A Visit to Nature's Gardens Series in Murals (Part 1)

A Visit to Nature's Gardens Series in Murals (Part 1)

Mural Paintings of Dr Abe V Rotor

Living With Nature Center

Author's Residence, San Vicente, Ilocos Sur 

Western Edge of the Cordillera, Santa Paradise, Ilocos Sur

The rocky shores of Santa is a favorite stopover of travelers for respite and relaxation. A popular lore tells us that when the scribe of the Spanish explorers was naming the places where they already established settlements, the scribe had a difficult time of thinking of a Catholic Saint's name of saints to name the place (Santa Catalina, Santa Lucia, and Santa Maria were already taken), so the town was simply named "Santa." (Some versions of the story say that the scribe fell asleep or was drunk when he was writing a name for the town and just wrote "Santa".)

Eroded Shoreline of  Palauig, Zambales

Continuous battering of waves and tides where every day the sea and river meet,
where runoff after rain flows down, rills to gullies grow, soil washed away and the bedrock exposed, seemingly beautiful, serene, strong.  But it is not, it is a landscape changing, now in the making, now in a state of ruin, typical in many parts of the world where man has laid his hands on Nature's architecture in pursuit of agriculture and industry, and lately settlement and tourism.

Watershed Stream,  Mt Makiling, Laguna

A watershed is an area of land that feeds all the water running under it and draining off of it into a body of water. It combines with other watersheds to form a network of rivers and streams that progressively drain into larger water areas. Topography determines where and how water flows. Mount Makiling is an important catchment area for Laguna de Bay providing a water supply for industrial, agricultural and residential sectors of the CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon) region.

Hornbill Sanctuary, Northern Tip of Luzon, between Ilocos Norte and Cagayan

The Luzon hornbill (Penelopides manillae), sometimes called Luzon tarictic hornbill, is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae. It is endemic to forests on Luzon and nearby islands in the northern Philippines. As is the case with all Philippine tarictic hornbills, it has been considered a subspecies of P. panini.

Underground River, Puerto Princesa, Palawan 

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is a protected area of the Philippines. The park is located in the Saint Paul Mountain Range on the western coast of the island of Palawan, about 80 kilometres north of the city centre of Puerto Princesa, and contains the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River.

Pinsal Falls, Sta Maria, Ilocos Sur

In Ilocano mythology the giant Angalo passed by the mountains of Pinsal in search
for Aran, leaving a large mark of his footprints that locals call as “Tugot ni Angalo”.
The said footprint is now a naturally-made pool.

Tabon Cave, Rizal, Palawan 

The Tabon Caves, dubbed as the Philippines' Cradle of Civilization, are a group of caves located on Lipuun Point, north of Quezon municipality, in the south western part of the province of Palawan on Palawan Island, in the Philippines.

Indigenous Tools and Equipment

Indigenous Tools and Equipment

Dr Abe V Rotor
"A tool is but the extension of a man's hand, and a machine is but a complex tool. He that invents a machine augments the power of a man and the well being of mankind."
— Henry Ward Beecher

Sled or pasagad, bullock drawn

These are indigenous tools and equipment, many of them are now rare. The younger generation may not be familiar with many of these in the list. Others have simply evolved into new designs or tools which are difficult to trace as to their origin. There are regional variations and have adopted distinct cultural traits. In fact, there are universal inventions which cannot be claimed by a specific country or culture.

