My Backyard - Weekly Photos

BACKYARD BUSH FARM

2011-12-14T15:57:00.000-08:00

From the bush farm -- papayas are everywhere...almost every neighbor's backyard farm has a papaya tree, abundant with fruit!

Our produce -- French beans...always good for a quick stir-fry.

Capsicum (bell peppers) -- one of the plants that aren't overwhelmed by those little orange critters!

These pretty French beans are now producing abundant fruit...but picking them in the hot tropical sun is a "do-it-as-fast-as-i -can" job -- and still, i end up sweating up a storm!

Little Kani, posing with "Maia's capsicum" -- seeds mailed all the way from San Diego, now bearing fruit in Naselesele!

Searing heat and too much rain made it a short growing season for the cucumbers...but the French beans and tomatoes are doing well.

"Maia's cucumbers" -- short and fat...and delicious!

Typical farm scenics in Taveuni...

My backyard, closer to home...a view of the mango tree, treehouse and Ana's laundry from the house window...

Cooking up a lovo -- underground oven -- for what occasion, i've forgotten...au sa qase!

San Diego BACKYARD - Summer Visit

2011-09-03T17:48:00.000-07:00

The sayote was a welcome sight to come home to -- Mom's and Uncle's summer garden is like a bit of Taveuni... green, green, green!

Traditional CHRISTmas colors of red and green -- displayed in summertime. The two gardeners harvest something almost every day... which ends up in Mom's cooking pot, and i get to be the blessed recipient of tasty Filipino dishes! Paksiw with veges, diningding, tinolang upo, pinakbet...

Being surrounded by all this (ampalaya and sayote vegetables; impatience, stargazer, spider plants) is like being immersed in a green cave...

Kalamansi is still bearing fruit... year-round it seems!

Not-so-spicy chiles... just right for me, but too tame for my Fijian and Mexican friends.

i just munch on these right off the vine... can't get any fresher!

Summer squash -- or upo/tabugaw, in Filipino -- great any way you cook them!

Uncle Ric's handiwork -- my favorite area in the garden, where i sometimes bring my breakfast, coffee, or lunch -- just absorbing the chlorophyll (hah!)...

Mom's watery pets... they rush to her whenever she comes around!

Priceless sight...

The gardeners -- Rosita and Ricardo -- whom GOD blessed with green thumbs.

Then the LORD GOD planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there He placed the man He had made. (Genesis 2:8) GOD -- the first and ultimate Gardener... and Creator of man.

My BACKYARD Fun...AND Mangoes!

2011-06-30T15:51:00.000-07:00

My private space... when the sun is scorching hot and the humidity makes one melt like ice-cream under the sun -- my treehouse is a cool place to catch the Taveuni Island breezes.

Mango blooms, with a mango still hangin' in there -- not yet "attacked" by bats.

Baby mangoes...

Still very green... two more months to go!

"The Three Muskeeters" -- Kani, Jo, Mersiale -- just havin' a good time...

Sa oca sara ga from too much kidding around! Finally, my moment of quiet as they took their after-school nap...Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from Him. (Psalm 127:3)

My "NEW" Backyard TREEHOUSE

2011-05-31T21:10:00.000-07:00

Brightly colored plants just planted to cover muddy eyesore...

"Japanese table" painted two years ago recycled as treehouse floor, with a vakaViti Bible verse all around...

My picnic lunch (uto, cassava, fried egg, boiled vudi) in the ice-cream container, passion fruit juice, water for vuluvulu, and a borrowed Bible (NT Recovery Bible by Witness Lee) makes a lovely lunch! (Only one fly came uninvited!)

Kani trying his best (or charming his way) to get up the tree... but no can do!

View of other backyards... and scenic tropics in the background.

Vili-built treehouse... especially for moi!

Pretty DETAILS from My (NEW) BACKYARD

2011-04-20T20:18:00.001-07:00

ColorFUL foliage brightens the backyard garden in Naselesele Village...

GOD's flowers in bloom...

Bright sunburst of yellow in these leaves...

Paw-paw within my arm's reach...

A type of bird-of-paradise... and Taveuni -- Fiji -- is a type of paradise indeed!

Baigani -- eggplant from Ana's backyard "farm"...

Little Kani in the tree (the little maqe!), with Filomena looking for her playmate...

Ariadna's gift of pajamas (the pink Minnie Mouse outfit with its bon voyage), now young Miri's own...

We save a lot of money by taking advantage of GOD's gracious gift -- free sun... hot EVERY day!

My NEW Backyard -- NASELESELE -- Taveuni, FIJI

2011-04-16T22:36:00.000-07:00

View from my window (at Naselesele Village, Taveuni -- Fiji) of the mango tree, which is bearing flowers and small mango fruits again... its second fruit-bearing season for the year. YAY!!! GOD is good inDEED! Our Father in Heaven knows i LOVE mangoes!

Future "rest stop" from the most-times oppressive heat and humidity...

Our neighbor Kuro and Katerina's side yard... no electricity-run dryer needed here! (Please follow/subscribe to this BACKYARD blog to see more of the real Fiji.)

