Why Retire in the Philippines/Marinduque Vacations: Airplants, Coffee Books and White House Christmas Ornaments

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

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Airplants, Coffee Books and White House Christmas Ornaments

The three items(photo above)were given to me by Ditas and Carenna on my 85th birthday: 1. Air plants(2 in driftwood): 2. A coffee book and 3. A White House Christmas Ornament.

This is my first time to have Air plants and looking forward to have them thrive and flower for me to enjoy.

Air Plants On My Birthday
https://www.ftd.com/blog/design/types-of-air-plants

1. Air Plants true name are Tillandsia. The reason why they are nicknamed "Air Plants" is because they get the majority of their nutrients from the air around them. Wikipedia says:

Tillandsia is a genus of around 650 species of evergreen, perennial flowering plants in the family Bromeliaceae, native to the forests, mountains and deserts of northern Mexico and south-eastern United States, Mesoamerica and the Caribbean to mid Argentina. Their leaves, more or less silvery in color, are covered with specialized cells (trichomes) capable of rapidly absorbing water that gathers on them.

They are also commonly known as airplants because of their natural propensity to cling wherever conditions permit: telephone wires, tree branches, barks, bare rocks, etc. Their light seeds and a silky parachute facilitate this spread. Most Tillandsia species are epiphytes – which translates to 'upon a plant'. Some are aerophytes, which have a minimal root system and grow on shifting desert soil. Due to the epiphytic way of life of the plants the peculiarity arises that these bulbs do not lie in the ground, but hang in the air on branches.

How do you care for them?

Every one to two weeks, soak your air plant in room temperature tap water (or rain/pond water if you can find it) for 5-10 minutes.
After soaking gently shake excess water from your plant. ...
From the time soaking ends, the plant should be able to dry fully in no more than 3 hours.

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2. Addition to My Collection of Coffee Books

This is an addition to my more than 70 collection of Coffee Books

For details on my coffee books collection read:

https://davidbkatague.blogspot.com/search?q=coffee+books
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3. White House Christmas Ornament Collection

This was my most treasured gift that is added to my WH Christmas Ornament( #25)collection. For details on my Collection read:

https://davidbkatague.blogspot.com/search?q=white+house+ornaments

Meanwhile enjoy: Handel's Hallelujah

https://youtu.be/IUZEtVbJT5c

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Fruit Trees in the Gardens of Chateau Du Mer

The Mango Tree-I have three varieties in my Garden-The Indian, Guimaras and Carabao Mangoes My caretaker/gardener informed me last month that due to the El Nino drought in Marinduque, two of my Durian trees died in spite of his vigilant watering. One of the tree was attacked by insects that looks like a big fly but yellowish in color that sucks the sap of the seedling. The roots of the other tree was attacked by ants residing in the soil. However, my other fruit trees, the rambutans( 2), the lanzones(2) and the jack fruits ( 2) trees are doing well. The above eight fruit trees were given to me by Retired General Recaredo Sarmiento of Boac and Lucena., about three years ago. General Sarmiento is the “atid” of my wife. “Atid” is the colloquial term for brother. Evidently, Macrine's father, the late Bernardo Jambalos was the Godfather of General Sarmiento during his baptism and comfirmation. Gen Sarmiento's hobby is orchard planting, reforestation and farming. The other fruit trees in my garden are guayabanos, cashew, avocados, starapples, duhats, ates, guavas, mangoes( 3 varieties) and papayas as well as several varieties of bananas . Of the above fruit trees, my favorite is the guayabanos, also known as soursop tree known for its anti-tumor and anti-cancer properties . The following are photos of the fruit trees. The Durian photo is from the web. Note that it almost look like a jack fruit tree, except that the leaves are bigger and shiny. My desire is to have a passion fruit tree in the near future. You are welcome to visit my orchard and flower gardens any time, if perchance you are in the vicinity of The Chateau Du Mer Beach Resort and Conference Center.

The Rambutan Tree and Fruits

The Lanzone Tree and Fruits

The Jack Fruit Tree

The Durian Fruit Tree