Waterlogged

We finally had a break from constant rains this afternoon. It's been raining everyday for two weeks now and it does a number on you when you don't see the sun shining brightly. The sun peeked this afternoon and it was refreshing. It was short-lived though and it rained again. 

I'm unable to sleep well when it rains, especially when it rains hard. I guess it's PTSD from typhoon Ondoy when I woke up to water rushing in. The past few years I struggled with the issue that the basement in our current home would get flooded. 

Good thing we managed to get help from city hall (Building Official and CENRO) to get it fixed.The flooding was due to the wrong way the contractor of the house beside us did their drainage. It was back-flowing to our backyard. It took two years before the issue was addressed, only resolved when city hall warned the contractor their license would get suspended if they didn't fix it. 

We held our stand and pushed back when the contractor through the HOA wanted to charge to fix the drainage. It wasn't our fault, so we said no. It took them almost two months to fix and it was quite obvious where they went wrong when they dug up the area. The drainage was higher than ours, that's why their sewage would back flow to us. They eventually grudgingly fixed it. 

Our issue is a very small one compared to the countless families affected by the floods the past few days (weeks, months, years...). Our city seems to have been crowned as the most flooded city in the region which is so sad. I hope a solution can be found and done soon. 

Stay safe and dry everyone.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Finally! Heavy Rains

I suddenly woke up a little after 4 in the morning. I got up to use the toilet and strangely couldn't go back to sleep. A few minutes later it started to rain. 

I thought it would be short-lived, but it started pouring hard. Really, really hard for the next 3 hours. I checked the CCTV to see if the street was flooded. It wasn't. I was worried that our backyard was flooded. Luckily, our demand for the developer to fix the drainage issue was done. Our neighbor's rainwater and sewage wasn't flowing back to us anymore. Sweetie confirmed it in the morning.

My plants are really happy after getting drenched thoroughly. I was allowed to go out again today, so I was able to check the garden. The rain wiped away the stress from the heat. Everything was still and refreshed when I went around to say hello to the plants.

Thank you Lord for the refreshing rain 🙏

#BeKind #StaySafe

Rainwater for Your Plants

Mom's lawn is magically alive again because it's been raining. Everything is green again and this would be a good time to see what else I can rescue. Rainwater is really good for plants. It brings extra nutrients for the plants and helps cleanse soil too. 

We set up two stations to collect rainwater. The official one was actually built for us. The plumber added a diverter to the downspout. When left open we are able to collect water from the roof. We got two big water drums to collect water. We cover it when it's full to prevent mosquitoes from breeding. 

The other water drum (in photo) is located in our garage. It was meant to be extra storage for rainwater (transferred manually by Sweetie with a pail). The downspout though was damaged. We haven't been able to have it fixed, so water has been falling directly to the drum with help from bamboo leaves (yay?). It's actually convenient for me since I don't have to walk far to get water for the square garden plants. 

If collecting rainwater, just make sure to cover the drum/pail. Mosquitoes breed fast. To get rid of them you can add some hydrogen peroxide to the water. This will also help to prevent root rot and get rid of larvae/eggs of pests. Just make sure your furry pets don't drink this water!  

#BeKind #StaySafe

It Finally Rained!

It took a few days before the forecast for rain finally came true. I've been closely monitoring the weather since it's been hot. The worst day in our area was last Wednesday when the heat index hit 47'C. Ugh. It was so bad I had a dizzy spell even though I'm well hydrated. 

For a few days the forecast showed it would rain. It would start at 11 am then move to 3pm to 4pm to 5pm and well into the night. It was paasa. We've been diligently watering the plants to make sure they don't die. Good thing majority of our plants can survive without much watering so I focus on my potted plants and the veggies. Rain water provides plants with some vitamins too, so they need it badly. 

Went downstairs last night to water my potted plants. It was drizzling. Soon enough it started to rain harder. Just a regular summer rain shower (not thunderstorm level). It didn't last long. It was only enough to wet the leaves of the plants. Not bad, at least it rained.

#BeKind #StaySafe