1. Trowel (Barrusot Ilk)
2. Hand palay harvester (rakem)
3. Laying hen’s crib (baki)
4. Farmer’s backpack (kuribot)
5. Boat sled (takuli)
6. Bullock Sled (pasagad)
7. Bare bull cart (partigo)
8. Bull cart with sides (kariton)
9. Sledge hammer (maso)
10. Dike (pilapil) bolo (pangtabas)
11. Heavy duty bolo (badang)
12. Everyday bolo (buneng)
13. Dagger (balisong Tag; daga Ilk)
14. Iron nail remover (kabra)
15. Crowbar (bareta)
16. Log saw (sarrotso)
17. Ax (wasay Ilk)
18. Wide brimmed hat (payabyab)
19. Woven hat (kallugong)
20. Planting pole (tik-tak mechanism)
21. Fish basket (alat)
22. Chewing nut bag (tampipi)
23. Scythe (kumpay)
24. Fishing pole (banni-it)
25. Slingshot (palsi-it)
26. Toy hand cannon (palsu-ot)
27. Blowgun (salbatana)
28. Threshing rope with handle (hawak)
29. Threshing board
30. Woven mat (banig)
31. Coconut midrib broom (walis tingting)
32. Soft grass broom (walis tambo)
33. Coco shell cup (ungot)
34. Earthen water pot (calamba, caramba)
35. Earthen pot (for cooking) (palayok, banga)
36. Fish fence (tarit)
37. Fish trap (salakab)
38. Bottom fish trap (kudagdag)
39. Fish net with x-frame (salloy)
40. Throw net (tabukol)
41. Fixed fish trap (bubo)
42. Bird pole trap (taay)
43. Bird loop net (singgapong)
44. Spear (pika)
45. Dugout trap (palab-og)
46. Bow and arrow (pana)
47. Coconut grater (gadgaran)
48. Curve bolo for trimming levees (panabas)
49. Hammer or mallet (martilyo)
50. Lever to draw water from well (babatwagan)

NOTE: Add other tools to this list and arrange them according to use/s.  

Forest Pond 2

Forest Pond 2
Dr Abe V Rotor

 Forest Pond, painting in acrylic by AV Rotor

It is not the Walden Pond of Thoreau;

it is not the mirror pond of Narcissus;

but a pond somewhere in the forest 

in the mind, away from others' views.

A pond in silence and in song all day;

a pond that reflects the stars at night;

and in summer air shimmers the sun,
and from heaven a magnificent sight. ~

A dozen sayings to live by, anonymous

A dozen sayings to live by, anonymous

Compiled by Abe V Rotor

Respite under the coconut tree. Tacloban, Leyte

1. When you stop pedaling your bicycle, you fall off.

2. Sometimes it's hard to tell whether you are busy as you think, or just confused.

3. All work and no play makes it hard to know what to do with your leisure.

4. It is not the whistle that pulls the train.

5. It is very embarrassing to be mistaken at the top of your voice.

6. If you never make a mistake, you may live and die without anyone ever noticing you.

7. Some persons have trouble telling the difference between being tired and being lazy.

8. It's not the hours you put in your work, but the work you put in your hours.

9. To leave footprints on the sands of time, you have to keep on going.

10. Most of us can do more than we think we can, but we actually do less than we think we do.

11. The philosopher who said that work well done never needs doing over never weeded a garden.

12. Many fishermen catch their fish by the tale.

Life on the Farm mural speaks

Life on the Farm mural speaks

Dr Abe V Rotor

Life on the Farm, mural by AVR circa 1995

       The mural speaks of 

- the fields turning gold in the sun at harvest time;

- the wind carrying colorful kites, big and small;

- the stream hissing on its path, murmuring on the rocks;

- the clouds carving faces and creatures to children's delight; 

- birds in the trees chirping at sunrise and at sundown; 

- the carabao being led from the pasture to its shed;

- haystacks growing at harvest like giant mushrooms;

- duhat time and the trees bearing children in their branches; 

- trees whispering in the breeze and cools its shade;

- old trees regarded sacred, home of the unseen spirits;

- mushrooms growing on punso guarded by dwendes;  

- a full moon and one swears he saw a kapre up in a tree;  

- frogs croaking for rain; soon the ponds and rivers are full;   

- the waterhole shrinking, and its fish being caught for viand;  

- herons flying and alighting among the carabao herd; 

- the kingfisher singing in sonorous and unwelcome tune;
- rain coming in downpour, the wind blowing - then calm;
- little helping hands make farm and household work light; 
- work and play on the farm are the same - they are all game;  
- the family gathers for the Angelus and at supper time. ~  

Listening to the Owl

Listening to the Owl

Dr Abe V Rotor

Little Prince before a mural painted by the author 2016, Lagro QC

A wall with eyes and ears, 

that talks as well,

sentinel of the night 

with stories to tell;

king of the forest,

seemingly frail,

wisest of all birds,

and humans as well.~

Sun in the Well

Sun in the Well

Dr Abe V Rotor 

                                                                                                                              Acknowledgement: Internet Photo

I dug for water

And looked to Heaven

Clouds I found none

But heard a voice instead

“Deeper.”