BITTER Melon -- AMPALAYA

2010-09-11T15:14:00.003-07:00

Blossom of the bitter melon... also called ampalaya in Filipino, karela in Indian, cerasse in Caribbean and South American.

The ampalaya is a "tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae" -- so growing this plant in semi-arid San Diego requires a lot of man-made showers!

Momordica charantia is among the most bitter of all fruits -- but Filipinos like Mom and myself enjoy it sauteed with shrimp and garlic.

Bitter melon has been used in various Asian traditional medicine systems for a long time. Like most bitter-tasting foods, bitter melon stimulates digestion. While this can be helpful in people with sluggish digestion, dyspepsia, and constipation, it can sometimes make heartburn and ulcers worse. The fact that bitter melon is also a demulcent and at least mild inflammation modulator, however, means that it rarely does have these negative effects, based on clinical experience and traditional reports.

The pith will become sweet when the fruit is fully ripe, and the pith's color will turn red. The pith can be eaten uncooked in this state, but the flesh of the melon will be far too tough to be eaten anymore. Red and sweet bitter melon pith is a popular ingredient in some southeast Asian salads.

These red seeds will be dried for next year's planting.

For more information regarding this plant, or for culinary suggestions -- see Wikipedia.

And we know that GOD causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) Yes... even those bitter things in life, GOD will use for His good purpose.

THEN...and NOW

2010-09-11T13:26:00.001-07:00

Welcome sign from the ShoppE at Rose's, refurbished a-la-rLn...

WELCOME! to our garden...

THEN -- May -- squash plants...

with leaves a-fuzzed.

NOW -- September -- at last...

a squash, the fruit of much patient waiting.

THEN -- April -- sunlit peach blooms...

NOW -- September 11 -- edible peaches.

THEN -- March -- young chayote plant seeking light...
growing UPwards...

NOW -- August and up to now -- chayote everywhere!

THEN -- May -- summer squash plant in the morning light...

trained to grow UP...

NOW -- July -- and even today, September 11,

summer squash still bearing fruit.

THEN -- May -- green first fruits...

NOW -- July through today...late fruits still on the vine.

THEN -- July -- already pleasing to the eyes...

NOW -- September 11 -- ampalaya vines

providing wonderFUL shade from the noon sun,

a haven for contemplation, a quiet corner for lunch...

an inviting "secret garden."

"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain." (John 12:24) Thus JESUS died so that many may rise.

Chayote, Mirliton, CHRISTophene

2010-08-25T16:18:00.000-07:00

Chayote...

Mirliton...

CHRISTophene...

Citrayota...

Pear squash...

From Wikipedia: The chayote (Sechium edule), also known as christophene, vegetable pear, starprecianté, citrayota or citrayote (Ecuador and Colombia) and pear squash is an edible plant that belongs to the gourd family Cucurbitaceae along with melons, cucumbers and squash.

The chayote fruit is used in both raw and cooked forms. When cooked, chayote is usually handled like summer squash, it is generally lightly cooked to retain the crisp flavor. Raw chayote may be added to salads or salsas, and it is often marinated with lemon or lime juice. It can also be eaten straight, although the bland flavor makes this a dubious endeavor. Whether raw or cooked, chayote is a good source of amino acids and vitamin C.

To get recipes for this wonderFUL vegetable, ask Kusinerong Gill, facebook's expert chef!

The NOT-So-USUAL Backyard DETAILS

2010-08-10T20:00:00.000-07:00

i stuck my head between the slats and leaves and got this sunset --

GOD's artistic touch.

Middle-of-the-day sunshine... but shady underneath the chayote vines... (Remember how GOD grew a plant for Jonah, just to give him shade?) And the LORD GOD prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant. (Jonah 4:6)

Our Pat B would like this color scheme: purples and pinks...

Chayote blooms and ant...

Chayote in a row...

Cactus blooms... almost.

Ampalaya (bitter melon) leaves highlighted...
sometimes used for mungo stew.

Ampalaya bloom...

Pomegranate blooms and fruit...

Squash bloom and bug...

Parda blooms and vegetables...

It's ALLways a pleasure to GODventureZ in the backyard... so many things in bloom or in fruit -- all GOD's gifts to the two garden-keepers who sowed and tended with such Tender Loving Care.

End-of-the Month SURPRISES

2010-07-29T20:25:00.000-07:00

Enter the "not-so-Secret Garden."

Baby squash seeking light...

Exotic bromeliads graced with lacey webs...

Fuzzy upo (summer squash) backlit with 7 pm summer light...

Parda (Filipino peas) blooms swaying UPwards...

Sayote (chayote) after man-made shower...

Bless the LORD, O my soul,

And forget not all His benefits...

(Psalm 103:2)

REAPing the SOWN

2010-07-25T15:06:00.000-07:00

Then GOD said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind,

whose seed is in itself, on the earth"; and it was so. (Genesis 1:11)

And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind,

and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And GOD saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:12)

You will always reap what you sow! (Galatians 6:7b)

BUMPER Crop

2010-06-25T20:57:00.001-07:00

Wow...even the bush farm in Lagiloa did not produce a bumper crop like this one!

