Part 2 of April 8 (sorry it's backwards)

Tres Chicas

Learning Some Basics of Life

I really enjoyed watching how these three girls had to work out sharing (all essentially only children, but with sporadic half siblings). Not easy, and there were plenty of adult interventions. Also, my two little neighbors are barefoot, hardy, very active little girls. essentially living outdoors and at the beach. They start the day off clean with combed hair, but quickly get dirty, with wild hair flying. In contrast, Keiren, Josue’s daughter, is regularly combed, showered, with clean clothes. You can imagine it was quite a stretch for Keiren to keep up physically with the other two, but she was a trooper. Climbing tree stumps, making sand castillos (castles) paddling in the sea and writing in the sand. These little girls were on the go the entire day. Me too! 

PS: It was great to have the company, but we were quite happy to be alone again.

Ready for some killin'

Briana made some nests for any interested bird...

Insect Triumphs!

Termites: Between the efforts of Eli, who helped me get the huge termite nest down, and my diligence, I think I’ve gotten the termite infestations under control, using a lot of poisonous stuff, unfortunately. The lesson here is stay vigilant, which we didn’t do before. 

Wasps: The other night I donned my winter coat and hat, jeans and boots, (in case they attacked) and went into a full war spraying the multitude of wasp nests hanging under various roofs. I had been tolerant of them until they started showing up at my bird feeder and driving the birds away. Mission accomplished!

My nemasis

Roaches: I accidentally discovered a roach motel/nursery while cleaning under the sink. Under a rotted out piece of wood that I lifted up I found a swarm of cockroaches, as well as a lot of their egg cases. Sprayed the crap out of them! Then yesterday, I went to make a smoothie, lifted the bottom of the blender, which rattled, looked inside and found a couple of live ones and some egg cases. Got out the spray and shook them out. Cockroaches really will rule the world long after humans are gone!!

On a somewhat good note: The leaf cutter ant nest has been eliminated (for now), but mysteriously some of my plants are still missing their leaves. While pruning the other day I came face to face with a young, plump, brilliant green iguana munching away on bouganvilla shoots! Oh well, they have to eat, too.

All life lessons on living outdoors in the jungle! Hah!

April 17

The Good Life

I spent most of yesterday taking cuttings, some that I had rooted previously, and planting them. I also set up the beginnings of a little shade garden that you look down onto from the deck. I had my little helper, Briana with me, chattering constantly, “planting” alongside me. I noticed her parents came in very late last night, so they were still asleep when Briana joined me for (some in her case) yoga this morning at 7 am. I asked her if Mama knew she was here and she said yes. Not! I think we have to call her on this one. She’s a good kid, and loves being with us partly out of fascination with foreigners, and we have interesting stuff (rocks, feathers, plants, three friendly dogs, good treats, different food…….). But it’s a good opportunity to talk about the importance of being truthful. The teacher in me keep slipping out. 

I’m pleased with all the little, and not so little, home and yard projects I’ve completed. I had a bit of a checklist with about 20 items (which changed priority and interest frequently) that I’m about half though, but somehow the list keeps growing 

Tamales

Supporting the Local Economy

We frequently buy products from the locals, which include hailing down local farmers that sell produce out of their trucks, and a series of folks who come by selling various items. Eduardo/Petrone comes by weekly and provides us with bananas, plantains, yuca, tiskiki (another starchy root), coconuts and whatever else is in season. We recently visited his farm to pick up huge hands of bananas and plantains, as well as yuca, avocados, tiskiki and oranges, some of which we gave away. Once in a while other neighbors come by selling tamales, baked sugary things (which Ray loves), freshly slaughtered chickens and pork, crawfish, coconuts, fruit, vegetables, and even rocks!  Beto, a local neighbor, purchases chocolate from the Indians nearby and makes cigar shaped rolls with nuts, ginger and other treats imbedded in them. 

