15 hours away from the monastery: a breather!

Monastic life is not at all that boring afterall for yesterday was a day to reckon with, because it was the day when i had to go to town to attend to lots of things.... attend to my dental appointment with Dr Roxanne Collins at El Rito Medical Dental Clinic; do errands for the community brothers,shopping for my medical and dental supplies good for three months, and leisure time with two of my monk-brothers: Dom Anton and Dom Marcus.



Our first station was at El Rito district and we arrived at 9:30Am. So, my itinerary began with my very charming dentist Dr Roxxi, an American Irish dentist ( she wants me to call her by that nickname - and she is still single) who does dental prophylaxis and dental check-up every three months.



the next station we went to was our community's Monk's Corner gifshoppe in Sta Fe. It is an-hour drive from El Rito. We got in the store exactly 12:20Pm from El Rito. Dom Anton had to pick up his incense materials and i had to do errands for our giftshop at the monastery.



Since it was lunchtime already, we decided to take our lunch in Panty Restaurant located at Cerillos Road just nearby the Monk's Corner giftshoppe. We enjoyed our beef steak (nyahahahahahahaahahah-- i get to eat red meat once in every three months- that is, once I go to town for my next regular dental check-up, LOL).



After that sumptuos dinner at Pantry's, we dropped by Whole Foods Market for some personal stuffs we had to pick up. I got my Natural-based Vitamins and organic medicines for my slight pains brought about by tendenitis, (but i am not worried about it since it's just so mild i can still move my elbows comfortably). Anton and Marcus got their vitamins, too.



At this particular time, i really and practically lost track of my timepiece for i became so engrossed with my favorite next stop: Best Buy -where i got my new toy: a brand-new Sony Cybershot DSC W-55!



After Best Buy, we headed back to Espanyola City, a forty-five minute drive from Sta Fe and we went to Wal-Mart for the community brother's errands.Dom Marcus and me while doin our back-to-back shopping for the community brothers.



Dom Anton was telling Carlo to make a good one shot; oh by the way, Carlo is Bro Thomas Aquinas, ObSB (Oblate of St Benedict) our very own Filipino oblate who lives nearby Wal-Mart. When he learned that we were in town, ( Marcus called him while we were heading back to Espanyola) he immediately headed to Wal-Mart to meet and join us in our shopping.



the two monks took charge of the goods we bought at the payment counter, while Carlo intently observed them.



The time was 7:00Pm when we finally finished with our Wal-mart thing and loaded the stuff we bought in the car. Since our arrival to the monastery would be around 8:00PM, and by then, there would be no more food left for us, we agreed to take our supper at Carlo's place since it's just a few meters away from Wal-mart. Me and Marcus had to go back to Wal-mart to buy chicken and sodas for our supper. WE proceeded afterwards to carlo's house.



Shortly after supper, the three decided to make a last hurrah before going back to the monastery, and that is: a sing-along at carlo's videoke set! I did not sing! I went to the CR instead, while the three did their best performance of the night nyahahahaha!





The day ended when we left Carlo's place at 8:20Pm, headed to the canyons and arrived back to the Monastery at 9:30Pm. It was such a very short day! ...and it was indeed the best one for me because the best thing that happened to me on this day was my:

climbing up the coconut tree, enjoying its fresh buko

there was one moment when i felt like just staying in my room the whole day at my sister's nipa hut due to the scorching heat of the sun outside, but my newfound buddies came over and offered me some relief from the day's heat and that was: they would climb a coconut tree in front of my sister's house and pick fresh buko fruit for me...



the offer was very sincere, and it was for free!... and even if i felt like i may be responsible if something may happen to them, or they may fall while climbing up the coconut tree, i gratefully accepted their offer. that was how desperate i was to get quenched and be relieved from the excruciating heat of the day's weather.



Allan was the one who climbed up. nothing happened to him. He did not fall and

from the images of him up the coconut tree, I must say, he's an expert coconut tree climber!