Summer squash...the waiting is over! Mom has been sauteeing upo with shrimp, or chicken, or pork...with lots of garlic.

Norma's favorite -- chilis -- but so far, lacking fire...

This season's upo out-produced last summer's crop...

Here and there...blushing tomatoes signal ripeness.

It took me a very long time -- and many, many life lessons -- to finally understand Galatians 6:7, A man reaps what he sows. "What goes around comes around," someone in Italy once told me. "For every action, there's an equal re-action" is one of the laws of physics.

So when we planted tomato seeds, of course we expected to harvest tomatoes. It just took me a (long!) while to transfer this practical knowledge into the spiritual realm on an experiential level. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the SPIRIT, from the SPIRIT will reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:8, NIV)

MOVING Pictures

2010-06-12T20:40:00.000-07:00

Instead of using photos for the write up as usual, i used my Nikon Coolpix's video mode and shot this video -- or "moving pictures" as they used to be called in the VERY old days! This is an "up closeR and MORE personal" My Backyard...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW0DTJ1Iqm4

Half the credit for this bountiful, heart-pleasing backyard is Rosita. And the other gardener and fishpond "engineer" is Ricardo.

This photo touches my heart each time i see it...

i know death is always knocking at the door, no matter the age of the one chosen to go to the "other side." But when parents get up there in age and they begin to show the aging process...it makes me see them as truly precious... More than ever, i'm reminded to love them more...not just in word, but in action. True love is agape love, as exemplified by CHRIST JESUS.

MYSTERY GUEST FrontYARD

2010-06-05T16:41:00.000-07:00

i was driving to Henry's to buy some fruits, still in my sweaty clothes from doing an hour of Alicia Chudy's TKB, when at a stop sign, i saw this!

Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy! The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon, as lovely as Mount Carmel's pastures and the plain of Sharon. There the LORD will display His glory, the splendor of our GOD. (Isaiah 35:2)

i parked the car, got my camera...and had a field day! (Even the sidewalk offered up colorful and fragrant blooms.)

GOD blessed the whole GODventurez with the gardeners being present -- doing their thing. Buenos dias, senor! Puedo tomar fotos? And Vicente welcomed me...a sweaty, smelly stranger with her camera in tow. (My little Spanish sure came in handy!)

This vaseful of sunflowers just came from the garden...no Michael's silk flowers here -- they're all real!

These delicate white blooms in stark contrast with this cold, wire fence... (Rosa gently let them out of their confinement.)

Peach trees, chilis...with much sunflowers. The grass withers, and the flowers fade, but the Word of our GOD stands forever. (Isaiah 40:8)

Everywhere i turned my head, i saw "eye candy." And my trigger-happy finger clicked away -- while the gardeners smiled at my oohs and aahs.

Nopales... Senor Vicente asked me if i've ever had cactus salad... si!

The flowers are springing up, and the time of singing birds has come, even the cooing of turtledoves. (Song of Solomon 2:12)

Edible, when sun-dried or oven roasted... (This is the center of a sun-scorched sunflower with its gazillion seeds.)

These delicately shaded flowers were in long stalks, shooting towards GOD's blue skies... And if GOD cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won't He more surely care for you? You have so little faith! (Luke 12:28)

The variety of GOD's creation is seen here with these other-worldly cactus shapes.

Sun-lit sunflowers...the attention-grabbing focus of this garden.

Tree stump surrounded with blooms... i like the wildness of this garden. i prefer it over the manicured, clipped-to-the nth-degree Japanese or English garden.

Red bell pepper... ready to eat.

Vicente and Rosa have creatively packed their yard with so many kinds of beautiful flowering plants. They've even thought to put this old wheelbarrow to good use -- charming...que precioso!

Yellows and purples always go together well... (Actually, GOD's rainbow of colors ALLways go well together!)

Easter lilies still producing in June...

The sideyard fenced with platano trees...

Platanos -- the fat variety!

Bringing the garden indoors...

Vicente and Rosa... blessed indeed with green thumbs and a love for each other.

So if you're in Chula Vista (San Diego), stop by and appreciate this sunflower garden, created with much hard work and tended with much TLC. Vicente and Rosa are warm-hearted, hospitable and down-to-earth. Maybe Rosa will also offer you glass of jorchata juice!

READY To EAT Garden Produce

2010-06-05T14:17:00.000-07:00

Summer squash, Upo, almost ready...

Chayote...ready!

Ready tomorrow...

Uncle Ric with one upo ready to go...

Bearing GOOD FRUIT

2010-05-28T22:10:00.001-07:00

Chinese peas, ready to eat...

Crispy and raw...perfect for salad fixin's...

Green fried tomatoes...?

Chili not yet hot chili...

Fuzzy new-born summer squash...
the bloom but a withered part of the process.

Baby eggplant...
with still lots of growin' to go!

Chayote...not quite ready.

