Food for Thoughts on Father's Day-An Update

The following was my post last year on Father's Day. I am not expecting any of the events described here that happened last year, except for phone calls from my two daughters. I will be happy if my oldest son ( also a father) give me a call today. Here's the article I posted in my blog last year in case you have not read it.

"This year all my four children(The 4 D's) did not forget me today. My oldest son sent me a Fathers' day Card three days ago and will probably call me later this evening for his annual greetings. My other two daughters are here now preparing lunch. My oldest daughter arrived at 10:30AM bringing Italian Pasta and Green Salad. My youngest daughter and grand daughter arrived shortly with appetizers and my favorite dessert-Cheese Cake.

My youngest son who lives with us and helped me take care of his Mom enhanced/fixed my computer ( faster with more memory and-Windows 10) charging me only $250 for the parts. His labor for fours hours was free and told me it is his Fathers Day Gift to me. My oldest daughter also gave me a Red Lobster gift card, I can use any time. Thanks to all of You my 4 D's. To my oldest son, Happy Fathers Day to you also.

I am attaching a video ( Daddy Day Trio)for your enjoyment. Two other videos that I loved in this set are Katherine McPhee and Chris Mann's duet of the Prayer and the Three Tenors of Pavarotti, Domingo and Carreras singing "I Did it My Way" with Frank Sinatra in the audience ".





Fathers' Day reminds me of the responsibility of Parenthood. I found the following quotes timeless and applicable to all Fathers and Mothers of Today and of the future.

1. Marriage is an institution, but who wants to live in an institution.

2. The trouble with most average American is that they expect their children to be above average.

3. The best inheritance a parent can give his children is a few minutes of his time each day.

4. A mother of 13 children was asked "how in the world can you have time for 13 children" she replied, "when I had only one child, it took all my time, what more can 13 do?

5. A Chicago psychologist lists these rules for parents to insure their child happiness
Avoid favoritism, do not compare one child to another
Don't be too dominating; don't impose your own ambitions or hobbies
Don't be upset at what your neighbor's children accomplish
Don't remind yourself constantly that you worked harder or had fewer privileges.

6. The fear of depriving our children has produced the most "gifted" generation of children in our history. We shower them with gifts to prove our love, with the inevitable result that the gift of love has degenerated into a love of gifts. Are we offering things as parent substitutes? Are we offering presents instead of our presence? Are we giving things because we are reluctant to give time or self or our heart?

Philippines Love Songs and Tourist Spots in the Background

Do you love Kundiman and Pinoy love songs? Here's one of my favorite video.

Arthritis of the Knee and Me

About 6 months ago, I was diagnosed with arthritis of the knee based on the X'ray taken of my left knee. My physician prescribed an anti-inflammatory/analgesic-Naprosin. Relatives and friends recommended I take Turmeric Capsults -a dietary supplement. The pain ranged from 3-4 to a tolerable 1-2 from a Pain scale of 1 to 10. My experience showed that turmeric helps but the pain is not completely gone and often times I am still limping and my activities are limited. I have a hard time bending, so my gardening activities are limited also. Here's some information about knee arthritis from the Internet.

Arthritis is inflammation of one or more of your joints. Pain, swelling, and stiffness are the primary symptoms of arthritis. Any joint in the body may be affected by the disease, but it is particularly common in the knee. Knee arthritis can make it hard to do many everyday activities, such as walking or climbing stairs. It is a major cause of lost work time and a serious disability for many people.

The most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, but there are more than 100 different forms. In 2012, more than 51 million people reported that they had been diagnosed with some form of arthritis, according to the National Health Interview Survey. While arthritis is mainly an adult disease, some forms affect children.

Although there is no cure for arthritis, there are many treatment options available to help manage pain and keep people staying active.

For more details read the following:

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00212

If you know of any dietary supplement good for arthritis besides turmeric, please let me know!

The Bataan Death March Memorial Marathon in New Mexico

Just in case you were not able to watch 60 Minutes at CBS last night. This subject has touched my heart and is one of the saddest event in World War 11 in the Philippines.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/bataan-death-march-survivor-60-minutes/

From Wikipedia: The Bataan Memorial Death March is an annual commemoration of the Bataan Death March attended by many of the survivors of the march, along with thousands of supporters from around the world, held at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. Held annually since 1990, this is a full marathon, with a 15 mi (24 km) route for those who do not wish to complete the full course. Covering paved road and sandy trails, it is regarded by Marathon Guide as one of the top 30 marathons in the U.S.

