This is a new site highlighting my autobiography with my name David B Katague spelled backwards. The photo above is Chateau Du Mer Beach House in Boac, Marinduque, Philippines. Photo taken in the Spring of 2012.
David B. Katague is an online memoirist and cultural essayist whose writing has appeared on HubPages
Last
week I had 5 of my maple trees trimmed/topped. It was 5 years ago that
they were trimmed/topped. The branches were getting too long it was
reaching the neighbors roof/driveway as well as my own roof. I was
afraid when the winter winds arrived the branches may fall and damage
the roof of my neighbor, so I decided to have Anderson Tree Company
trimmed the trees before the windy winter season. It was pricey and
added expense to my budget ( $1,900) but give me peace of mind. The
following photos showed after the trees were trimmed and topped.
The
two maple trees trimmed and topped removing dangers of branches falling
on neighbors roof and driveway on the West Side of the House
The tree maple trees trimmed and topped so branches no longer endanger neighbor's roof and yard on the east side of the house
This is an article I wrote five years ago about the Anderson Tree Company and its owner Scott Anderson and his Pinay wife.
This
is Part 4 of a Series of 14 on Macrine J. Katague, Celebration of Life
through her favorite music pieces. Every time I hear Rubenstein
Romance, my heart melts and eyes teary seeing Macrine's face filled with
smile and hear her voice filled with happiness. Pleasant memories,
indeed!
Here's Anton Rubenstein and Beethoven Romance-Two of Macrine's Favorites-
If you were but a Dream and Beethoven's Romance
"If You Are But a Dream" is a popular song published in 1942 with words and music by Moe Jaffe, Jack Fulton and Nat Bonx. The melody is based on Anton Rubinstein's "Romance in E flat, Op. 44, No. 1," popularly known as "Rubinstein's Romance".
The song is most closely associated with Frank Sinatra, who recorded it first for Columbia Records on November 14, 1944, with an arrangement by Axel Stordahl. This recording was on the reverse side of a 78 rpm record with "White Christmas",
and consequently did very well with "White Christmas" reaching the No. 7
spot in the Billboard charts. "If You Are But a Dream" itself briefly
reached the Billboard charts in the No. 19 position. A year later, in 1945, "If You Are But a Dream" was included in the Academy Award-winning short film, The House I Live In, in which Sinatra was featured.
If you are but a dream I hope I never waken It's more than I could bear To find that I'm forsaken
If you're a fantasy Then I'm content to be In love with lovely you And pray my dream comes true
I long to kiss you But I would not dare I'm so afraid that You may vanish in the air
So darling If our romance would break up I hope I never wake up If you are but a dream
I long to kiss you But I would not dare I'm so afraid that You may vanish in the air
So darling If our romance would break up I hope I never wake up If you are but a dream
Meanwhile, while searching for the best arrangement of Romance in You Tube, I found this piece so enjoyable, (Chopin-Fantasie Impromptu) another favorite piano piece of Macrine. It is popularly known as I am always Chasing Rainbows. I like to share it with you.
Macrine
in her younger day used to sing during the wedding mass( get paid for
it) both here in US and in the Philippines. Her favorite piece was Schubert Ave Maria
Meanwhile, enjoy some romantic melodies for relaxation:
Rachmaninoff Rhapsody-Theme of Paganini, Variation 18 (Somewhere in Time)
Jacaranda Trees in Bloom with their purple fragrant Flowers in South Africa
Macrine loved the color purple and its various shades* as well as her younger sister-Fe (Pepot) Jambalos. The color Purple combines the calm stability of blue and the fierce energy of red. The color purple is often associated with royalty, nobility, luxury, power, and ambition. Purple also represents meanings of wealth, extravagance, creativity, wisdom, dignity, grandeur, devotion, peace, pride, mystery, independence, and magic.
Light purple or lavender is a feminine, graceful, elegant color that has long been associated with refined, wealthy women. While the color purple represents royalty, lavender represents beauty and femininity. Lavender is considered to be the “grown-up” pink.
