Planning to Retire Soon!

If you are planning to retire in the Philippines soon, I suggest you visit several excellent websites on pro's and cons of retiring in the Philippines. However if you want to retire in the provinces, where life is simple, standard of living cheaper, less traffic congestion and pollution, availability of fresh seafood and vegetables compared to the big cities, my island province is the place for you! If this is your first time in my site, welcome. Some of the photos and videos on this site, I do not own. However, I have no intention on the infringement of your copyrights. The photo above is the front yard of Chateau Du Mer- Our Retirement Home in Boac, Marinduque, Philippines

Monday, May 29, 2017

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.

Friday, May 26, 2017

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


Monday, May 22, 2017

Ikebana-The Art of Flower Arrangement

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

Friday, May 19, 2017

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.


Sunday, May 14, 2017

Romance by Rubenstein-Macrine's Favorite-An Update

Today. Mothers Day, 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.



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


Happy Birthday Carenna and Greetings to All Mothers on Planet Earth

Today Is Mother's Day and also the 14th Birthday of my youngest grand daughter, Carenna Katague Thompson. Happy Birthday, My Pangga!
Carenna 14th Birthday Cake-Row, Row your Boat-Down the Stream. Merrily, Merrily etc...

Also Sending you Mothers of the World, flowers from my Garden at Chateau Du Mer, Boac, Marinduque, Philippines. Have a Great Day!

Front Landscaping of Chateau Du Mer

Mothers Day remind me of an article I wrote five years ago as follows: http://whyretireinthephilippines.blogspot.com/2012/05/happy-mothers-day.html

Thursday, May 11, 2017

Wedding Anniversary Themes and Gifts


Last Sunday, Macrine and I celebrated our 60th wedding anniversary. I was curious on the theme and traditional/modern gifts for the 60 years anniversary. So I did an Internet Search. I found out from the Hall Mark list, that both traditional and modern gift is the Diamond ( yellow). The list ends at 60 years. However the list from Wikipedia ends at 90 years. Do you know of anyone celebrating or had celebrated a 90 years Wedding Anniversary? I have heard of a couple who had celebrated a 70-years wedding anniversary but not a 90 years.

The following is the list from Hall Mark

1st
Traditional: Paper
Modern: Clocks

2nd
Traditional: Cotton
Modern: China

3rd
Traditional: Leather
Modern: Crystal/Glass

4th
Traditional: Fruit/Flowers
Modern: Appliances

5th
Traditional: Wood
Modern: Silverware

6th
Traditional: Candy/Iron
Modern: Wood

7th
Traditional: Wool/Copper
Modern: Desk Sets

8th
Traditional: Pottery/Bronze
Modern: Linens/Lace

9th
Traditional: Willow/Pottery
Modern: Leather

10th
Traditional: Tin/Aluminum
Modern: Diamond Jewelry

11th
Traditional: Steel
Modern: Fashion Jewelry

12th
Traditional: Silk/Linen
Modern: Pearls

13th
Traditional: Lace
Modern: Textiles


14th
Traditional/Modern: Gold Jewelry

15th
Traditional: Crystal
Modern: Watches

16th
Theme: Coffee/Tea

17th
Theme: Wine/Spirits

18th
Theme: Appliances

19th
Theme: Jade

20th
Traditional: China
Modern: Platinum

21st
Theme: Fire

22nd
Theme: Water

23rd
Theme: Air

24th
Theme: Stone

25th
Traditional: Silver
Modern: Silver

26th
Theme: Art

27th
Theme: Music

28th
Theme: Linens

29th
Theme: Tools

30th
Traditional: Pearl
Modern: Diamond




31st
Theme: Travel/Tourism

32nd
Theme: Bronze

33rd
Theme: Iron

34th
Theme: Food

35th
Traditional: Coral
Modern: Jade

36th
Theme: Antiques

37th
Theme: Books

38th
Theme: Luck

39th
Theme: Laughter

40th
Traditional: Ruby
Modern: Ruby

41st
Theme: Office/Desk

42nd
Theme: Clocks/Watches

43rd
Theme: Entertainment

44th
Theme: Electronics

45th
Traditional: Sapphire
Modern: Sapphire

46th
Theme: Games

47th
Theme: Garden/Plants

48th
Theme: Home Improvement

49th
Theme: Copper

50th
Traditional: Gold
Modern: Gold

51st
Theme: Photos/Cameras

52nd
Theme: Bath/Spa

53rd
Theme: Plastic

54th
Theme: Glass

55th
Theme: Emerald

56th
Theme: Day

57th
Theme: Night

58th
Theme: Faith and Hope

59th
Theme: Charity
Two of the many "60th anniversary" décor furnished by Dinah at our Diamond Wedding Anniversary last Sunday-Thanks Dinah and Elaine for the beautiful set-up and décor.

60th
Traditional: Diamond
Modern: Diamond
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
List from Wikipedia at the 60th and after to the 90th:


60th
Diamond (yellow)
Diamond

65th
Blue sapphire

70th
Platinum

75th
Diamond, gold

80th
Diamond, pearl

85th
Moonstone
Wine
Diamond, Sapphire

90th
Granite
Diamond, Emerald

Do you know of any couple who had celebrated their 90th Wedding Anniversary?

