March 8 Welcome Home
I arrived back home in CR early March to pink blossomed trees everywhere, baby birds cheeping away, my garden having flourished during my absence and…. greatly improved roads - some parts even blacktopped. With temperatures hovering near 90 it’s been very warm. Not too much relaxing - Lots to do: doctors appointments for Ray, car repairs, shopping, fretting and tending to Mama’s sore leg, lots of “spring” cleaning and organizing, driveway improvement, and other assorted domestic “events.”
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| Our new and greatly improved bridge Finally, the dozer is filling in the narrow road between the new culverts |
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| You would not want to drive off the edge into the ditch |
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| Pink and white blossoming trees everywhere |
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| Even along the beach |
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| This new bridge required this temporary one before the real one is built. |
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| This was the temporary bridge coming in by truck some months ago. |
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| Getting closer - the road on the way to Pavones about 7 miles out is now paved. Rumor has it that our road will eventually be paved also. I have mixed feelings because it will mean more traffic, and moving much faster. On the other hand, the idea of no more dust, and smoother surfaces is quite alluring. |
The Beach
I began my daily beachwalks immediately accompanied by the usual pack of our dogs and up to four or five “neighbors.” Early morning is tranquil: shady and cool with the ocean’s surface mirror-like; midday, a strong breeze and crashing surf under a blazing sun is much more dynamic; while later, before dusk, the wind and waves calm down under a golden sky back to tranquility.
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| Zsa Zsa watches for pelicans - we know she will never catch one, but it's fun trying |
I mostly have the beach to myself. But an occasional stroller, motorcyclist or even a herd of cattle sometimes occupies the same space briefly.
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| Beachgoers often build temporary shelters from driftwood and palm fronds |
Big Ray Update
I was pleasantly surprised at how healthy Ray looks, and is, when I returned. His leg is healing very well, and several “Frankenstein” scars are very diminished. He has been walking the beach and swimming regularly, as well as I suspect, infrequent yoga. A big relief for me. I see his endurance is still low, but improving daily. Quite a difference from 10 months ago! It’s probably just as well that he neglected to tell me about another somewhat minor cellulitis outbreak in January which would have sent me into another panic attack. As importantly, he has mellowed out considerably - another big relief (for me).
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| Ray is now wearing protective "surfer tights" and booties to protect his feet and legs. It's been a long time coming - ha! He's been a little discouraged because he's having trouble getting up on the board. BUT I keep reminding him of where he was this time last year. More walking and yoga! |
March 17
Right now I am enjoying a “cocktail” on the deck with a fresh breeze sweeping up from the beach. Lots of bird families with recently hatched fledglings are hiding in the bushes nearby. At least four nests of tanagers hatched recently. Too big for the nests now, the babies lurk in the nearby shrubs, waiting for their" take out" dinner to arrive. The “supermercado,” as we call the bird feeder, is bustling with parents collecting their babies’ next meals. Some 4-6 day old babies are braving the great outdoors to fly hesitantly to the feeder. Even then, they still beg to be fed from their parents - fluttering their wings and sounding desperately pathetic. The menu “du jour” is watermelon rind, ripe bananas and plantains. If only consuming bananas the “flock” gets through 5-8 small bananas a day.
Lying at my feet is Zsa Zsa who wants to be always within a few feet, while Boquette, the dirt dog, is under the container collecting debris in her unruly coat. Dry and cool, under the container is a favorite spot for the whole canine neighborhood. Although we don’t encourage it, we often host Whiskers next door (Boquette’s papa), and Tyson from across the street, as well.
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| The deck at sunset |
Poor Mama Dog is also underneath lying in the body pit that the dogs have excavated under the container. She is lying low because she is nursing a large cancerous tumor on her thigh that is probably going to get the better of her soon. She still has an appetite and wants to accompany us on walks at the beach so I’m using those as criteria for quality of life, for now. But I know eventually we’ll have a tough decision to make.
