Legends of my country: The "Llorona" or "Weeping woman" Legend has it that a very pretty woman, with brown skin and jet black hair, fell in love with a soldier one fine day and from that love a girl was born. The soldier had to go, thus abandoning his partner in love and his little daughter. I don't know if the soldier left because of the war that prevailed in the days of my country's independence or if the soldier left because he didn't want to be part of this family. The…
The legend of " el Silbón". Legend has it that in the plain region, in the dark night, the whistle of "el silbón" is heard. They say that the sound is like the scale of musical notes: do, re, mi ... until the last note ... That if you listen to it and you are alone, and the sound is far away, you must prepare yourself, death is near you . If several hear it and with a loud sound, keep calm because nothing will happen to you! The plain is a place with peculiar…
A mother! It is a cactus. It belongs to the cactaceae family. Its genus is Mammillaria and its species Vetula. I like cacti and succulents. I have so many cacti in my little garden at home. This small cactus that does not exceed 15 cm in length, is very easy to grow at home. In fact, beginners are recommended to plant it, as it will most likely thrive very well with little care. It is a globular and columnar cactus. Throughout its body it develops tubers or small stems,…
The legend of "la sayona" Legend has it that in the towns of my plain you see a very beautiful and elegant woman with long black hair. It usually appears on long, dark nights. She is seen by men who are womanizers and revelers and who are on the dark streets. They say that she attracts them with her beauty and takes them where she wants and only then after seducing them does she transform. Her appearance is now that of a ghost with a demon face, long fangs, and blood-colored…
A sweet made with cherry The cherry or "semeruco" is a citrus that is produced in Venezuela. The plant is called cherry. It's not a plant that is usually sown in all Venezuelan gardens, but it is a very common plant in our country. Juices, sweets, jams and even a very popular wine in a region of Venezuela are made with this fruit. It has as much vitamin C as 40 times more than the lemon itself. Its bittersweet flavor is what allows it to be highly appreciated. Today I tell…
Legends of my country: "Maria Lionza". Legend has it that in colonial times, a girl was born on a mountain in Venezuela, the daughter of the chieftain of an indian tribe and a white woman. This girl had green eyes and white skin. According to the tribe's sorcerer, because the girl was different from the others, she had to be sacrificed to the god of the rivers. The father, chief of the tribe, refused to sacrifice her and locked his daughter in a hut protected by warrior…
Legends of my country: "The sorceress of Mérida" Legend has it that in the Andes of Mérida, specifically in the *Sierra Nevada*, there was an indigenous tribe. The princess of the tribe was called Tibisay. She was the girlfriend of the brave warrior Murachí. The night before going to fight, she delighted them with her singing and dancing and in the morning they would engage in combat with the invaders of their lands. They would fight with the "children of the sun", which is…
Irony? I recently read an article about the death of a man named Rieli Franciscato. From what I read, he was an expert on Amazonian tribes and dedicated his life to preserving the indigenous customs of the Amazonian tribes. Fought against the injustices that are committed against the most defenseless inhabitants of these lands. He dedicated his life to fighting the most evil humans with ambitions for riches and increasingly depopulating the tribes. The Brazilian Amazon is in…
Legends of my country: "Juan Machete" Legend has it that *Juan Machete* was a man from the plains of Venezuela and Colombia, that this nickname was given by *Juan Francisco Ortiz*, because he always carried a sharp machete around his waist. They say that he was a very greedy man who wanted to have a lot of wealth... and for this reason he decides to make a pact with the devil himself. He goes to the plains in the dark of the night he calls the devil and asks him to be made…
My cactus. Mammillaria Voburnensis: They are originally from Mexico. They belong to the cactus family, its genus is Mammillaria and it is a species of Voburnensis. It's a cylindrical and globular cactus. It is about 20 cm tall. Adult plants are dark green in color and have many tubers around them, forming numerous stacked groups. They have many spines, about a cm long and very sharp all over their body. At its apex there are very fine white villi and they have radial,…
Terrestrial Orchid The terrestrial orchid has the scientific name Spathoglottis Plicata. It is a terrestrial orchid unlike many other orchids that are epiphytes, that is, they grow on other trees. It's of Asian origin. With minimum care this plant can grow and develop in a pot, in a semi-shady environment and with soil fertilized with organic products and good drainage. The flowers grow on a floral stick. Where its flowers are formed by five fuchsia petals. Its petals, when…