So I dug and dug.

Without let up,

But with no avail.

This time I looked to Heaven,

To ask, “How much deeper?”

And the voice came again.

“Until you see the sun, my son.”

I dug and dug and dug,

And a spring I soon struck,

Reflected the sun above.~

Uncle Cippi, Naturalist (San Vicente Ilocos Sur Series)

Uncle Cippi, Naturalist (San Vicente Ilocos Sur Series) 

"Don't go near that hole," he would warn us. 

Dr Abe V Rotor 

 Faded photo of the late Uncle Cippi, grassroots' naturalist 

We, boys in our time, soon after the war ended, found ourselves a bit of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer who knew well how to catch fish and crabs with bare hands, drop a bird from its perch with slingshot, hook a purong (mullet) with roasted lumot (alga)as bait - among many other skills that would qualify us today to take a survivor's test.

It is because we were disciples of a ranger in his own right, self-taught and tempered in the field and wildlife, and along the Busiing River that runs like the Mississippi River in Mark Twain's novels. He built the most accurate slingshot - perfect-Y, the most sensitive fishing pole that quivers at the slightest touch, and bird trap (taay) that ensnares small and big bird alike. He would point at the North Star or Big Dipper in a starry evening, "You won't get lost at sea, just consult the stars."  And he would tell the phase of the moon, when ipon (dulong) would enter the sabangan (mouth  of the river), or the mother bangus arrive to spawn.     

Believe me, Uncle Cippi - a title for being a distant relative of my dad, and trusted guide - knew when a typhoon is coming just by looking at the sunset, if rain would spoil our sipa game in the afternoon, pointing at the hovering dragonflies, or know if a suha (pomelo) is sweet or sour or bitter just by glance. "We have to walk fast," he would urge us curious at many things in the field, pointing at the drooping leaves of the acacia. Dusk is a time of the kibbaan and the unseen. Angelus is holy. Supper brings the family together. And he would be telling all these to us kids in low tone as we quickened our pace home.  
        

Monument of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, characters in Mark Twain's famous novels

"Don't go near that hole," he would warn.  A snake could be hiding.  He knew if it's a rat tunnel. "See how smooth the entrance is?"  And we would retreat to arm ourselves with stick or anything. "No," he would calm us down.  "He is harmless, just leave him alone." And when we became cautious with the large holes on the river bank, he explained, "These are holes of burrowing crabs (gammarong). And he would set bamboo traps over the holes. (You can keep a gammarong as pet - just tie it around its carapace in a damp place and feed it regularly with morsels. This, he taught us, too.)  

We would comb the riverbank for kappi (small crabs), shrimps and fish, picking along the way edible fruits of tul-tullaya (herbaceous weed), applas (wild fig), and during summer longboy (duhat), bugnay, salamagi (tamarind), and to quench our thirst, sugarcane or coconut. Who would think of the sun going down fast?  Then we would go home and dad would be waiting at the gate. But on seeing Uncle Cippi with us, his anxiety and fear would soon vanish. And he would offer an ungot (coconut shell cup) of basi wine to our day's guardian, and listen to our day's adventure, looking at us with pride and appreciation. 

It was purong time. Old and young tried their luck in fishing near the bridge going to San Sebastian, the farthest barrio.  Historically this is the Bantaoay River where the Basi Revolt of 1807 took place.  The river has not changed as history tells us, and it has not changed since we were kids. Oh, how nostalgic it is to visit the scene in old age!

There I see myself hooking a purong - probably half a kilo but with deceiving pull. I see my late brother hooking one fish after another. Now he has a dozen, but all medium. Then Uncle Cippi lands a big one after a struggle with the fish tiring itself.  You can hear a chorus of hurrah!  Along the bank and across the river, and clapping that joins the lapping of the shore. Our fishing guru bears a broad smile and takes off his wide brim hat.   

We had no camera. But the image remains fresh and vivid to this day.  There was no trophy.  But there was a champion -  a champion of all time.  A champion of boys growing up fast and strong to face the world of men.  