Fresh from the farm

And there’s, the ceviche lady. Rosa, and her husband, Benancia, ((brother of Lalo across the street) recently moved out of their beach shack into a new home they built. There are rooms to rent upstairs, their living area downstairs doubles as a very small restaurant, and she has a spacious new kitchen with a big chest freezer. Rosa makes the best ceviche I’ve ever had, and sells it to neighbors either as take out, or they can sit at the counter for three people or in the two rocking chairs and eat there. Her husband is a fisherman, so fresh fish is readily available so it’s quite a sweet little cottage industry. Their new house on the main road is at the bottom of the hill where there is a planned group of cabinas to be built, so I think they will be providing food and even lodging for some of the workers and eventual cabina inhabitants. 

Poop Time for Sloths

We have a rather unusual, sometimes pesky, neighbor, Manuel, who brings us plants, rocks and other interesting, offbeat things, for small change and a little food. Yesterday he brought us a SLOTH! live! He was bringing Ray some unusual rocks (something he does regularly), but also was carrying a three toed sloth by the scruff of its neck that he found on the road. At first I thought it was dead, but when he put the little fellow down it started to climb on the driftwood bench. Very slowly and deliberately. 

Not every day someone brings you a sloth

Such gentle faces

They are very docile, although you need to be careful of their huge claws. He was quite green around the shoulders, which is actually an algae growing in their fur which helps camouflage them in the trees whose branches are also often covered in algae. Sloths only come down out of the trees to defocate about once a week, so it must have been his time.  Very cool. We took his photo, the bright him to the base of a nearby tree that he slowly clawed his way up into the treetop. Quite an experience. Understandably, sloths become the victims of car strikes quite often because their “slothfulness” makes them very vulnerable. 

Masked Men with Gloves

A couple of days ago we went on a shopping spree to get groceries at the border. Usually, it’s a bustling town full of street vendors and many tiny shops, as well as several large department stores that have big grocery departments, and of course, immigration buildings for CR and Panama. The border is closed except for the tractor trailers waiting to cross. But most striking - there were no people on the streets or in the few remaining open stores carrying food. Even the department stores would only allow you to go into the food areas, everything else (clothing, shoes, cosmetics, housewares, etc.) were taped off. Furthermore, only men OR women are allowed in on alternating days. So, being men’s day, Many people were wearing gloves, too, and hands were sprayed with alcohol going in and out.  Ray went in donning his mask, with the grocery list. Technically these stores are in Panama, which has a much higher rate of infection and deaths than CR, so it was wise to be careful.

Ready to go shopping

Meanwhile, the infection rate for CR has dropped down to just a few new people a day (5-6), and I believe still only 3 deaths. But it’s pretty restrictive here with driving curfews between 7pm and 5am, you’re only allowed to drive on certain days depending on the last numbers of your license plate, and only one family member in a store at a time. We encountered 5 checkpoints along the way - one where the police wanted to see ID as well. Of course, I misunderstood the news about the plates one night from the TV news and got the message backwards - thinking the allowable days, were the restricted ones! Duh!

The whole thing seems pretty surreal, even here, so I can imagine how people must feel living  in a busy metropolitan area, where they are used to being surrounded by people all the time. It is heartbreaking to think of how many people are either crammed into tight quarters, and conversely those living alone. 

Life Goes On

For me, nature is the grounding plate. My little red butt birds wake me up every day at the feeder. The hummingbirds zoom through the garden, sometimes aggressively chasing each other.  Noisy flocks of  parakeets and parrots chatter incessantly in the treetops, and my usual “family” of three scarlet macaws arrives nearby every day to feast on the beach almonds. The sound of the waves is a constant, and the tides keep their rising and falling schedule. Just in a two week period, we’re now regularly getting rain - some heavy downpours even. Everything is green and sprouting new growth. The beach changes daily, as the river mouths swell with the rain, so one day they are overflowing, and the next day they are drained as they burst and the water rushes into the ocean creating little sand ravines along the shore. Huge driftwood logs that were stuck upstream, break free and lodge themselves in the sand. I’ve watched one beautiful silvery log make its way for a mile and a half along the shoreline. 

Leaping Lizards!