Moving Days
The past couple of weeks have been a blur, beginning with moving out of the RV in Florida, then onto NC to help Dad move into his new abode. Moving always involves more than the literal word. There were many emotional moments going through piles of photos i mistakenly thought had been sorted and downsized years ago, miscellaneous papers, clothes and items accumulated over the years, kitchen, bathroom “stuff,” and the more obvious furniture, bedding, etc. One of saddest was going through Dad’s clarinets and sheet music that has been very dear to him for the past 35 years. The actual move took many back and forth trips along the halls of College Walk pushing a hotel style valet dolly piled high with tipsy boxes and personal items. Terry and I starting dreading running into Kevin, the manager, who kept reminding us that the operative work is “downsizing.” We were feeling positively guilty by the last few loads.
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| Dad tries out his new electric recliner |
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| Ahh, that's better! |
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| Terry and Ron in front of "The Church." Their latest acquisition for Ron's magic restoration touch! |
The timing was good for me to be in NC when the move took place as I was able to help Terry and Dad with the move, before heading back to CR. There was a very strong melancholy undercurrent to it all.
At 92 we all know that Dad isn’t going to live forever, but seeing him struggling to remember recent events and his deafness are grim reminders of his mortality. Neither Terry nor I fully appreciated how isolated he has been for a year now, which hasn’t helped. It made us wonder if things would be different without his isolation. The stories of how Covid has made life very difficult for so many, and lethal in some cases, has hit close to home. When I spoke to Dad last night he complained of being bored, as everything is closed down still because of Covid. Let’s hope that changes very soon as everyone there has now been vaccinated.
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| Almost full moon rises behind us |
CR Covid Updates
Of course, the day before I left FL i was called to come in for a vaccine. Then this morning I received another appointment both from Manatee County.
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| Washing out our mask collection |
We recently discovered that now CR is presumably done with vaccinating the essential folks, they are starting at the 90’s folks and working down. Since it’s rural here, a person brings the vaccine door to door. Especially helpful as many people, especially the elders do no drive, and may be homebound. What a humane and practical approach. And by the way, everyone here wears a mask and washes their hands before entering even the tiniest store. (with no political overtones, or defiance!) What a pleasure.
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| The local vegetable truck. Twice a week it comes down from San Vito in the mountains where the climate allows most produce to be grown. Onions, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, beans, peppers, yuca, potatoes, tomatoes, herbs such as parsley, basil, etc. and local fruit - pineapples, papayas, oranges, bananas, plantains, limes. Not necessarily organic, but every fresh and tasty. They supply the local supermarkets as well. A few smaller competitors come through with less choices in smaller trucks or out of the trunks of their cars. |
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| Unfortunately, we have to stay vigilant for termites, which create dirt tunnels from the ground up into any wooden material, including our deck. This requires removing their tunnels and spraying the ground where they emerge. I'm the chosen one because I can crawl around inder the deck and get into small tight spaces. Yuck! |
March 30, 2021
I’ve been meaning to write for several weeks, but life has gotten in the way. There’s this work ethic/sense of duty type thing that’s imbedded in my psyche….. or something. Anyway, before I get involved in a writing, photo, drawing, or even calling friends, I feel I need to complete projects such as cooking, cleaning, laundry. Not that I’m on any time or work schedule at all, but the self imposed ones creep forward and put me on automatic. I think some of this stems from having worked for most of my life, and needing a sense of purpose and accomplishment. (even from cleaning!)
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| Dehydrating our homegrown bananas |
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| We recently converted the swinging couch to one with legs. Much more stable. |
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| We look down from the deck to my lobster claw heliconias every day - beautiful! |
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| Five pinas ripe at the same time. Smoothies, dehydrated, and fresh... |
Anyway, I did laundry, some light cleaning and made a big batch of granola. Even used some dried fruit from our dehydrator. The front deck is a little noisy and dusty from the holiday beach traffic. Since the sun is setting making our deck very bright and hot I’ve moved to my woodland retreat - the upper deck of the guest container. Shady, cool, nice view and quieter. It's a whole different environment.
I’m still bragging and marveling that I have wifi. I paired the speaker to my phone, dialed in Spotify and I’m enjoying some music at a hearty volume. Very high 80’s into early 90’s - but a cooling breeze and shade. And in the nearby treetop our howler monkey family just arrived, very noisily I might add.
