changing seasons

For some reason I woke up quite early this morning. And as usual I turned on my computer first before I made my first trip to the bathroom. After the computer, I turned on the TV next to check on the weather. That’s how I started my day normally.

“We are going to have a nice day today!”… that is according to the meteorologist. I trust him. Hubby trusts him too but he is jealous of him because he knows that I find him cute and I have a crush on him. Hahahaha. After giving the weather forecast he said… “it’s the start of the Autumnal equinox“. I don’t know about the equinox but I know that autumn means that summer finally ends and winter is just around the corner. It means that Fall is finally here.

This is my second autumn or fall here in Maine so I know what to expect now. I know that the nights will be longer now. I know that 8 pm is already dark. I know that we will have cooler or lower temperatures. I know that the maple leaves will start to change its color and will soon fall from the trees. I know that I will be raking a lot now and that will replace running as my exercise. I know too that I need to cover up now and my sexy clothes are no longer appropriate to wear.

This is my second fall and I know exactly what to do. I have to organize my closet again to make room for our fall and winter clothes. I have to sort out my summer clothes… keep those that still fit and throw or give away those that don’t. I have to put all my summer clothes in totes and keep them in the cellar. And I have to bring up the fall/winter totes to give way for the spring/summer totes. It’s the start of a new season and it’ all about the totes now.

This is my second fall and it means that Maine landscape will be changing dramatically into mono-chromatic red-orange-brown hue. When it happens I will be enjoying Maine foliage again. When it happens I know for sure that I will be anticipating the beautiful sights of Maine. When it happens I will be swept away by the breathtaking view of the countryside. When it happens I will be again awed by the colorful palette of the horizon. When it happens it will feel like I am living in a life-size canvas again.

This is my second fall season and I know it will not be the same as the first. And just like every changing seasons my life is constantly changing too. Maybe this fall, things will turn as colorful as the maple leaves. And as they fall on the ground I hope my life will also find the beauty of being free and well-grounded, literally and figuratively.

[Note: All the Photos here are from my 2007 Fall Collection… my first Fall in Maine.]

Additional Information:
Maine Foliage
Fall in Maine for Maine Office of Tourism
New England Foliage Tour

One of my favorite seasons here in Maine is the Apple Season. It’s yummy. It’s crunchy. It’s sweet. Hahahaha. It is still summer but Apple Season came early this year. It is now time to go to the orchard and pick the apples yourself.

There are lots of apple orchards around Maine. Most of these orchards are family-onwed and have been in the same families for generations. Most orchards are operated all year-round and they don’t just sell apples but produce a lot of products made of apples like cider vinegar, wine, juice, and jam just to name a few. And there are different varieties of apples that you can find here in Maine like the most famous McIntosh, red and yellow delicious, cortland, and empire just to name some.

Normally, these orchards are open to the public for apple picking. And apple picking is normally a family activity here in Maine. Kids enjoy this kind of activity because they can climb the trees and pick their own apples directly from the tree. But since most apple trees are low and can be reached from the ground you don’t have to climb them at all. But the most important part of apple picking is the part where you can eat as much apples as you can and you don’t have to pay for it. You only pay for the ones that you picked and you put in the bag. But for those apples that you put directly to your mouth down to your stomach… they are free and you don’t have to pay for it.

Additional Information in Apple Season In Maine:
To find the different Apple Orchards in Maine…

go to Apple Gazette
go to Northern New England
go to Apple Acres Farm and
go to All About Apples

Summer is not yet over but school season finally started. This year, my step-son will be on his 2nd Grade. This year is my second year as an out-of-school teacher as well. I miss school. I miss the familiar noise in the classroom that made me go crazy. And I miss my students who made my day even crazier.

This year, the school started last 27th of August [at least here at MSAD #6 in Cumberland County, Maine]. This year, my step-son is going to a new school in the district. And since he was diagnosed with autism spectrum he needs a special program which is called “Self-Contained Classroom” that will address his needs. He is picked up every morning by the school bus and so far he rides the bus with no problem just yet.

School season here in the US is just like in the Philippines… it starts after summer vacation or before it is over. The only difference is that the summer season here in the US is from June to August [so school starts last week of August to first week of September] and in the Philippines it is from April to June [so school starts first week of June]. So far the difference lies only in the timing of summer vacation. And differences in the different aspects of education, curriculum and practices are entirely varied due to difference in cultural orientation, background and influences. The only similarity between the two countries [and perhaps for all countries in the whole world] is the students… the students are the most important factor for the implementation of the educational system.

