domingo, abril 15

Belgium block and waffles and pea gravel

here is a job we finished a little while ago that i was really pretty happy with how it turned out;
the client is an architect so i was a little more on edge b/c he had a good eye for design and
proportion and things like that, which actually ended up being quite enjoyable b/c we did
a lot of upgrades and they were all enhancements and positive tweaks to the design. incorporating the boulders into the belguim block for example. so here are the before and after
pics. espero q las disfrutes!









martes, abril 10

Echate un vistazo a mi mundito.







here are some pics from a job we finished a while back; it was an unusable space; so we did a handful of these boulder stepping stones and a shade garden planting vinette to acompany the fountain and wahla!! ambiance. especially at night with the sound of water running and the nightlighting uplights; se quedo pero perron!!

miércoles, marzo 28

GhettoFabulous

you know you're ghetto when:

1. your dryer breaks so you hang a clothesline on the back porch instead of taking your wet clothes to the laundry mat 30' from your house.
2. you can't find dry clean socks for work so you go out to your car barefoot and take the clean, wet socks with you; put the socks on the dash......and drive to work with the heated defrost on.
3. your newest favorite meal is sauted black beans, onions y chopped up hotdog omellete.
4. you give your dog peanut butter & jelly sandwiches when her food runs out in order to put off
going to the store one more day.



these have no relevance whatsoever to my personal life.

!Hay q chambiar!

This is a recent job that we just finished; it was my first BIG design that involved taking
everything from cradle to completion; we were going for italian renaissance style. the house is only like a year old and so we matched the brick of the house to make everything look cohesive. we contracted out the brick arches and seating walls to some brick masons; then we did all the flat work, planting and grading. (plant highlights? italian cypress by driveway, 2 apricot trees micmicing curve of walkway and a winged elm tree down the slope as as a framed focal point from patio area. these are some photos along the way;) i still don't have final pics, but the last ones are when it is 95 percent done minus a handful details. chau!











martes, marzo 27

Que trancazo!

Para empezar la primavera con un trancazo habia una pachanga el fin de semana pasada. unos arbolistas trayeron su grua no mas para hacer puro show y llegaron tanta gente q era como salchica en lata como dicen los boriquas. en la tardecita, mi patron subio en la grua que y me dijo 'andale, subete man! y yo como q 'no aqui estoy bien gracias! aqui viendote subir con las patas plantada en el suelo! mejor te saludo desde aqui!' pues, le ofreci mi camara en mi lugar para q se calmara y saco unas fotos bien fregonas de la nurseria en este recorrido aereo. en caso de que nunca hayas ido (es donde trabajo yo) hay q echar un vistazo un dia de estos pronto para q conozcas todo alli!














lunes, marzo 19

!Ay caray!!Que fin de semana!

The weekend
was quite a whirlwind; here we have my good friends philip and kate's new baby girl marielle katherine sasser; a fine name that any southern belle should be pleased to have; i might add. sunday was full of adventures; henry, meg and jackson rode in the back of my car on the way to mom and dad's for jen's birthday lunch (happy birthday jen!!) and they sang hymns to me such as 'jesus friend of sinners' 'go tell it on the mountain' and 'amazing grace;' i acompanied their singing with my tamborine of course. megret being the most enthusiastic camera fanatic was the only one willing to stay around for the picture. then, i had to get a couple pics of my stone wall; sometimes i just stand and look at it. ....it will only get worst when i actually finish it. my roomate adam was there, along with carl, keith and jon all in (army); amy kay, julie coda, jon and very pregnant tarah and all the chitlins. then later on, bleysi y juan carlos came over to my house for supper and we go fish and talked and laughed.......and ate cupcakes and drank lates; it was great fun. they just started working at the garden supply and they're from el salvador y son bien divertidos! nos pasamos bien chevre!








martes, marzo 6

Email forwards....a necessary evil?

so i found this forward the other day that someone had sent me; (i consider them an acquaintance not a friend.....after all friends don't send friends lame emails) and yet i kinda liked it b/c of the stark and yet grotesque nature of it; and it lacked the 'if you have a special friend, forward this to them and don't break the love chain' sentiment to it. (it's translated below)

cheesy?

