Took a Break Today...

Today was a slow day for me.  I woke up this morning with my body yelling at me in pain.  I could feel every bone that I had broken in my youthfulness scream at me, ankles, knees, lower back, neck, and fingers.   It felt like I was back at my sister's apartment in Washington. 

I popped some of the really good painkillers the VA gave me.  That's one of them really great feel good pills.  I used to have purcocet.  Don't get them much anymore.  Unless I do a walk-in at the VA Clinic for a really bad pain, about 10+.  Yeah, I know the scale only goes to 10.  But when you tell them it's higher, they'll know you're serious. 

Anyway, today, I took it really easy.  Which I don't like to do.  But I have to.  I decided that I'll cut back on my Crossfit Training for a week.  Actually, this week, I will not be doing Crossfit.  It's not like I go all out doing Crossfit.  It's to supplement my ranch work.  But my ranch projects have gotten really heavy the last couple of months.  I'll need to plan my workload a little better. 

My only sweat came from helping Primo David look at a property that he's interested in investing.  He's thinking of buying Primo Vincent's property.  I showed him inside the property since it is where I hunt.  He saw the big rocks and the hole.  A lot of people think it's flat or it was cleared because of the road.  No, it wasn't.  I know every square meter of Taitano Family property around my house that isn't developed.  David thought there was a waterline along the road.  I informed him that the waterline is at the main road.  Everyone at the end of the road, surface runs their waterline to the mainline, where their meters are connected. 

Other than that, I just chilled out and rested today.  Sitting in front of a computer is boring.  I can play only so many games before I get bored of it. 

Looking forward to tomorrow after service.  My church, Abundant Life Church, is having it's quarterly fellowship at the Paseo around 4 pm.   Lots of good food will be on the table.  This time I'm bringing my 5 gallon buckets to collect the leftover waste for my dogs and wild pigs, if there is enough.  We're going to have lechon....wooweee. 

Keep Smiling

VA to reopen Gulf War vets' files - Yahoo! News

Link

I'm numb after reading this.  After years of complaining to the military and VA doctors of my physical and mental issues, after the Gulf War.  Only to be told by them, "It's all in your head.  You're faking it to shirk your duties.  There is no such thing as the Gulf War Syndrome or Gulf War Illness". 

I don't know if I should be relieved by this new policy.  I sure as hell don't want my hopes up, just to be told again..."We can't help you".

I pray this is for real. 

Manglona: Marianas reunification will happen

Link

A lot of non-Chamorro locals are skeptical about the Marianas Islands reuniting as one.  I know of groups of Chamorros on Guahan, Luta, Tinian, and Saipan who want the reunification.  Not just for cultural moral purposes, but economically as well. 

I support the reunification of the Chamorro Archipelago. 

Burning Hot

Temperature was 81 degrees today.  The Weather Reports Partly Cloudy with scattered showers.  It was partly cloudy alright,  but no showers.  Breeze was coming out of the North, for some reason. 

It was normal ranch chores this morning.  Ranch chores are pretty much routine: fresh water, refill feeders, pasture goats, and do security checks.  The heat index was HOT.  Even with the clouds, it was still hot outside.  But strangely, I enjoyed it.

For lunch, I added some cherry tomatoes that I picked fresh from my tomato bushes, to my hamburger beef kadu.  They were nice, plump, and juicy.  No preservative, pesticides, or chemical fertilizers added or used.  All Organic.

After lunch, I continued cleaning the front yard.  I raked up a lot of the trimmings  and put them into piles.  I debated for about 30 seconds if I was going to burn the woodpile or move it to the compost.  I burned it in place.  It was to hot to move it.  I worked underneath the shade of my mango tree cleaning up the old debris from what we cut down two years ago.  Yeah, I procrastinated.  I eventually got around to doing it. 

I learned that the mango tree in the front yard, where I was working under, was flowering.  I'm glad.  Now both of my mango trees are gonna bear fruit. I'm gonna have two varieties of mangoes this season...Local and the other I call, taotaomona, (it's a hybrid tree).  I have three more trees.  One is a bonsai mango tree that my mom experimented with.  I'll have to take a picture of that.  Another one, is in the same area that I'm cleaning around, about twenty to thirty feet from the tree that is flowering.  I'll have to cut down some exotic palm trees that I don't like.  So that mango tree will have less competition.  I have one more on the North side, but that hasn't flowered yet.  I'll try smoking it (burning leaves underneath) tomorrow to get it to flower. 

I burned a lot this afternoon, lots of dead wood and that vine, that locals here call snake vine or Crown of Jesus.  I hate that vine, it chokes up everything.  It's suppose to be some type of herbal vine that helps with stomach aches or other ailments.  Let me tell you...it is nasty!  I even burned some taro that the wild pigs left behind on their rooting raids.  The heat from the fire, scorched nearby bushes and trees.  Oh, well...gotta have some collateral damage. 