Sixty five years had passed.  I asked my sister if she can find a picture of our folk hero.  She sent me a worn out photo of his, seated on a wooden cart we once rode - the cart that took us boys to reach our dreams.~     

Chris Ann's Debut Paintings

Chris Ann's Debut Paintings 

"Life is beautiful - its bounty and glory,

as the cycle of life and living goes on,

again and again in the greatest story 

ever told of love, its mystery unknown."

Verses by Dr Abe V Rotor 

 

It's spring, it's awakening,

girl to woman transformed;

bees to flowers hovering;

essence of life's accord. 

Oneness is spontaneous, instinctive,

the genes' primordial expression

to both the exotic and the native 

on the altar of procreation.

No living thing is an island is true,

save some moments to be alone,

longing for company in review

to be part again from then on.

 

What a lovely pair of the same kind,

what would be in the young's mind.

Reflection not of Narcissus' pride

when someone is in love,

seeing herself below and above

and all the things beside.

 

Harvest time is the loveliest season of the year;

the grains golden with the energy of the sun;

all living things in prayer and in good cheer,

a time for respite when the day is gone; 

Life is beautiful - its bounty and glory,

as the cycle of life and living goes on,

 again and again in the greatest story

                           ever told of love, its mystery unknown.~

NOTE: Anna Christina, daughter of the author, held a one-woman exhibition
on her 18th birthday. These paintings are among the thirty exhibited works

in acrylic, oil and pastel.

Beware of the Higad! (Budo-budo Ilk.)

Beware of the Higad! (Budo-budo Ilk.)

Dr Abe V Rotor

Higad (Budo-budo Ilk) is the caterpillar of Tussock Moth (photo below) 

Author shows the stages of the life of the insects: egg, caterpillar (higad), pupa, and adult.

 When you come in contact with the spiny caterpillar, do not rub or wash. Melt candle and train it on the affected area drop by drop until the embedded spines are covered.  Allow the wax to solidify before peeling it off. Apply vinegar or calamansi on the sore. 

   

Leo Carlo is the most sensitive in the family to allergy. At one time I rushed him to the nearest hospital for immediate shot of antihistamine. He stepped on the casting of higad, the caterpillar of the tussock moth. In his attempt to soap away the embedded bristles, he unknowingly caused it to spread all over his body. He stayed in the hospital until the swelling subsided.

Some years earlier Leo had a similar experience. The allergy came from the eggs of talakitok fish he ate. The swelling was so severe his eyes were virtually closed. Timely anti-allergy injection saved him.

Allergy runs in the family. Marlo, my oldest son is allergic to all kinds of crustaceans, from crabs to shrimps. I am allergic to tulingan fish.

But it is insect allergy that we are always on the guard. Insects are perhaps the most common causes of allergy in the world. Let me cite some findings and experiences.

• The popular image of insect allergies is its association with the bites and stings of venomous species like bees, ants, and wasps (injectant allergens). Over one-hundred deaths per year in the U.S. are attributed to fatal reactions to arthropod venoms. We don’t have any record in the Philippines on casualties from this cause.

• More common allergic reactions attributable to insects include those caused by contacting body parts or waste products (contactant allergens) or inhaling microscopic dust particles composed of pulverized carcasses, cast skins and excreta (inhalant allergens). Symptoms range from eczema and dermatitis, to rhinitis, congestion and bronchial asthma.

• Mites which are relatives of insects that infest cheese, bran, dried fruits, jams and sugars are known to cause transient dermatitis among workers when body fluids are re leased upon crushing. Similarly dust mites that inhabit our dwellings cause cold symptoms often diagnosed as such, or as asthma.

. There are people sensitive to mosquito bite. Usually it is accompanied by swelling of the affected area and itchiness, becoming dark afterward. It takes a week or more for the skin to return to its normal color. This symptom may be similarly manifested by the bite of flea (Siphonoptera).

• Nine orders of insects, and mites and spiders (Arachnids) were found to be the sources of the inhalant  allergens. In the US a survey found out that allergy symptoms are due to direct or airborne exposure to Lepidopteran (moth and butterfly) scales - despite the use of exhaust hoods and protective masks and clothing. Case histories of asthma among Lepidoptera workers are numerous.