Important Links:
MSAD # 6
Frank Jewett Elementary School

One of the most important activities that I enjoy during summertime in Maine is shopping. Well, shopping for a true-blooded shopaholic is an all-year-round activity and perhaps a whole-year-round season. But for me who is a former shopaholic convert I only look forward for summertime yard sale because I can get a lot of value for my dollars.

I enjoy “treasure hunt game” when I was a kid and now that I am a grown-up I apply that skill I learned from childhood in my yard sale hopping and shopping spree. I love to challenge myself with my sense of creativity to convert or transform old things into something new and useful. I love the feeling of victory when I can find things under the rubble of piles upon piles of old stuff. I love the feeling of triumph when I stumble on some really new things that owners didn’t have the chance to use because they didn’t actually realize they have them until it’s time to dispose them. And most importantly, I love yard sale because I don’t feel guilty spending my money on my splurges because the stuff are really cheap.

So summer is almost over in Maine. It’s also about time for cleaning-up-the-mess season too. And during this time of summer, it’s my turn to go “gaga” over yard… garage… or barn sales that I can fine all over the place. And last weekend, my friend and I went around town yard-garage-barn sale hopping the whole day and end up with lots of stuff that added up to my accumulated earthly possessions.

Ceramic Picture Frame: $1

Satin and Beads Picture Frame: .25 cents

Never-been-worn dark blue and white Sling-Back Heels: $5

Liz Clairborne Leather Wallet and Check Case: $2 and 10 cents

But garage-yard-barn sale in Maine is not just for cleaning up the mess. A lot of those sale all over the place are there for charity reason and fund-raising. Items for sale are donated by Mainers. Items are mostly not priced and bargain-hunters are just asked to make donations… like these ones I found at the parking lot of the Health Center in Sacopee Valley.

Mini Grater and…

… Delicate Porcelain Leaf Tea Cup and Saucer: $3 (donation)….

…fun… time… and moments I spent with treasure hunting: PRICELESS

As my Hubby will always say – somebody’s junk is someone else’s treasure. And for me, I found some treasures in somebody else’s junk, so to speak. But on the hindsight… after checking all the stuff I brought home and admiring them for awhile… I was thinking maybe next year… it’s my turn to stage my own yard sale because I did accumulate a lot of stuff that I don’t actually use and maybe it will be more useful to other people. Perhaps my junk will also become somebody else’s treasure.

More Information about the topic:

Maine Township

I grew up in the province of Laguna, in a small town called Liliw at the foot of the mystical and legendary Mt. Banahaw, which is one of the few mountains in the area which is not yet spoiled by kaingin [a term we use for illegal logging in the Philippines]. Though our town is small, it is a bit congested because houses are built close to each other. Though our town is small, the roads are well-paved even the one going up the mountain. And though our town is small, it is already considered as a bustling business district due to the booming slipper industry and the presence of McDonald’s in the plaza. And for these reasons, if you really want to commune with nature, smell the flowers, and be carried away by the magnificent scenery… you either have to go up the mountain or go somewhere else to do just that. You can seldom see trees in the town proper because of those big houses and mansions that my rich town-mates have built for their abode. You can rarely see animals roaming around freely because they are all caged, chained or in the slaughter house. You can hardly have peace and quiet because of the earsplitting sound of the tricycles passing by. But don’t get me wrong. I love my hometown. I love its people… its scenery… its noise. And I miss it so bad.

Hubby strolling at Liliw Resort

Hubby in front of Liliw century old Catholic Church

Liliw’s century old St. John the Baptist Parish Church

A Holy Week Procession in Liliw, Laguna Philippines

I have been away from home for more than a year now. Living in Maine for more than a year now… I can say that I am adapting well to its changing seasons… its way of life… its culture. Being in Maine, I can say that I found a great opportunity to be one with nature… to be able to smell the flowers [in the real sense of the word]… and to be carried away by the magnificent sceneries around me. And being in Maine, I can also say that animals around here enjoy the freedom they rightfully deserve.

During the first few months of my stay here, I was so amazed by a pair of nosey chipmunks and a prying squirrel seemingly checking me out while I was raking fallen maple leaves in the backyard. I was thrilled the first time I saw the deer circling the lone crab apple tree in the middle of the yard outback. And I had fun following a rafter of wild turkey a month before Thanksgiving Day apparently looking for a place or a tree to spend the night. During my first few month here in Maine, I had to get used to the idea that our backyard or the entire state of Maine is an open zoo. And during my first few months in Maine, I realized that wild life – is the Mainers’ way of life.

