like sparkling diamonds

bright stars adorn the night sky

too many to count

oo0oo

on a starry night

i sit by the lawn watching

fireworks from afar

oo0oo

As a blogger, I have developed the habit of checking my stats on a daily basis. I believe numbers do not lie. In a way, it gives me an idea of how wide my readership is. The number of page views for a week or for a month allows me to see my blog's progress since its birth almost three months ago.  Generally, I can say...so far, so good!

For today's post I would like to make special mention of my viewers in Russia. What I posted some six weeks ago reflected not a single visitor from that part of the world. However, a day or two after that post, I started seeing Russia on my dashboard. Almost everyday since then, page views from Russia have been shown on my stats. And the increasing figures inspire me. It has even surpassed the United States where I have friends and kin. 

The number of page views do not necessarily translate to number of persons. Even then, numbers still speak. What intrigues me is the fact that I know not anyone in that far away place of this planet. Taking a bold move through this post, I would like to reach out to you, my valued viewers in Russia, and invite you to connect with me.  Some of you might be bloggers too. If so, then I wish you will give me the joy of viewing your blog too. Thank you!

My email address: adnilpc16@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

facing my dashboard
page views for month past i see
 numbers inspire me


oo0oo

page views from russia
inspiring yet intriguing
 no one there i know


oo0oo

Since my retirement almost two years ago, I have chosen to become a homebody. My small world is confined to the perimeter of our home. Most of the days of the week find me just within this thousand-square-meter area I call my little paradise - a place I share with my youngest son.

We have a spacious front lawn where my twin grandsons used to run around. It is carpeted with Bermuda grass and bordered with palms. Grown in our backyard and at the sides of our house are fruit trees and ornamental plants. Flowers have their own places all around. Birds are regular visitors to our trees. Butterflies freely hover around especially when flowers are in bloom. With all these in my immediate environment, boredom hardly creeps into my being.

On early mornings I do my regular twenty-minute walk around the house. It is during these times when nature sometimes rewards me with scenes that bring a different level of joy to my heart. These scenes, ordinary maybe for some eyes but so captivating for me, don't fail to create stirrings in my soul. Oftentimes, these stirrings find expression in this blog.

It's not everyday though that I am accorded the chance to enjoy these soul-stirring scenes. This morning, however, was a lucky one for me. An entrancing sight welcomed my eyes - another one of those haiku moments I can't allow to pass without giving life to my thoughts. 

shadows and reflections

on my morning walk

 an entrancing sight makes me

breathless for moments

a rose apple tree
standing close to our terrace
its dark twin i see

bathed by the sun's rays
warmly the tree branches threw
 their own images

cream colored curtain
turns movie screen for a while
 shadows the actors

the gentle wind blows
rose apple tree branches sway
on my lips a smile

like waves of the sea
constantly racing to shore
curtain ruffles roll

for a few minutes
 i pause and watch the shadows
dance with no music

shifting to my left
dazzling sight on glass window
the sun's reflection

i squint my two eyes
sun-dappled window too bright
stay on i dare not

shadows...reflections
lifeless yet so intriguing
they enthrall me so

oo0oo

beauty they exude

uncloistered "pink sisters" smile

at the house entrance

oo0oo

 fragrant they are not
but lovely sisters they are
pink kalachuchi

oo0oo

full moon in summer
hearing music from a tree
birds' sweet serenade


oo0oo


as dusk turns nightfall
seven birds on a tree branch
singing to the moon 


oo0oo



a warm summer night
sitting by the lawn i send
sweet thoughts to the moon


oo0oo

a refreshing street
giant canopy so green
thirsty souls linger


oo0oo

even at noontime

joggers don't feel the sun's heat

 acacia-lined street

oo0oo

 windy afternoon

a fisherman on his boat

off for the day's catch

oo0oo

coconut fronds speak

of the wind blowing harder

the birds...unperturbed

oo0oo

a tourist's delight
sticky sweet delicacy
in coconut shells


oo0oo


sealed with red ribbon
shaved halves of coconut shells
beckon tourists' eyes


oo0oo

a winding river

not a creature is stirring

 lonesome chair nearby

oo0oo


downstream dry leaves go
helpless...no strength to resist
the stubborn current


oo0oo

a winding river
speaks to me about life's path
to bend one must learn 


oo0oo

the departing sun
amidst a red orange sky
 smiles to the calm sea


oo0oo


 minutes before dusk
the sun in all its splendor
breathes its warm goodbye


oo0oo


as twilight sets in
changing colors of the sky
fills me with great awe


oo0oo


a twilight scene
 time between sunset and dusk
melts my heart away

oo0oo

i drown my thoughts 

summer afternoon

soothing view of sea and sky

opens before me

the sun still way up

no room for hesitation 

sea so inviting

the tide has gone low

through shallow water i wade

barefoot...unafraid

 treading stones and weeds

slippery on my bare feet

i dance with the waves

reaching waist level

i take a dip and savor

cold sea on my skin

my eyes i stretch far
distant islands seem so near
mind argues with eyes

the blue sky above 

 with a scatter of white clouds

keeps me glued awhile

thoughts flash in my mind
happy...sad...even lonesome
i swim to drown them 

oo0oo

Today marks a special event of history in the lives of  two persons here at home. A mother and a son! Three decades have gone by but I still remember that day - the last time I found myself in a delivery room. Yes, the day I brought into this world an adorable baby boy - my youngest son.