Sunday, May 7, 2017

A Very Simple Party for Our 60th Wedding Anniversary

Photo By: Dave Katague from Australia
Tomorrow will be our 60th Wedding Anniversary, but we celebrated it today (Sunday) so our close families who are working can attend. It was a simple party compared to our 50th, but a very memorable one, since we have a surprise guest from Australia-my nephew and name sake who took the above photo. Dinah and Elaine took care of the set up and beautiful décor ( see the following photos). Ditas brought the cake, Dodie and Ruth the drinks and David III helped in the food set-up and cleaning the house before the party. I ordered Pinoy food consisting of Puto and Dinugu-an( blood pudding), pancit ( noodles) and Kare-kare ( tripe and beef in peanut sauce with assorted vegetables as well as Honey Baked Ham and Potato Salad and Cranberry Sauce. Jean brought about 50 turons, Lanie and Alex brought mango and ube rolls. Angie and Jim brought pork and chicken barbecue. We have a feast and I hope everybody had a good time. Below are some of the photos taken before and during the party.







Thanks to all our relatives who were able to attend! Dave and Macrine

Mangoes and Roses for Our Breakfast/Dining Table

Two Simple but Beautiful Center Pieces for Our Breakfast/Dining Table

Two activities that Both Macrine and I enjoy are eating Philippines mangoes and making flower arrangement with flowers growing in our garden.
Today, we are lucky to be able to purchase 14 mangoes for only $16.99 at our local Pinoy Grocery store. The mangoes are tagged Sunny mangoes, # 4961. Visually ( see photo above) they look like Guimaras Mangoes. However the taste is not comparable to the luscious and sweet world famous Mangoes from Guimaras Island. It did suffice our hunger for Philippine mangoes, however. Speaking about mangoes, reminded me of my recent post on this King of the Fruits as follows:

http://davidbkatague.blogspot.com/search?q=mangoes

Two Examples of a Simple and More Complex Flower Arrangement with Roses

With regards to the Roses Flower arrangement above: I have only 3 rose bushes in my backyard. However, they bloom three times a year, early spring, summer and late Fall. The three tea hybrids I have are Mr. Lincoln, American Beauty and Peace. The trick is to prune them after it flowers and fertilize immediately with Rose Fertilizer(10-60-10) with Insecticides for Aphids. For more information on tea roses read the following:
http://www.rose.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/History-of-Roses-Tea-Roses.pdf

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Racial Profiling at the Doctor's Office Last Week

Last Thursday last week, my day started with a shouting match between myself and the receptionist/Secretary Clerk who answered my call when I confirmed my wife appointment for the afternoon. The clerk responder complained that she could barely hear me and If possible spell my wife's name. I did as follows: M as in Mother Macrine, A as in Appalachian Mountains, C as in California, R as in Robert, I as in Ignoramus, N as in Nothing or Nada and E as in Edward.
For our surname ( that most people mispronounced) here's what I told her: K as in Kentucky, A as in Apple, T as in Tom or Tomboy, A as in Apple, G as in Georgia, U as in Uncle and E as in Election. (Cat tag gay, not cat tag or cataque)

In the afternoon at the orthopedic surgeon's office, Macrine and I heard our second racial profiling comment. The first one happened in Gladstone Missouri way back in the late 1960 (http://davidbkatague.blogspot.com/2011/12/chapter-7-life-in-chicago-illinois-and.html).

I was shocked by the question ask by a stranger( that is if I speak English) and so my answer was brief. I regretted that I did not answer the question truthfully.

At this second post-operation visit, Macrine's hip operation need to be X'ray to insure that everything is healing well and the metal replacement is in order. Attached are 2 copies of the X'ray of Macrine's Hip showing the Chromium ball joint and Titanium steel support that I requested for my personal file.



Our appointment at the orthopedic surgeon's office was at 3:20PM. Macrine and I were there 5 minutes early. At 3:30PM an assistant clerk escorted us to small office and ask questions about Macrine's health status and ask her if she is feeling any pain. He later informed us that an X'ray will have to be taken and after that a Physician Assistant will see us. In this Office( Summit) there are six MD and 3 PA's. Two of the MD are Japanese-Americans. It is one of the biggest orthopedic office in the Sacramento area.

At about 4PM, a Caucasian man possibly in his late 50's came to the office where we are waiting and informed us he has to take an X'ray of Macrine's hip in the next room. Out of nowhere he asked us if we speak English. I was so shocked by the question, that I could only whimper the phrase, A little! He did not say anything, but I believe he really believe that Macrine and I speak only a little English!

Macrine and I looked at each other. I did not say anything but I was upset, so that when the Physician Assistant came in to check Macrine, I told her that the X'ray technician is a racist and told her exactly what happened. She apologized and I did not acknowledge her apology. She gave me the phone number of their Office Administrator if I wanted to discuss the incident in more detail.

I guess to the eyes of the X'ray technician, Macrine and I looked like first generation Asians who immigrated to the US in the 1930's so our English knowledge must be limited. Macrine is using a walker and I limped a little bit because of my arthritis, so we really look our age as members of the octogenarian generation. In retrospect, I feel sorry for this X'ray technician for his narrow-mindedness and pre-judgement of us because of how we look.

Or I am just over reacting to the question? What would your reaction be if some stranger ask you the same question?
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