The Deer Hunter

I was having breakfast today when I saw several deer jumping and strutting on the snow in the backyard. It was a marvelous sight. You seldom see them come out in the open, especially in the morning looking for food. You might seem out in the country where are a lot of bushes and secluded area to protect them from harm. But there are bushes in David's backyard and a sort-of mini-forest just down the road near the nuns' place. My excitement notwithstanding I ran to David's room and pointed to him where the gorgeous creatures were. And I had to run to my room to get my camera and fortunately I was able to take a snapshot of the moment. There were funny when they galloped (I hope this is the right term) away. David said, "they were in a single file with their tails wagging like a windshield wiper." And he wondered why they were in that order as we haven't seen them do that before. I said they probably don't want predators or even people to know that they were several of them who passed by that area- only one set of tracks will be found and that would probably fool everybody.

There were eight of them, although David said there were nine. It doesn't matter.

What do you do after a snowstorm?

Shovel of course.


Here are some pictures to show that snow isn't really pretty all the time (well, that is, after a snowstorm hit Rochester early this year).

Moi, showing how deep the snow was. This was taken after we shoveled the driveway of snow 10 inches deep. The snow on the car had also melted. Good thing David's other car was placed in the garage or we would have had a hard time cleaning it. Good thing it was just snow flurries and not wet, heavy snow.

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

The night the snowstorm hit Rochester.

I'm dreaming of a white new year.

There it is!

Going Green

Since it's autumn and the chilly wind makes the leaves of trees fall, we decided to grow our tomatoes in the house. And here's what we have right now:

Our glorious plump tomato.

David would say, "I don't eat tomatoes. Don't put tomatoes on my salad, sandwich, etc." And you believe him, until her opens a can of campbells tomato soup. And you hear him scream, "Oh Lord, this is the best soup ever." That and other things, like preparing his "everything soup" which is composed of a can of vegetarian vegetable soup (yeah, there could be a meatarian vegetable soup), diced tomatoes, tomato soup, beans, celeries, and other not too exotic ingredients. Yeah, he hates tomatoes.

Get Well Soon, David!

David at the lobby of Wynn Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada.

David at the Sonnenberg garden.

Note to David

David is always irked whenever he gets in the car and finds no bottle of water in the tray. He would flip his arms like Joan Crawford (whose biography we watched last night on television). He would make a threatening look like Bette Davis and you'd curl in fright.

But I should remind him: "you should not drink and drive."

The Saddest Art of Shoveling Snow

Headline: Three inches of snow. In the Philippines, malls decorate their Christmas trees with fake snow - shredded styrofoams or pre-manufactured to look like little beads, some of them in multi-color. And the air is filled with "Frosty the Snowman" song as well as "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas." I was excited when I first touched a snowflake or made my first snowball. But on the succeeding days when there were a lot of shoveling going on I said to myself I'd never want to experience snow again.

It is worse when you are going to school and taking the bus at 7 a.m. David and I have a wake up very early to shovel the snow in the driveway. (One billionaire here has a heated driveway so his staff need not have to shovel). One thing I like about shoveling snow though is I get the chance to exercise (which I badly need).

[Forward to the future: Dec. 2008. I apologize for the bad writing in the previous post. It was done in a hurry and I never had the chance to edit it. This post received the most hits. Especially that snowstorm hit the U.S. lately. Lately (this is Dec. 2008 guys), we were struck with 10 inches of snow. Now, that's extra work for me and David. Aaaaarrrrghhh!)

Filipinos think it is cool to have snow. It is COLD.

David on his way to the side of the house to check his electric meter. His Indian neighbors were on their driveway that day shoveling snow, too. Ooops, more of Sanjaya's vote.

David's beloved pine tree covered with snow.

Our pumpkins are still on the ground. You can't see it now as it is covered with snow.

Three inches of snow dude. How cool is that?

Early Christmas Gift

From David: a year subscription to GQ Magazine.

This month's cover features actor Ryan Gosling.


