July 20, 2020

Weekend Gardening

It has been quite a productive week for me, though not on a blogging sense, but for my gardening. I spend most of my free time now on this beautiful spot that was bare and hot just a week and a half ago. Now that I left Facebook, I now have more time to spend in other things and even add some of those to sleeping which I am not complaining about. Work has been still quite demanding last week so I'm really praying for a leaner work week on this one since I had to call a sick day last Wednesday because I felt really dizzy already.

** Thank you so much to my friend The Padre who greeted me on his last Sunday's episode of his awesome Radio Show. I enjoyed the world music so much. Thank you brother Padre, I was so thrilled to hear my name!!! So far so good here in the P.I. and you got that right, it's quite hard to be living here at the moment for so many reasons! But staying strong, have to :)

As I wonder how you all my friends are, I wanted to give you an update to my Garden. Let me start with this photo I took yesterday just after my latest fix.

07.19.2020

What's new? I added more hanging plants on the steel stairs that led to the roof deck. Also, if you can notice the addition of two plant boxes. I asked someone to get hollow-blocks for me from a nearby hardware (I don't drive, sorry) and I used them to create these enclosures which I then filled with Garden soil. 

For the plant box at the far center, since it's not covered by the net, I'm dreaming of desert plants such as cacti and agave if ever I can find some since they will enjoy a lot of sun on that side. My problem though is the rain, I am still planning well on how I can help such desert plants thrive in rainy seasons, but I'm thinking of adding a lot of sandy soil and pumice to the box.

North-facing shaded plant box

For the one on the left of the first photo, I added some bright indirect sun plants since the UV net will take care of them not to be exposed to direct sun rays. I added a Philodendron selloum (left plant inside the plant box) that seems to be dying inside my bathroom even after moving it to different spots. It came with a partner of its same kind (you can see part of its leaf at the leftmost part of the photo) which I added outdoors few weeks before which now looks as healthy as ever! I just hope it survives now that I placed it right beside the one that grows perfectly.

All the other plants are re-potted either from old plants from our rooftop, like these spider lilies and Bromeliads, or from my cousin's house which I visited last Saturday. Yes! I went outside the house again, 6th time since March to count. It was a great experience because aside from seeing my cousins again, I was able to check out all the plants on their lawn and my cousin Caren let me pull out a few and added to that plant box. I was able to take home a couple of Aglaonema plants and a Caladium which surprised both of us, because they are growing like weeds in their lawn when they are sold for a good hundreds of pesos online! We took a photo of it below to share to all of you.

Beautiful heart shaped caladiums at my Aunt's place

By the way, the cousins I met last weekend are the children of my Aunt who's in the hospital right now, the one I asked you all for prayers. With all my heart, thank you so much for praying for her because she has undergone surgery and is currently recovering. Please continue to pray for her, we really hope she recovers very soon, I miss her so so much! 

I am very close to my aunt and her kids because they treat me as a part of their family, like I'm their fifth sibling and that means so much to me. They love me so much and never fails to make me know and feel that. So 5 out of 6 times I was outside the house during this pandemic were all spent with them. They are my energy and my peace. Below is a photo we took during our afternoon tea (Yes, we thought of having tea on a 97 F afternoon). The couple beside me are my younger cousin Carlos and his wife Jean. The one beside me is Carlos' younger sister Caren who is an incoming senior in law school (talk about feeling old, I took care of them when we were all kids. I'm their big brother and will always be forever).

Afternoon tea with the kids (they'll always be kids to me)

I'm leaving you all for the meantime. I pray and wish that your coming week will be blessed and productive, happy and peaceful. Stay kind and be a source of other people's happiness and comfort. May God bless all of you and your loved once and stay safe, we're still far from over with this pandemic.

This post is part of My Corner of the World

45 comments:

  1. Dearest Stevenson! I was like you. Working till getting dizzy ... and no one even said thanks, on the contrary! "She can work, give her more!".
    No. I had to fill in 45 minutes for lunch - munched whilst working but otherwise if I had an accident on my home..... you are not allowed to work that long and drive a car after that, so....

    Don´t do that. Look where I am now. New boss > terminated (me, not the boss!).
    Work to make a good living, not the other way round.

    A beautiful garden you have!!!
    You have a green thumb, huh, can you come over and rescue my poppies? They just REFUSE to get pretty!

    Yayyayyay for your Aunt! I sooo hope for a pizza or such with her in your beautiful garden!

    Honestly? I love that your family allows you to present pics.
    My Brother does not care, but his wife does.
    Boy-oh boy we would never post a "bad" pic like someone stumbling or ... NEVER. Yet I am not allowed to show off my sweet family. Sad. (Sometimes I cheat a bit, but only with sweet pics!)
    Hugs from lille Corinna and I! She is a tad mad at me, but what can I do? (kidding, but I´d love to send her on your way before it goes bad!!!)

