Narigat Ti Biyag

The US is in recession & lay-offs are everywhere. Jim & I have been nagging our boys to penny pinch since we do not know how tomorrow will be. Malagip ko mannen dagiti istorya da papa ken mama idi panahon iti Hapon.

I found papa's stories then not so entertaining bordering on "story telling a lie' kunak ngarud. He used to tell us life was hard then. Iso da kano nga agka-kabsat ket idiay P. Leoncio nga ag-gigian. They used to live in an apartment at P. leoncio in Sampaloc Manila. Awan nga pinirmi iti sida da ngem ado iti bug-goong da. Daytoy itti ilabay da itti in-na-poy ta kannen da nga agkakab-sat. Patayen da ti silaw da tapno saan da nga makita no anya pay itti la-ok ti bug-goong da. Whatever is the "sahug" of the bagoong I never wanted to know. Just the same, the point was made; life was hard then. I never expect myself to be caught up in the cycle of repeating the similar story to our boys. The setting could be different but the theme is just the same. James, the younger one, has mastered the art of rolling his eyes when he hears me nag (did I do that too?). Just goes to show - that life keeps runnin' in cycles - Frank Sinatra sung it so good.
Today - bagoong for dinner & maybe tomorrow - corned beef nga adda patatas na. Sounds good to me.

Uncle Porferio

Uncle Porping was the least known uncle of the Rosete grandchildren. I have vague memories of him. He could have been the Jimmy Dean character of the Rosete. Jimmy Dean was the rebel without a cause. He had slick black hair coated with pomade.

Uncle Porping might just be Jimmy Dean. I could barely remember his face but this I know - his daughter Eva is his spitting image. I grew up knowing more of Auntie Virgie, his wife. She was full of stories of Uncle Porping and she gladly passed this on to us. I remember Marianela, their other daughter who was born with a congenital hip dislocation. She had to wear a hip spica cast young as she was then.
The difficult part of reminiscing - I'm left with "could have been, should have been might have been". The beauty of technology especially with the advent of digitals and photoshops. Everything is instantaneous. On the other hand, in the absence of clear proof, i.e. pictures, one is left to imagine and rely on second hand information. Ngem you retain the myth and the mystery of the characters.
Stories about Uncle Porping and the lesser known uncles and aunties will continuously evolve as long as the likes of us will keep on reminiscing. Adda met bassit siguro nga "story telling a lie" ngem kasta latta itti methodology to pass the torch on to the younger set. Aglagip nga pinirmi tapno saan nga malipatan.

Sister Mary Piedad

She belongs to the group called Pink Sisters. They have a church in St. Louis - a good 2 hour drive from where we live. No adda dumateng nga kabagyan awiten mi ida idiay Mt. Grace Convent tapno makita da ni Lola Ping.

Sister Mary Piedad is the daughter of Lola Consay Natino. I will let Uncle Renato pinpoint exactly what branch of the family tree the Natino(s) grew from. Addo metten iti napan kimmita kenni Lola Ping. We usually bring a sack of rice, adobo, pan de sal or whatever pasalubong that all of the sisters could partake. Iddi addadtoy ni Auntie Virgie ken Auntie Guia, napan kami amin together with Auntie Nieva and planned to stay overnight at the convent. The sisters will accomodate family visitors overnite just give them adequate notice. Remember this is a church/convent so the sisters DO pray all of the time. Silence is supposedly strictly observed. Kasano nayen ket naimasan mi itti ag-kwento - saan met mabalin nga saan kami agkatawa. Imagine the stories we exchanged it was just darn too hard not to LAUGH. Initially we were requested in a whisper to tone it down. We did, but only for some minutes. Eventually kinatok da kamin ta nakaro nga pigsa itti katawa mi aminnen. Lola Ping castigated us the following morning over coffee and donuts. Kuna mi ngarud, rimwar ka la kuman ta timmugaw ken kim-matawa ka metten.
Below is her picture receiving holy communion when the pope came to St. Louis.
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