Macrine and I in Our Lavender Outfits*,2003
I
was looking at my photo albums the other day. A photograph of Macrine's
Induction as President of Marinduque International, Inc, in 2003 with
her light Purple(lavender) evening dress attracted my attention, and
why?
Because
it reminded me of the recent photos of Carenna wearing the same outfit
after an expensive re-tailoring to fit her. The photos brought pleasant
memories of our 63 years of married life,
Here's Carenna with the light purple dress after it was remodeled and resized:
Carenna look stunning in her Lola's Outfit after it was tailored to her Size
And
here's Carenna at United World College, Netherlands, International Day
Celebration with a Classmate from Turkey modeling her light purple dress
( lavender).
Carenna during UWC International Day Program, September 25, 2020
Ditas and Nick's Wedding-Entourage Secondary Colors are Purple and Blue,2002
This
is another light purple flowered party dress that Macrine loved. This
photo was taken at the Chateau Du Mer Conference Hall, Boac, Marinduque,
2010
Meanwhile enjoy Joshua Bell's violin -Ladies in Lavender
and a painting of a Purple Sky and Lake
From Pinterest
*Here are the Shades of the color Purple:
also enjoy the purple blooms of Jacaranda trees as follows:
Enjoy the Purple Blooms of Jacaranda trees in South Africa
Each
year, from late September to November, Jacaranda trees go into bloom in
South Africa. These beautiful trees are especially abundant in Pretoria
and Johannesburg, draping the cities in a magnificent display of color
purple.
The
word ‘Jacaranda’ is believed to mean ‘fragrant’ in a native South
American dialect, and the trees are known for their purple blossoms.
Some species boast beautiful white petals, although they’re much rarer
in South Africa.
One of My Orchids in the Gardens of Chateau Du Mer, Boac, Marinduque
Two
weeks ago, a FB friend tagged me with several photos of autumn leaves
from Butchart Gardens, Victoria, BC, Canada. If you are reading my
blogs, I just posted recently that Butchart Gardens is one of the three
most beautiful gardens that Macrine(RIP) and I had visited a few years
ago.
Macrine (RIP) and I visited Butchart Gardens in 2005
Autumn leaf color is a phenomenon that affects the normal green leaves of many deciduoustrees and shrubs
by which they take on, during a few weeks in the autumn season, various
shades of yellow, orange, red, purple, and brown. The phenomenon is
commonly called autumn colours or autumn foliage in British English and fall colors, fall foliage, or simply foliage in American English.
In some areas of Canada and the United States, "leaf peeping" tourism
is a major contribution to economic activity. This tourist activity
occurs between the beginning of color changes and the onset of leaf fall, usually around September and October in the Northern Hemisphere and April to May in the Southern Hemisphere.( From Wikipedia). Here are some of the photos from Butchart Gardens
Memorable Photos of the Autumn Colors in the Butchart Gardens
Meanwhile enjoy Autumn Leaves vocal by Andrea Bocelli
and
Violin Interpretation of Autumn Leaves by Andre Rieu
Do You have a Air Fryer? How often do you use It? I have a small fryer( cheap) and I finally used it today.
My Small Air Fryer- Air fryers prices ranged from $59 to $599 depending on size and make and model(Manual or Digital )
The air fryer is essentially an amped-up countertop convection oven. Its
compact space facilitates even faster cooking. The top of the unit
holds a heating mechanism and a fan. Hot air rushes down and around food
placed in a fryer-style basket. This rapid circulation makes the food
crisp, much like deep frying. (Here’s the difference between air frying and baking.)
I
cooked my first lamb chops ( Australian) and French fries from the
frozen package for only 12 minutes today. Both turned out perfect!
The Basics and Tips of Air Frying
*Air Frying Steak-see link below
Fifteen Easy Recipes for Air Frying-see link below for air frying steaks
This is Part 3 of the series, Celebration of Life of Macrine J.
