Cloudscapes: Colored by Volcanic Ash

After having our original flight canceled, due to the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland this month which choked air travel to Europe , my daughter and and I finally got on our way. Before leaving, one of my friends called to wish me goodbye and to tell me to enjoy the view from up there as the scenery would be beautifully colored, as a result of the presence of volcanic ash in the atmosphere.

After taking off at about 7:05 p.m., I fell asleep for a good 15 minutes. 

When I woke up this was what I saw through the window.

I moved over to the window-side seat and got out my little toy - my point-and-shoot camera, and began clicking away. I noticed the black streaks in the horizon and concluded that they were volcanic ash.

The colors were so vibrant...beautiful complimentary colors. I thought the reflection on the wing was a tinge of blue, on the turquoise side. 

Then, dinner was served. That interrupted my sky-viewing enjoyment. 

Later, the choice was for me to watch a movie or go to sleep. Well...my age decided for me! 

I soon woke up...It was almost morning time in Europe, breakfast was being served, 

 and the sun was rising!

Ice crystals had formed on the window...

and the black streaks got even more noticeable!

What could that black line of concentric circles be?

As the sky brightened a bit more, I was able to see better. There was a jet plane at the beginning of that black line. I guess it's exhaust from the engines was having a reaction with the volcanic ash to form that dark line...I saw two of these!

Can you see the outline of the plane now?

In a matter of minutes, the sun was up, which was about the time we were descending from 35,000 feet!

Below the clouds, the effects of the volcanic ash in the atmosphere could no longer be seen and the jet plane's exhaust was white.

Right before we touched down, the captain announced that it was 7°F and a bit foggy, but clear enough to see the quilt-like patch on the ground of yellows from the mustard flowers, greens from other vegetables plants, and a community in a developed village in the middle of the open field.

And finally, we arrived at CDG!

In the Garden: Wisteria Vine

In the recent garden parties I had at my home in Southern California, my guests fell in love with my wisteria vine.

I planted this about 8 years ago. It was simply one upright twig with a few nodes coming out, and a small set of leaves at the top end.

In terms of choosing a location for planting my wisteria, I chose one that was about 15 feet away from the house. I learned a lesson from before, as I had one planted right next to my bedroom. It was so beautiful and cascading on to the back porch, but after a couple of years, I saw some hairline cracks beginning on the exterior wall of the house. I had it removed right away.

I trained the twig to climb the wooden trellis and then it spread out and reached the wooden beam on my back porch. As the vine grows, you need a very sturdy support to hold it....thus, I had the wooden beam put up for that purpose. You can say that when I had my back yard porch made, it was designed with the wisteria vine in mind.

Wisteria blooms have somewhat of a sweet fragrance. I have the double-petaled variety, where the flowers have some white and purple parts, and a bit smaller than the single petaled ones. The blooms come out in early to mid spring, or when it starts to get sunny and warmer as it does in So. California. This year, the buds were out by early March...

in full bloom by the 3rd week of March, and lasted until Easter week.

Caring for this vine is fuss free. It likes deep, rich, moist soil, but will also survive in drier conditions. It needs to be pruned in the fall, when it looses it leaves, to keep it's growth under control, and pruning helps the roots from becoming too invasive. It does not do well in cold climates. For more information, check out the various sites about wisteria.

You, too, can have a beautiful wisteria plant in your garden! Now would be a good time to plant one. Go visit your local nursery and choose a Chinese or Japanese variety.

A "You Can Do It" project: Awning for the Backyard

I was killing time...shopping at Big Lots...and got an idea, all of a sudden, as soon as I found some canvass, drop cloth for painting. I figured out a design in my head of how to make an awning in my back yard, to replace garden umbrellas, for I needed something to better protect my guests from the sun, during the gatherings I was planning to have.


Here are the requirements for this project:
Imagination to execute the awning design
4 4'x 15' canvass drop cloths (original size when bought), each re-cut to size 4' x 14', based on the distance between the roof edge and the wooden beam in my porch
A 50 foot nylon twine
4 48" dowels
10 hooks
A sewing machine
Ability to sew in straight lines
Half a day to work on the project

This is the area in my backyard I usually hold my outdoor gatherings in...and this is the area I wanted to make the awning project for - from the edge of the roof to the beam on the brick columns.

