Magnificent Waterfall

Magnificent Waterfall

"Oh, you are simply full of awe and joy.

   How I wish I were forever a boy." - avr

Dr Abe V Rotor

 Convergence in Nature, detail of mural painting (8ftx10ft)

 by AV Rotor

How many falls do you tumble all the time?

And songs you sing in rhythm and rhyme?

Oh, you are simply full of awe and joy.

And I, I wish I were forever a boy -

I ride on your crest, plunge into your floor,

Inside your womb I'm a child once more,

Together we flow, and I'm weaned out to sea

To tell the world of a beautiful story. ~

                    "Live quietly in a corner of nature." - Claude Monet 

How friendly are you with Nature? Self-Administered Test (True or False, 25 Items)

  How friendly are you with Nature?

Self-Administered Test (True or False, 25 Items)

Man is a recent creature on Earth. If the 5 billion years of the earth’s existence is compared to a calendar (365 days), man came into this world only on the eve of December 30. Man is only one-day old on earth. (True or False)

                                                                 Dr Abe V Rotor

                         Living with Nature Art Gallery, San Vicente, Ilocos Sur 

1. "Going back to nature” means we have to live the lives of our ancestors and renounce our modern living.

2. We can actually transfer genetic materials from one organism to another irrespective of species or class or sub kingdom by means of genetic engineering, resulting in the formation of what we call as GMO.

3. Genetic engineering actually started with Gregor Mendel, the father of the science of genetics and heredity some two hundred years ago.

4. There is no question about a human clone of not having a soul because, the soul of the parents transcend to offspring which is the clone.

5. We live under different ages all at a given time - atomic age, computer age, age of genetic engineering, space age and artificial intelligence (AI) – all rolled into what scientists called the age of postmodernism.

6. “Tailor the land to the crop, and not the other way around,” is a cardinal rule of "treaty between man and nature."

7. Man is a recent creature on Earth. If the 5 billion years of the earth’s existence is compared to a calendar (365 days), man came into this world only on the eve of December 30. Man is only one-day old on earth.

Mini-diorama of a coral reef, made by students in humanities 

with the author as adviser. Former St Paul University Museum QC

8. “Our lives are being run and outrun by science and technology.” This statement is generally true.

9. "Universities without walls" or "distance education" will enable mass education to the grassroots. It will break the cartel or control by elite universities and colleges.

10. Toxic metals abound on land, sea and air – from kangkong to tuna to fowls – unless we control the emission and spread of these toxic metals.

11. Going back to nature is to become a strict vegetarian – giving up animal products. Unless we do this we can’t truly say we have gone back to nature.

12. “Ecological paradigm of salvation” means “we express our love and care to people by protecting nature.” Plant a tree, for example, is reverence to nature and therefore to the Creator; kill a tree and you commit a sin – more so it caused flood and erosion leading to death and destruction.

 Nature in the living room, painting by the author. 

 Courtesy of Mr and Mrs Elmo and Remy Jinenez, San Vicente, Ilocos Sur

13. Support and actively participate in movements such as Clean Air Act, Clean and Green, Green Revolution, Carless Day, Car pooling, Biofuel, Saving Endangered Species, Greenpeace, and the like.

14. Convert deserts into woodlands and pasture; empty shorelines into resorts, given the tremendous resources to accomplish such gargantuan task.

15. Petrodollar is the life of the world economy – so that we support the idea that there is plenty of oil yet to be discovered. There should be no letup in tapping these reserves.

16. We should implement stricter laws such as: absolutely no logging (total log ban); impound all smoke belching vehicles; no conversion of agricultural to industrial lands; no hunting of wild animals; and the like.

17. Even without the human species, Planet Earth will continue to “go round” so to speak, in the same way as it did in the last 5 billion years – and perhaps go on for another 5 billion years. We just don’t know what will be the kind of dominant species after us humans.

18. Homesite for the golden years is feasible in the rural as well as in the urban areas; it can be modified according to area, design and structure – but not purpose.

19. It is good to go back to classics without aristocracy, spirituality without religious dogmatism; philosophy without ideological bias; realism without barbarism – to have a better view of life, and a firmer basis of our decision and faith.

20. Science and technology has imprisoned us in many ways – that is why we are not truly happy. We need a direction – a definition of life’s meaning. Logotherapy is as relevant as in a situation where we are kept helpless in a prison camp.