• Personally I discourage the use of butterflies released in wedding receptions, and other occasions for that matter. Scales of the butterfly (and moth and skippers as well) are made up of a very tough kind of protein known as chitin which can cause blindness other than allergy. Children are most vulnerable to this.

• Reactions to Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets, locusts, cock roaches, etc.) are also common in the form of rhinitis, itching skin, bronchitis and ultimately asthma in general sequence. A researcher suffered dyspnea (labored breathing) during a prolonged session of grinding crickets into meal to supplement chicken feed. There are also cases of anaphylactic shock involving orthopterans.

. Have you experienced waking up with swollen eyelid? One explanation is that, you must have been bitten by cockroach (Periplaneta or Blatta) while you were sleeping. Cockroaches eat on almost anything, including dried tears.

• Workers in grain warehouses exposed to the insect pest like weevils (Coleoptera) suffer from skin itching, hives, rhinitis, dyspnea, and bronchial asthma.

• Flies and midges (Diptera) as well as mayflies (Ephemeroptera) and caddisflies (Trichoptera) have likewise been implicated as allergy.

• Fortunately processing – from milling to cooking - largely diminish the potential threat of food allergies as compared with their reactivity in raw form. But this is no guarantee of eliminating the allergen. One may be allergic to the bean weevil that attacks mungbean, and when the bean is cooked the insect allergen is diminished. But the allergy to the bean itself is not. One school of thought suggests that insect allergens in food are deactivated by cooking, or deactivated in the highly acidic environment of the stomach.

. Red ants bite and sting, injecting formic acid in the process, which explains the extreme pain sensation. Because they attack by group, the amount of formic acid may reach a level that leads to anaphylaxis to sensitive people, and may cause death. Children are most vulnerable.

. The most dangerous sting comes from the wild African honeybee that hybridized with the domesticated honeybee since its entry to the US several years ago. Beekeepers have learn to deal with the crossbred because it produces more honey than the domesticated type. Except for hornets, they are perhaps the most dangerous bees in the world.

. We have a local counterpart of hornets - the paper wasp or putakti. They are however less dangerous because they attack only intruders or when they are disturbed.

. The tree ant, locally known as hantik, can cause extreme pain and discomfort to orchard growers and fruit pickers, intruders notwithstanding. There are people who are highly allergic to their poison.

. Relatives of insects that are harmful for their poison are

• Black Widow spider (Most dangerous arachnid)
• Scorpion
• Centipede
• Millipede (it exudes cyano gas when threatened)

• There is evidence for cross-reactivity among distantly related members of the Arthropoda suggesting the existence of common allergens within the phylum. So, if you are allergic to shellfish, you are likely to be allergic to say, camaro (fried mole cricket) a delicacy not only locally but in other parts of the world.

Beware of insects, specially those that cause allergy. ~

Higad!

Only God can make an egg

Only God can make an egg
Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature - School on Blog

Analogously, according to Joyce Kilmer, “Only God can make a tree.”

Once there was a scientist in the likes of Frankenstein, the doctor who created a monster in Mary Shelly’s novel in the late 18th century. This scientist wanted to make an artificial egg - one that has all the qualities of a natural egg. With his intensive knowledge in chemistry and biology and engineering he succeeded at last in making an egg that is complete with albumin (white), yolk (yellow center), and of course a perfect shell.

Confident as he was, after testing his masterpiece in the laboratory, he then proceeded in having it incubated, placing it in the center of a dozen natural eggs and had a mother hen sit on them. Days passed by and finally sweet sounds came from under the brooding hen.

There were twelve beautiful, little chicks. All the eggs hatched except one, the thirteenth – his artificial egg.~

Lesson on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio 738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday [www.pbs.gov.ph]

Proper Waste Management - Key to Sustainable Productivity

Proper Waste Management 

- Key to Sustainable Productivity 

The key is Homeostasis or Dynamic Balance -  the ability of Mother Earth to adjust with changing conditions of the environment through time.

 “Everything on earth and in the universe undergoes a cycle, a beginning and an end, and in between a period of growth, stability and senescence. Yet no cycle could succeed unless it is part of an interrelationship with and among other cycles in the biological and physical world, each lending a vital role aimed at a holistic and perpetual oneness apparently designed by an unknown hand.”    - AVR

Farmers should recycle rice hay back to the soil, and must not burn it. (Painting by French Impressionist painter Claude Monet

Abercio V. Rotor, Ph.D.