Looking back to all those years past when my three sons were just kids, I realize just how fast time has flown. I can't help but echo these lines: "Is this the little boy I carried ... I don't remember growing older...when did they?"  To those of you who have seen that musical drama film of the early seventies "Fiddler on the Roof",  the quoted words must sound so familiar.

The little boy I used to cradle in my arms is now a fully grown man. I await that day when this fully grown man will give me a baby of his own for me to savor once more the sweetness of being a granny. I so miss cradling a baby!

To my boy of yesterday,  may your heart  be filled with love from people around you. And may the good Lord shower you with special blessings - good health always, inner peace and joy, a fulfilling career, realization of your dreams. Stay close to Him everyday of your life. Wish you all the best today and for always.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAN!!!

a birthday tribute to my son

three decades ago

mother and third beloved son 

last birth pain...first breath

my arms your cradle

my breasts your sweet spring of life
you don't remember


how swiftly time flies

my cute little boy of yore

now fully grown man


together...apart
our bond of love remains strong
forever my son 

guitar and organ

your favorite instruments

idle without you

today my heart shouts

a message filled with much love 

happy birthday son!

oo0oo

beautiful sunset

 prelude to another night

time to pack for home

oo0oo

sun about to set

  its warm smile the sea reflects

a jet plane zooms by

oo0oo

smoke trail of jet plane

crosses the wide horizon

i smile with the sun

oo0oo

A day at the beach is always looked forward to by most people of all ages. It is a good place to unwind and escape from the humdrum of everyday life. The cool sea breeze blowing your face, the sound of waves crashing to shore,  the music of birds merrily chirping on trees around, the sight of children  frolicking in the shallow water or building sand castles along the seashore - all these make one forget, at least for a while, life's day to day concerns and hassles. 

Yesterday, I got another welcome chance to visit  Dumaluan  Beach Resort - one of the resorts in Bolod, Panglao Island of Bohol.  Beside the private resort is a big area open to the public for a very reasonable fee.  A favorite picnic site for many. From early morning till dark people come by car, van, or even by bus if the group is so big. Open cottages, no less than fifty of them, offer shelter to picnickers. Talisay trees spread around the area also give their share of cool shade.

Do you want to enjoy a panoramic view of the blue sea meeting the blue sky - with the added pleasure of seeing scantily clad women, foreigners and locals alike, strolling along the beach?  Dumaluan Beach is one soothing place to be.  

the receding sea

exposes the wide seashore

 white sand like powder

oo0oo

summer afternoon

bathers enjoy the sea despite

low tide...scorching sun

oo0oo

rows of mango trees
heavily laden with fruits
shouting for harvest

oo0oo

harvest time is here

bounty of green mangoes

bragging robust smiles


oo0o

noontime in a swamp

two waterfowls glide and swim 

with water lilies 

oo0oo

a couple of ducks

glide into the cold water 

like ballet dancers

oo0oo

rainbows in glass jars

 thin out with each breath of air

fingers take choices

oo0oo

sweet captured rainbows

stay waiting to be dispersed
by rummaging hands 

oo0oo

an old calendar

 still hangs freely on a wall

seen but just ignored

oo0oo

procrastination

culprit of things left undone

later seldom comes

oo0oo

as waves rush to shore

 couple paddles a kayak

the sun in hiding

oo0oo

a late afternoon 

i stare at the sea and sky

alone with my thoughts

oo0oo

sudden summer rain

quenching the bermuda's thirst 

frogs crackle nearby

oo0oo

in her reverie

memories come with the rain

a knock on her door

oo0oo

as the sky turns gray

a bird flies in such hurry

anxious to be home

oo0oo

i look up and see 
a bird swiftly flying by

the rain it must beat

oo0oo

on my morning walk
dry leaves crunch under my shoes
sadly no escape 


oo0oo


dry leaves on my path
crunching like thin chicharon 
delectable thought


oo0oo

 afternoon tea time

mug's rim by lips still untouched

black couch yet empty 

oo0oo

unlighted candle

stands witness to empty mug

still cold to the touch

oo0oo

summertime again

water splashing on kids' pool
echoes in my heart

oo0oo

a blue kiddie pool
much loved by my twin grandsons
deflated...folded 


oo0oo