21. Science and technology has actually eliminated the scourge of the human race – disease, poverty and ignorance. Actually we are only begging for more benefits discreetly.

Trivia: Identify this organism.  Answer is found below.

22. Today it takes weeks for man to make diamonds in special oven chambers the size of a washing machine, when it would take nature thousands of years to make one.

23. Reports have been verified of the presence of bromate in sugar, sulfite in wheat flour, nitrate in meat, human hormone in milk, MSG or monosodium glutamate in noodles and viands.

24. Alternative vegetables are not to be recommended because we have barely studied them unlike conventional vegetables.

25. Homeostasis means dynamic balance – Nature’s way of renewal, renaissance, seeking stability as continuing goal. ~

Farm Life mural painted by AV Rotor 

ANSWERS: 1 F, 2T, 3F, 4F, 5T, 6F, 7T, 8T, 9T, 10T, 11F, 12T, 13T, 14F, 15F, 16T, 17T, 18T, 19T, 20T, 21T, 22T, 23T, 24 F, 25T

Rating: 

20 and up - You are indeed friendly to Nature. 
15-19 - Good.  
14 and below - Visit this blog more often. spend more time with nature.

Trivia: Balloon frog, or Tukak bat'ug (Ilk) related to the banded bullfrog (Kaloula pulchra)

Lesson on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid, with Dr Abe V Rotor and Ms Melly C Tenorio Monday to Friday, 8 to 9 evening on 738 DZRB AM Band.  

Listen to the Sea in the City

Listen to the Sea in the City

 Dr Abe V Rotor

A coed listens to the sea with a giant conch at the former SPU-QC museum.

Listen to the sea in the city

hushing in monotony;

of roaring wheels and feet.

on concrete walls and street;

close your eyes to see

yesterday by the beautiful sea,

to fill up emptiness

with make-believe tenderness. ~

Barbed-Wire Figurine Speaks

Barbed-Wire Figurine Speaks

"It speaks of loss of forests, valleys, grasslands,

in their prime in the hands of early humans."- avr

Dr Abe V Rotor

Figurine (14" tall) made of barbed wire and tree relics of World War II, 

artwork by the author 2025

It speaks not of war among brothers as enemies,

but war between man and nature in our midst.

It speaks not of trophies and medals of victory,

but nature's defeat by man's greed and folly.

It speaks not of an arch commemorating honor,

but a crumbling one, of a long forgotten valor.

It speaks of loss of forests, valleys, grasslands,

in their prime in the hands of early humans.

It speaks not of rivers flowing onto the field;

but of yield not enough to meet people's need.

It speaks of Nature as silent as Carson's spring,

at a season the birds would arrive and sing.

It speaks of high-tech, not in simple language,

a program people can understand and gauge.

For a change, try fern vegetable.

Vegetable Fern (Pako') - Athyrium esculentum

For a change, try fern vegetable. It's good for the family;  

It is rich in minerals and high in food value.

Dr Abe V Rotor

 Living with Nature - School on Blog

Pako' abounds in the wild - fields, forests and on river banks. It is often found growing on the backyard and idle lots.  Because many people have learned to eat pako', it is now widely sold in public markets just like any vegetable. 

Gather the young leaves or fronds which are eaten either raw or cooked.  They may be used as salad with various dressings, as leafy vegetable, or as ingredient of stews.

At home we prefer Ilocos Vinegar for dressing, with chopped onions, and a dash of salt.  Try fresh tomato instead of vinegar. 

When cooking bulanglang or diningding, include pako' singly ir in combination with other vegetables like spinach and eggplant.  Don't forget sweet potato (kamote) in  cubes as thickening (buridibud).     
 

Pako’ salad with tomato and onion dressing; pako ready for cooking stew.

Mineral Content and Food Value of fresh Athyrium esculentum (percent)

 Marañon J (Philippine Journal of Science), and Hermano AJ (Bureau of Science Popular Bulletin), Useful Plants of the Philiipines Volume 1, William H Brown

Moisture 89-90;

Ash 1.14 - 1.32

Phosphorus 0.26

Calcium 0.03

Iron 0.006

Protein 3.11

Fats 0.28

Cabohydrates 3.86

Crude Fiber 1.23

How do you recognize the plant in the field? Here is a guide.  Refer to the illustration to familiarize yourself.  Pako' is in ther list of wild food plants, and "hunger" or emergency food plant in times of scarcity. It is a survivor's alternative food.  