I don’t know why we seem to have a large lizard population all of a sudden. Could it be ‘the girls” have lightened up on their lizard hunting? We always have a couple of large iguanas, “iggys,” lounging around on nearby tree branches, or scurrying up the trunks. But there are a lot of tiny skinny non descript brown guys hanging out the deck and the patio, and some spectacular looking ones in the garden. I flush two very brightly colored ones, with gold spots when I’m gardening, but they don’t want their photo taken. Another partly copper colored one lives on the patio. 

And a large JC lizard scurries around on our roof in the early morning licking up the dew that forms overnight. He has some smaller relatives that I see in the trees and among the leaf litter from time to time. Sometimes there will be a loud thunk and an iggy or JC will jump/or fall onto the roof from the trees, before leaping back into the safety of the branches. And then we have geckos that scurry along the ceiling and the walls. At let one every night hangs out on the tv screen where the bugs accumulate. It’s quite funny to see newscasters with geckos on their shoulders! Pretty cool!

Just to show off - my first guanabana from our tree!!
It's a whopper!

Please stay healthy and well during these difficult times!!  love Gill

April 8, 2020

Rain clouds gathering

April 8, 2020

These little crocus-like flowers bloom at this time of the year - beautiful huh?

Weather Update

Finally! after the last few days of promising, but not delivering, cloudy skies, we had a half hour of gentle rain in the afternoon, and now, this evening - a real downpour. The last couple of years of “dry season” (Dec. - late March) have been extremely dry. 

Finally - some rain (Be careful what I wish for...)

Sometimes over a month with not even a passing shower. (which means a lot of dust and wilting plants) When I first began coming here 11 years ago, we seemed to have at least had a downpour every week or two, so I believe we’re seeng climate change here as well.. I would even go so far as to say I have observed (not personally, thank goodness) that more and more hurricanes and cyclone in the S. Hemisphere have become much more severe in my lifetime. (Wow, Im really starting to be (and look) old). And certainly temperatures for the most part are warmer - and you only need to look at glaciers and icecaps which make climate warming pretty obvious. Unless……… you have different politics than me. 

Even with the cloudy days, temperatures have been hovering close to 90, with a lot of humidity, so we have been persevering on home projects, but popping across the street for a couple of  swims a day for relief.

Limons almost finished, but new blossoms!

April 11, 2020

The New (to us) Freezer

About five years ago we bought most of the housewares, tools, linens and misc. stuff from some friends that moved back to the US. Among all the stuff was a good sized chest freezer that we stored in Chepe’s bodega for most of that time.  Recently, we brought it out to the container, but still didn’t use it because it seemed very decadent for only two people. However, our main fridge has not been cooling as well as it should, so we fired up the freezer the other day, and…. the rest is history. We’re going to try and be pretty minimalist about it, but what a pleasure to thoroughly deep freeze foods, that we feel confident weren’t going to spoil on us. We’re even fantasizing about ice cream in the near future! Feels like Xmas to us! Fantasizing about food used to be only a trait of Ray’s but, it’s catchy.

This handsome bird and its mate have been
frequent visitors.

Some of Ray's rock collection

Lockdown

We are in our fourth week of home confinement, which has really not been too much different than our usual pretty quiet life. Even though the beaches are closed, we sneak across the road for a walk, and/or a swim regularly. And if the surf is big (which has happened quite often) Ray can even surf there. Usually, once a day I walk a couple of miles down the beach, usually accompanied by my three, and a few more neighborhood dogs. There are three lagoons at the opening of the rivers, where we all take dips to cool off. The dogs get a drink and chase Jesus Christ lizards (the ones that run on the water’s surface) while I wallow. Occasionally I have the little neighborhood girls, too, so it’s quite the crowd. 

Beach beauty

April 14, 2020

People here are taking the virus precautions very seriously. The government has been very strong about staying home, not traveling, and keeping the social distancing. They recently added a curfew between 7 pm and 5 am, vehicles are only allowed to be on the roads certain days depending on the last numbers on their license plates, and only one family member at a time is allowed in grocery stores. It seems a little more lax out here in “the country,” but there are still police checkpoints and the coast guard is patrolling along the shores. All these restrictions are killing the surfers because we’ve had some beautiful surf (4-8 foot waves) with no one riding them. 