Katague, through her love of music. In her younger days, Macrine loves
to sing and play the piano as well as participate in Choral Concerts
(with me)-The University of the Philippines Student Catholic Action
Choir-Diliman. Q.C. 1952-1953. In this episode, I am featuring one of
her favorite piece, Schubert Serenade (violin).
"Ständchen" (known in English by its first line "Hark, hark, the lark" or "Serenade"), D 889, is a lied for solo voice and piano by Franz Schubert, composed in July 1826 in the then village of Währing. It is a setting of the "Song" in act 2, scene 3 of Shakespeare's Cymbeline. The song was first published by Anton Diabelli in 1830, two year's after the composer's death. The song in its original form is relatively short, and two further verses by Friedrich Reil were added to Diabelli's second edition of 1832. Here's the lyrics in English and German:
My songs plead softly
Leise flehen meine Lieder
Through the night to you;
Durch die Nacht zu dir;
Down into the silent grove
In den stillen Hain hernieder
Darling, come to me! Liebchen, komm zu mir!
Slender treetops rustle in a whisper
Flüsternd schlanke Wipfel rauschen
In the moon's light;
In des Mondes Licht;
Hostile eavesdropping on the traitor
Des Verräters feindlich Lauschen
Fear not, dear. Fürchte, Holde, nicht.
Can you hear the nightingales beating?
Hörst die Nachtigallen schlagen?
Oh! Ach!
they beg you
sie flehen dich,
With the sounds of sweet laments
Mit der Töne süßen Klagen
Plead for me Flehen sie für mich.
They understand the tendons of the bosom
Sie verstehn des Busens Sehnen
Know the pain of love
Kennen Liebesschmerz,
Stir with the sieve tones
Rühren mit den Siebeltönen
Every soft heart. Jedes weiche Herz.
Let your chest move too
Laß auch dir die Brust bewegen,
Dear hear me!
Liebchen höre mich!
I wait for you trembling
Bebend harr' ich dir entgegen
This
is Part 2 of a Series of 14 on Celebration of Life of Macrine J.
Katague via her favorite music. It seems that a few of my readers are
enjoying also Macrine's favorite music!
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto #2, Movement #3, popularly known as Full Moon and Empty Arms. The Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18, is a concerto for piano and
orchestra composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff between the autumn of 1900
and April 1901 The second and third movements were first performed with
the composer as soloist on 2 December 1900. The complete work was
premiered, again with the composer as soloist, on 27 October 1901, with
his cousin Alexander Siloti conducting.
This piece is one of
Rachmaninoff's most popular pieces, and established his fame
as a concerto composer.
The second movement (adagio sostenuto theme) appears in Eric Carmen's
1975 ballad "All by Myself". The 3rd movement (allegro scherzando)
which is featured in this video provides the basis for Frank Sinatra's
1945 "Full Moon and Empty Arms".
The soundtrack of the 1945 classic movie "Brief Encounter", which
centers on the lives of two happily married man and woman who fall in
love with each other after a chance encounter at a train station,
features a musical score based on this Piano Concerto. Here's the lyrics:
Full moon and empty arms The moon is there for us to share But where are you?
A night like this Could weave a memory And every kiss Could start a dream for two
Full moon and empty arms Tonight I'll use the magic moon to wish upon And next full moon If my one wish comes true My empty arms will be filled with you
Full moon and empty arms Tonight I'll use the magic moon to wish upon And next full moon If my one wish comes true My empty arms will be filled with you
Meanwhile while I was searching for best arrangement of the above piece, I found DJ Lava Best Music Relax as follows:
Another Orchestral and Piano Music that Macrine like is Somewhere in Time
With its emotional themes, aching nostalgia, and sensual scoring, John Barry's
score for the 1979 time-travel love story Somewhere in Time embodies
the movie's longing and romanticism in music that is both memorable and
well matched to the screen. Although not nominated for Best Score when
it was released, the music for Somewhere in Time has the same kind of
unforgettable qualities as his better known scores for Born Free and The
Lion in Winter.