Cicatrices del alma 
 En un día caluroso de verano en el sur de Florida, un niño
decidió ir a nadar en la laguna detrás de su casa. Salió
corriendo por la puerta trasera se tiró en el agua y nadaba
feliz. Su mamá desde la casa lo miraba por la ventana, y vio
con horror lo que sucedía. Enseguida corrió hacia su hijo
gritándole lo más fuerte que podía.
 Oyéndole el niño se alarmó y miró nadando hacia su mamá. 
Pero fue demasiado tarde. Desde el muelle la mamá agarró
al niño por sus brazos. Justo cuando el caimán le agarraba
sus piernitas. La mujer jalaba determinada, con toda la
fuerza de su corazón. El cocodrilo era más fuerte, pero
la mamá era mucho más apasionada y su amor no la
abandonaba.  Un señor que escuchó los gritos se
apresuró hacia el lugar con una
pistola y mató al cocodrilo. El niño sobrevivió y,
aunque sus piernas sufrieron bastante, aún pudo
llegar a caminar. Cuando salió del trauma, un
periodista le preguntó al niño si le quería enseñar
las cicatrices de sus piernas. El niño levanta la colcha
y se las mostró.
Pero entonces, con gran orgullo se remango las
mangas y dijo: "Pero las que usted debe de ver
son estas". Eran las marcas de las uñas de su mamá
que habían presionado con fuerza.
"Las tengo porque mamá no me soltó y me salvó
la vida".
Moraleja: Nosotros también tenemos cicatrices de
un pasado doloroso.
Algunas son causadas por nuestros pecados, pero
algunas son la huella de Dios que nos ha sostenido
con fuerza para que no caigamos en las garras del
mal.
Dios te bendiga siempre, y recuerda que si te ha dolido
alguna vez
el alma, es porque Dios, te ha agarrado demasiado fuerte
para que no caigas.

Scars of the soul

 One hot day in south florida, a young boy decided to go
swimming
in the lake behind his house.
He went running for the back door and dove into the water
andswam about happily. His mom from the
house watched him through the window and saw with horror
whathappened. She immediately ran
toward her son yelling as loud as she could.
Hearing her, the boy became alarmed and began swimming
towards his mom. But it was too late. From
the dock, the mother grabbed the boy by his arms and just
when
the alligator latched on to his legs. The
woman pulled determinedly, with all the strength of her
heart.
The crocodile was stronger, but the mother
was more passionate and her love would not abandon him.
 A man that heard the cries for help hurried over with a
pistol
and killed the crocodile. The child survived
and despite suffering damage to his legs, he could still
manage
to walk. After all the trauma ended, a reporter
asked the boy if he wanted to show him the scars on his
legs.
The boy lifted up his quilt and showed them to
him. But then with great pride he rolled up his sleeves
and said:
“But the ones that you have to see are these.”
They were the marks that the fingernails of his mother had
left
from grabbing him with such pressure. “I
have them b/c my mom didn’t let me go and she saved my life.”
 Moral: We all have scars of a painful past.  Some are caused
by sins, but others are the footprint of God that
he has sustained us with strength so that we don’t fall into
the claws of evil. God bless you and remember
that if your soul has been wounded before it’s b/c God has
grabbed hold of you so strongly so that you will
not fall.
 
 

Intro : Caballero de verdad?

this is my introduction to my new novel; a fairly simple western.....lleno de pistoleros y tiroteos compa!!


El Dañado

con corazón palpitante de pasión y zozobra

se quedaba ella cada vez que le pasaba

montando su caballo negro y armado hasta los dientes

el chivo le decían

valiente lleno de caballerosidad o bandido osado?

aunque él la vio echándole el ojo

por el rabo del ojo

se quedó con su risa tan ligera y aun siniestra y espantosa

sin poder sacar el recuerdo calado y desdeñado

en su pobre corazón por lo que había pasado

en aquella desdichada tierra tan fecunda

en engaño y sueños desrealizados

un recuerdo tan inolvidable que ni la embriaguez

ni las mujeres piratonas podían sacar el rencor

tan profundo que le penetraba hasta el fondo del alma

viernes, marzo 2

Una rege~nada a mi gente.