It was one of those days when he's not caught off guard about things he keeps in his house. One time, he asked me to take two wrapped boxes in my room because he has forgotten what's in them. The usually puts tags on the wrapped gifts he store in his closet. It turned out that tags the boxes from my room said, "Fernelle. Christmas present." He shops for Christmas presents in summer.


***


David subscribes to Money Magazine.

His gift to himself: another 32-inch TV ("The TV in the kitchen must be replaced," he said. He replaced the TV in his bathroom last year) and a CD player, although he doesn't need any of the items.


***


David subscribes to Money Magazine.

His gift to himself: another 32-inch TV ("The TV in the kitchen must be replaced," he said. He replaced the TV in his bathroom last year) and a CD player, although he doesn't need any of the items.

It's Raining, Yikes, Ice!

David and I were eating our lunch in the kitchen when these little ice beads fell from the sky. It me some time to find my camera from my backpack. When I opened the kitchen doors - composed of three sliding doors - most of the little beads had already melted. It was nice looking at them bounce on the deck's floor. Autumn is a cruel season.

It is not the time yet to make halo-halo.

The Legend of the Apple Pie

When David bought a bag of 20 ounch apples last Saturday. I thought he was going to bake an apple pie for his "little old ladies" at the wellness center. Last Sunday, he was throwing pans in the oven, chopping apples to perfection, sprinkling sugar, etc. He was the "king of the kitchen" that day. He even cooked our dinner - baked pork chops with potato and dressing. Later when I asked him about the pie he said it's for us to consume.

What? The whole pie?

Oh well, typical David W. Smith.

David presenting his award-winning apple pie.

He used his mother's recipe.

Eyes Wide Open

Just finished watching the following movies on DVDs (thanks to Pittsford Library which has a wide range of movie collection):

1. Venus
2. The Ant Bully
3. Who's Camus Anyway?
4. She's the Man
5. Eat Drink Man Woman
6. Ran
7. March of the Penguins
8. Winged Migration

Currently watching:

1. Delicatessen
2. Big Fish
3. Sophie School
4. Children of a Lesser God


Currently reading:

1. The Mother Garden by Robin Romm
2. Tourist Season by Enid Shomer
3. Paula Spencer by Roddy Doyle
4. I Celebrate Myself: The somewhat private life of Allen Ginsberg by Bill Morgan

Prayers Needed

Last night David and I went to the hospital to visit his older sister. She was readmitted to the hospital two days ago. She was sent home before that after staying in the same hospital for three weeks to have her intestines re-attached. She had Bariatric surgery some 20 years ago. She has lost weight after the surgery, but she's down to 90 lbs this year. This year she underwent several operation - for a broken hip after she fell on the snow, to have gadgets intalled for her Alzheimer's disease (an experiment conducted by one of the universities here in Rochester. You can actually see the gadget bulging in her chest and the wires connected to her brain. She's thin as a rail as what David said), etc.

Before her surgery to have her intestines re-attached we had a dinner at a restaurant in the country said. They were like cats and dogs, in a funny. They argued but make up. They even argued over some muffins. Oh my God. I can't help laughing at them. It was Carol's last meal. I mean, she can't have solid food after the surgery and have to be feed thru drips.

Anyway, last night when David called the hospital he was told that she was taken to the Intersive Care Unit on a guarded condition. And you know David's voice - booming and commanding after serving as schoolteacher and librarian for 38 years. He actually screamed "WHAT?" I was in the next room arranging my things when I heard him scream. I rushed to his room and he told me her sister's condition. The night before that he has called the hospital to check on her condition, the nurse said Carol Anne was doing fine and talking. Her electrolytes were down, but they managed to pull it up. But last night she went unstable. I have to comfort David because he was upset and bursted out crying.

David and I rushed to the hospital. Such big hospital that you need a map to locate the ICU (and there are several ICUs in that building). Carol Anne was delirious and twitching and everything. She has to be restrained. The tubes were connected to her, just everything!

Despite their indifferences, David loves Carol Anne so much. He kissed her on her forhead and called her "Princess." He has been asking the nurses and doctors about her condition every now and then. He got upset over the operation conducted by a doctor whom most medical practitioners are not comfortable working with. By her bedside he cried again. He has always been a loving brother, though he lectured her about her smoking etc.