Remembering “Mama” Dog
I first want to get to my “memorial writing” for Mama as she died recently. My second "doggie" memorial in less than a year. Last Friday we took Mama to the vet yet again because she had a very nasty sore that wouldn’t heal. This has been yet another cancer, along with numerous others - some had been removed months before. I had been somewhat preparing for this moment knowing that things would get worse. When the vet said it was pretty hopeless (my interpretation) I asked them to euthanize her. It was very sad, but I felt that her quality of life has not been very comfortable for her for sometime. She’s had to wear the collar for months, and she hated it. She stopped coming for beach walks because she couldn’t walk well. Plus with cancer there would be no recovering. I was glad I had brought a few slices of ham, which she loves. So after her last snack and nuzzle I let her go. I guess it’s still raw because writing this is bringing on the tears.
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| She loved to sleep in the sun, sometimes on Ray's surfboard |
Disposing
A humorous moment came when the vet told us we would need to dispose of the body. We had a full plate that day with a number of chores ahead of us in Golfito and then onto the border, so we wouldn’t be home until supper. The thought of a decaying dog body in the steaming car all day, then dealing with the actual burial in the dark yard flashed across my mind with dread. Eli bailed us out by offering to bury her alongside the many dogs that have resided with him over his entire lifetime in Golfito. I figure she’s got lots of company there.
Looking at the Past
So I’ve been looking through my photos for shots of Mama, but, of course, sorting through thousands of photos took me down the "nostalgia rabbit hole" for a couple of days looking at every photo on the phone and the computer. How young we looked when….look how much the plants have grown……… beach looks the same, etc. Ray and I vowed to have a couple of photo evenings soon.
I was hoping to find some very early photos of Mama when we used to walk or bicycle from Pavones to the property, but no luck. Beginning about ten years ago Ray and I would bring a picnic lunch, and miraculously, Mama would always appear with the most pleading look. This was even before we had the driveway and water put in. As we spent more time at the property, and then finally began construction, she was ours. When we moved in, so did Mama. During construction she bore two puppies, but one died. The survivor still lives a couple of miles away.
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| Mama with her son from a previous litter |
The following year we had recently moved into to the container and Mama gave birth again. She was quite crafty. She initially spent a lot of time creating a lair under a pile of brush. Then at the last minute she actually delivered in a drainage culvert at the top of the backyard. A few weeks later on Easter Sunday’s night we had a huge downpour in the middle of the night. Above the hammering of the rain I thought I heard a sound. When I got up and walked in the back I found two soaked, wailing puppies wandering aimlessly. The rest is history. I had to bring them up to the container and dry them off. Mama showed up to feed them and they all settled down nicely on the deck.
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| Because she had skin cancer we tried to keep the "collar of shame" on her to prevent her nibbling and licking the lesions. She spent her last months like this. Very sad. |
The Rest is History
And for the most part that’s where they have stayed. We were able to keep a gate up to prevent the sand and mud on the deck. First Boquette figured out how to squeeze through the gate and sneak up on the deck every night. We pretended not to notice. Then during Ray’s hospitalization I took the gate down because I wanted the company and potential protection, if needed. The gate still resides alongside the container wall taking up space, while Boquette sleeps on a rocking chair, and Zsa Zsa, and formerly, Mama, nestle down in their beds near our door (on the deck, of course).
Mama, the Brava Dog
Now, don’t get too sentimental here, because there was a scrappy, almost aggressive part to our little Mama, and she had many scars to show for it. Certain dogs would set her off and she could be pretty nasty. One time she got in the way of our neighbor's two dogs, one in heat. She either got in the way accidentally, or she was just pissed - but that skirmish resulted in a five day vet’s stay. Then she was bitten by a poisonous snake, and barely survived. So she has had at least a few lives. As most dogs are, she was very patient, loving and loyal with us. And she also mellowed a lot over the years and often stayed very close if we encountered an unknown dog on our walks. She really had a very sweet disposition and stoically put up with numerous cleaning and attending to her wounds at the end.
Bien Viaje
So we miss her, but I feel her passing was a relief from pain and future discomfort, as well as her difficulty walking, which would only get worse. I also feel we gave her a very good life, and maybe even extended it somewhat.
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| She will live on through "the girls" |
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