The nosey chipmunk.

My first snow fall… my first deer sighting.

Turkey family enjoying their stroll at our backyard.

Being able to have the chance to live in two different places… with two different cultures… in two opposite sides of the world, I won’t dare compare them. Though there is much obvious difference between the two, still I can’t choose which one is the best. Though one could have more importance to me, the other has specific significance too. And though I could choose both as my favorite places in the whole world… sadly, I could only live in one… or the other.

Additional Important Information:
About Kaingin - meaning, pictures, solutions and news
For Mt. Banahaw… go to Bundok Philippines
For Laguna Province… go to WOW Philippines
For Liliw, Laguna… go to Bulatlat and Backpacking Philippines and Asia
For Maine Wild Life… go to Maine.gov Wildlife and Plant Life

Maine has more than a hundred of lakes, ponds, rivers and brooks that change through the different seasons. It is so amazing to see how they constantly change each passing season. It is really fascinating how each time I drive by the same bridge – the same river looks always new to me… as if it was the first time I see it. It is even enthralling that I can even walk, stroll and dance on it… during wintertime, that is. Hahaha.

It was almost summertime when I first came to Maine. Coming from a tropical country, Maine is too cold for me at 65 degrees temperature. That was why I was wearing a jacket the entire summer while the rest of the Mainers are barely clothed. My Hubby brought me all the places that he frequented to slowly introduce to me his lifestyle. And most of the time we would go to the nearby lakes, ponds, and rivers.

Each time we go to these bodies of water I was always awed by the beauty of these places. They seemed so full of life and inviting. I just love the feeling of anticipation each time we would drive down Rt. 35 going to Wal-Mart where we could see the Sabago Lake from a great distance. It is always indeed a calming sight to see the lake surrounded by verdant vegetation of white pines, birch and maple trees. And as we come closer to the lake and drive by it, it is always over-powering because you can see how big the lake is.

I don’t get tired looking and passing by Sabago Lake. But what I like most about Sabago Lake is when I could walk on it. I love Sabago Lake when I could stroll on it. I love Sabago Lake when I could put up my tent on it. And I love Sabago Lake when it is frozen because I can dance on it.

Yes, you can do all those things in Sabago Lake when it is frozen. Winter in Maine is cold and long. But winter in Maine is also cool and fun. When it is wintertime, all the lakes, ponds, brooks and rivers are frozen and we can walk, stroll, dance, camp and drive our snow mobile on them. During this cold and bitter season – Maine is winter wonderland, quite literally and figuratively.

Helpful Links for Sabago Lake:
*For more Information about Sabago Lake… Go to Sabago Lake State Park
*For Activities you can do at Sabago Lake… Go to Sabago Lake Family Campground

I have been away from the country of my birth for more than a year now. It was a drastic decision that I’ve ever made in my entire life so far. Though I miss home a lot, I have no choice but to get used to all the things that are new to me in this new country… with my new family… in this new home… with my new friends… and with my new life.

Being away from home for more than a year now gave me the chance to experience a lot of new things that I begin to enjoy and appreciate so far. Though I miss the old things I am used to… the Philippines… my family… our old home… my old friends… and my crazy old life, I know that they will always be a part of what I am now.

For more than a year of being away from home, I have survived 4 changing seasons so far. Coming from a tropical country I was used to only 2 seasons… wet and dry. Coming from a tropical country I am used to climate that never goes down below 80 degrees. Coming from a tropical country I am used to typhoons and tropical storms. Coming from a tropical country I am used to unpredictable changing seasons.

For more than a year of being away from home, I missed the 2 changing seasons so far. In this new country I have survived the annoying bugs of summer. In this new country I have survived the endless raking of fallen leaves of fall. In this new country I have survived the freezing cold of winter. In this new country, I survived the unpredictable days of spring.

Now that I am here in Maine, so far I am beginning to appreciate the changing seasons. Despite my earlier rants about the seasons here, I have to admit that I love the feel of the warm sun on my perpetually tanned skin in summertime. I have to admit I love the amazing foliage and the magnificent landscapes of hills and valley in autumn. I have to admit I love ice-fishing, riding snow mobile and snowshoeing in wintertime. I have to admit I love those delicate yellow dandelions in our yard in springtime.

Changing seasons… changing moods… changing moments. This is what life is. Always changing… always moving… always shifting. But will all the changes one has to go through… life still, is a continuation of one’s journey of the past, the present and the future.