The race is open to all members of the public, though a significant portion of the participants are members of military units of the U.S. and foreign armed forces and their families. Civilians usually run in the full marathon, which is timed with awards though not certified by USA Track and Field. Several surviving Bataan prisoners usually await the competitors to congratulate them on completing the grueling march. Many injured veterans including some amputees attend to march as well. The race continues all day, with the slowest marchers taking over 12 hours to complete the course.

In 2011, a record 6,300 marchers participated in 2011 in both the marathon and the 15.4 mi (24.8 km) course. In 2012 over 7,000 marchers competed and due to the heat and conditions 2012 became the most medicated march yet. In 2013, conditions were such that a weather advisory was put out to the 5,800 participants to reconsider running the race if they had not trained in the heat or at higher altitudes and that officials were considering altering or canceling the event.

Flowers in My Garden-Have a Safe Memorial Day Weekend

The 3-day Memorial Day weekend is coming. A few of our neighbors are driving out of town. However, Macrine and I are homebound and will enjoy the flowers in my garden. Have A Safe Memorial DAY Weekend to All!

My Miniature Rose Bush in Full Bloom-Source of My Flower Arrangement All Summer

Strawberry-Guava Shrub in Full Bloom

Drought Resistant Ice-Plants in Bloom in the Front Entrance-welcoming Visitors

My Pineapple Plant survive the winter season- Front Entrance Décor

The Art of Flower Arrangement-Ikebana

I am very proud of this Creation!

My Flower Arrangement Creation with two 60th Anniversary Décor.

Last year, I started reading about Ikebana- the ancient Japanese art of flower arranging. Last week when my sister from Maryland visited us , the first thing she saw was the flower arrangement in our breakfast table( see above photos). She commented it was beautiful and looks as if it was a commercial creation. I told her I did the arrangement myself with flowers in my garden. The only materials I purchased were the 3-piece bamboo, the foam, the rectangular flower based and the two artificial butterflies. The sea shells, Nandina( Heavenly Bamboo plant) leaves and flowers as well as the red floribunda roses are from my garden. So what is Ikebana?

Ikebana is the ancient Japanese art of flower arranging. The name comes from the Japanese ike, meaning ‘alive’ or ‘arrange’ and bana meaning ‘flower.’ The practice of using flowers as offerings in temples originated in the seventh century when Buddhism was first introduced to Japan from China and Korea, but the formalized version of Ikebana didn’t begin until the Muromachi period around the 15th or 16th century. These arrangements have since become more secular, displayed as art forms in people’s homes. However, Ikebana is seen as more than just decorative, it is a spiritual process that helps one develop a closeness with nature and merge the indoors and outdoors. For more details read the following:

https://www.ftd.com/blog/design/ikebana

Here are two of my favorite ikebana arrangement from the Web. You can make your own arrangement to fit your mood and personality in any occasion.

A Short Visit from My Sister and Brother Yesterday

Macrine and I enjoyed an overnight visit from my sister ( Agnes Galvin), her husband (Dennis) from Maryland and my brother, Dolce Ruben Katague from Bacolod City, Philippines. It was a short visit, because of their hectic schedule of driving all over the US. Ruben had to be back to the Philippines by June 2. They have visited 13 states already and are headed for Chicago, Illinois, Northern Pennsylvania, Niagara Falls and then Toronto, Canada before heading home to Gaithersburg, Maryland. Macrine and I wish you a Safe and Fun trip. Attached are photos taken from my backyard yesterday.

Note: Macrine is sending her special thanks for the Godiva Chocolates. David III and I enjoyed the Avocado-Cream Cheese sandwich. It reminds me of the Fish Taco with Avocado slice that I like from Del Taco.

Macrine's Favorite Music Piece-Anton Rubenstein, Romance-An Update

Today is Mothers Day in the US. Rene Nieva, Macrine's first cousin played on his FB page a classical piece that is one of Macrine's favorite piece of music. After reading Rene's posting on FB, I can not help reposting my blog on this subject that I posted two years ago with the following update.



Scroll Down for the article, I posted two years ago on this subject:

http://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/search?q=rubenstein+romance