I would write an update but I am too busy having fun.

I did my best to arrange a light schedule but that isn't working too well. Kaye got here last night and we took off running this morning and haven't stopped. I put a meal in the crockpot but with everything we have eaten today we definitely don't need it. We took off for Los Patios late this morning but before we left Dora came and invited us to coffee at 3:00pm today. We walked to Los Patios and part way there Emilio called and we agreed to meet for lunch at 1:30pm at the restaurant by the gas station. 

The pools weren't that busy but the water was nice and warm. It was a little after 1:00 when we walked back to meet Emilio and had a great lunch. We walked back to the Swiss shop because - can you believe it - I had nothing to take with me to coffee. I had even thought of taking deviled eggs as I do have some hard boiled eggs, but I wasn't sure I had enough time to make them. I found a loaf of banana cake and bought that. Coffee was Papa, Dora, Marta, Flora, Ana, Gerardo and Mario, Kaye and me. We did lots of laughing. Before heading home we checked out the hammock bridge and the hardware and appliance stores. Gerardo was in the hardware store and gave us a complete tour. We also checked out the bakery and bought a treat.

Tomorrow is a full day adventure with Emilio to San Jose. We leave on the bus at 7:15am.

Kaye is such a party pooper. She is already in her pajamas and thinks it is time for bed. It is 6:37pm!

Changes since I started this. Emilio has to make changes in his final presentation for university so we won't be doing our adventure to San Jose. We don't mind that we can sleep in a bit. Instead of going to bed at 6:37pm we played a couple games of Quiddler and did some Facetime calls. We won't talk about who won the games.

Gerardo has talked about taking us up to the mountain house so maybe that will work tomorrow since we have some free time.

She likes my porch.

It has been a busy few days.

Friday Ana and Gerardo came over and invited me to coffee at Dora's house at 2:30 on Friday. Ana demonstrated clapping and music so I knew something was going on. I had a loaf of the banana strawberry bread I made on Thursday so I was in good shape and didn't need to hurry and make something. I did include a jar of each jelly, the mora/strawberry and the mango/strawberry. I gave Dora the loaf of bread and gave Marta a choice of the jellies. She took the mango and I gave the mora to Flors. It took me a little time to figure out it was a birthday party for Ana. She was given flowers and there was a decorated cake and each of the ladies brought some form of bread or sweet. There was so much and it was all great. I also met a university exchange student who is staying with Ana for 3 weeks. Her name is Sarah and she teaches English and French. She will graduate when she returns to Pennsylvania and then go to France to teach English for a year while looking for a long term job.

Saturday morning I caught the 7:45am bus to Paraiso for the feria. When I went to call Emilio to let him know I was there, I discovered I was out of minutes so I made a little detour to the Kolbi shop to add some. Only took a couple minutes and I was on my way. I told Emilio I would start at the mora stand. I bought 3 bags and no sign of him so I continued on. I wanted to get bread for his house and mine and flowers for his mother and to welcome Kaye and lemons. The flowers were next and I got 2 lovely mixed bunches and then the bread. The young man remembered me and said figs. He is so nice. I got two loaves and along came Emilio. We headed for the empanada stand and ordered meat. I got meat and he got potato. They are all so good, nice and crispy. We got the lemons back by the bread stand and headed to his house eating as we walked.

Another big meal! Rosa had made chai mix so we had hot chai tea with lots of milk. They know I love chai. She was making tortillas and made egg tortilla and served the tortilla with some egg and a slice of tomato. After several of those we had tortilla with tahini and marinated vegetables that they are using for a new vegetarian pizza. There was also fig cake. It was all so great. I was invited to stay for lunch also but I declined as I had lots to do to get ready for Kaye's arrival on Monday. I have lots of mangoes, mora, 2 bags of strawberries so I want to make some fruit bread and jelly. The guayaba are starting to ripen so I will soon be able to make more of that.

It's Sunday evening and the house is clean. Earlier today Gerardo was here and I told him I wanted to invite him and all the ladies for coffee and bread on Friday at 3:00pm. He started sending messages and asked me how many people. I said I don't care. I have been invited so many times to Dora's house and to gatherings here and I haven't reciprocated so this will be an opportunity to do that. We don't have anything scheduled for Friday so this should be lots of fun. All the ladies bring things so I don't need to do tons of cooking. I haven't figured out how to have coffee for that many but I am sure it will all work out. If Sarah is here she can help with translating and I have asked Emilio and I will ask Jose.

