Joan Ambu Archives – Page 33 of 96 – Strength Of The Small

A House Divided Cannot Stand

By JM PerezJune 23, 20142 min read2.7K views

“I do not love my National Team because they do something for me. I love them because they represent me; therefore, my faithfulness towards them will always be true.” — Joan Ambu

What a good Soccer Game today. Congrats Confederação Brasileira de Futebol.

I have barely missed a Game since the beginning of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™. I have cheered for all the Teams, including mine, The Indomitable Lions. As I sat there watching the match between Cameroon and Brazil unfold as well as reading comments on various sites, I was overcome with compassion for my Team.

A House divided against itself cannot stand. Image Source: The Math Kid. — *A House divided against itself cannot stand.*
*Image Source: The Math Kid.*

Without a doubt The Indomitable Lions have been demanding and a few players have shown lack of professionalism on the field. However, it is fair to say that they have been all alone in this 2014 FIFA World Cup from the get-go. The presence of ill-wishers were predominant prior to the beginning of the very first match and the negative energy was overwhelming.

What did we expect? Did we really think they would give 100% to a Nation who is strongly praying and cheering for their downfall? We love the Team when they are at their best and reject them when they are down on their knees. We should be ashamed for not supporting our Team through thick and thin. They had nothing to fight for, nothing to Win for. They’ve made mistakes to which they will answer for (if there is anything to answer for); however, their failure as a Team does not justify our behavior towards them. We should know better and do better.

“Your Nationality or any other Affiliation isn’t written on your forehead or any visible part of your body. It is shown by the way you Pride Yourself.” — Joan Ambu

What have we done for our Country as individuals? We are only good at pointing fingers when things don’t go the way we expect. Then seize the opportunity to ridicule ourselves Worldwide through pitiful videos, rude and insulting comments. Everyone is quick at judging, quick at giving up and yet no one seems to have a solution. I am ashamed to be part of a Nation of hypocrites and Self-Haters.

We are either in all the way with our National Team or we are out. There are no in-betweens, no excuses and no conditions. What does not construct destroys and I doubt that the Almighty God in whom I believe will ever bless a Nation of hypocrites. There is a time for everything and Life is not about winning. We are here to do good while we live, Love, Learn and refrain from making the same mistakes.

There are issues within The Indomitable Lions team, which I pray will be resolved.

“When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.” ― Winston Churchill

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By JM Perez

Reptiles Insects Nature Gardening High Desert

Breezy Sunday Afternoon

By JM PerezJune 22, 20141 min read676 views

What a lovely Sunday afternoon at Home with my Family. The days are getting hotter and the weather has been hectic lately. Walking around my backyard, I saw a few interesting things which brought a smile to my face.

As I sat on the swing, watching the wind blow and looking at some of my tallest plants wave back and forth in the breeze; one of the Allium Drumsticks stem got caught in between the legs of my King Frog garden stake and if I didn’t know any better, I would say Mr. Froggy was enjoying the moment. What an interesting sight.

Frog and Allium Drumstick. — *Frog and Allium Drumstick globe-shaped flowerhead.*

While watering the mini Rosebushes, a Desert Spiny Lizard emerged from underneath the plants, staring at me.

I spotted a set of Harlequin Bugs on my Dwarf Cup Flower ‘Purple Robe’ plants. These bugs, members of the stinkbug family, are very active during the Summer and destructive to cabbage, broccoli, radishes as well as some ornamental flowers. These bugs cause damages to plants by sucking the sap which in turn cause the plants to die. They have a high reproductive rate. For more information on this insect pest, click here.

Wishing you all a wonderful afternoon.

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By JM Perez

Yard Sculptures Garden Decor Vintage Home Decor

Vintage Little Girl Statue

By JM PerezJune 21, 20141 min read923 views

We took a trip down the Hill this morning to Downtown Pomona after dropping off my Mom to the Airport. We stopped at a Restaurant for breakfast since it was still early for the Shops to open doors.

