Sards prefers Thin Crust!

Now I can't let this one pass...nice piece from you Grace.

I couldn't help but laugh...The thicker the better huh!

For us who had to walk to and from the school everyday, we prefer thin crust! The drier the better.

Palurey mo ta'y agtuen mo sakey sakon tae na duweg tan baka. Ompawil ka ni ta kailangan duwara!

I can't remember the name but someone brought a sackful of cow dung so heavy and so wet. Hehehehehe! Mannelnab so sako tan tutumboken na apangat!

It was so fun gathering cow dung then because of the competition on who fills his or her sack first. Makapalek ta pansasamsaman tayo'y tae!

But on a serious note, I now realize that Mr. Revine Fernandez (may his soul rest in peace), our Gardening teacher in Grade 5, had a noble project in that compost pit because he introduced us to "sustainable agriculture". Never mind if he was so strict that I bet not one of us boys can claim to have escaped his "lewet ya bislak". I myself had it once or twice. On one occassion, I had it coming because I did not clean my plot. On another occassion, I was not able to bring my project.

Of course, the term sustainable agriculture was not even coined at that time yet. Now it has become a jargon. I wonder if the same subject or curriculum is still being offered.

And then there was also this competition on who grows the best pechay. I think Bonnie Espinoza was sooo good in gardening. His plot was one of the best and admired. The dikes were so delicately hand-shaped, the soil diligently tended and the plants regularly watered. His pechay was much coveted that one day somebody mischevously placed "cutters" (a beetle worm) right at the root of the green and leafy pechay. The poor pechay wilted the next day.

Eusebio Beltran's plot is the exact opposite. He rarely seldom tended his plot. I know it because our plots were adjoined. We were already in the middle of the school year but his plot remains untended and raw. It was "captured" by another pupil who eventually had to give it up. It was so hard and barren that the pick and shovel gave in. Needless to say, Eusebio is a regular pupil in the queue for the "lewet ya bislak".

And then, I still remember the regular meet. I never figured out why they call the sporting event in Central a "meet". But it was really an exciting event because not only were the classes suspended. We also had the chance to watch the games. I love the track and field. Our favorites then were "Balite" and "Dampay". Actually they were track and field competitors who got their monicker from the barrio they represent. I still remember, Salvador Roque ( Rod), mimicking the running style of "Balite". Central's best bet was always Amalia Rovillos (asawa nen Tat-toy), who dominated the 100-meter dash.

The track field used to be so wide and verdant green. On some lazy afternoon, after the game of "pasitan" or "dagi-an" we would just laze around or lie down gazing at the blue sky and wondered what could be lying beyond there! We rolled and frolicked on the grass until we feel the itch from the cuts of their thin blades.

Hey this is supposed to be about cow dung!

Ahh..memories, memories!