EarthKeepers Landscaping

Arman Saniano is now landscaping the front lawn!! Arman wanted waterfalls but that can wait. Right now a "kawa" with fish will do, and soil, sod and grass, a trellis for the vines. He says it's the kind of landscaping that will grow into beauty rather than have plants that will just grow wild and unruly after lack of maintenance.

Garden growing

The weeds/grass has almost completely covered the front lawn. There are budding rambutans, the flowering vines (begonias and blue bells) are climbing the sagging fence. There is a new gate with an arch made of bamboo and two bougainvillas with variegated leaves were planted on either side, to meet up in the arch and replace the bamboo in the future. The impatiens have been planted next to a row of santan, the pandanus took a place near the fence and the hill. The runo, ritual plant of the cordilleras stand health just below the master bedroom window.

Papaya ang malunggay have been planted at the backyard (someone else's property, actually) and climbing ivy is now growing near the wall. Already imagining all this in three years or so.

Gina and Cely did a great job, with the help of Cely's husband and brood. OF course the sili labuyo, two of them, will never be sacrificed for any ornamental plant.

Other plans: Dill and Duranta right outside the fence.

WE HAVE A NAME!

Today, I decided to use the word Ikotahanan for the little house in Baloc-baloc, Nangkaan, Mataasnakahoy, Batangas. (Note the spelling of Mataasnakahoy, this is now the official one)

A play on ecohouse, of course, but also symbolizing cycles and how materials and energy should always go in cycles. Can't wait to get the kids in on the project. Solar cooker first, hope to eat sinaing na tulingan tomorrow on something cooked in what we will work on as a project in the morning.

Everything but the kitchen sink

Piece by piece, we will put in the improvements. This back kitchen apparently gets really wet in the rainy season. Had to have a sink made so it's the most finished part, floor and other parts not yet done well. Have to also get a tarp so the rain doesn't come in. Couldn't believe a bright yellow counter would be nice, but here it is.

Sink and Kitchen Counter, back kitchen

Kids and a fruiting rambutan, the lake in the background and a future garden. Jade vine ilang ilang, atis, and a few other ornamental plants. Just need GARDEN SOIL!!

Task list and schedule Gina made currently too general, still too easy to miss out. Clean house isn't really one task, after all. The only way to accomplish everything needed done is to break them down. If not, it's too easy to miss. Clean house will then just mean sweep the floor and dust. Then just sweep, then later, just sweep the living room and so on and so forth.

Franny's book is a big help, the time frames are divided into short intervals. If you miss one thing, you can mark it down as missed and you will be able to track progress.

Sink is almost done. Bed in master bedroom placed and assembled.

More tiles needed. Knives and chopping board, more plates, and repair of the gas range. Thinking of devising a washing machine powered by pedals. Solar cooker and drier. Fixing the sun-heated shower tomorrow adn seeing about a rain water collection system. Down the line, solar panels for the lights and natural swim hole.

Our targets should be based on how organized we are able to make our lives there and how sustainable. If we can power a refrigerator with renewable energy, we can get one.

Neighbor is the contractor who did the house!

Had a house blessing by our long time friend Fr. Quiambao on the night of the full moon, April 28. The moon was hiding nearly all night but showed itself towards the later part. Neighbors came including Gina's friend Rosemarie and her husband and child, Cely and her daughter, Ka Amanda's family including Nori and Rodel.

Then today, i met a neighbor who was the one contracted by the seller of the house to build it!! He will be putting up a sink in the outer kitchen in the next few days and just set up the blinds in the living room and the bamboo blinds in the dining. Name is Robert and people called him Polo. Both he and Rodel, Nori's husband smoked so they got an earful from me. No smoking in the house and grounds, though. He will also be installing the spiral staircase, the aluminum bathroom shelves, the rotating ceiling fan and possibly drawers. Have to get more tiles tomorrow. Need Philips and flat screwdrivers and more tox! Also have to measure where I will put the mirror and frames so I can start buying. Put Rodel to work on the papags to be placed in the back kitchen and the porch. Have to dump a lot of garden soil onto the lawn to get good plants.

It's heartbreaking but the altar table from my mother in law which was in storage in my mother's place got attacked by termites!! sending it over to Marilou's tomorrow for fixing. Termites ate right through the top! After that, it will be in the living room. Marilou will also be delivering my narra bed, completing all the beds in the rooms by tomorrow.

Also bought a water purifier already and installed new energy saving bulbs on the chandelier, all 40 watts using up less energy than before but brighter! Gina washed the covers of the cushions on the porch and the spread in the sala. Lent her Franny's book so she could set targets and goals for herself and organize her schedule.

Plants thriving but need to be positioned and replanted. Buried the biodegradable waste around the rambutan tree. The fruits in the potted macopa are ripening fast. The sunflower near the road has died but the bougainvilla (variegated) will soon take its place.

Balai Indang

Plants galore, awaiting planting in the garden. Bought 8 begonias and 2 of a blue kind of the same typpe that grows with abandon in trellises and hangs down, with plenty of black ants. All from Balai Indang. Then went the Arroceros Park earthday and the Makati Garden club had a fruting macopa, variegated bougainvilla and a yellow type of vine. I think they called it shooters?

Can't wait to plant them, planning on having the begonias hang down into the back kitchen and replacing the roofing with a translucent type to let the sunshine through.

Also got inspired by Balai Indang's architecture that lets the natural light in. Hoping I can demolish some walls and replace them with those similar old glass panels and capiz.