The news focuses almost solely on the virus here. Their president, a young, seemingly competent and charismatic (a good combination) gives his daily advisory every morning. We listen and catch bits and pieces of it. I must say from an epidemiology point of view the statistics are really fascinating. To get millions of people almost worldwide to follow the hygiene and social rules, as well as stay home, is pretty impressive. Of course it’s not that controlled, or controllable, in many places, of which I fear will really take the biggest hit. The poor, of course, suffer the most, which really highlights the need for good public health for ALL!  So far CR had been averaging about 20 a day, but it has dropped off considerably over the past three days. I’m thinking it’s much easier to control people’s behavior in a small country with a small population (between 5-6 million), and pretty mellow people.

Low tide

Musings

Very timely, I have read a number of historical/sociological books that have documented the impact of diseases, and man made events like wars and technological “advances.” Human history is full of plagues, wars, mass migrations - both natural and man made, as well as important discoveries that have significantly improved humans’ lives such as sewage systems, hand washing, and antibiotics. When ancient and modern cities installed sewage systems for dealing with human waste the numbers of people dying from cholera, dysintery, etc. dramatically dropped (even now in poorly developed regions). The lack of clean soap and water ensured that most soldiers died of infection during the Civil War. In the 1800’s doctors (finally) realized that merely washing their hands while delivering babies saved many mothers and babies lives.  And most recently the use of antibiotics has saved millions of lives - although not without a cost. Looking at the C-virus from that perspective, it seems we humans, are always on the run from something. A great read and PBS tv series that came out 10-15 years ago is “Guns, Germs and Steel,” by Jared Diamond, which chronicles a lot of this stuff in a very understandable, but a bit fatalistic, manner. 

The day's collection 

Comparisons

Being somewhat Socialistic, CR has a large Social Security Department here to help the elderly, retired and incapacitated. Another part of their jurisdiction is dealing with housing issues, including providing housing for low income and needy people. The CR government has been building little barrios out of relatively inexpensive, modest homes comprised of a cement floor that is usually tiles, cement panel walls, and tin roof as well as plumbing, sewer and water supply. I understand it takes a few years though. Although it is seriously backlogged for “optional surgeries and the like, Costa Rica’s health system is available to everyone either free or for nominal cost. The medical facilities are first rate, and, like most socialized medical systems (Canada and the UK come to mind) those who can afford it will pay for faster, non essential procedures. We do have a friend who has been waiting for an “elective” procedure for a painful knee problem - case in point.

The product of our days without water
because the nearby watermelon patch hogs it all

Time for Contemplation

Even though the wifi is weak, I am able to usually keep up on the news via the NY Times online (give or take a day or two). We also watch the TV news here to try and stay abreast of what’s happening in the world. In addition to the devastating health effects, the economic impact is just as serious. If the virus doesn’t get you, the failing economy around the world will certainly have its go at you. I feel fortunate to be retired and have a pretty decent income from the pension and Social Security, but I can’t help but wonder how long can all this continue without it affecting my income, along with hundreds of thousands of others, too. Scary thoughts. Then I read about the tragedy of many farmers having to ditch their crops and dairy farmers, their milk - while so many people desperate for food. That was the first time I cried after reading about the 

virus and the trail of destruction it leaves behind. The word tragedy takes on a much fuller meaning in these circumstances.

Interruption

I need to interrupt my “virus” thoughts for a moment because it’s dusk (5:17pm) and everything has a peachy glow. We’ve been calling it “crema,” (Eli’s word for it). As I scan across the water it is still sunny to the south, then mixed with clouds, and from the north, dark rain cloud drift closer. It’s a gentle rain now, so the sun is glowing through the raindrops, and everything is golden tinged. As darkness envelops the rain intensifies, drumming on the metal roof and streaming down in tiny rivulets from the corrugation of the roof.