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    1. OH DEAR IRIS! I get what you mean! I am known to work fast but the problem is every time I get something fast, I notice they just give more and more new tasks to me and sometimes I just can't handle them anymore but I can't complain. balance really should be key, a hard learned lesson for me. I'll always remember what you said Iris, work to make a good living. Some friends even jokingly tell me that the company will not be given to me if I work my ass out too much HAHA

      Ohhh thank you so much dear Iris! Trust me, I'm not yet so sure about the green thumb HAHA I still have a few plants that makes me hard to take care of them. At times I wonder is it me or is it just them being so hard to take care of HAHA hope it's the later.

      Awwwwww that is so sweet of you! You are right! And one great thing while she is at the hospital, the rose that she gave me on my birthday is blooming one by one non stop!

      Thank you so much dear Iris, ohhh we Filipinos LOVE taking pictures! And I understand what you mean, especially my nieces, they really want to check the photos I took with them before I post them because they want to "quality check" if they look pretty on it HAHA Oh please do send my hugs to Lille Corinna too! She may have to stay more on DE because our cases are getting higher every single day than the last day ughhhh.

      Sending you hugs dearest Iris! Happy new week!

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  2. Your garden looks amazing :-D It really is coming on nicely :-D I always like to grow plants I can eat haha! Apples, cherries, plums and such!

    Glad your aunt is doing well :-D

    And great photo of all together :-D

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    1. Thank you so much Ananka! Oh yes! On the other side of my garden, we also grow vegetables that we use in some of our meals :)

      Thank you so much and I really hope she recovers fast and fully soon. Have a great new week Ananka!

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  3. ...kids? You are a kid to me, enjoy being young. It doesn't last forever!!!

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    1. Waaaa it feels good to read that one my friend Tom! Thank you so much, will do my best :)

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  4. Nice place and good company!!
    Greetings.


    NEW POST IN MY FASHION BLOG!!: http://www.adrianosle.com/2020/07/rutina-de-mi-barba.html

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  5. Greetings from Olde Englande. My pal, we once had a bromeliad but I think it lasted about two weeks. We are not good with house plants and tend to think that they need as much water as the average British rainfall - lots. But, I do have two chilli plants with fruit, one hot and one unknown - like Russian Roulette when we come to make a dish. Not as hot as your bird's eye chillies that once caught me out in Sri Lanka or when I overdose on the Kashmiri. It's good to see your family and to witness the closeness of you all. Is that English tea you are drinking?

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    1. Oh my, Phil! I am shocked at how you knew what we were drinking! Yes! We had English Breakfast Tea on that sunny afternoon. We took these teabags from the place we stayed at in Prague last Winter.

      Oh that is very nice! Chilis are easy to care and manage except for occasional root trimmings that we had to do for potted chili peppers here because their roots can get too widespread and halts their production. hahaha it's super cool about the Russian roulette peppers! comes with surprises on how spicy it will get :) Happy new Week my friend Phil!

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  6. Oh what a gorgeous garden ~ so filled with life energy ~ and happy family photo ~ ^_^

    Live each moment with love,
    A ShutterBug Explores

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    1. Thank you very much dear Carol! I'm so happy you like the garden!

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  7. We live in S. California where the temperature in July can get crazy. One year we had a crazy hot summer, 100+ everyday. Had to put a sunscreen over plants which get direct sun all day.

    Your plants are beautiful.

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    1. Hi Susan! Oh I know what you mean. I spent a couple of weeks between June and July in San Diego a few years ago and you are so right, it was quite hot! It's good that you took care of your plants and added them a protective layer :)

      Thank you so much Susan, that means a lot :)

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  8. Love the picture of you with your cousins. Your garden looks like it is coming along nicely (pumice sounds good for desert plants, they like to have good drainage when it rains). Iris gives you good advice - don't burn yourself out because nobody will thank you for it; learn to pace yourself and in the long run you will achieve far more because you will remain healthier. Enjoy your week :) xx

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    1. Thank you so much dear Margaret! I agree with you, our photo turned out nice even if it was a fast-taken one. And thank you so much for the heads-up on Pumice. I was lucky get hold of two sacks of it. I'll start adding them soon so that the bed will be ready for cacti and succulents. You are right, it tends to get strong rains here during the typhoon season. I hope they'll survive.

      Oh thank you so much Margaret, you and Iris are right, they will never thank you enough for the efforts you seriously put up even if its too much efforts and concern. I really should learn balance also for my mental health and even physical health.

      Have a great new week dear Margaret!

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  9. Greetings from Nashville, Tennessee. I enjoyed your post very much – you do have some lovely plants. Here it is also very warm, today 103 F (or 39.4 C) so gardening outdoor is hard. You and your cousins look very happy and I am pleased your aunt is doing well.

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    1. Wow Nashville! I love your city because its the place of Music and where one of my favorite artists began her career, Taylor Swift! I wish you a more cozy weather because 103 F sure is so hurtful. Thank you so much for your well wishes for my aunt and hope to see you again here on my blog :)

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  10. Glad to know your health has recovered, my friend Stevenson.