First step: fold the finished edge by 1 1/4 inches, line up the twine inside and top stitch to keep the twine in place. This side of the canvass is going to be attached to the edge of my roof. An 18 foot long twine is used for the four, top panels.


A knot is made at the beginning of the first panel and at the end of the fourth and last panel.

Second step: fold the bottom edge of the same canvass piece by 2 inches, line up with the twine and dowel, and top stitch to hold the twine and dowel in place. A 32 foot long twine was used for the bottom parts of the four panels.


A 6 inch loop is made at the beginning of the first panel, and in-between the two middle panels, and at the end of the last panel. Set your panels aside, when done, and prepare to attach the hardware outside, in this case, a total of 10 hooks.

5 hooks are attached on the side of the roof, 4 feet apart. 5 corresponding hooks are also attached to the beam atop the brick columns.

Climbing up a ladder, I hang the top panels (roof side) beginning at the center.

Then, the rest followed on that side.

After, I attached the bottom parts of the panels to the wooden beam...

leaving an opening of about 6 inches, to make room for the wisteria vine which is in full bloom. As you can see, the loops that were made on the bottom parts of the panels were secured to the hooks on the wooden beam.

And here is the finished project.

All set for the outdoor gathering...table is set up with appropriate protection from the sun. After, you can take down the awning panels, fold and store until the next party...or, you can leave them there all spring and summer long.


This was a project under $50.00, very functional, and truly easy to make! You can make something similar to this. Just be sure to think it through. You can do it!

Pilgrimage to Poland: Divine Mercy Devotion

In my pilgrimage to Poland - In The Footsteps of Pope John Paul II - I had the occasion to learn more about the devotion to the Divine Mercy of Jesus. It was through a Polish saint -  Sister Faustina, who was canonized under the papacy of Pope John Paul II - that the world was given the message about Jesus' divine mercy for all of us.

What is Divine Mercy? We are called to acts of mercy through our actions, words, and prayers as we perform the corporal and spiritual Acts of Mercy. This is our response to God's merciful love.

The ACTS of MERCY:

CORPORAL Works: feed the hungry; give drink to the thirsty; clothe the naked; shelter the homeless; comfort the prisoners; visit the sick; bury the dead

SPIRITUAL Works: teach the ignorant; pray for the living & the dead; correct sinners; counsel those in doubt; console the sorrowful; bear wrongs patiently; forgive wrongs willingly

Jesus demands from us our deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of our love for Him. There are the three degrees of Mercy: first, by deed; second, by word; and third, by prayer. "In these three degrees are contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means, a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy." 

From our Pilgrim House in Lagiewniki, I could see 
the Sanctuary of the Divine Mercy.

I spent a few minutes at the Perpetual Adoration Chapel, 
which is open 24/7.

From the outside, I zoomed in my lens to take a picture of the interior of the chapel. Picture-taking was not allowed inside.

The Sanctuary is next to the school (brick red building) 
for rehabilitating women.

This is the panoramic view of the city from the viewing tower.

This outdoor “Way of the Cross, ” which gets populated by pilgrims from all over the world, especially, on Divine Mercy Sunday,...

leads up to this cross on a higher elevation, where Pope John Paul II celebrated the Divine Mercy Mass, in one of his visits to Poland.

The main altar of the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy

On our second day, we heard mass at a chapel under the main altar of the Sanctuary, then, Sr. Gaudia gave us a talk on St. Faustina, who was chosen by our Lord to make known the “Devotion to the Divine Mercy.”

In many of the churches, there is a side chapel in honor of the Divine Mercy.

Sister Faustina, who was Helena Kowalska, was born on August 25, 1905, in the village of Glogowiec, in Lodz, Poland. Because she came from a very poor family, she went to work in at he age of 14, without completing elementary education. By the time she had turned 15, the call to a religious life was so strong that she informed her parents of her desire to enter the convent.

She entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy on August 1, 1925, and went through her postulancy in Warsaw; later, she was sent to the novitiate house in Cracow. At her investiture, she was given the name Sister Mary Faustina. After her second year at the novitiate, she made her first profession of vows on April 30, 1928; next, as a professed sister, she was assigned work in the various houses of the Congregation: in Warsaw, in Vilnius, in Kiekrz near Poznan, in Plock, in Biala near Plock, in Warsaw and in Cracow. And. finally, on May 1, 1933, she took her perpetual vows.

