Children's Art: "The greatest masterpiece and the greatest story ever told."

Children's Art: "The greatest masterpiece and the greatest story ever told." 
Dr Abe V Rotor

LIVING with NATURE CENTER 
San Vicente, Ilocos Sur 

Let the wind blow, the grass grow, the mist settle down;
guide a child, brush and colors in her hand, reign
over a beautiful realm we grownups have given up long ago,
never to return, yet yearning, to be children again;
We pass this way but once - and again through our genes, 
 in tender hands and heart, we've lived not in vain. 
  

 

 

 

I watched a child paint the floor of our house. 
 I gave her all the things she needed, 
then left to attend the chores of the day.  
What had she done in my absence? 

 I almost forgot all about the whole thing.  
That always happens to a busy person.
 I returned, apologetic.  She didn't say a word. 
 She was still busy painting without respite.

 I studied her paintings on the floor.
Suddenly I felt I was talking to myself. 
Me, an artist of many movements: 
realism, romanticism, to postmodern.

And she, the artist of peace and harmony, 
naturalness and simplicity.
Here's the greatest masterpiece of the world.
 and the greatest story ever told. ~

Research Triangle: Hydrangea, Caterpillar and Me

Research Triangle: Hydrangea, Caterpillar and Me   

Dr Abe V Rotor 

Mophead or Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) produces blue and pink flowers, and various combinations and hues, that many people think these are varieties or cultivars.  The fact is, the same plant may produce these varying flowers.  

What determines the color of the Hydrangea flower  is aluminum in the soil. Most soils have aluminum but if the soil is alkaline or basic - 6.0 to 6.5 pH (power of Hydrogen) - the plant cannot absorb the aluminum and therefore its flower becomes pink. If the soil is acidic - 5 to 5.5 pH - the plant can absorb the aluminum and its flower becomes blue. 

A mix of colors is obtained when the pH is between these ranges. This is the secret of gardeners producing Hydrangea of different hues and shades, other that deep blue or old rose pink.  There are other horticultural variations like density of the flower head, height of the plant, branching, variegation, and the like, that make Hydrangea an interesting garden plant. 

And this leads to another phenomenon of nature - dimorphism which is another challenging research. As the name implies a plant or any organism may exhibit  dual characteristics, like two patterns of leaves, or distinct variations termed as chimaera. In Greek Mythology the Chimaera had three heads - lion, goat, and snake. Its body was also mixed having the front part of a lion, middle of a goat, and snake for a tail. 

Came a banded caterpillar heretofore unknown,
shielded by the plant like its own shell,
and when the flower cluster one morning opened 
raced this hairy convict from its cell.

It fed on the leaves, not on the beautiful crown, 
for whatever reason beauty it spared,
and my inquisitive mind found another enigma, 
why the flower is neither black nor red.

And whoever this emissary of doom its name,
family and evolution, deserves study,
what these two creatures mean to each other, 
to me, and the whole of humanity. ~  

Banana leaves - best food wrapper

Banana leaves - best food wrapper

Dr Abe V Rotor

 

Banana plant (Musa sapientum L) Cavendish variety; leaves and blossom sold in the market.

Banana leaves make the best food wrapper. It is practical, multipurpose, aromatic and environment-friendly.

Imagine if there were no banana leaves to make these favorite delicacies: suman, tupig, bucayo, bibingka, patupat, puto, tinubong, biko-biko, and the like. We would be missing their characteristic flavor and aroma, and their indigenous trade mark. So with a lot of recipes like paksiw na isda, lechon, tamales and rice cooked with banana leaves lining. Banana leaves have natural wax coating which aid in keeping the taste and aroma of food, while protecting it from harmful microbes.

 Preparing leaf for tamales, first by wilting it over fire, wrapping fish (dilis) with spice and salt, finally steaming.

In the elementary, we used banana leaves as floor polish. The wax coating makes wooden floors as shiny as any commercial floor wax sans the smell of turpentine. Banana leaves when wilted under fire exude a pleasant smell. When ironing clothes use banana leaves on the iron tray. It makes ironing cleaner and smoother, and it imparts a pleasant, clean smell to clothes and fabric.

This is how to prepare banana leaf wrapper.