We have so many fun things planned. Tuesday is Los Patios, Wednesday is an adventure with Emilio (I think San Jose and a train and Uber are involved), Thursday is massage and the craft ladies, you heard about Friday, Saturday is the feria and we will see what Sunday brings. Monday is another massage for her and off to the airport hotel. We also have to schedule naps. We are retired you know. I think it is her third time retiring.

There is starting to be a little activity around the feeder but not much yet around the bath or waterer. I have to be a little patient.

The soccer pole by my house is down! The view is now open. I didn't put this picture first so I wouldn't upset any soccer players. They take it very seriously here.

Gerardo called me over this morning and showed me a nest up in the greenery over the little apt. He got a ladder and took my iPad up to take pictures. We think they are the national bird, yiguirros, also known as clay colored robin.

That is one hungry birdie.

I rearranged the front porch and love having the love seat down there. I have one end of the hammock unhooked - that's the strap you see hanging. There is room to hook it back up when I want to use it. I have a bowl of strawberries to clean and slice as soon as I finish this.

My second stretch of looking like a boy.

It was a busy but very good day. I took samples of the mora strawberry jelly to Ana and Oscar and since they both liked it I gave the jar to Ana who took it to Tia. We have a new item planted in La Quinta - camote, which is sweet potato. I have tons of tomatoes on the plants in the pot. I made 2 loaves of Banana Strawberry bread, one for the craft ladies coffee and packed it and a few other things including strawberry mango and mora strawberry jelly for Douglas up in my red bag and headed for Cartago. My first stop was ABC Bazaar for more jelly jars. I headed to Ziomara's yarn shop to show her what I had for her and to see if I could get a hair cut next door. Ziomara explained Johana's mother in law had died and she and her mother were at the funeral. I asked if there was another employee that could do it and we went next door and yes, she could take me right away. She asked if I wanted it the same as last time and I said yes. Ziomara explained what I wanted and then left for the bank. It seemed to be going along pretty well when I noticed an area sticking out. The lady doing the manicure spoke a little English and it turned out she lives in Orosi and would ask me if I wanted it shorter all over the top. Well, I didn't really want it shorter but I did want it to match and not have one area sticking out. The problem all seems to be solved and now I have short hair on top and that is about it. When Emilio saw it he said I like it, would you like me to color it for you? I am just not that brave. In some places he would probably have to paint it on my head!

Thank heavens hair grows. This cut should last a good long time,

After the haircut Ziomara and I went to a soda at the market. We had mora drinks and she had a chicken Casado where you pick the side dishes you want. I had a great beef soup which was way too much food. You get a plate that is beef, carrot, little corn on the cob, potato, chayote and camote. You also get a bowl of rice and a bowl of liquid. There was another piece of camote in the liquid. You dip the bites in the liquid. It was all very good and flavorful, but way too much. Oh, also tortillas.

I suggested Ziomara go back to the yarn shop and leave me at the market. I came away with 6 mangoes, 2 bags of strawberries and a guanabana. That is a fruit I haven't experienced. The name in English is Soursop. Ziomara says it is loaded with antioxidants and good tasting. We will see! It is soft on the outside and is eaten raw.

From the yarn shop I walked to the Cartago/Paraiso bus which leaves a block from the Orosi buses, behind the church and stops in a handy location for the craft ladies.

They are determined I learn Spanish and they want to learn English so we now write messages in both languages on the chalk board so we can both benefit. We had a good laugh because today the message was very basic and we knew it in 4 languages.

There is a nun from Rome who has been attending the craft group. Today it took me, Iliana and Emilio to help her understand she could take anything she wanted from the things I brought for no charge. When she understood she thanked me and I said con mucho gusto and everyone clapped. I guess they hadn't heard me say that before. They are the nicest group of women and try so hard to communicate with me. I explained to Iliana using her translate program that I ordered a bunch of fabric on connecting threads.com and if they go on the website and tell me what they like I can see if I ordered it or if I need to place another order. 

One of the ladies was selling avocados and I bought two. One of them I managed to squish trying to manage my heavy load.

Emilio and I left about 5:00pm and he headed home and I headed to the bus. It makes everything so much easier for me when he stops in. 

The bus home was completely full with people all along the aisle and even in the entry area. I only had to stand for one stop and then got a seat in the front row. I did learn that old ladies shouldn't go fruit shopping to Cartago and then carry 3 bags - heavy bags - to Orosi. It was quite a juggling act. 

Now let me end with my Heather story. In October she brought 2 pillows so she would have them to use here. One memory foam and one down. She left this time with a really bad allergy/cold and was afraid the down pillow had gotten moldy. She asked me to open up the down pillow and check it out. If it was moldy, throw it away. If it wasn't sew it back up. Now in case you don't know, down is little puffs of fluff. Do you have any idea what happens when it gets let loose? There is definitely no getting it back in and it gets all over everything. I think I may have to hose down the room to get it all.