    I support your gardening activities. My mom also likes gardening, every day the leaves are examined by plants to make sure there are no caterpillars there.

    I'm sorry and join in praying for your cousin's health to improve his health soon, Amin.

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    1. Oh that is so cool of your mother! I am starting to be that way too especially to my roses because I am afraid the insects might eat the flower buds.

      Thanks my friend Himawan, I hope she gets well soon.

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  11. I love gardening... But living in a high rise apartments doesn't give much of an opportunity... Carry on your gardening passion. Cheers

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    1. Thank you very much Ashok :) I guess you can keep a houseplant or two indoors :)

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  12. Love the pic of you and your cousins SQ, cousins are the best 💙 I just knew it wouldn't take you long to make your rooftop garden beautiful, I think you definitely have green thumbs 💚🌿 Happy to hear that your Aunty is doing well, all those positive vibes worked well 😊 Have a super weekend and take good care of yourself ✨

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    1. Dearest Grace! Thank you so so much for your kind words about my garden, I;m truly touched! Thank you for the prayers and positive vibes. she is still in the hospital for some workups but I hope she recovers fully soon! sending hugs to Perth!

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  13. Hello Stevenson,
    Take your time. You can only do one thing at a time.
    It looks very nice with so many plants. Good luck!!

    Greetings, Marco

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    1. You are so right Marco, I really should balance everything and give perfect time for them :)

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  14. Wonderful Improvements To The Garden And Sending Good Healing Vibes - Such A Happy Family - Something Therapeutic About Your Garden Space - Very Pleased You Enjoyed The World Beat Show - Wish You All The Best During The Typhoon Season - Stay Strong And Thanx For Being You

    Cheers

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    1. The Padre I am still so happy with your greeting! It really means a lot to me, your simple but very thoughtful gesture. Aside form that, I really enjoyed the music selection from Latin to middle eastern vibes, love it! Thank you so much, we have to keep ourselves dry. For now still it's super hot here when there's no rain.

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  15. Dearest Stevenson,
    Happy reading here! The gardening on your roof deck is looking more and more serious and looks rewarding already. Of course, with good soil, in that climate, you can't go wrong!
    Great that you managed to see your cousins and such good news about your aunt. Yes, prayers do lift up one another and they work.
    In four months the political pandemic will be on its way out... But for now, we have to live with its negative affects and try hard for not letting it affect our well being. Immunity needs a boost from positive feelings, not from fear mongering.
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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    1. Oh thank yous o so much dearest Mariette! I am so happy with your word about my Garden and my family. You are right, it's been four months but the infections here are still record high every single day lately. it's like there is no lockdown even if we just entered the 122nd day of the lockdown. it's crazy here.

      I love what you said about positive feelings, we really should work hard to focus on those rather than the obvious negativity. May be hard though huhu but it's possible. With prayer and with God and hope :)

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  16. Your garden is oing well and liking its new place. I always enjoy having lots of plants around, it's soothing for the soul. Nice hanging out with family, glad you enjoy and treasure it. Not all people have that but those who do, it's a wonderful feeling. Take care and stay strong, my friend!

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    1. You are very right on that my friend Bill! All of us have fmaily members but not everyone has the special bond with them. Thank you so much and I hope my plants would continue thriving for a long time.

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  17. I love your garden...so glad you have a place to have it. So glad you got to see your cousins and glad your aunt is recovering.

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    1. Thank you so much dearest Rose, one of my nicest friends. Your kind words are so warming, thank you so much. I;m praying that my Aunt will recover fully soon so she can go home from the Hospital.

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  18. Your garden is amazing, Stevenson!

    Lovely photo of you and your cousins.

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    1. Thank you so much Veronica! It was a great weekend indeed because of my plants and my cousins :)

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  19. I have cousins like that and I wouldn't tradethem for anything in the world. Your new garden is shaping up so beautifully -- I really do love it. It will be fun to follow it over time, too.

    Good news about your aunt. I hope she continues to progress well. I'm glad you could visit family.

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    1. Ohhh we are very much the same Jeanie! I love these kids so much and I'm happy that until now they still love and respect me even if we are just close aged :) Thank you so much for the Garden words, I am really happy about it and makes me happy everytime I see them.

      Thank you Jeanie, I really hope she fully recovers fast :)

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  20. It's great to have people around that you are comfortable with.
    I am rather burned out on facebook, too and only keep up with some long-lost family occasionally.
    Gardening is such a great thing to do, whether it's an acre of roses or a porch of pots. Yours is looking wonderful and I know you get a lot of satisfaction from it!

    It's great to see you at 'My Corner of the World' this week!

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    1. Thank you very much Betty! You are very right, the Garden is my escape from the stresses of work and the fears and anxieties that I always feel constantly in these times. Thank you for Hosting :)

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