Painting the Town RED

At around 5 PM last Saturday, I was in my craft studio working on a paper project when I heard my hubby downstairs calling me and telling me to grab the camera and hurry up. In this house, capturing the moment is a BIG thing so I know I am in for a treat. I run excitedly towards the porch and this was the first thing I saw ...

My jaw dropped and the first thing that came to mind was there was a big fire down the street and flames were causing the red clouds. But there was no smoke. Then I heard my hubby who was now standing beside me said ...."isn't it beautiful"! We walked near the pond at the end of our street for a better view of the sky.

The temperature was below zero but I hardly noticed the cold air. We just stood there gazing at heaven in its crimson splendor. It was flaming red for a good 3 minutes until it gave way to a paler shade of magenta and the blue tinge of night started to claim its domain.

 

These captured moments truly painted the town RED!

Shared with : Weekly Top Shot

First Snow Fall {on the streeet where we live}

There's something enchanting about the first snow fall of the season. You wake in the morning and there's a white blanket of snow on the grounds sparkling like dust of diamonds. Truly one of my Creator's master pieces!

 

Shared with : Rurality Blog Hop

Fruits of {his} Labor

This time of the year, we start to enjoy the "fruits" of my hubby's labor from his garden. And this year is no exception!

He planted 3 varieties of tomatoes last May. All are thriving very well with lots of unripe fruits. Almost everyday, I would visit the bushes hoping to see reds among the greens. Then it happened! The cherry variety finally answered my plea and blessed us the first batch of sweet cherry tomatoes. I was planning to do a special recipe to celebrate the first "harvest" but couldn't resist eating them au naturel - so fresh, very sweet and crunchy! Thank God for simple blessings like these!

Three days after, we got more ....

The herbs are also screaming to be pruned and so we did .... this is already the third basil harvest ...

By dinner time, we opened a bottle of Pinot Grigio and feasted on this simple yet delicious fresh tomato, basil and bocconcini salad. To officially mark the "first harvest", I drizzled the salad with my for-special-occasion-only-Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena {which I honestly and carefully hand carried from Italy} and some olive oil.

Good food does not need to be elaborate - fresh and fine ingredients always make my day!

Our Feathered Guests

For 3 years in a row, every spring, we find birds nesting in one of our trees in the backyard or the pine trees on the front porch of the house. Every year, we look forward to hosting them. We feel like having guests staying for a short period of time. They don't ask much - just a safe place to build their "home" and some peace and quiet time while "mom" and "dad" tend to their eggs (and eventually, chicklets).

May 8 - Hubby and I noticed a robin flying in and out from one of the pine trees on the front porch. We knew right then that our guests have arrived. We named them - The ROBINsons.

May 9 - Armed with a camera, we waited for Mrs. ROBINson to fly from the pine tree. Hubby and I took a peek. Voila - there on a sturdy but soft nest are The ROBINson's four gorgeous eggs!

May 18 - Hatched! the 4 chicklets looked so fragile and "raw" with faces that only their mama and papa could love ;-).

Week of May 18 - the feeding frenzy begun. The devotion of Mr. and Mrs. ROBINson was a sight to behold. Days and nights, rain or shine, they came bearing live worms to feed the chicklets. At one point my hubby wanted to dig some worms too so he can help with the feeding. The chicklets have insatiable appetite!

May 25 - All of a sudden they seemed so big for their nest. They begun to recognized movements and were curious. Not fully covered with feathers but starting to show characters.

May 29 - They were just simply gorgeous! Still hungy all the time and were starting to spread their tiny wings. They were always posing for me and my camera every time I visit!

June 1 - I checked the nest first thing in the morning because I knew it won't be long until they can spread their wings and fly. True enough, the nest was already empty! I wasn't expecting all of them to be gone at the same time.

Hubby said : "They won't leave without saying goodbye. Let's look around and find them."

And then we found them, one by one ..... all of them in the backyard .... minding their own business .... with Mr. and Mrs. ROBINson observing their chicklets nearby .... as if telling us not to worry, they will be OK!

As I post this, there's a new nest in the backyard. We saw 2 eggs this morning - our next feathered guests just checked in!

Shared with : Rurality Blog Hop

"Perya"

As a child growing up in Manila, the month of May - usually referred as "Fiesta Month" is special to me, my sister and our friends. This is the time we get to enjoy the "Perya".

Perya is a carnival, amusement park and a bit of circus rolled into one.

Colors, thrills, laughter, friendship, family, happiness, treats .....

.... you will find it all here. Best of all, Perya was and will forever be part of my Filipino culture!