Back to Virus…

It’s also interesting, and very depressing, to see what the true ramifications of the virus will be, not only to peoples’ health, but the economy. Easy for me to say from my breezy deck overlooking a beautiful Gulf… The suffering of people cooped up indoors for weeks, months,  the stress of worrying not only about their health, but whether they will have money for food, shelter, medicine, utilities, education for children, communication… the list goes on.  I’d like to think this is a wake up call for humankind to assess what is really important for a good safe and healthy life, and each country’s government and leaders will make the appropriate improvements. Dream on, right?

April 15

Illegal Visitors

Two weeks ago, Eli and his family came out to stay for four days. Technically we broke the quederse su casa (stay in your home) rule. We wanted to tackle a few projects that included installing a QUIET ceiling fan (replacing the noisy one I couldn’t sleep with) in our sleeping area, helping get rid of the huge termite nest, and a myriad of little projects. I’m sure it was a nice break for them because they’ve been confined to their little house in steamy Golfito for a couple of weeks. This was our first time hosting that number of people in the guest container. The patio became the common area for meals and general hanging out. Meanwhile, Ray and I still had our private living area on the deck. We also used the “Tico” outdoor sink for dishes, which was very convenient. So all in all it is a good design.

Back to School Days

Not only did Eli’s wife, Juanita come, but his son Josue and his 6 year old daughter. That meant we had Maleska and Briana visiting, as well, for the four days. It was actually fun (if not exhausting) having the girls here. I dragged out the couple of kids books I own, along with pencils crayons and paper. They started off practicing their letters, but it quickly evolved into stylized drawing of hearts, rainbows and stick figures with huge heads. Very appropriate for kid drawings of that age all over the world. They put in considerable time playing on the patio’s seesaws and swings, and when that got old, I took them for beach walks. I’ve been collecting shells, but I tell the kids they’re for “King Kong.” So when we return they make him close his eyes, lead him to bag, spill its contents, and he feigns surprise and delight when he sees what they collected. It’s a crowd pleaser. The kids love it. Pretty sweet. 

Learning Some Basics of Life

I really enjoyed watching how these three girls had to work out sharing (all essentially only children, but with sporadic half siblings). Not easy, and there were plenty of adult interventions. Also, my two little neighbors are barefoot, hardy, very active little girls. essentially living outdoors and at the beach. They start the day off clean with combed hair, but quickly get dirty, with wild hair flying. In contrast, Keiren, Josue’s daughter, is regularly combed, showered, with clean clothes. You can imagine it was quite a stretch for Keiren to keep up physically with the other two, but she was a trooper. Climbing tree stumps, making sand castillos (castles) paddling in the sea and writing in the sand. These little girls were on the go the entire day. Me too! 

PS: It was great to have the company, but we were quite happy to be alone again.

NOTE: I’m quite behind in writing and publishing this because of my poor wifi, so I’m at a friend’s house defying the “stay at home” rule. 

March 15

Reflecting…

It’s close to noon and there’s lots of shade and a cool(ish) breeze sweeping up from the ocean. Ray’s off surfing, I just hung up several loads of laundry, bleached and cleaned off the walkways and the shower. So it’s time to relax, and watch a scarlet macaw munching on some newly sprouted leaves from the tree across the street. 

Unusual for macaws, this one is solo, but still squawking up a storm. In the trees along the quebrada (stream) next to us is a flock of parakeets that continuously chatter noisily. I look out across the water to the Osa Peninsula - not a boat in sight (except the fishing boats on the beach).

Aside from Ray surfing, we’ve been staying close to home, as have many others with the virus scare. CR is pretty much shut down like most of the world. There doesn’t seem to be much hoarding going on, (yet) and local stores seem pretty well supplied. Not much traffic, borders are closed and Gringos that can stay longer are remaining here instead of going back to their home countries.  Tourism has dried up, which makes the local surfers happy since there’s less competition for waves.

waiting for some rain

Lots of surf, but no riders

Eli is out for a few days, so yesterday he spent the day chopping hedges and weed whacking the grass. It inspired me to do some heavy trimming as well, so the place is looking pretty spiffy. Today he’s on a couple of projects indoors. including a new kitchen light. Now we can see all the bug poop! Yet another cleaning project! 

lots of fruit

Eduardo, our local farmer brings us produce

Some Really Bad Days For Me….

