Oct. 25, 2020 is the official start of Christmas for the Alejandro Ramo – Primitiva Villamor Clan, Inc. This year, the day coincided with the 68th birthday of our cousin Daria Realista and would have been an advance birthday treat to our Bff Ms. Ardy Araneta Batoy who is celebrating her birthday also in the month of October. We are missing you Bff. Many happy returns of the day, and wishing you to be always in the pink of health. I also wish you a very prosperous new year for all of your undertakings. Our Bff Ardy, a regular speaker of the Alejandro Ramo-Primitiva Villamor Clan, Inc., had another commitment that Sunday, October 25, and could not make it to facilitate our event. We truly miss her. You must know that there’s never a dull moment with her.
With Covid still in our midst we have to plan the kind of celebration we have especially with our yearly tradition of celebrating the lives of our forbears who have gone ahead of us. We do this every Saturday nearest to Nov.11. It’s the date of the death of our Oyang Tiva – Primitiva Villamor Ramo.
We are putting a new stairway to our Karaang Balay for the comfort and ease of our senior members of the clan who can no longer go up the main stairway as it is very steep. There is that fear nga mangatagak unya mi simbako. Pero kaniadtong mga batan-on pa mi ug lig-on pa ang among mga tuhod, mahimo nang hagdana nga among daganon – saka kanaog. Magpada-os-os pa man gani mi sa pasilyo. Kana ug wala diha si Oyang Tiva kay dili gyud to siya gusto ug mga babayeng langas. Besides, that set of steps is the very place where our Oyong Ando had his stroke and fell until the foot of the stairs . He remained paralyzed until his death 7 years after.
We also have built the pantaw. So we do not anymore maintain the old pantaw that goes out and extends to the pagatpatan. The new pantaw that we have is facing the sea – a location where you can relax without the noise from zooming motor vehicles. The sala now is seldom used. Mahadlok na pud mi magpirmihan sa sala kay makuhit na hapit namo ang mga dagkong truck ug mga sakyanan nga mulabay sa kalsada. Mahadlok mi ug tungod sa ilang kakusog inig padagan, simbakohay mapalid ang among mga huyang nga panglawas.
This scary feeling of ours started after the road widening. The walking lane is almost eaten up by the highway. This is also one of our main reasons for transferring our main entrada sa Karaan nga Balay.
The pantaw in the old days was a bodega of some sort. Adto namo itambak ang ubi sa panahon sa tingpanglin.Ang binulig nga saging adto pud namo ibitay. Adto pud mi maglusok sa mga lugas sa mais. Ug kung dunay kalihukan sama sa gitawag nila ug party, adto pud magtapok ang mga bata. Children before were not allowed to join the adults in the dining table.
This November, and this Christmas, we would have wanted to relive the Christmas of yore. We want to experience that Christmas feeling when our forefathers were still alive.Magsanasana pa ko sa akong balay. Just imagine that for two Christmases I would not be able to go to the mall to savour the Christmas Shoppe. Lisud pa i lakawlakaw labi na nga naay Covid. I’m just recycling the Christmas decors which I have collected thru the years. I have my cypress tree for my greens and the teardrops from the old house. Pastilan gilimpiohan man ug maayo ang balay ni Michael and Jun black. So I have to gather from Ino Manalo’s place, with Jo supplying some from her vines.
The leaves from the cypress tree and the teardrops don’t dry up that easily. Just a little misting and they will survive in time for the Holy Week. As I’ve told you, we want a longer Christmas.
So I am now ready to spend Christmas at home this early and let the season stay longer than ever. Let’s all enjoy our staying at home, as we keep ourselves safe, healthy and happy.
