he said that my ilang-ilang in his property is big and blooming soon and there are tons and tons of mangoes around, too much, so he gave it away to his employees. and that precious rice is getting to be too expensive there. i've never planted rice in my life, poor as we were, but now with this huge rice field that we have I'd like to try to do it one of these days. mud is healing and manual labor is invigorating. i also miss the little river like lake with tons of tilapias and bangus in it in the province at my brod's place. but what i miss most is Patar Beach and I'd like to see my brod's beach as well. I LOVE YOU PHILIPPINES!!! I can't wait to be there again :) it is just in my blood, my other country, my life...

HAPPY B-DAY HOLY FATHER :)

you are 81 years old today :) your message of "Christ our Hope" the theme of your visit here is truly what we need. for without hope the future is dim, dark and of doom. with chin lifted and like your smile we follow you. we love you as Christ presence on earth and as the head of our church. we wish you health and happiness as we wish you many more years ahead. long live and more power to you...
***
the White House is full joy and smiles with the historic visit of His Holiness today. Kathleen Battle did a wonderful and sweet rendition of "The Lord's Prayer" an unforgettable voice. i got teary eyed listening to this lady sings. so much happiness and celebration, like magic one will be mesmerized. spring had sprung in Washington D.C. all that greenery, but not here in Michigan where bare brown naked trees still reigned our streets as i look at that crisp, bright, blue and peaceful sky...
***
His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, above...

the sun shines through the page

darkness through
the glass is gone
the shadowy figure
of truth finally is
revealed to us

the music can
be heard again
overcoming the
sickening silence
the dreadful death
of sounds

smiles are slowly
trickling at your
stoic face
which for a long
time now
only tears
had reigned

welcome tomorrow
the promised day
where love and truth
awaits you without delay
where laughter is
abundant and bright
where laughter
is forever
dwelling
in your sad heart...

inside SHRINE, the Pope & Mona Lisa

Pope Benedict the XVI arrived here this afternoon for a six day visit and was met by Pres. Bush and his family at Andrews Air Force Base, the first time for a sitting president to do that kind of a gesture. it was a symbolic show of how much this president takes his faith seriously. i remember in those debates before he was elected err by divine intervention and luckily became president with the help of his then Florida governor brother. he was asked in that debate who is his most respected person in history and his answer was "Jesus, bec. he changed my heart" meaning from an alcoholic to a sober person which he is now. i still believe to this date that, this was the turning point, the gauge that elected a president. for some reason that we don't know but i say with divine help, he had the shot and became a president even with lesser intelligence and experience than Al Gore. but sad to say he became the president of war, of a "broken down America" with its economy on the verge of depression for really it's an election year this year so no one in this administration wants to admit any of that for of course it will be a cause of downfall or not a good baggage to carry for a republican candidate which Mr. Bush belongs, see how clever? but do you think that voters are dumb like me? then they better think twice, laughs. they say that the economy is just in the "doorway" to recession. with more than a trillion dollars and adding up every seconds budget deficit to date, two million Americans losing their homes to foreclosures for their jobs were shipped overseas with government incentive of tax breaks for after all these are corporations that support this present president. but really America is not broken down yet, not yet. yes the dollar has been decreasing in value, yes, more than 4 thousand young kids lost their lives and tens of thousands disabled bec. of this war in Iraq plus 100 thousands Iraqis dead themselves and soaring gas prices that might rival the American eagle's flight. but no, America is still the only super power in this world to this date, the one country that lots of people around the world would like to visit if not to live. yes, indeed. the truth of the matter is, it is not broken down yet. thanks heavens. so you could still play your favorite instrument the way you want it played, me the piano and J.C. the guitar, laughs. and we are still "smiling" inspite of it all. yup Virginia, with that enigmatic smile of the Mona Lisa by the great painter Leonardo da Vinci, yes that unforgettable smile of his muse? hmn, maybe, laughs. of course painters paint their muses and lady loves, some in a very sexual way if i may add, laughs. but oh well, it's their brush so they can do what ever they want as we looked on with an eye popping and jaw dropping awe :) kudos to them really. wonderful works of art if i may add :> i for one have a giggle looking at them, laughs, making my day in the process. what a beautiful world indeed, filled with talent and of wonder :) so a broken world? not yet... so far and thank God for that...(^_~)...maybe tomorrow? i hope not and i pray not...

***

and HAPPY B-DAY to his Holiness tomorrow Wed. 4-16. he will be 81 years old. not bad. almost same age as my mother who is still healthy and frisky, laughs, and still travels alone here to the U.S. thank God really :) and here is my mother's favorite tune, Mona Lisa :) as a child then i remembered her humming this tune by Nat King Cole all the time. but to give it a modern twist, this version of the gimmes is more interesting to listen to. i think so, laughs. so enjoy? but better with your Mona Lisa of course :> the one whose smile could light up a room, just a joke, laughs.