It's already 7 months tomorrow when my grandfather passed away and still the pain is still here but we are better now than before his passing away is still fresh. I was the one who discovered that granpa is already gone and until now, I can still remember how cold a dead body was. Until now when I go to his room, the image of him lying down there in his bed without a life is very clear to me, the image just won't disappear. Maybe my mind hasn't move on yet.
We've been waiting for the rain to come here and to finally start the planting of rice before the year end because the irrigation here in our place don't have enough water yet.
While thinking that we will have start to work in the farm again I just remembered the good old days wherein my Amang(grandfather in ilokano) is still here with us. He will innitiate the first signal when to start. He will then approach me to sun dry all the stock of rice. We'll do this to add more maturity to the grains in order for it to grow well. Then after it we will work together to place it in the sacks again.
After that we will divide it in six sacks with just half of rice grains in them in order for the water to be fully absorb by the grains. After two or three nights of submerging it to the river, we will check it if the part where the roots to grow becomes white. If it turns into white then it's guaranteed that the roots will grow eventually. We will then get them out of the water and place them in a stock of hay and cover it with plastic and another hay on top for it to get warmer. The warm temperature will help the growth of the grains.
After a period of one day incubating it under the hay we will bring it out then we will bring it to the farm where the seed bed is prepared. My father and amang are the one who do the scattering of the grains but that was before since amang is not here already. We are alone now with my father who do these things in preparation for planting rice and I feel that there's a huge hole in my chest while doing all these tasks now. I know it's the same to my father also because he always depends on him when it comes to the farm.
A lot of people here especially our neighbor farms caretakers have missed how my grandpa being there so early to take care the farm. A lot of them will say "Idi Nu kastuy nga pinagtatalun kit isu na ti umun-una latta dituy, awan mit gaminin isu na. Isu nga madi kayo mabanbannug, agan anus kayu ah." (Back then when we the season of planting rice already started he was always the first one to move here but now he's gone. That's why you shouldn't get tired, just be patient.)
Those words and gestures of our neighboring farmers here always reminded us of my granpa because he always says those words Be patient, don't get tired. I can't help but to feel sad and have a teary eyes when I remember those words coming from him. He may not be here now but his words of encouragement will always remain and will encourage us to don't give up even how bad the tides of the battles turns.
Also in times of harvesting, if you read my blog about day we did the harvesting of our rice, I'm the one who was tasked to arrange the bundle of rice in a cone shape. Back then when my grandpa is still alive, we are together doing the thing. We do the arranging or he was the one who will handle the carabao to carry those bundle of rice within the pattuki (cart). As you can see in the photo below.
Also he rarely takes a picture with us so sometimes we take a stolen of him. In this photo, it was my birthday before, he only knew that it's the flashlight of my phone but actually a video so I just get the photo below from it. He was so happy that time. I also missed him telling stories of their life before back in the golden days of their life. He will tell that they lived a simple life and that all matters. He has that hobby when he is drunk.
I can't help but to take a deep sigh while I remember those memories and as I write this one. We know that he is old already but it's too soon for him to say his goodbyes.
There may be a huge hole in our chest now but his will and all his memories of being so industrious and passion when it comes to the farm will carry on. It's our time now to take the role he left to us and I hope and pray that he will guide us in taking care of our crops this season.
I can't help myself not to burst in tears because this will be the last cropping of this year that he's not with us.
This is my entry for the weekly challenge of Hiveph Community about "Remembering the Departed."
Thank you for reading upto this far.