Two weeks ago I started a few projects which involved sanding and preparing some wood planks, also the newish couch on the upper deck, and several large bowls that I planned to varnish. Last week I ordered what I thought was varnish, brought it home, couldn’t quite figure out the label in Spanish, and got to work. After a couple of planks I realized this was not the correct product. 

Our local lizard

my lobster claw

Next I found an old can of what appeared to be varnish in the bodega, so I thinned it out and applied it to everything. Looked good, but after three days it was still tacky.  Very disheartening. Upon really scrutinizing the label I realized that I had been using Part B of a two part epoxy resin - without the Part A.  So I currently have all this beautiful sticky wood that I am gradually wiping clean a little at a time with thinner. PS: After going through a gallon of thinner, numerous rags, and probably poisoning myself, I finally removed all the nasty stuff, and am now using the proper varnish. It pays to scrutinize the labels, and to use my translator! Finally, everything looks pretty good. 

Horse rolling 

Horses at the river

Earthshake

A couple of weeks ago, I was quietly reading on the deck, when the deck began shaking as if Ray was stomping around. Then the entire deck and container started swaying, and the metal doors and windows rattled and groaned. Like a wave it continued for about a minute then subsided. This is actually a pretty common occurrence here, but pretty cool, too. CR is geologically quite lively, with several active volcanoes within a few hundred miles from here, and lots of tremors, some pretty strong.  Just nature’s way of letting us know that we, humans, cannot control everything. 

cleaned out pantry!

The  call of the wild

March 21

Micky Dee’s Everywhere and the C Virus

We religiously watch the evening news here, which is our most reliable way to stay abreast of what’s happening both here in CR and the world. (and we might even learn some Spanish!!!) The news is heavily peppered with ads from the govt and private industry urging people to stay home, wash hands, etc, as well as McDonald’s ads promoting their delivery and take out services. Mc D’s are really squeezing into a niche left open by the C virus. Amazing! I am finding myself almost obsessively checking my NY Times online news, even though it’s sometimes a few days old due to our poor wifi connection.

There are many heartfelt ads perpetuating the governments orders regarding the C 19 virus. Some are emotional, filled with grandparents and puppies ( Hallmark type), others are very creative cartoons - which probably catch the youngish segment of society, then there are a number of celebrity types -  individually, and or groups and teams with the same messages. Then a whole load of thank you’s from business leaders, celebrities, politicians, business employees like bakeries, medical staff and regular people on the street. Clapping, holding up banners and signs - it really does foster a sense of community - real or imagined. 

howler

another jungle creature

Meanwhile, we had a shopping extravaganza yesterday at the border yesterday. The big stores are open, but you can’t enter or leave without someone spraying your hands with alcohol. Many smaller, mom and pop stores were closed. And all the liquor stores are closed. Very few people in the shops and on the road, which made the trip very efficient. Interesting that in the Chinese owned hardware stores that we visited all the employees were masked. Could it be they are sensitive to the “China virus” attitude? Anyway, we are well provisioned for weeks, including about 75 pounds of dog food!

From Briana’s Eyes

Since there is no school ,our little neighbor, Briana, is here quite often. I sometimes wonder what she thinks of her Gringo friends. Certainly she enjoys contorting herself with us during yoga sessions. She and her cousin, Maleska always seem to need to use our toilet religiously when visiting. Is it the magnets holding up cleaning supplies that they always manage to re-distribute? The swinging couch and hammock provide ample opportunities for climbing and movement, as do the swings and seesaws? Is it the fascination with feeding the birds old bananas and papaya skins? Did she report the incident when I collided with Ray and the plate full of the omelet that she and I had just cooked, went flying? Then Ray scoped it up off the floor and ate it. (15 second rule - and I HAD just swept and washed the floor!) She loves to help out, so I try to come up with little chores such as cleaning, preparing food, sweeping, watering plants, etc., while infusing some English lessons. (It’s the teacher in me) We also have a huge collection of pretty neat rocks that Ray has collected, many with fossils in them, that she frequently rearranges and organizes. All the while she’s chattering and singing. 