My friend, Kaye, will be here Monday for a new adventure. We will keep you posted!

Visitors to my dish of food. I now have the water dish hanging up from the soccer frame and a bird bath on the tree stump.

Heather brought some things for Jose to give away including some insulated bags. These are a couple of the recipients.

 

My haul today including the squished avocado.

We are going to work on creating this. I love it and have plenty of plants to put in it.

Gerardo took us to another planet today!

 

There was civilization but not much color. Last night Gerardo stopped over to talk about today. It turned out he would come get us at 10:00am and we would go to Irazu Volcano. It is also possible we will be stopping and having coffee with friends of Gerardo. I decided I better get busy and make something to take along so I made a batch of chocolate drizzled coconut macaroons and a batch of the French Toast Roll Ups. They are great with a cream cheese filling and dipped in cinnamon sugar. They come out of the oven nice and crispy.

Irazu is considered an active volcano, the highest active volcano in Costa Rica. It hasn't erupted since 1994. There are two main craters and it is located 31 kilometers from Cartago. The road was amazing for here and the scenery was really great looking out to Orosi, Paraiso, Cartago and Tres Rios. We stopped along the way to take pictures and look around.

Heather read on a very, very clear day,  which is rare, you can see both the Pacific and the Caribbean.

As you know, Gerardo does not speak a lot of English but he is getting very good at understanding our broken Spanish. At one point as we were driving along we wanted to know the Spanish word for cow. We pointed but he didn't know what we were pointing at.  Heather started saying moo, moo and he got the message and they were both laughing like mad. After that every cow we came across he would moo. 

Heather and Gerardo.

They only let so many cars up at a time because of limited parking so we were stopped and waiting for a while. We were talking and Gerardo mentioned the big dreamcatcher I am working on inside the birdcage holder. I thought it was a good time to say I need fishing line and wire. Heather didn't have any cell service to use her translate program so we were trying to mime and use sign language to get the message across. He understood! Apparently he has both at the hardware store. I will make a trip there tomorrow.

After we left the volcano area we descended most of the way back to Cartago and stopped to visit with friends of Gerardo. They are farmers and have cows and chickens and geese and cats and dogs. Also an assortment of wonderful plants. Here I am in front of a 3 year old Rosemary bush. There were several of them around.

As we were looking around the yard I noticed the chickens and geese and I also noticed feathers. Gerardo went with me into the fenced chicken yard and helped me pick up feathers. At the same time he kept taking pictures he was sending to family members. I am sure they got a good laugh over the crazy gringa lady. I got lots of beautiful feathers that I will wash and use. I want to make a dreamcatcher for them as a thank you and I will use their feathers.

We were invited inside for coffee and we were served a wonderful lunch. Refried beans, tortillas, potatoes and an egg torta. You put everything in the tortilla and eat it. They also used a giant version of the Costa Rican Coffee Maker. There were 7 of us having coffee and she made it all in one batch. There were also several kinds of cookies.

When we were finished Gerardo said we should go with Isabel. Turns out we were going to bring the cows in for the night. They spend the day in the field and come near the house at night. It was lucky they knew the routine because we wouldn't have known what to do if they had headed in the wrong direction or decided they didn't want to go.

These are not milk cows, they are work cows. I went into the house and told Gerardo I tried to milk the cows but no milk but they didn't understand I was just joking.

It was almost 5:00pm by the time we got home. A full day that we thoroughly enjoyed.

Another one of the craters. When it erupted in the 1960's it lasted for 4 years and ash and soot went all the way to Cartago and San Jose.

Tomorrow afternoon Jose will come and get us and we will take Heather to an airport hotel as she flies out early Tuesday. It has been a good visit and is over all too fast.

I have a crop!

4 little tomatoes so far. I am so excited. Yesterday Heather got caught up on her sleep as she had 3 nights of little sleep. We did a few errands around town and had pizza and played Quiddler at the pizza shop. Heather was ahead the whole game and I got a really good hand the last one and won. We started a game - it was the new deck and I had shuffled but it seemed like there were 2 of each letter together so we reshuffled really good and started over. Emilio wants to take us to San Jose on Sunday but we explained we aren't sure when or where we are going with Gerardo. 

Today we are planning on the bus to Cartago to visit Ziomara and give her all the things Heather brought with her but it will depend on how Heather feels. Last night was not a good night for her between my noise and the dogs and the cat on the roof. Sh is a very light sleeper and all the noise bothers her.