Keep Smiling

Don't Feel Sorry for Me.

My nephew told me this afternoon, as I was bringing the goats in from their pasture, "We feel sorry for you". 

I thought that strange.  But I thought about it and reflected on what he said.
Here is my reply.



Don't feel sorry for me,

I chose my life and live it to the fullest each day. 

I have a beautiful amazing wife and a daughter, both who love me very much and I love them.

I have the love and support of close family and friends.


Don't feel sorry for me,

I awake in the morning to the fresh scent of the ocean breeze,

The sun's rays warming up my room,

The sounds of the ranch welcoming me to a new day.


Don't feel sorry for me,

I have lived my life as I saw fit, enjoyed the experiences of both good and bad, and I am still learning. 

I traveled the world, met different people and cultures, saw magnificent structures from history, visited marvelous places that you and many people will only read about in books or view via the internet.

I saw and experienced the Glory and Wickedness of War to Liberate a small country called Kuwait.  That event made me realize, Life is so precious and not to take it for granted. 


Don't feel sorry for me,

I have done extremely dangerous activities that normal people will not do.

I have experienced life with an open mind and love each and every moment of it.

If I could do it again, I would without hesitation.


Don't feel sorry for me,

I choose, freely, to believe in, accept and trust, Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.  Because I do...

I have FREEDOM. 


Copyright 2010, Lorenzo Taitano

Life Cell (Bible Study) was great tonight. Celebrated Sister Shirley's Birthday afterwards. Those Ice Cream Cakes are really good!

Larraine's Asthma Attack at School.

Larraine had one of her asthma attacks in school today.  So Rhoda took her out of class and took her to the doctor.  I don't like it when my neni girl gets hurt.  I didn't find out until I got back from my ISOM Class later this evening.  Rhoda told me what happened. 

I decided I was going to mess gently with my neni girl.  While we were chatting. I was asking Rhoda to ask Larraine some questions on why she got sick again and in school.  Rhoda was relaying the conversation. 

I asked Larraine if she kissed a boy, maybe that's why she has asthma.
Larraine said, "Bleh...maybe you". 
I replied, "Daddy does not have asthma". 
Larraine said, "That's because mommy is not there".  I wonder what she meant by that, hmmm.

So Rhoda told me that Larraine left our bedroom pissed off, to watch tv.

I told Rhoda to tell Larraine, that since she broke her arm at school and now has asthma from school...she has to lay on the bed and rest.  I asked Rhoda to turn on the webcam so that I may see the bed.  Sure enough my neni girl was in bed...but she was mad.  lol...

A few minutes later she asked to use the bathroom to void and to move her bm.  I was laughing on this side of the Philippine Sea.  Larraine will come up with excuses to try to get what she wants.  But I do know my girl very well.  I knew she will want to talk to me.  So I was waiting.  Sure enough, I saw her standing there next to her mommy.  She typed..."Daddy Please".

I said, call me...and they did on messenger.

Then Larraine asked me again, "Daddy, Please, may I watch TV?"

I asked her what will she watch.  She replied, "The Lost Princess".

So I asked her the questions that I had asked Rhoda to relay to her earlier.

I said, "Larraine, did you kiss a boy?"
Her reply, "No, Daddy".
I asked, "Did you flirt with any boys?"
Her reply, "No, Daddy".
Then I asked, "So why do you have asthma?"
She replied, "Because I miss you, daddy". 

AWWWW....I melted...In my mind, Great Answer, Larraine!  ROFL...
I replied back, "I love you, Larraine...Go watch TV".  I got to the see the most beautiful smile on that young lady of mine. 

Larraine knows that she can approach me and her mommy, but especially me, anytime to ask us anything.  Larraine doesn't like to see me mad.  She doesn't like Rhoda and I having disagreements either.  I don't think most children like watching or knowing that their parents are fighting.  Larraine will not eat, if she knows Rhoda and I are upset with each other.  Her discernment is very strong.  So Rhoda and I have to be very careful around Larraine and try to discuss hot issues when were alone. 

I rarely ever got mad at Larraine.  I think it was only once, during Christmas two years ago in Butuan City.  Larraine did something wrong, her grandma had asked her to do something and Larraine answered back.  Right then,  I called her name, in a sharp snapping tone.  That not only got her attention but also her grandma's attention as well.  She stopped what she was doing and ran and hugged her grandma really tight, telling her sorry.  That was Christmas Eve.  That evening she slept with us for the first time since we've been there.  We were there for three days already. 

Larraine is doing okay now.  Rhoda got her meds.