Empty before full

Rolly and I are empty nesters for the weekend. The children (Kimi and Ida) and The Wee One are with our great horde of relatives in the big city. So it has been extraordinarily quiet in our part of Baguio to the point that I can even hear my breathing, the hum of the computer, every bird call, etc. Because I'm recuperating from surgery, I have been homebound for exactly a week, just venturing out to the garden for morning sunshine after which I return to computer work.

Meanwhile, Rolly can't help but be himself--even constantly "editing" his garden. He just read somewhere that a gardener is also an editor so this morning I saw him holding dead or dying leaves that he had snipped off here and there. If our house is always in order and the vases are replenished with fresh flowers (the upside of living in Baguio), don't compliment me. It is all his doing.

But I do miss the younger mother and child who make their home here. Every time I see their bikes, I feel a slight squeeze in my heart. But I know they are enjoying their reunion with my younger daughter Ida, back for a short visit from her overseas job, and soon they will return. In a matter of days, the house will ring with happy noises again.

Photos by Babeth Lolarga