Chapel of St. Faustyna 
(this is how her name is spelled in Polish)

The chapel's main altar

On the left of the altar is the stain glass featuring St. Faustina; on the main altar is a partial view of St. Francis looking up to heaven.

The convent St. Faustina had joined

She was in poor health, and after only a few weeks of convent life her health began to deteriorate. She was afflicted with tuberculosis and suffered violent asthmatic attacks. Her condition worsened, that in 1936, she spent the last years of her life in the hospital; and after having been brought back to the convent in Cracow, she died on October 5, 1938.

The CHAPLET of The Divine Mercy

St. Faustina received a vision of an angel sent by God to punish a certain city, in 1935. She began to pray for mercy but realized that her prayers were powerless. Suddenly, she saw a vision of the Holy Trinity and felt the power of Jesus’ grace within her. She began to plead with God for mercy, with words she heard interiorly:

Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world; for the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us. (Diary, 475)

The Divine Mercy Novene starts on Good and ends on the Saturday prior to the first Sunday after Easter. There is a different intention for each day as given by our Lord to St. Faustina. "I desire that during these nine days you bring souls to the fountain of My mercy, that they may draw therefrom strength and refreshment and whatever grace they have in need of in the hardships of life and, especially, at the hour of death."

The specific, daily intentions are for all of mankind - especially, sinners; the souls of priests and religious; all devout and faithful souls; those who do not believe in God and those who do not yet know Jesus; the souls who have separated themselves from the Church; the meek and humble souls and the souls of little children; the souls who especially venerate and glorify His mercy; the souls detained in purgatory; and souls who have become lukewarm.

Please click on this link for the Divine Mercy Novena.

There are two conditions to receiving the extraordinary graces  for the forgiveness of sins and the remission of punishment  (Diary 699) from celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday, after completing the novena:
1. By making a good confession beforehand and remaining in the state of grace;
2. And, by receiving Holy Communion On Divine Mercy Sunday , or during the vigil celebration.

Talk about a nobody, uneducated, insignificant person by worldly standards, yet Sr. Faustina was chosen by our Lord to bring us His message of Divine Mercy. 

Jesus - King of Mercy, we trust in you.

Pilgrimage to Poland: The Way of the Cross, by a Polish artist

Last April, I joined a pilgrimage to Poland: In the Foot Steps of John Paul II. One of the memorable parts of this visit was going to Czestohowa (pronounced as Chestohova).

We visited the the fortified monastery of the Pauline Fathers which houses the Black Madonna, a sacred icon known also as Jasna Gora or Our Lady of Czestochowa, and is more than 600 years old.

Our local guide quietly took us through the main altar area, along a special path for pilgrims, for a closer look of the sacred icon...

Many miracles are attributed to Jasna Gora's intercession. According to a German pilot's report, during WWII, who was detailed to bomb Czestochowa, a lady on top of the church was catching the bombs that were being dropped to destroy the church. The whole complex was spared from destruction.

We , then, walked out to go to the museums within the complex.

This is what caught my attention: the "Way of the Cross" as portrayed by a Polish artist, with a historical commentary on Poland and world affairs...“ Jesus is Condemned to Death”...“Jesus Takes Up His Cross”...

using Polish-related backgrounds, such as the clergy, the Black Madonna...“Jesus Falls the First Time”...“Jesus is Met by His Blessed Mother”...

the common people... “Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry the Cross” ...“The Face of Jesus is Wiped by Veronica“...

local scenery...“Jesus Falls the Second Time”...“Jesus Consoles the Women of Jerusalem”...

aborted fetuses... as “Jesus falls the Third Time”

local tradition...as "Jesus waits to be crucified"...

and historical facts such as the extermination of the Jews in Auschwitz, under German occupation...“Jesus is nailed to the Cross”...

Here, Pope John Paul II and Our Lady and the rest of the Polish people surround the crucifixion...as “Jesus Dies on the Cross”...

