Family news

 Kuya is still harvesting/ drying the rice. The irrigation fees are skyrocketing from high diesel prices, and since the water level is low (dry season) they have just stopped allowing irrigation. This is not a good sign for preparing the fields for the next harvest: it means the planting will have to wait for rain to flood the fields.

Sigh.

Joy's mom has died and they are having the wake at her house. (The authorities tested everyone for covid, and since it was negative they will allow this). Joy is the oldest daughter so will stay at their farm until the funeral later this week. The help went down to visit and express condolences yesterday, but I stayed indoors... due to the heat I probably won't go to the funeral.

 Her death was not unexpected: she had Parkinson's disease, and they cared for her at home with the help of a part time caregiver and family members... her husband, who had helped care for her, died of a stroke a few months ago.

It is tag-init, the hot season, and there have been a several elderly in our neighborhood with heart attacks or strokes, and a child died of meningitis at the farm village. But no covid deaths: the numbers are low at present, but given the latest increase of cases of a new but mild omicron variant in the USA, Europe, and China, one wonders if we soon will see a new outbreak.

Face to face school has started: for high school students they require vaccine and mask. 

Sigh.

In other news: it's election season, and since the main roads through our section of town are nearby, we hear sound trucks blasting election songs all day.

Yesterday another candidate came to the plaza for a rally, and there were cops all over the place, so we couldn't walk the dogs. I'll have to ask the maid for more information: She is quietly active with a local feminist political group, but didn't attend the rally because she and her mom went to the wake...they are are related to half the tricycle drivers in the city, so usually we find out the gossip after the cook gets back from the palenke.    

Our area is infamous for election violence, so we are praying that no one gets shot this election year... we lost our nephew as a bystander during a hit years ago...