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise. (Proverbs 11:30)

Every tree is known by its own fruit. (Luke 6:44)

In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (Revelation 22:2)

A GOOD Tree Bears GOOD Fruit

2010-05-20T10:53:00.000-07:00

Chinese peas abloomin'...

Summer squash crowded by tomatoes...

Summer squash finding room at top...

Eggplants on growth spurt...

Eggplant umbrella...providing shade for "Thumbelina."

Chayote finding growth and nourishment in the Light...

Chayote blooms...dying into fruit...

Chayote growing into usefulnes --
to be used up...to be eaten up!

Tomato jungle...

Hidden green treasures in the green jungle...

You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Therefore by their fruits you will know them. (Matthew 7:16-20)

Summer SQUASH Blooms -- FRAGILE and FLEETING Gifts

2010-05-14T14:04:00.000-07:00

Like a flower, we blossom for a moment and then wither. Like the shadow of a passing cloud, we quickly disappear. (Job 14:2)

BLOOMING VegeZ!

2010-05-12T13:55:00.000-07:00

Chinese peas...

Eggplant...

Chili pepper...

Chayote...

Summer squash...

Tomato...

Then GOD said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth"; and it was so.

And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And GOD saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:11-12)

Backyard POTPOURRI

2010-05-07T12:56:00.000-07:00

GOD is growing these greens SO fast that i can barely keep up with them...the Summer Squash (Upo) is the fastest growing -- each morning, it seems to have grown a foot just overnight! The tomatoes are about to bloom...i think this is the big fruit variety.

Squash leaves like lace in the morning sunlight...

This bromeliad bloom has been around for two months or so...

Squash leaves with fuzz...at the bush farm in Lagiloa, i cook the squash tops (the tender leaves and shoots) in stir fry or soup.

These Chinese peas are also shooting up and up...

Eggplants...the big fruit variety.

Remember the first group of fish Mom got too attached to -- the one with Bubblehead? Well, they were fertilizer for the veges some months back. Then a new batch was brought in, but a big white egret feasted on most of them. So this is the third generation bunch -- much protected and much petted and spoiled! Mom thinks they get hungry like people (or like herself) and wants to feed them more than the twice a day -- which is already too much. And i've sternly told her not to buy any more -- that they're getting stressed out from over-crowding! (If i were in this pond, i'd go bonkers from the overpopulation...HAH!)

i appreciate being reminded each and every day that GOD grows the increase, no matter who plants or waters.

The "junk yard"...beautified with GOD-stuff.

This pot of lilies was in the "junk yard" section! i discovered it with its yet-to-unfurl blooms during a "photo session" -- left there from last season, all but forgotten. Life is like that -- GOD surprises us with wonderFUL unexpected blessings to remind us of His infinite goodness and generosity.

Those peach blooms lasted but a two or three weeks...and here's the latest transformation...

Mom wanted to trash this prickly bromeliad variety (i saved a couple from the trash) because she gets pricked when she gardens near them -- but the flowers are so pretty (red, white and blue) that we've decided to keep them to line the fence area as defense against those cats that jump over the fence to eye the fish, maybe thinking they'd make a tasty snack!

Mom said to let them sit awhile in the house after picking them to finish the ripening process (they are a bit tart). i've told Mom several times to just spread my ashes under this tree when i'm called to be with the LORD JESUS -- in Heaven.

My Backyard's True OWNER

2010-05-03T14:41:00.001-07:00

Rosita trimming the kalamansi tree...

And she's not at all "Grumpy" when she's puttering around in her backyard.

Summer squash...comin' right along!

"Jungle" of tomatoes and mustard greens...

The chayote...growing into a canopy.

Rosita's Chinese peas...

Hunkered down to take this photo...

Reminded me of the bush farm in Lagiloa, where everything is over the top!

Growing...growing...growing!

Another squash variety...patola.

My Backyard's true owner...Momma Rose!

My son, hear the instruction of your father, and forsake not the law of your mother. (Proverbs 1:8) Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old. (Proverbs 23:22

Shades of GREEN

2010-05-01T21:50:00.000-07:00

Mustard greens...

String beans...

Mustard greens -- ready to harvest...almost!

Summer squash...upo.

Eggplants...a little slow, this variety.

Tomatoes...almost ready to flower.

Then GOD said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so.

The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And GOD saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:11-12)

The True VINE

2010-05-01T00:42:00.001-07:00

I AM the True Vine, and My Father is the Gardener. (John 15:1)

Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. (John 15:4)

I AM the Vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

Mom's chayote reaching for the skies. The chayote (Sechium edule), also known as chuchu, sayote, tayota, choko, chocho, chow-chow, christophene, mirliton, vegetable pear, and pear squash is an edible plant that belongs to the gourd family Cucurbitaceae along with melons, cucumbers and squash.

Backyard POTPOURRI -- Morning LIGHT

2010-04-22T00:48:00.000-07:00

Chayote...

Kamote...

String beans...

Storage shed...

Peach tree blossoms...

Orange tree...

Tomatoes...

Mustard greens(?)

String beans...

Uncle's and Mom's handiwork...