“Jesus is Laid in the Arms of His Blessed Mother”...“Jesus is Laid in the Tomb”...

with the added scenes of the “Resurrection” and “Doubting Thomas”...

the “Multiplication of the Loaves of Bread and Fish”...the “Ascension into Heaven of our Lord.”

From Czestochowa, we proceeded to Auschwitz- Birkenau (formerly known as Oswiecim) to visit and pray for the victims of the now-famous concentration camp.

May you have a blessed, happy Easter celebration!

Hobby: Painting

In my almost empty-nest stage,I am finding more time to travel and do new things. By sheer chance, I started a new hobby almost two years ago: painting.

I arrived back home from the Philippines and found a complete, huge supply of painting materials. After some inquiries,I found out that my husband had bought them as he wanted to take up painting. Since he was traveling, I asked if I could use them. I was challenged by his reply. He said that if I knew how to paint, to go ahead, but otherwise not to waste the materials.

I had not taken any formal painting lessons. All I had was my art activities in grade school. I wanted to prove to him that I could paint. I took the canvass, the paint bottles, and had an idea in my head.


"Flowers for Mom"

After spending a month with my mom who was suffering from the terminal stage of uterine cancer, I felt really sad. The reality of her end was getting near.

I painted the canvass background black, and my daughter asked "why are you using black?" My answer was, so that the subject matter would come out...for good contrasts...for dramatic effect... and I began to paint.

In psychotherapy, art is used to expressed one's feelings. Interestingly, enough, what started to take shape in my canvass was totally different from what I had envisioned. After painting for twelve hours straight, my daughter arrived home and saw my finished artwork. She exclaimed " Wow! How did you do that?"

Immediately, my youngest daughter took a picture of it and emailed it to the rest of our family. They were all surprised that I could paint. So was I!!!

I entitled it "Flowers for Mom." After two days, I emailed it to the members of my family of origin, with a caption for my mother as it was mother's day. On May 11, 2008, my youngest sister printed it and showed it to my mother. As she read the message "Happy Mother’s Day, Mommy. I thank God for giving you to us as our mother, for you gave us the gift of motherhood. I will miss you terribly. I love you very much. Yogi." My mom, then, nodded her head and smiled.


" Roses in My Garden"

My husband and my children asked if I could paint one with a white background...and I came up with this triptych. Again, I noticed that what comes out on the canvass is different from what I was planning to do. I planned to paint some roses as I remembered my rose patch in my garden in California. And I was amazed at what I turned out using the brush, a sponge roller, and other unusual things as painting tools.

My family liked it. I, then, realized that I had a new hobby...and I was excited to continue painting.


"Vicky's Farm"

Within the same month, I started on my third painting, a pentatych.

I had always loved gardening, which is something I picked up from my mom. I used to win "Garden of the Month" awards in our neighborhood. I missed gardening so much when we relocated to France, so I looked for other means to still be connected with plants.

When my flower ministry came up, to arrange flowers for the church altar, I was delighted and considered it a blessing. Because of my love for plants and flowers, I find it logical that these would be my themes in my paintings.

Three years ago, I had the chance to visit the farm of one of my high school classmates in Tagaytay, Cavite, Philippines. I was so impressed by the variety of rare tubers, bamboos, and other plants that were planted in her farm. All of a sudden, various images of the farm came to my mind...and they became the inspiration for my third work.


"Pink Lilies"

The stargazer lily is one of my favorite flowers to arrange. It looks good, it last long, and it is fragrant. Based on an arrangement I did in church, I ended up with a more realistic style in this painting. Something different, I thought.


"The Winters, Springs, and Summers of Life"

One of the things I like do here in Paris is to go to museum exhibitions. After attending a guided tour of a Jackson Pollock exhibition, I thought I would try painting something in the Pollock style. I poured the paint in some controlled fashion and pattern. I found this to be so much fun!

I still have two unfinished paintings and I just need to stay put to find time to finish them. Painting has been a way of expressing my emotions, whether I am aware of it or not. As I look at my work, some feelings are stirred up and I begin to relate them to what is going on in my life.

Do something fun for yourself. Try something new...something different.

My teacher in grad school said that all great painters are bi-polar but not all bi-polars are painters. I am not bi-polar and I am just a hobby painter with my own style. I think I want to start taking painting lessons, soon, so I can paint in other styles and even try portraiture.