Athyrium esculentum has twce- or thrice-pinnate frond which are 50 to 80 cm long and about half as wide.  The pinnules are pointed, coarsely serrate, and about 2 to 5 cm long. The plant is abundantly distributed in the Philippines growing on gravelly bars and banks of streams.  It is also found growing widely from India to Polynesia. 

Pako' (Athyrium esculentum) growing habit


Another fern is edible. This is Ceratopteris thalictroides, a stout fern with leaves that are divideed into numerous narrow sgments..  It is aquatic and it actually grows on mud. It is also found all over the Philippines and in all tropical countries.  

  Ceratopteris thalictroides, an aquatic fern.  

Other edible fern species mainly in temperate regions: (Wikipedia)

The fiddleheads (unopened fronds) of certain ferns are eaten as a cooked leaf vegetable. The most popular of these are:

• Western sword fern, Polystichum munitum, "king of northwest ferns."
• Bracken, Pteridium aquilinum, found worldwide (Health Warning)
• Ostrich fern, Matteuccia struthiopteris, found in northern regions worldwide, and the central/eastern part of North America (Health Warning)
• Lady fern, Athyrium filix-femina, throughout most of the temperate northern hemisphere.
• Cinnamon fern or buckhorn fern, Osmunda cinnamomea, found in the eastern parts of North America, although not so palatable as ostrich fern.
• Royal fern, Osmunda regalis, found worldwide
• Midin, or Stenochlaena palustris, found in Sarawak, where it is prized as a local delicacy
• Zenmai or flowering fern, Osmunda japonica, found in East Asia

* Lesson on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio

738 DZRB AM, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday

Microcosm of the Web of Life

Microcosm of the Web of Life*

Painting on display at the Living with Nature Center

San Vicente, Ilocos Sur

Dr Abe V Rotor

"Each living creature must be looked at as a microcosm—a little universe, formed of a host of self-propagating organisms, inconceivably minute and as numerous as the stars in heaven." - Charles Darwin

Microcosm of the Web of Life in acrylic patterned after an image 

under the microscope  by the author (23"x24") 2025

Nature is a huge encompassing network: 

    living and non-living in dynamic union

in unending and reversible transformation,

    from Genesis to our time still at work.

God's greatest mystery - peace in diversity,

    from monerans to the highest order;

each indispensable, related to one another 

    in a trilogy: diversity, harmony, unity

 

  Closeup showing the intricate and interconnectedness of the living network. 

Constellation likened to mycelia under the lens, 

    in Gulliver's travel in Lilliput and Brobdingnag

a giant yet dwarf in another world, how sad,

    not to know the meaning of our fifth sense.

“Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.” - Chief Seattle Leader of the Suquamish and Duwamish Native American tribes

--------------------

* Microcosm: Derived from Greek words "mikros" (small) and "kosmos" (world or universe), the term signifies a smaller entity that mirrors a larger one.

Pearly Shell Savings Bank

Home Savings Bank Revival, 2026 Resolution

Pearly Shell Savings Bank

On display at the Living with Nature Center

San Vicente, Ilocos Sur

Dr Abe V Rotor

“The habit of saving is itself an education; it fosters every virtue, teaches self-denial, cultivates the sense of order, trains to forethought, and so broadens the mind.” – T.T. Munger

Version of the "piggy bank" (9" height x 9"diameter) made of Green Mussels (tahong) shells, glass marbles. corals and stones, mounted on whole coconut shell. This indigenous piece of art is an expression of evolving art in our postmodern era.  It is a unique school and community project, home decor of recycled materials, and more importantly, it brings to mind the importance of frugality, austerity and "saving for the rainy day" addressed to both the old and young.  

Tradition in the midst of postmodernism;

like earning and saving once inseparable,

now lost in the tender trap of capitalism;

happiness and wealth are incompatible.

Save the values of old before it's too late;

The Ant and the Grasshopper, remember?

Give a touch of art, like resin into amber,

help mold the young for heaven's sake.

Assignment: Why don't you design and make your own version of a "piggy bank"?  Be creative and original.  Make one as a gift to a family member, a friend, or simply a child, and "spread the good word"?      

“Saving must become a priority, not just a thought. Pay yourself first.” – Dave Ramsey

“He who buys what he does not need steals from himself.” – Swedish Proverb