Legends of my country: "La novia de La Guaira" This is an urban legend. It's a story that happened on a highway in my country. There is a highway that connects a state with my country's capital and this is what happened there... Legend has it that one fine night, María José Cárdenas from the *La Guaira* state was preparing to leave for the capital, Caracas. She was very excited because she was getting married. She was ready to go, but her car would not start, no matter how…
Legends of my country: "Juan Hilario" The story of *Juan Hilario* is heard in the plains of the Portuguesa state in Venezuela. The legend of *Juan Hilario* is related to another legend, the **Silbón.** In Portguesa it's said that the Silbón is a spectre that appears on the plains during the night with a peculiar and chilling sound, which makes even the most temperate man tremble. The legend goes like this: they say that *Juan Hilario* was a partying peasant and womanizer and…
Lost Travelers. What leads people to try to save their own lives while putting them and others at risk? I read somewhere in an article that a group of people were found lost in the chilean desert, 23 people to be specific. The group is made up of 18 adults and 5 children and they got lost in the Chilean desert when they left Peru. These people are Venezuelan, the quality of life they had in their country of origin closed the doors to a better future for them and they decided…
Legends of my country: "The deceased man from Yucatan" This is a legend that was born in the Lara state, specifically in the city of Barquisimeto in a region called Yucatan, during the 70s. In this town there was a farm with the same name (Yucatan) and there was a working peasant from the farm. One fine day, while doing his chores, he came across the corpse of a man. At first he thought he was nothing more than a drunk lying down, but it turns out that the man was dead, he…
Occupational "hazards" Do you know what the Pyramidal Syndrome is? Let me explain, It's a series of symptoms or manifestations in the body that affect the buttock, thigh, leg and heel, on one side of the body. The symptoms can be things like a feeling of pain in the area, like a "stab", numbness or heaviness in the leg and/or a tingling sensation. The pyramidal is a muscle that is in the deep part of the gluteus, it's very close to the femur. The pyramidal syndrome is a…
Legends of my country: The legend "El Machera" I became aware of this legend when I studied at the university in the city of Merida, Merida state, in Venezuela. The protagonist of this legend is called *"Luis Enrique Cerrada Molina"* a boy who was considered to be the terror of the police forces during his time and was also known as the *"Robin Hood"* of the neighborhood Santanita. This thief used to steal from large stores, pharmacies, shopping centers... and then…
Legends of my country: "El ánima de Taguapire." The legend goes like this: The "*anima of Taguapire*" is the name they lovingly assigned to the humble peasant woman named *María Francisca Duarte*. They say that this sweet lady was a country woman, with a strong character and a very charitable heart. She spared no effort to help everyone who came up and asked. They also say that she was an excellent midwife. They say that she was born around 1846, in the state of Guarico, and…
I'm very fortunate! I consider myself a very fortunate woman. In all the years that I was working in the different hospitals and health services throughout the country, I never had an encounter with ghosts. I remember that my colleagues, when we met both inside and outside the health area, always had stories related with encounters with ghosts. Here's something that my night watch supervisor told me when we were working at night in the city of Barcelona. This happened one…
In Calabozo! I worked for 5 years in a row as a nurse, until I went to university to study medicine. I once worked in a hospital in *Guárico* state, in the town of *Calabozo.* It's a great hospital. I had to go to work as a nurse in the delivery room, it's an emergency service where deliveries are attended 25 hours a day. Basically, every second of the day. It was my night watch, it was full of women in fetal expulsion, so the work was hard. No one really knows how many…
Do you know the Anaconda? Its scientific name is Eunectes Murino and it's also known as *Water Boa.* It's considered the largest and heaviest snake in the world, it can measure up to 15 meters and weigh more than 200 kg. The Anacondas from Venezuela can be usually found on the *Orinoco River,* as well as in the various plains, estuaries and savannas of my country. They are also very popular in the Amazon, where some terrifying movies have been made. The female Anaconda is a…
The monument of Barcelona: "La Casa Fuerte" What remains of this house is structures of stone that were previously walls. Back then it was a big house from the colonial times, now they are just rubble. This house has a history, a past of death, pain and struggle. From both libertarian men and women, wives of those libertarians who also had a desire for freedom for their homeland. In the rubble of this house are the frustrated lives of thousands of people who wanted freedom…