Briana and her coconut drink

At low tide it's easier to ride on the beach

Word Games and my Old Brain

I’ve become quite addicted to a word game that does not require a strong wifi signal. I find it somewhat stimulating, and relaxing, but Spanish words keep popping into my mind which are not accepted in this English vocabulary game. Such a problem! I find it interesting, and very cool, that when I get stumped, I leave the game along for a while, then often, when I return, new words come popping into my head to complete the game. HOWEVER, this is not happening when I study Spanish. I feel like a memory care patient sometimes - every study time is new. 

March 25 (Wednesday - I had to look up what day it is - obviously a recurring event with me, along with losing my cell phone, glasses and other necessary items)

another illegal beach walk with the kids

As a culture, when the decision for the “light” lockdown was made last week the Ticos responded. They seem to be keeping the necessities available in the bigger stores, and everyone seems to respecting the 6 foot space rule, and no handshakes (which is hard - even for me). It is killing Ray that the surf has been pretty spectacular this week, and the beaches are closed. Police tape at the beaches, even!

The total for all of CR today is (March 25) 201 confirmed cases and 2 deaths. So far. yesterday was 160, so the 40 person jump is a lot. I have to keep in mind who, and how many people are tested, and do they have their results back yet, because that can definitely skew the numbers. 

Land of Macaws

Meanwhile, in the “Hood.” There have been a group of three macaws that have been hanging out for a couple of weeks nearby. I’m suspecting it’s the same 3 - maybe parent of a young offspring from last year(s). There are lots of fruity and nutty things in the surrounding trees, especially their favorite - beach almonds - so, it’s a smogashborg. Meanwhile, the red butt families are in full swing. I found three nests with eggs in the garden, and there are still fat begging babies around the feeder. These guys are pretty prolific. The howler family came down the mountain and spent a couple of loud night with us.

our neighbor pulls his panga out of the surf

It seems that every tree around us is, or has bloomed in the past two months. Each with its own distinct but loaded fragrance. When a 60 foot tree is in full bloom, even if the flowers are not showy, the scent permeates the entire neighborhood, mostly during the evening. My heliconias (from the roadsides) are in full bloom, and my herb seedlings have all been flattened and flooded out from a heavy downpour the other night. 

Squirrel in My Lap

Until the past couple of years I never noticed squirrels here. Then every once in a while I would notice large dark ones in the quebrada (creek) trees nearby. Recently, I’ve seen one or two grey squirrels, like the ones in NY, hanging around. Yesterday, while enjoying the morning light and my coffee, I heard a loud thump, and a grey squirrel fell/jumped off the roof, scampered up a deck support beam and literally jumped onto my lap, before running across the deck and jumping into a tree. Scared the living cr*ap out of me. (him or her too!)

More Insect News….Or, The Jungle Wants to Reclaim….

Mother Nature’s decomposers are extremely efficient, and tenacious.

Biting Ants

When I was previously grumbling about insects, I forgot to bitch about the tiny ants that bite. Similar to the reaction of Florida’s obnoxious stinging ants that leave an itchy welt for a couple of weeks, it seems that almost every ant in CR, great and small, inflicts the same powerful, annoying bite.

Vespers

I did a major clean out of the pantry the other day.  No sooner had I put all the dishes and spices back, my little yellow footed (well, not so little) wasp climbed up under a dish rack and started to craft another mud tube. I’ve already knocked down about five in and around the kitchen. You have to give these little creatures credit - they are persistent, and hard working. 