Roni was the one who gathered and collected the picked buko fruits.







the rest of the day indeed gave me a refreshing relief for i had them ( the fresh buko fruits and buko juice ) for my lunch and supper!...

how do you beat the summer's heat?

in the monastery, there are only but very few ways in which a monk can escape himself from the excruciating heat of a very dry summer...

one: taking a bath three times a day (that is, morning after breakfast, afternoon after the main meal and evening after the last Prayers.)

two: taking a dip in the river (that is, after the mid afternoon prayers)

three: taking himself a fan (cardboard, or any hard piece of plastic) wherever he goes (even inside the church during prayers)and fan himself over and over again for the whole duration of prayers...

four: cool down himself by taking off his habit and leave only his walking shorts (or underwear) every chance and free moment of the day he can get inside his cell...

from among these ways, i choose to take the last one, since i don't want to swim in the river with all the fish (catfish and carps) and all other water creatures distracting my feet and way to the waters...

i choose the last one because taking a bath three times a day strip the very limited moisture in my body and using the shower calls for a battle and argument with my mexican neighbor who shares my bathroom...

i choose the last one because our superiors give a tiger look and unpleasent glances to anyone using a fan inside the church or in any part of the cloister....

i choose the last one because taking my habit inside my cell is the only way and remedy to ease and cool me down privately without prying pairs of eyes around me....
what about you? how do you escape yourself from the summer's heat?

when i get lucky,i get permission to attend a social gathering with a Pinoy community

as contemplative monk, i am normally stuck up inside the monastery for good. that means, no goings out---no parties, no stroll at the city, no gallivanting and whatnot except for doctor's appointments and special errands.

But there are times when a special permission is granted to me for a day-out..and that is so very rare to happen...so, when such rare moment comes along, i glady grab it at once.

i remember one event when i was allowed to leave the monastery for a day-out to attend a special gathering of Filipinos in Espanola, a city that's forty-five minute drive from the monastery.

It was in March 17th of the year and the day was hot, yet it did not stop me from going to the gathering...(it's a rare chance really, since the filipino community in Espanola does not oftenly convene for social gatherings like such because everybody is working 10 to 12 hours a day in six days, you know, to earn a good living for their families in the Philippines)...the occasion was a welcome party for two filipinas who just took an oath as US citizens and the event coincided with a potluck party for the Pinoys who have not been introduced yet to the whole pinoy community in Espanola city like me.

the gathering was a very fruitful one. i was able to get to know new pinoys in the neighborhood and made friends with them, too. i enjoyed so much the pinoy foods and delicacies brought by every one who attended the party...

before the end of the day , before sunset, i needed to go back to the monastery and catch up with the last prayers of the day at 7:30Pm which was COMPLINE. ....so, carlo drove me back home.
the day ended with me gaining new insights with new pinoy friends.....
click image to enlarge, etc etc...

a dozen of reasons why i enjoy and love summertime at the canyons

in the monastery, the best season of the year that monks await with eagerness is Summer!...and since it is just few days away from now, everybody is getting excited as they do their plan of things to be done in the whole of Summertime...

i can already figure out that some of us will hike up the rock mountains with the nuns of our neighboring monastery for women( but of course, with prior permission from both the Superiors of the two houses )...

some will surely spend their weekends rowing and rafting the Chama river ( because during summertime, water in the river is at its highest level because the Colorado Dam usually releases its water at this season of the year for that purpose )...

some of us may content themselves in taking a walk with the pets of the monastery, Greta-our brown pet dog , and Cirilo- our black pet cat...

and some may just content themselves of staying indoors for their listening pleasure...listening to the chirping of the birds and buzzing of the bees inside the cloister garden....

as for me, i have 12 reasons why i should really be that excited in waiting for the approaching change of season because

in summer, i can go out without my layered clothes to protect myself from the freezing cold, and i can play with Cirilo outside with gusto.


in summer, i can watch and feed the school of goldfish in our cloister fountain pond without any hardship.


in summer, i can pick flowers from a variety of wild flowers that grow in our Cloister garden and in the surroundings for my offering to the statue of the Blessed Mother in my cell and in our Church.




in summer, i can find time to enjoy watering our graden plants in flower pots surrounding the cloister.




in summer, i can move around our garden trees that start to bear flowers and emit its sweet scent.


in summer, i can go to the giant tree during Sunday-freetime and hide myself from under its thick bushy branches.


in summer, i can catch the dragonflies and collect them in my glass cage, and listen to them at night making their strange sound.


in summer, i can watch the bugs and crickets and other insects that start to spread their tribe in the surroundings and pathwalk going to the guesthouse of the monastery.


in summer, i can visit with our guests who take their time enjoying the summerbreeze in the shade of trees that abound in the surroundings of the monastery. visiting with them does not need any permisssion for these places (such under the trees outside the parameter of the guesthouse and ranchouse) are neutral grounds and ideal for an enjoyable religious and or theological intercourse with guests.


in summer, i don't have to climb up the glasswalls of the Church to clean its mess as a result of snowstorms.


in summer, i can chase and catch lizards and tiny alligators-look-alike creatures and take and play with them inside the paved cloister .


and in summer, i don't have to do cleaning up of the statue of St Francis erected at our portal garden.