I started on my big dreamcatcher yesterday. The outside part of the web is lavender and then purple and then I want to use fish line with beads for the center area. The whole outside will be wire with lots of beads and decorations. It will be quite interesting. I will also add some feathers and ribbons and keep it outside on my front porch.

Oscar came today and mowed. I thought the soccer field was getting a bit ragged looking. Gerardo walked him around the whole area, showing him where I had things growing so nothing got mowed down. 

So far no birds have been trying my buffet so today I changed some things. I put the new bird waterer on the tree stump and Ana brought a platter of fruit and put it under the soccer frame. We want them to eat there instead of in the guayaba tree. We need that fruit for jelly! I am going to restock the birdcage and move it to the avocado tree to see if anyone will try it.

It is a beautiful day in Orosi. Enjoy your weekend.

See, 4 tomatoes.

My project.

I can never go to Cachi with Gerardo again.

Let me tell you about our day so far. I decided this morning since Heather is in my bedroom and that is where the massage bed is and she sleeps late that I would have my massage outside in the soccer field. I thought of the area right in front of my house, but that is close to the courtyard and walkway so I decided the other side of the soccer field by the orange tree and my new pineapple plantation. Gerardo and Ana wondered if Heather was sleeping out there but I explained what it was for and Ana offered to take pictures. I said no photos.

It was great. We were a little concerned it was going to rain but being overcast was better than bright sun. I need a Zaran if I am going to do that more. I loved it. I put the old mattress on a blanket and put a sheet and towels on it. Otto used the oil of magnesium I made for the massage oil. Sometime along the way Gerardo talked to Heather and she knew she agreed to something but didn't know where or when. The next time he came around I asked him and first he invited us to go with him to Cachi and he invited us to go someplace Saturday or Sunday. We aren't sure yet where but I am thinking the park up the mountain or maybe just the lookout that we went to on New Years Day. 

So, we had a half hour to have something to eat and get ready. We looked out and there was Gerardo. We knew we were going in a truck so we thought it was the one inside the front gate. We followed him to Tia's house and I thought oh no I have it wrong again but we said hi to Tia and Ana and went out her front door to another truck. Heather laughed and asked him how many vehicles he has. His answer was yo no se - I don't know. Off we went and stopped and picked up a man - he and his luggage went in the back of the truck. We took him to Gerardo's B & B and while Gerardo got him settled we chatted with Oscar who was doing some concrete work. From there we headed for his store in Cachi. That's where I got in trouble and when he saw what I was doing he just laughed and sat down to indicate I could take my time. 

It started with the bird feeder and bird waterer he showed me. Well I decided I needed the bird waterer and then I went over to some storage units and when he wasn't busy I asked him how much it was for two of them. Once I told him I wanted them I went over to the appliances and bought a coffee maker. I just have a little one that came with the house so now I have a big one. Once everything was loaded we realized there were other things on the truck also and we were going to make deliveries on the way home. We went up - and I mean up - a terrible road and delivered a mattress. Heather really hated the road and whined all the way down. Gerardo was being very careful but did have to laugh at her.

Now we are home for an hour, everything of mine is unloaded and in place and next we will take the bus to Paraiso for the baby shower. 

As we were waiting for the bus, Gerardo drove by and waved. He was in the truck that had been inside La Quinta. He stopped about a half block up the street and was talking with someone. At the same time Heather noticed a man talking to the lady at the Swiss shop and said " isn't that the man we took to the B & B." We heard him say Gerardo so Heather went over and asked if he needed Gerardo. He said yes and she said he is in that truck. He said it is a different truck and she laughed and said he has several.

We had so much fun. The craft ladies loved the things Heather brought. We charged them very good prices since she got it at the Dig and Save. We left what they didn't buy for next week. The baby shower was at a new, cute little coffee shop which serves sandwiches, cakes and a variety of drinks. No chai yet so we had cafe con leche. Lots of cute gifts for the baby

Altogether it was a really good day. We stopped at Rabbit's for a Casado for Heather and headed home.

The burp cloth and bag I made for the baby.

My massage table.

Two of my purchases.

And it's only 11:00am.