Our first stop (and first time visit) was at St. John Antiques & Collectibles which is right across Subway® Restaurant.
We were greeted by a friendly and very knowledgeable couple, the owners. As each one of us looked around in search for something old, my eyes locked on a little girl statue. She reminded me of a set I already own and I knew I had to get her home. Weighing around 30 pounds, I realized that my other acquisitions are just a cheap imitation of the one I had in my hands. Cheap imitation, yes, but beautiful nonetheless. Possibly a Vintage 1970’s or 1980’s statue.

The bottom of the statue has a sticker which reads: NanCee’s Originals (La Verne, California).

Without a doubt this statue of a Little Girl and her Cat will make a great addition either in the Patio or the Garden.

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By JM Perez

Ground Squirrel Birds DIY: Projects Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

DIY: Fruit Tree Deterrent

By JM PerezJune 17, 20141 min read2.2K views

A couple of weeks ago, I urged my husband to do something about the Squirrels digging holes all over my front yard to gain access to the nuts on the Sweet Almond tree. He came up with a very simple, yet functional mechanism to prevent those rodents from climbing up the tree. He created a piece similar to an umbrella shape and/or a funnel shape using materials we already had on hand.

From the pictures you can see how most of the work was done.

Materials/Tools Needed

Zip Ties
Chicken Wire 1 inch spacing
Pliers
Drip Tubing
Compression Reducing Tees

Step by Steps:

He first made a circle around the tree with the tubing making sure he could have the room to place the two support pieces to hold it in place.
After making the ring with the supports he cut strips of chicken wire to wrap around the ring edge and making certain there was no gap between wire and tree trunk.

The effectiveness is similar to the one of the image below.

Squirrel Baffle
Image Source: HarrietCarter.com.

Click here to learn about Tree Squirrels and how to prevent them from climbing up a pole, tree, or other structure.

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By JM Perez

Sefl-Esteem Personal Quest Love Life Lessons

The Power of Positivity

By JM PerezJune 12, 20142 min read846 views

“Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.” – Lucille Ball

I have been enjoying the presence of my Mother for a month now and I can’t begin to explain the peace and serenity surrounding us. Unlike her past visits, this one has been awakening as she finally was able to connect a few dots together on her own. She said I have changed and turned into a more compassionate being.

I smiled at her and simply told her that my attitude has changed because I am in a constant state of gratitude.
I trust myself. I weigh my words before releasing them. There are some situations which cause us to point fingers, judging others and question their choices. As I explain to my children who constantly ask so many questions, before you venture into the judgmental arena, always put yourself in your opponent shoes. Those individuals who go through body modification (scarification, extreme tattooing, piercing, implant and so much more), skin bleaching/whitening most likely do not feel that their current bodies define them.

When people no longer wish to embrace the body they are in, we should understand that something isn’t necessarily wrong with them and move on. It is not our place to judge anyone because we do not agree with their choices. What we do, feel and think is right, may not be right to someone else and that’s the nature of Life. Paul H Dunn said Happiness is a journey, not a destination; happiness is to be found along the way not at the end of the road, for then the journey is over and it’s too late. Living in the moment is what we should all thrive to do.

The Things You Take For Granted, Someone Else is Praying For. — *Image Source: SearchQuotes.com.*

While you are busy hating, judging, blaming, cursing someone or just being negative; someone somewhere is dying, fighting for their life, perhaps wishes they could be loved. Worst, while you’re being negative, life is passing you by, you make yourself miserable and those individuals you dislike continue to live their best life. Hatred will never grow anything but hatred while Love will grow more Love.

There is tremendous Power in Positivity and it can only come through when we decide to stop placing too much emphasis on the third person. Unless we are true to ourselves and hold ourselves accountable for our own mistakes and stop making excuses, unless we put an end to futile redundancies and embrace the body we live in, we will cease to enjoy Life and see beauty in the World.

Our days on Earth are numbered; thus, we must focus on ourselves.