Wow! It has been nearly a month since we have returned to the Philippines. My, how time seems to fly by these days. Speaking of time, it is time to review things here in the homestead and provide an update of things that have happened.
There have been some changes around the house, as well as some improvements and some things that just simply refuse to change but steadily maintain their status. All is right with the world, as far as I am concerned. It would take a major disaster to change my upbeat feelings about being back in the Philippines. Even then, I wouldn’t imagine that change to last very long.
SMART BRO UPDATE
My SMART Bro canopy system is still providing me with steady, reliable Internet connectivity. It has been well over a year since the last unexplained Internet outage. Things just keep plugging along – keeping me connected – so long as there are no brown outs either here at the house or somewhere along the Internet pathway.
As you can see by the image on the left, the download/upload speeds are no where near the 15+Mbps speeds I had enjoyed while on vacation. Still, the speeds depicted here are reliable and steady – they are the average download and upload speeds that I have available to me. Even though the “Grade” is a “C,” the report shows the speed as being faster than 51% of the Philippines. I guess that is supposed to make me feel good all over!
LIGHT BULBS!
Believe it or not, we had to make a special run to the hardware / do it yourself store when we first got here. The reason? Light 
bulbs! Those long-life CFL bulbs. It seems as though we have reached the end-life of the first batch of CFLs. Most of those being replaced (10 having been replaced so far) have been in use since the house was constructed. Seeing how we moved into the house back in 2008, those bulbs have been churning out the lumens for a few years. Now, in 2012, they’ve completed their tasks and are “retiring” themselves.
There are plenty more CFLs around the house. I don’t think the original purchase of 10 will hold out (they’ve all been used up as of this morning) and another run on the hardware / do it yourself store may shortly be in order.
FRUITS, VEGETABLES & THINGS AGRICULTURAL
In the world of agricultural experimentation, things have certainly changed. Of major note is the papaya situation. We started six trees from seeds and were lucky to obtain one bi-sexual tree that produces fruit. The other five trees just didn’t work out – they didn’t produce any fruit even though they were male and female plants intermixed among each other – so they were removed. Now, we’ve one tree with plenty of fruits.
Our cows are doing well and growing. Those extended family members with whom we entrusted our bovine friends are certainly doing a good job of husbandry. We have to check all of the cows to make sure our cows have our brands, and if any of the youngsters have reached branding age, make sure they receive their mark.
Kalamansi tree
Just as we arrived, there was a calamansi harvest. Our two calamansi plants yielded a real treasure trove of fruits – all the ideal size, weight and tartness. After the harvest, the plants were cut back a little to stimulate future growth and good fruit.
All else – from orchids to other flowering plants – are doing well. Of note, our “dragon fruit” plants have really grown and have even produced a blossom or two. Too bad that those flowers appeared at the wrong time of year. Rainy season is just not the right time for flowers to pollinate and become fruit. Still, there were only two, which tells me that we will be in for quite a few more when blossoming time comes around (April-May).
THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Gee it’s great to be back among neighbors, relatives and friends. Of course, there are a number of these showing up at our doorstep, wishing us a welcome back and eager to hear news of others in the United States. It is wonderful to see them all, again (it’s quite difficult for me when it comes time to leave as I hate “good-byes”).
Not much has changed in the way of scenery. The National Road in front of our house was re-paved and re-striped in our absence (something that I’m thankful for in a couple of ways). Trees along the roadway have been trimmed again, keeping stray branches away from power and telephone lines. The fields behind the house are a checkerboard of green and golden brown – rice being the reason. Early rice plantings are getting ready for harvest, while later plantings are beautiful shades of green.
Life goes on in the barangay – just the way I like it. It’s great to be back home!
Paul is a CPA and a retired tax accountant, having served companies and corporations of all sizes, as well as individuals, in public accounting practices. Prior to what he refers to as his "real job," he served a 24-year career in the U.S. Navy, retiring as a Master Chief Petty Officer. It was during this career that he met and married his OFW spouse of 35+ years, Emy, while stationed in London, UK. (Though he pleaded for the assignment, Paul never received orders to the Philippines.) A "Phil-phile" from an early age, Paul remembers his first introduction to the Philippines in the primary grades of a parochial elementary school where, one week each year, children donated their pennies to purchase school supplies, food and other necessities for Filipino children in need. That love for Filipinos continues to this day. Calling Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte--in the far northwestern part of Luzon--home (just about as far away from Davao as one can be while still being on one of the major islands) Paul prefers a more relaxed provincial life style, and willingly shares a different view of the Philippines from "up north"!