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but GOD who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. (1 Corinthians 3:6-8)

GOD is indeed giving the increase. The vegetables, flowers and trees grow as prescribed by GOD's season...His perfect timing.

KALAMANSI -- After Monday's Rain

2010-04-13T14:33:00.000-07:00

A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. (Luke 8:5-6)

And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked it. (Luke 8:7)

Kalamansi fruit...after Monday's rain.

But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold. (Luke 8:8)

The ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. (Luke 8:15, NLT)

SPRING Blooms Blooming

2010-04-06T22:56:00.000-07:00

Mom's Poor Man's Orchid...

Green orchid...

And more Poor Man's Orchid...

Easter's CHRISTmas colors...

Uncle Ric's plants from New Jersey...resurrected.

A variety of orchid...

Pink peppermint stripes...

That's my name for this flowering plant because i can't remember it's real name.

Pretty in pink...some kind of daisy...

Some kind of orchid...

Good thing i'm not called upon to name GOD's creations! i'm good at appreciating His masterful works, but please don't ask me the name of His stars, or mountain ranges, or any of the gazillion fish in His oceans... i can barely remember people's names!

And if GOD cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won't He more surely care for you? (Matthew 6:30)

SPRING Time -- NEW Life!

2010-03-26T23:02:00.000-07:00

Eggplants

Chili

String beans

Chinese cabbage

Summer squash

Tomato

Chayote

Chinese peas

Kabatiti (left), tomatoes (right)

If anyone is in CHRIST, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
(2 Corinthians 5:17, NKJV)

It's Spring time!

It's Resurrection time!

The winter season is over --

The darkness has gone,

Heavenly light awaits!

Thank You, LORD,
For growing me in that piercing darkness --

Drawing me ever closer to you,

Upholding me ever so tenderly

By Your almighty righteous right hand.

It's Spring time!

It's Resurrection time!

i'm breaking new ground --

i'm putting forth new leaves,

i'm ready to bloom!

Thank You, LORD,

For nourishing me with Your gracious light --

Shielding me from harm,

Leading me ever forward

With Your almighty righteous right hand.

(by rLn)

The Gardener Sows, But GOD Gives The Increase

2010-03-16T19:32:00.000-07:00

Sayote

i planted, Apollos watered, but GOD gave the increase. (I Corinthians 3:6)

So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but GOD who gives the increase. (I Corinthians 3:7)

Chinese Cabbage

Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. (I Corinthians 3:8)

String Beans

For we are GOD's fellow workers; you are GOD's field, you are GOD's building. (I Corinthians 3:9)

Keep planting the seeds of the Word of GOD; keep sowing the seeds of the Good News -- the Holy SPIRIT of GOD will do the rest. He will give the increase...He will reap the harvest.

The BIRDS -- Alfred Hitchcock...NOT!

2010-03-05T21:18:00.000-08:00

Birds of the same feather, flock together.

Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop, than in a house shared with a contentious woman! (Proverbs 21:9) Been there, done that!

Livin' on the edge...how many of us live on the edge -- believing that we won't fall off that narrow ledge, that we'll be given wings to escape from certain destruction; or that GOD will rescue us from that fatal slip to that long descent to rock-hard bottom...

You've heard it said that when Life gives you lemons, make lemonade. This bird (and others that i saw but didn't get photographed) made "lemonade" out of the cold and wet situation -- he took it as an opportunity for a bird bath!

My Backyard's GUEST YARD #3

2010-03-01T13:50:00.000-08:00

Beauty and the...

BEAST...behemoth, leviathan, monster, dragon -- dinosaur! Read about real dinosaurs described in the Bible: "Look now at the behemoth, which I made along with you..." (Job 40:15-41:34)

Happy Easter eggs...NOT! Just a bunch from Frosty (NOT the Snowman).

Happy Easter egg...NOT!! Just one of rln's beautified rocks from Imperial Beach.

Happy Easter bunny...NOT!!! Just a regular bunny from Kathy G's Second-Step Home home.

HAPPY EASTER, everyone! HAPPY RESURRECTION DAY!

Found TREASURE

2010-02-27T21:08:00.000-08:00

i was hunting for something different...looking high and low...here and there...

And i caught a glimpse of color...and found treasure.

"...the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." (Matthew 13:44)

"... lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. " (Matthew 6:20)

GUESS -- Guest BACKYARD #2

2010-02-17T17:24:00.000-08:00

Roses...

Fishers of men and women...

By the look of this tree, the gardeners have been nurturing this backyard for many a long years!

The gardeners are not angels, but some of us think they might as well be, for their hearts are like the angels'!

Jardin...Garden...

A beautiful garden takes a lot of work! Like marriage...good soil is crucial...nourishing it with good works towards one another is key in keeping the bond of love strong and healthy and ever growing. Weeds sprout up...like weeds! Both gardeners must dig up the roots so that the problem weeds don't keep coming back up. As soon as a tender shoot comes up, the gardener must stamp it out immediately.

So it takes constant and diligent watchfulness so that weeds do not grow out of control. Such is a garden...such is a marriage.

Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. (Hebrews 13:4)

BubbleHead -- Belly Up!

2010-02-15T16:33:00.000-08:00

This is Bubblehead, belly up...dead! Here today, gone tomorrow...and his tomorrow was today! He's only a fish, but it hurt me to see him dead.

This is Fantail...buried with Bubblehead as fertilizer for Spring's vegetables.

And this un-named one...!

The whole tribe of them...fertilizer. They're just fish...but i miss them! Why? Because they were alive...and now they're dead.

How would i feel when someone truly dear to my heart dies? How would i feel if they died unredeemed...unsaved...facing GOD's Day of Judgment without CHRIST as their Advocate?

Every CHRISTian is commanded by JESUS to share the Gospel -- the Good News of Peace, of Truth, of Redemption. Every person on earth is precious to GOD's heart...He desires that none should perish.

The LORD is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

LEMONS -- And The POWER Of The MIND

2010-02-09T18:28:00.001-08:00

This bunch of kalamansi is good for making juice, but a lot of sugar is needed to counteract its tartness. If you bite into one, thinking it's a sweet orange in miniature, you'll be in for a surprise. It iS SOUR! For such a little fruit (usually one to two inches in diameter), it packs quite a punch on the sour meter!

As you were imagining its sourness, did you salivate?

These oranges are not quite ripe...and even when fully orange in color, they are still sour! After picking, we have to let them sit for a week to allow them to ripen into sweetness. But if you like sour flavors, you can slice these and sprinkle salt on them...that's how we eat green mangoes -- sliced, salted, or dipped in bagoong. (Are you now salivating as you read this?)

These lemons are from the neighbor's backyard, hanging over Mom's fence. And they are sour indeedy! Even now as i'm typing this, i'm swallowing my saliva. Is your mind as programmed as mine? As unruly...as conditioned to react with the subtlest suggestion?

The writer of the Book of Proverbs, King Solomon, knew the unruliness of man's monkey mind. He wrote in Proverbs 23:7, "For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he." How crucial it is to feed our minds with wholesomeness so that we may be able to counteract the unwholesome stuff that constantly splatter and bombard us from all sides!

Paul, the Apostle, advised in Philippians 4:8, "...whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things."

LOOKING from the Inside OUT

2010-02-07T21:01:00.000-08:00

Doing dirty dishes is now more enjoyable! We are mesmerized by the fish going around and around (and around and around and around and around and around!) in their swimming pool. i wonder if they get stir-crazy...

Side yard -- Mom's "green babies" are a bit neglected now since the new residents have come to live in the swimming pool.

My point of view as i paint the OFF-the-WALL wearables...with Charles Stanley or Zola Levitt on the Internet, renewing my mind with the Word of GOD.

Bird's Eye VIEW

2010-02-06T18:09:00.000-08:00

Only GOD sees the whole picture...clearly, unfiltered, without bias -- past, present and future -- all at once. In His omniscience, in less than a blink of an eye, He knows all about all things. We see as through a dirty window -- through the filthy rags of our self-righteousness.

...the LORD sees every heart and understands and knows every plan and thought. If you seek Him, you will find Him. But if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. (I Chronicles 28:9)

Last Year's HARVEST

2010-02-05T23:11:00.000-08:00

"The harvest is finished, and the summer is gone," the people cry, "yet we are not saved!" (Jeremiah 8:20)

No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening--it is painful! But afterward there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. (Hebrews 12:11)

JESUS said to his disciples, "The harvest is so great, but the workers are so few." (Matthew 9:37)

The SHADOWS In Our Lives

2010-02-04T20:04:00.000-08:00

Like a flower, we blossom for a moment and then wither. Like the shadow of a passing cloud, we quickly disappear. (Job 14:2)

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. (Psalm 91:1)

We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth for someone else to spend. (Psalm 39:6)

My life passes as swiftly as the evening shadows. i am withering like grass. (Psalm 102:11)

Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from GOD above, who created all heaven's lights. Unlike them, He never changes or casts shifting shadows. (James 1:17)

Guard me as the apple of Your eye. Hide me in the shadow of Your wings. (Psalm 17:8)

For these rules were only shadows of the real thing, CHRIST Himself. (Colossians 2:17)

Parable of the SOWER

2010-02-03T20:40:00.000-08:00

A farmer went out to plant some seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them.

Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The plants sprang up quickly, but they soon wilted beneath the hot sun and died because the roots had no nourishment in the shallow soil. Other seeds fell among thorns that shot up and choked out the tender blades.

But some seeds fell on fertile soil and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted. (Matthew 13:3-8)

Do not be deceived, GOD is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. (Galatians 6:7)

REALLY Weird Stuff!

2010-02-02T22:43:00.000-08:00

Mom didn't want to air her "dirty" laundry in cyber space...but i couldn't resist! This is Mom's homemade bagoong, in the process of becoming fish sauce.