1. Select the tall saba variety or other varieties available.

2. Get the newly mature leaves. Leave half of the leaf to allow plant to recover. Regulate the harvesting of young leaves as this will affect the productivity of the plant.

3. Wilt the gathered leaves by passing them quickly over fire or live charcoal until they are limp and oily. Avoid smoky flame as this will discolor the leaves, and impart a smoky smell (napanu-os) as well.

4. Wipe both sides of the leaves with clean soft cloth until they are glossy and clean.

5. Cut wilted leaves with desired size, shape and design. Arrange to enhance presentation and native ambiance.

Keep in your backyard at least a hill of banana (mother plant cum tillers), preferably saba variety, and you will have all the things that the banana provides - ripe fruits, green fruits for flour and pesang dalag, trunk for ties, rope and padding, puso or heart for kare-kare.

And most important, the leaves - they make the best food wrapper. ~

Other leaf-wrappers

 

• Gabi (Laing)  (left)
• Mango leaves (tamales)
• Woven coconut leaves (sinambong)
• Buri palm (suman)
• Pandan (kanin, arroz valenciana) right 

References: Wikipedia, Internet photos (bottom), Living with Folk Wisdom, AV Rotor

Cloud Watching Therapy

 Cloud Watching Therapy

Dr Abe V Rotor

Cumulus cloud turning into nimbus or rain cloud

Fearful, reminiscent of Hiroshima,

and Pinatubo, too;

Our lives are often shaped this way

in our deep sorrow,

Thanks God, it's just a passing scenario.

 

Late afternoon clouds hover over Metro Vigan, Ilocos Sur 

When we watch long enough the faces of the cloud 

we find  figures of our own making - 

  kind or fearful, familiar or queer, often in shroud

peeping into our inner being.

Flimsy clouds over Sta Maria, Ilocos Sur 

Beyond the clouds is fantasy

a world far from reality;

we seek refuge and freedom

in this make believe kingdom.

 

How high do flying fish fly? 

(Pinterest Internet)

Sunset in the Garden {San Vicente Botanical Garden Series)

 {San Vicente Botanical Garden Series)

Sunset in the Garden

   "Meet sunrise and sunset at the garden

and recreate the lost Eden." - avr

  Dr Abe V Rotor

Thorny cactus softens at sunset,

each thorn a ray dissolving 

into a halo, a crown of rest 

and thanksgiving.

 Crystal ball's golden hour

 over the horizon sinking;

through a curtain closing,

  until its next chapter. ~

Avalanche - a lesson in children’s painting

Avalanche - a lesson in children’s painting

"Make the children laugh and play,

before their time to grow old.

Make them paint with the grownups,

in unity of one world. " avr

 Dr Abe V Roor

Avalanche (2’ x 3’) by Jhonna Ragasa 15, with the author as tutor. 2016

Make it far and distant in perspective,

its foreground dark and bold;

Make the rocks heavy and solid, hang

before they fall and move;

Make the sky blue, the mountains, too,

the water clear and cold;

Make the river roar into a cascade,

as it was in a story told;

Make the story like Hawthorne’s fiction,

loved by the young and old;

Make the sky meet the land, the river

flow seaward through every fold;

Make the children laugh and play,

before their time to grow old.

Make them paint with the grownups,

in unity of one world. ~   

The Ambulant Vendor: "You don't have to go to the market; the market comes to you."

The Ambulant Vendor 

"You don't have to go to the market; the market comes to you." 

Dr Abe V Rotor 

A culture of old in the community,

from farm-to-market, to farm-to-home;

delivered practically at your doorstep;

spurred by the pandemic's stay-at-home. 

Less middlemen, less changing hands, 

value-added favors the grassroots;

goods fresher, shelf life longer 

sans additives, costly packaging.

Suki system keeps friendship and trust,

confidence in quality and cost;

Take the backseat malls, supermarkets,

it's e-market Filipino style.   

Tessie Tabangcura, suki of the author's family.

San Vicente, Ilocos Sur

Fruits, vegetables, meat, seafood, others; 

Your suki has it, or will find it for you. 

More and more markets-on-wheels and delivery-on-the-doorsteps have 

made marketing convenient especially during the pandemic period. 

They are the link of farm to home, enhancing freshness of products and

eliminating expendable middlemen. ~