“The fields behind the house are a checkerboard of green and golden brown – rice being the reason. Early rice plantings are getting ready for harvest, while later plantings are beautiful shades of green.” – Paul Keating
Paul, what could be a more fitting tribute to your coming home than Joan Baez’s “Green, green grass of home”?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQhKqlOccHE
Hi Ricardo – Thanks for the link and the sentiment! It’s great to be back home and Joan Baez is right!
It is good that you did not wait as long as the guy in the song to return home. He had passed and was returning to be buried, very good song though.
Thanks for catching the last lines of the song, Loren. Foolish me, I didn’t finish listening to the song to its end. My apologies to Paul and a retraction of Joan Baez’s otherwise beautiful but tragic song. I offer the following replacement in its stead, hoping that it is a more fitting welcome to both Paul and the coming season.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lvb8jWyFXgo&feature=related
No problem here!
Kalamansi tree looks nice and healthy. Kalamansi is good in Corona beer, but not easy to get Ilocos Norte. It must be nice to be back home, and there is new mall in Loaog as well. Even though your Internet speed is slow, nothing beets being outside in paradise surfing the web.
Hi Jay – Have never tried kalamansi with my beer – of course, that’s SMB.
Laoag is waking up and growing up. Growing pains include vehicle parking issues. More building and growth is projected. Who knows, there may be upgrades to internet, too!
Great to hear from another list member from “up north”. We’re in the process of settling near Solano, Nueva Vizcaya. Not there permanently yet. Just an annual pilgrimage til our house is built, and things are closed out stateside. I plan to run a small scale cow/calf operation. I’d love to read more about your cattle. Our trees are not yet mature. But, last year, my wife sent 50 kilos of calamansi from her mother’s tree to market.
Take care,
Pete
Hi Pete – I know all about those annual pilgrimages! They do result in wonderful times.
We haven’t had a good “inventory” of the cattle yet – will have to go visit each and every one to see how they are doing. They are spread out among various family members who tend to them.
50 kilos of calamansi is quite a bit from one tree, if it was from one of my trees! Mine are still in growth mode, so annual harvests aren’t as large. Time for some fertilizer, too!
Tell me about snail speed SMART BRO charging the fares of high speed.
I used to pay $25.00/m in Canada and still pay the same here for turtle speed and consider myself lucky to have the service.
The CFL light bulbs are finished way too fast. In 2 years I went through at least two dozen. Again, the same price as in Canada.
However, I don’t complain, nobody around me seem to complain neither.
Actually I laugh at it because it is laughable.
Tell me about snail speed SMART BRO charging the fares of high speed.
I used to pay $25.00/m in Canada and still pay the same here for turtle speed and consider myself lucky to have the service.
The CFL light bulbs are finished way too fast. In 2 years I went through at least two dozen. Again, the same price as in Canada.
However, I don’t complain, nobody around me seem to complain neither.
Actually I laugh at it because it is laughable… unfortunately.
Hi Bob – Well, I look at it as SMART Bro charging me for internet access. The blinding fast speeds are just an extra tossed in for free.
Sometimes there’s nothing one can do but laugh at a situation. The store guarantees the CFLs for one year – that should tip off a customer. If laughter is the best medicine, then I have a full-service pharmacy here!
Nice article Paul! Glad to hear you’re back, and happy to be home safe and sound. Enjoy the wonderful life there. Joan and I both look forward to comign back there to live next year. Especially on a day like today when the weather is cold(about 355 degrees fahrenheit, and the wind is blowing, and rain is turning to ice here at 2:30am. I know, because I just took the grabage to the road to be picked up.
Your farming sounds like it is going well! We hope to do the same kind of thing to help provide foods for ourselves and our family.
Hi Scott – Thanks, it’s good to be back (both in the Phils and in print
). I really feel sorry for you with that weather – it’s what we try to avoid at all cost!
The farming is more dabbling in this and that, than it is any form of agrriculture. I want to try things out before I commit a lot of time to it. That’s my laziness speaking!