Presented at the  National Environmental Conference, St Paul University, QC, 2008

When asked what is the best way to keep “balance of nature”, an old man living by a small mountain lake atop Mt Pulog answered, “Leave Nature alone.”

I expected a different answer because the book says man is the “guardian” of living things, and of all creation for that matter. 

But how could it be when the earth is five billion years old and man’s arrival is not earlier than two million years ago?

The difference in viewpoint is further aggravated by direct conflict between man and nature throughout the ages.  And our Darwinian view that survival is an ultimate struggle.

Then this relationship took a different turn. Now the enemy of nature is man.

   

                                            “The ultimate test of any civilization

                                               is not in its inventions and deeds;

but the endurance of Mother Nature

         in keeping up with man’s endless needs.”

                                                  - AVR

But such thought is folly. We are still governed by the laws of nature.  Our advantage is not necessarily the advantage of nature, and vice versa. Man’s periodicity of time and space is so brief; it is not even a wink of nature.

Now allow me to take up the subject assigned to me – does recycling enhance sustainability? On the point of nature yes.  Let’s look into these phenomena.

1. Lightning is Nature’s quickest and most efficient converter and recycler, instant manufacturer of nitrates, phosphates, sulfates; it burns anything on its path, recharges ions. Lightning sustains the needs of the biosphere, it is key to biodiversity.

2. Fire is the Nature’s second tool. While fire is indeed destructive, in the long run, fields, grasslands and forests are given new life by it. Fire is a test of survival of the fittest. It re-arranges organisms and assigns them in their respective places. It gives chance to younger members, such as trees in a forest, to take over the older ones, rejuvenating the whole forest itself. It is the key to the continuity of life.

3. Volcanoes erupt to recycle the elements from the bowels of the earth to replenish the spent landscape, so with submarine volcanoes that keep the balance of the marine ecosystems, including those at the deep ocean floor. 

The Tale of the Potted Tree  

A scientist planted in a pot a tree seedling    1/2 kg in weight, 1/2 meter tall.  He placed 20 kg of soil, and watered the plant regularly. After one year the sapling weighed 5 kg and reached 2 m in height. The weight of the soil is still the same – 20 kilos more or less.

But where did the incremental biomass (4 1/2 kg) come from? Gain in biomass is stored energy (of the Sun) + stored matter (water from the soil, and Carbon Dioxide from the air.) This is the Principle of Photosynthesis, which is the foundation of a complex system of energy flow in the biosphere – a system than encompasses interrelationships between and among organisms through a food web.

• Perpetual Rhythm of Recycling on the grassland, field and forest.
• This helps explain Homeostasis or dynamic balance in any ecosystem such as the Tropical Rain Forest

What are the practical applications of this phenomenon?

• When we eat rice, we get that energy and release it in the form of work
• When we burn firewood we release that energy in the form of heat and light.
• When we step of the gas we release a bit of the sun stored millions of years ago.
• A compost pile shrinks and releases heat and gas.
• Wildfire clears forests, smothers pasture; carcasses become part of soil; farm wastes become organic fertilizer.

The Laws of Nature always prevail 

 •         Seasons, weather and climate

•         Life cycle and alternation of generations
•         Food chain, food web, food pyramid
•         Continental drift, volcanism, ice age
•         Naturally occurring Cycles –

       - Carbon

       - Nitrogen

       - Phosphorous

       - Calcium

       - Water      

       - Other elements and compounds.

Be keen with the Continuity and Perpetual Rhythm in Nature

      •      Rhizobium bacteria restore N balance in soil.
•       A forest or pasture grows back after fire.
•       A volcano erupts, lava settles into fertile soil.
•       Termites break cellulose into simpler compounds.
•       Regeneration follows a typhoon or flood.
•    Tides and currents keep the sea in a state of balance. 

Root modules of a legume abode of Rhizobium bacteria 

The key is Homeostasis or Dynamic Balance is the ability of Mother Earth to adjust with changing conditions through time.~