Termites

I’m in a full out war on termites. I think I finally killed the nest in the Cocobolo tree that had been growing exponentially. Probably killed off a lot of brain cells, too, spraying that nasty sh*t.  Meanwhile, I’ve been painting and sewing in the guest container. A few days ago I noticed some termite damage in the floor, so upon investigation, I found LOTS of areas where these these bastards have been chewing away. I got out the poison spray and went to work. The biggest hurdle is getting to the container supports to douse the ground, so they won’t get up into the container. I remember when we stayed in Puerto Rico we had stored a huge wooden trunk under the stairs. After several months when we pulled it out, the entire trunk was shredded. Anyway, I can be persistent - so watch out termites! 

March 28 Saturday

Time is “March” - ing by. I can’t believe it’s almost April. We are still around 90 degrees and sunny every day, but a few very brief evening showers are creeping in, plants and trees are sprouting new leaves and flowers, and the sunsets are more spectacular because of the evening clouds. 

Illegal Surfing

Fortunately for Ray the waves have been so big this week that he’s been able to walk across the street and surf a little. He joins Lalo’s sons who grew up surfing here, so he’s quite content. The public beaches are still all taped off and patrolled by the police. So, I’m living with a criminal!!!

Call of the Wild

Ray has a conch shell that he picked up cruising in the Caribbean that he likes to blow at sunset, kind of a corny tradition. Now, Denis, across the street, reciprocates most evenings. This has evolved to them “honking” each other if either wants to go surfing, as well. Of course, they do have cell phones, and could actually yell across the street, but blowing into shells must be tapping into a more primal need. 

Total confirmed cases in CR 258 (March 28 up 57 in 3 days), and two 80 + year old people have died. It’s interesting to watch the tallies around the world. There are so many variables, but it does appear that the social distancing and isolation is helping. We’ll see if that’s the case here, too.

April Fools Day

Anxiety Creeps in

(Virus tallies - March 31 - 331 confirmed cases - up 74 in 3 days.) I’ve been almost addicted to the news, which isn’t always a good thing. Reading about the incompetencies, ignorance and politics makes me feel very anxious and pretty angry. Then I read about the thousands of people in some of the Third World ( and other) countries and it’s more like despair. I suppose in an historic sense this is just another wave of tragedy for humanity, and as evolution decrees, the strongest will survive. But on a personal level for millions of people the word “tragedy” isn’t a powerful enough description. 

Can’t Take the Teacher Out of Me

I’ve been trying to utilize some teachable moments when the girls visit. Yesterday, I began slightly more formal lessons, initially with Maleska, as we worked on writing and identifying letters of the alphabet. I hope it’s a bit of a break for their mom, and a sense of purpose for me, as well. I also really do enjoy being around kids, so I get my kid “fix” at the same time. 

seat cover repair

Frustrations

We’re getting a little more cloud cover, but virtually no rain yet, so it’s still very hot, even at night. The average temperature during the day is hovering around 90, so sweat is the operative word. The plants and trees are still droopy, and I feel like we’re all waiting for the rains to come. Me, for some heat relief, and nature, for some nourishment. 

For the first time, today, I am feeling a little antsy.  I’m very good at keeping myself occupied and content, but we’re in our second day without water - which gets old pretty fast. We keep thinking that the water is being diverted by the watermelon farmers down the street, but when it goes into the second day, I think there’s another issue. Ray’s going to investigate. Certainly not the first time, we always have lots of containers for emergencies, but it would be nice to take a long, cool, refreshing shower, rather than a few dribbled scoops from the bucket. Usually, we shower 2-3 times a day to stay fresh and somewhat cool, so I’m a little hot and getting stinky. Of course, in a few weeks we’ll be inundated with rain and bitching about the mud! First world problem! The wifi, or lack of it is another irritant for me. And, it really would be nice to get together with the few friends that I have here. The virus has squashed my plans of reaching out more socially as my stay is considerably longer this time than others. Again, first world problem!

Once I get moving, either for a walk, or a project, I’m fine. But sometimes getting motivated is a bit of a struggle. So Im forcing myself to take a walk - always pleasurable.

PS: The water came back on just as I finished writing. 

Stay well and be careful.