Bagoong is a Philippine condiment that's popular in Hawaii and throughout the Pacific. Bagoong is made from shrimp or small fish that have been salted, cured and fermented for several weeks. The resulting salty liquid (called patis ) is drawn off and used separately as a sauce or condiment. In addition to being served as a condiment, bagoong is used as a flavoring in many dishes.

i like sun-dried laundry...so i'm doing the natural and free -- airing my clean "dirty laundry."

Another treasure from the ShoppE at Rose's...

...lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.(Matthew 6:20)

Be as a CLINGING Vine

2010-02-01T18:07:00.000-08:00

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. (Romans 12:9)

Test all things; hold fast what is good. (I Thessalonians 5:21)

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. (Hebrews 10:23)

You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. (Deuteronomy 13:4)

Guest Backyard

2010-01-31T20:39:00.000-08:00

It's not that i've run out of interesting photo ops at my own backyard, but i wanted to share with you Larry and Lisa's unique backyard. They also host each Sunday afternoon an exciting and intense 3-hour Bible study in their cozy I.B. home, replete with delicious Filipino fixin's from their kitchen, recliner chairs, thick blankets...even your own house slippers!

This semester, we are studying in this 3-in-1 course, Creation and the Hebrew Patriarchs (Genesis and Job); The Life of CHRIST -- Part I (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John); Doctrines of GOD and the Bible -- via satellite courses from Faith Bible Institute, with Pastor John T. Yates.

This is what makes their backyard unique -- they have chickens for pets! Along with their two dogs Bambi and Itim.

Lisa blessed me with these organic eggs -- which will be breakfast to fuel me before Zumba Fitness tomorrow. But i had to get off the thought that i'll be feasting on the chickens' "kidnapped" newborns! (Lisa said a mommy chicken actually tried to hide her eggs from her by half-burying them in the dirt.)

Why is it that when we make pets of animals, our hearts get twisted into such convoluted emotionalism? Is it because GOD's ultimate character is Infinite Love and we are but exhibiting His nature for we were created in His image?

So GOD created man in His own image; in the image of GOD He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:27)

Reality or Unreality -- Truth or Untruth?

2010-01-30T18:44:00.000-08:00

66% of "Reality"...

100% "Reality"...

33% of "Unreality"...

100% "Unreality"...

100% "Reality"...

The photo's true orientation is the 100% Reality above. It's a reflection (of a table laden with spider plants), in a large puddle of water inside a wheelbarrow half-filled with wet mud.

Our minds are so indoctrinated with family history, cultural environment, 12 years of worldly education (more or less), personal experiences, hereditary traits, chosen preferences, etc., that sometimes we believe something to be real or true, yet because of our ingrained life education, we are fooled into believing this or that Unreality or untruth as the genuine Reality or real truth.

Discerning reality in the photos above is child's play -- but in discerning GOD's Reality, one needs to be partnered with His SPIRIT...in CHRIST.

ODDs 'n' EnDs NiCkNacKs

2010-01-29T20:29:00.001-08:00

If there's no more space for nicknacks in the house, there are plenty of empty "shelves" out in my backyard. Mom's house is a typical Filipino home -- nicknacks on every shelf available. Guess who has to do the dusting!?!

A miniature planter...maybe Uncle will use it to plant some Chia Pet seeds.

More odds 'n' ends that we just couldn't bear to throw away.

The way that i got cured of my inherited "packrat" mentality was to backpack Southeast Asia (many years ago) with just two carry-on backpacks and live out of those two bags for two months. But i was such a fitness fanatic during that time that i actually brought two 4-pound hand weights, which i hefted up and down as we drove around Bali! (On another trip, i even climbed up and down the highest ruins in Tikal (in Guatemala) two times...in the heat of mid-day, just to get my daily workout...i was mental! i'm more sane now...i just do Zumba con Arleen.)

LAVA Lamp Bromeliads

2010-01-28T18:59:00.000-08:00

At our Bible study Wednesday morning, Pat (our "mother hen") gave away some prizes...and Carmen was blessed with a lava lamp!

i looked in my backyard today, hunting for something cool to share...and i got some "lava lamps" too!

Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105)

The best prize of all, the brightest lamp which dispels any darkness and shadows in my life is GOD's Word...His Instruction Manual -- the Holy BIBLE.

Garden Bulletin Board

2010-01-27T16:40:00.000-08:00

This bulletin board in my backyard is decorated with "i hollah for a dollah -- or two!" bargains and freebies from the ShoppE at Rose's...

This gauzy butterfly attached to the Welcome sign (though i did add a few touches of my own)...

These typical Filipino farming scenes...

And these seaside scenes of the Philippines...

Even the multi-colored fish on the board were some others' cast-offs. It's true -- what may be some one's junk may be someone else's treasure.

Store your treasures in heaven, where they will never become moth-eaten or rusty and where they will be safe from thieves. Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be. (Matthew 6:20-21)

Real treasures aren't those bought at Harrods London exclusive department store, or at an antique shop, or even at the PBS' Antique Road Show . True treasures are priceless and heavenly -- a merciful and forgiving heart, helping hands, a loving spirit...