So to all those who read this sad state of affairs affectionately dubbed my blog, you really should
comment; even if it is: 'write more in english you loony,' or 'no entiendo nada de lo que dices mateo;' or ' your poetry is a sorry for even a middle schooler' or 'tus poemas me aburren tanto que ni valen la pena leerselas;'.....i can take it, believe me;

mcn.

Hace mucho.

despues un descanso regresa la poesia mas espantosa y aun sincera;

Señor

me quebrantas

me renuevas

me despedazas

me restauras

me amarras con ligas de cariño y acero

me acerques y me traes a tus brazos

me obligues aferrarme a ti y no alejar


aquí estoy postrado y humillado

reconozco tu señorío de mi vida

y me entrego a tus manos

quebrántame como te plazcas

y lo abarco aunque me duela


Seguiendo mis pasos? mi carnalillo esta echandole ganas con el espanol y creo q ya me esta ganando; pero asi es, el estudiante tiene q sobrepasar al maestro.

Todavía

Cuando quiero estudiar, todavía pienso en ti y tus apodos

Cuando estoy en clase todavía dominas mis pensamientos

En la pizarra no hay palabras, solo tu cara preciosa

Todavía cuando correo, me haces volar.

Camino yo en el campo, y tu voz todavía me derrumba

Una vez alguien me dijo que la agua de jamaica es buena parar los riñones

Pero si fuera una agua de tu alma los desgarraría de mi cuerpo

Porque tu me has fugado

Con manos vaciadas y sin razón así me has dejado

Me quemaste, sin embargo no me conquistaste


El güerro mas buscado de las carolinas.

viernes, enero 26

cursi?

Nacimos para vivir
Vivimos para son~ar
Nuestro destino es morir
y nuestra meta es amar


autor(a) no conocido(a)

four seasons

As.......Hot summer days & cold winter snow
Green leafy, canopies & naked branches........so the difference
with and without you
with me





mcn.

Was it his heart?

waves of golden grain
dances to the sound of blowing wind
unconstrained FREE and ALIVE
soars the hawk in the sky
hungry
alert
yet alive!

rivers roar from spring thaw
leaping, rushing & cascading down mountainside
dreams are free, unconfined unfettered
water, uncontrolled fierce powerful

mountains yield her spoils
feeding the sons of adam saying
it's a hard rain that's gonna fall

spawning happiness y joy
songs are never ending separations
of Life, Eternity and Reality

which one yields a treasure to
to trade me for my soul

wounded in love or just covered in blood
was it his heart or just suicide?


mcn.

martes, enero 16

Dios le bendiga a la hijada

acabo de recibir una carta de mi hijada y me regalo una poema bien padre y bonita; me hizo llorar.....no te creas no lloro.....muy en seguido.


QUE LINDA ES LA AMISTAD

que linda es la amistad .....
cuando la compartes con alguna persona amable
cuando la sinceridad es lo unico que realmente vale

que linda es la amistad...
cuando una mano calida te respalda
no importando si la tempestad
viene o va

que linda es la amistad.....
cuando en lugar de gritos u ofensa se da una hermosa paz,
y vivimos siempre pensando en los demas

que linda es la amistad
cuando se da
sin importar si tienes demas

que linda es la amistad.....
cuando tu vienes a verme en mi angustiosa tempestad
y no te importa dejarmen de amar si hago algo bien o mal

que linda es la amistad
con la que llegaste tu a este lugar



Alejandra Nelida Castro Arellano

Wanna see some pictures?











So here are some pictures of some jobs that we recently did right before christmas; the first one is a stone wall that i did b/c some of our crew was sick and i still haven't gotten back for pictures when it was completely finished; it was great fun; and the second is a design i did and we did the planting and stepping stones etc...