We left the hospital with burdens in our hearts.

This morning he's out there again to check her out. I have to wait for a report.

* * *

Special thanks to Miss Michelle So for offering a prayer to David's sister. Ms Michelle and I had a nice talk yesterday (or it was 12 midnight here and 12 noon in the Philippines). Thanks again Ms Michelle. God bless you!

* * *

Please pray for Carol Anne and her recovery. Thanks.

Toronto, Vegas, Washington

I should be writing my feature articles for Sun.Star Bacolod this week as David and I will be in Toronto next week. But David just keeps on tagging me around - visiting garage sales, checking out restaurants and shopping at his favorite grocery stores (with coupons of course).

Ah, summer, summer. David said he has been saving up since winter time so he can go around Rochester or wherever for the summer. But we are going ou of Rochester for the next three months - Toronto, Washington, DC and Las Vegas. We'll be staying in The Mirage Hotel in Vegas and I don't know what shows will we watch. You know, David keeps everything in secret.

I have so many pictures and I am glad that Ambo, the new Editor in Chief of the paper, has been publishing my articles for the weekend issue. I hail you Ambo.

Life is Cyclic

David bought bicycles for both of us today. Mountainbikes that is. And you know you must have the complete package, right? So, he also bought us helmets, chain locks and bike bags.

He said, while we were roaming around the store, we need to be out during the summer. Yikes, the temperature today reached 92 degrees Fahrenheit.

He was so excited that when we arrived home he said we should try the bicycles around Nazareth College just in front of his house. And he enjoyed it... a lot! Yes, sirreee bob...


He has not taken a ride on a bike for 50 years.

Splash!

David and I can never thank Pam enough. She gives us just what we need: a good splash and bubbles.

Today we went to her apartment to use her pool and jacuzzi! And my my my, the waters' so good. I am totally beaten. I need to take a rest.

O, I need to finish the movie "The Color Purple" being featured on TV. I've watched the movie about 10 times now, but it is still GREAT!

Should I finish the video "Born Into Brothels?" I don't know. Without the subtitles it is very hard to keep track of the story. I need to understand what the children were saying. It won the Academy Awards for Best Documentary.

Insomniac's lament

I haven't finished yet my criticism yet of J. California Cooper's story "Sisters of the Rain" and I am drafting my criticism of Ahmed Essop's story "The Hajji". I like James Baldwin's "The Rockpile".


Today, David and I visited his 102-year-old friend. We had dinner at the complex where she lives. I also had a good chat with her friend who paints. The sad thing is the painter has macular degeneration. It almost made me cry knowing how she loves painting and goes to the painting class held everyday in their activity center. They will be having a show this month. We saw her earlier paintings. They were MARVELOUS, as in to the maximum level raised to the power of ten times the speed of light...

Saturday David and I will be visiting the dentist.

Tomorrow, in class, we will study scansion, in poetry. I find it difficult. Imagine that. I had more than 20 poems published in college for my first degree in the school paper, about 15 poems in national publications (10 were selected and read by the late National Artist for Literature and Magsaysay Awardee Nick Joaquin), fellow for poetry in English in a national writers workshop and I find scansion hard. Ha!

Long live poetry!

The Sad Art of Shoveling Snow

Outside the rain falls. Before it hits the ground it becomes snow. Snow piles up like the meerkats under their burrows on a frisky night. I am left to clear the driveway. I have chosen to do the work.

I am half-way done in my task. I just came in the house because my waist is aching. Is it my age? Possibly. The cold draft also left me with no choice but to retreat and take a breather. A cup of cocoa will do.

Later I am to read Ahmed Essop's short story "The Hajji" as we will have a quiz on Monday.

I am off to the kitchen.

WebMD.com advises: Don't shovel your own sidewalks and driveway unless you're physically fit. Well, I'm five fit and six inchis tol. And I'm Physical. Joke joke joke!

Okay, time to have some hot drink.