Kitsch

2010-01-26T15:07:00.000-08:00

Kitsch (English pronunciation: kich) is a German word denoting art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art or a worthless imitation of art of recognized value. (Wikipedia)

Excessively garish or sentimental art; usually considered in bad taste...something that appeals to popular or lowbrow taste and is often of poor quality. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

Who cares -- it's my backyard...

King Solomon wrote... There is no end of opinions ready to be expressed. Studying them can go on forever and become very exhausting! (Ecclesiastes 12:12)

It's TIME! 2010 -- It's Time!

2010-01-25T15:58:00.000-08:00

IT'S TIME! It's time to move out of our self-made prisons. It's time to go beyond the sheltered enclosure of our creature comforts. It's time to do the work that GOD has intentioned for each and every created creature here on earth.

It's time to plant so that we may join GOD in the harvest. IT'S TIME!

Pastor Jim Baize of Midway Church said, "It's time! It is time to quit playing church; it is time to grow up; it is time to win the lost to CHRIST; it is time to get victory in our habits, it is time to be who GOD created us to be...it is way past time...!

Then an angel came from the Temple and called out in a loud voice to the One sitting on the cloud, "Use the sickle, for the time has come for You to harvest; the crop is ripe on the earth." (Revelation 14:15)

KING Fisher -- MAN of John 14:6

2010-01-24T20:55:00.000-08:00

Illusion -- something that deceives by producing a false or misleading impression of reality.

Delusion -- a false belief or opinion that is firmly held.

99.99999% truth -- is still a lie in GOD's sight.

100% Truth -- JESUS -- I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6)

RAIN...i like it!

2010-01-23T14:32:00.000-08:00

i like the rain. i like how it washes the dust off the flowers and oranges... (i've told Mom to fertilize this orange tree with my ashes when i've gone on to Heaven!

i like what the Psalmist wrote about his desire to know GOD... i reach out for You. i thirst for You as parched land thirsts for rain. (Psalm 143:3)

i like the raindrops sparkling on these kalamansi fruits...ready for kalamansi-ade. Mom's tree is laden with these sour fruits almost year round! (Citrofortunella microcarpa, lemoncito, or calamansi is native to the Philippines.)

For the winter is past, and the rain is over and gone. (Song of Solomon 2:11) Well...maybe for today anyway.

STILL Hangin' IN!

2010-01-22T14:57:00.000-08:00

We had fierce winds last night...gusts of rain blasted against the window glass, the wind howled through the vents -- whistling like some movie soundtrack from Wuthering Heights!

These bromeliads hung in there, despite the whipping they received from the raging wind that tore through this area during the dark hours...

When i see GOD's creation being so persistent and tenacious at hanging on to dear life, i'm encouraged. Life is not without the occasional buffeting storm or raging wind...but with CHRIST as my Rock, i can stand firmly on the solid ground that He shields me from the worst blows and that He hides me under His wing as He walks with me through the gauntlet of life's trials.

And i know that Spring always arrives...with delicious colors! These bromeliads await for that coming season of bursting hues...with more patience than me!

There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4)

Wet BACKYARD Beauties

2010-01-21T14:09:00.000-08:00

The grass withers, and the flowers fade, but the word of our GOD stands forever. (Isaiah 40:8)

A voice said, "Shout!" i asked, "What should i shout?" "Shout that people are like the grass that dies away. Their beauty fades as quickly as the beauty of flowers in a field." (Isaiah 40:6)

And if GOD cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won't he more surely care for you? (Luke 12:28)

SPRING Not Yet Sprung

2010-01-20T17:10:00.000-08:00

Backyard neighbor's lemons...ours for the picking. Was it Charlie Brown who was always given lemons in his cartoon life? Yet somehow, he made lemonade from the many lemons that feisty Lucy always threw at him.

Uncle Ric's sayote...also called sechium edule (its scientific name), merliton, tayota, choko, chocho, chow-chow, christophene, alligator pear, chayote, vegetable pear. This two-month old plant has yet to mature, but it will begin to bear fruit around April-May, and continue to bear much fruit in the summer months ahead. This is a typical Filipino vegetable, usually cooked in a soup with meat; but i've also grown it in Lagiloa, our bush farm in Taveuni, Fiji.

Mom and Uncle's vegetable patch in hiatus, already cultivated with manure. Today, the stormy weather is bringing much rain which will mix the dirt and manure, readying the soil for the seeds to be sown soon.

Do not be deceived, GOD is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the SPIRIT will of the SPIRIT reap everlasting life. (Galatians 6:7-8)

i see GOD's Word illustrated in His creation. When Mom sows the ampalaya (momordica charantia linn or bitter melon) seeds, she will harvest the fruit of the ampalaya...for whatever she sows, that she will also reap.

Bubblehead's Point of View

2010-01-19T12:44:00.000-08:00

Bubblehead is at the top left (he -- or she -- is orange and white), the one with the biggest head!

Rainy afternoon in sunny San Diego...

Bubblehead, on this rainy day said, "HEY, GUYS! Did you hear WHAT that woman inside the house just say? She said, "Oh NO! My fish are getting wet!" Duhhh!!!