A succulent Aloe Juvenna. Aloe Juvenna: That's the scientific name of a succulent plant. It's a plant native to Africa. Its common name is *aloe tiger tooth*. The plant grows in the form of a column. Its leaves are thick and green with white spots. The leaves come together in the shape of a rose and the sides of these leaves are full of small spines that grow inward, this is where their popular name comes from. It grows very well with little exposure to the sun. If they are…
A friendly snake! I remember a long time ago I read a story about a woman and her snake. This woman had a python snake as a pet. The snake was with the woman since she was very young. The woman pampered her friend in such a way that he was always accompanying her everywhere she went. While working, cooking, *bathing.* She even got the snake used to sleeping next to her. And so the snake grew with its owner and eventually became an adult. Its owner was very proud of her pet…
A crocodile cactus. Haworthia Limifolia: It's a succulent that belongs to the xanthorrnoeaceae family, its genus is Haworthia and its species Limifolia. Its common name is crocodile skin succulent. It's a plant native to Africa. The leaves of this cactus are rigid and with grooves that give it a somewhat rough and rugged texture and is compared to the skin of a crocodile. The plant grows in the form of a rosette, they have wide leaves that make an indentation in the center…
It's just one more problem... Mary had to make a trip urgently, she was a university student at the moment, that was her home now while she was working on her medical degree. The people of the *Academic Studies Control* office must have all the required documents but in Mary's case some of her documents are "*missing*". She remembers that she left her documents in another city, in the academic studies control office of another university, in a very distant place... She has a…
Cactus flowers. Today I'm showing you a cactus with flowers, I know that a lot of people don't get to see some cacti when they bloom. The first cactus I want to show you is this succulent, Its scientific name is Stapelia Gigantea. It's a succulent and its genus is Stapelia and its species Gigantea. It comes from Africa. It's a plant with a thick, green stem, with four sides and wavy edges. It doesn't tolerate direct exposure to the sun. Its substrate is the same as that of…
A special kind of man. He lived in his own way. What mattered most to him was enjoying life as much as he could. He had a family, but that wasn't a problem, because he was the boss. There, in his home, he only did what he wanted. He drove a public transport car. I always wondered, how could he know about so many things without watching the news or knowing how to read? One day I had to go to school and I came across his car. He took me there and I heard him talk to many…
My own money, for the first time. I was about 15 years old, I was helping to carry sand and cement because we fixed the fence on the wall of our new house. It was a small house but it was ours. While we were fixing the fence the postman arrived with a letter for me. The letter said that I had been given a scholarship to finish my high school studies. I only had one year left in high school so I got a check for several months overdue and then the checks would come in monthly.…
The owner of my house. I want to tell you about my furry friend, he's my son's pet, but he follows me around all the time... I think he knows who owns the kitchen. He's a cat and was born in another place that I cannot specify, his mother was our pet as well and after a small vacation, once his mother noticed my presence in my house, she brought home all of her children... This was the only cat that decided to stay in my house. My cat's name is *Copito*. He is quite a…
My beautiful pet turtle. I had a pet turtle, her name was Tronkin (which was short for Treetrunks, *Tronquitos* in spanish). My son and I gave it that name after a mutual agreement. She was a very naughty turtle. She arrived at our house as a gift from a friend, she brought Tronkin for my son. It was barely a week old and already totally independent. She could eat leaves and drink water on her own. My son always took care of her, he took her for walks in the garden, because…
My happiest days. I spent 3 years studying at nursing school and I had a great time there. I made many friends. For the first time I was spending so much time away from home with the justification that I was studying. Great! ...It was an institute that used to be a place of study of continuous permanence, in other words, the three years of study were done while staying there and all applicants for these studies had to stay and live there. By the time I got there this policy…
How my coin collection started. Since I was little I have liked coins. I was about 9 years old when I started collecting coins. My dad was driving a public transportation car. In the afternoons, when he really went out to work, he counted the coins. There I would see coins that were not Venezuelan, but were the size of the currency of my country. My dad would throw those coins in the garden and in the morning I used to go all over the yard and find the coins he was threw…
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