Emilio and I were talking about the feria last night. I said I wanted to go this morning and get strawberries and bananas and mora and whatever else hit my fancy. He said he likes it better early and I said how early. He said 8:00am but I know early isn't your thing. I said just because I don't like it doesn't mean I can't do it. I said I would take the 7:45am bus and meet him there. There is a different feel at the market earlier. All the stands are full and no one is bushing and hurrying. I loved it. Definitely worth getting out earlier. Usually I walk the whole place before I buy anything but I did stop at the bread booth. There were two young men there and I pointed to a loaf and asked what was in it. They said higo. I didn't know what that was so I started saying no raisins, dates and before I could say more they pointed to a basket filled with figs. They then asked me how you say it in English and we had a little lesson. Higo and figs. Got my bread and Emilio showed up and off we went.  I got strawberries, bananas, mora, and lemons but they may be limes as they are green inside. Then, since I hadn't had breakfast we went to the empanada stand and they had meat, chicken, potato and bean. I asked for one of each but it turned out we got 2 chicken and no bean. I got coffee and Emilio had a coconut and we sat in the park to eat. They were really good, fried crispy on the outside. I had 1/2 a chicken one and the potato one. I will definitely do that again.

We went on to a shop to look for pool toys for the girls but didn't find anything.

Emilio headed home to finish his school work and I went back to the feria. I got some mango and was very tempted to get guayaba to make jelly but my bag was getting pretty heavy. I did get a bunch of beautiful flowers and a plant to add to my planters.

Next stop was the Maxi as I wanted to get Nutella and they didn't have any here in Orosi. No luck but I did find a few other things to buy. I tried the Super across the street but no luck there either. I did get a small pail with beach toys. I gave up and headed to the bus stop. The bus was very full but I got a seat in the front row.

There is a children's party here at 2:00pm until 6:00pm so I will spend my time inside getting ready for Heather's visit. Tomorrow or Monday I will make strawberry banana bread and some of my peasant bread. The peasant bread is one thing Heather requests. Emilio said didn't she ask for meatloaf. I said not yet, she loves Casados so I don't cook a lot when she is here.

As we are going to a baby shower with the craft ladies next Thursday. I am going to make a small dreamcatcher for the baby. I don't know if it is a boy or girl so I will make a generic pastel one.

Gerardo said it would be fine - in fact perfecto - for us to set up Katherine's pool here for the girls to play. I would love to have it on the grass right in front of my house but I am concerned about the grass dying so we will probably set it up on the grass carpet in the courtyard. It sounds like there aren't any parties for several months after the one today so I won't have to take it down all the time. I do need to get a tarp to cover it.

That's it folks. The refrigerator is well stocked, as are the shelves. The cleaning will be done and fresh linens on the bed, all ready for my hija. 

Statice flowers.

Even if nothing else grows it looks like we will have lots of squash.

These two flowers have been in bloom for ages.

Am I being overly optimistic or could that possibly be a tomato starting?

My three amigos. The one laying down has a broken leg but he  is starting to use it more. I think it is healing.

Cookies for the craft ladies.

My pineapple plantation

I know, it has been a while. But, when it is just so nice and you are just so comfortable maybe you don't do much or go far. I did plant my pineapple plantation yesterday. Jose brought me a bag of good black soil so I finished digging up the area, removed some of the poor soil, put in some black dirt and planted the pineapple tops and put the poor soil on top. Granted, 2 isn't much of a plantation but I have more rooting and I love pineapple. I also have 3 mango seeds wrapped in wet paper towels and zipped up in a Baggie. The video I watched showed roots at 8 days so I will check next week. I planted a bunch of flower and herb seeds and thinned out the cucumbers to two rows. I also thinned the beets and what is maybe dill. I also planted the last of my dill in one of my pots.

Yesterday Katherine and her two girls were here for a couple hours. They don't have a lot of room to play by the hotel and where they live so they love it here. Even Lexi, the one year old, took off crawling across the soccer field. Katherine has a soft sided pool that they aren't using. We are going to see if Gerardo can pick a spot for it and then they will come over Tuesday mornings to play and have a snack. I figure I will get a tarp to cover it.  When Katherine got ready to leave, Courtney came and sat next to me and said she wanted to stay with Gay Lee. They love the hammock and the glider. Heather is looking for a few things to bring so I have things here for them to play with. I want to make Courtney some puppets. I will start with one of the sock bunnies. The snacks yesterday were Banana Muffins.

In the afternoon Emilio called and suggested dinner in Cartago. We agreed I would leave here at 5:15 and he would meet me at the bus stop in Cartago. I was concerned since it would be dark but no worry. He was there. Off we went and had dinner in a cute little place with very good food. We decided next time we will have to include Ziomara. From the bus on the way home we could see lots of people and lots of cars and a bad accident. I was again glad that I don't plan to drive here. It may be a little inconvenient at times not to have a car but taxis are usually available and I like the bus. Maybe because even if it is full I am always given a seat and you see some interesting people.

Today is craft lady day so I am making Coconut Macaroons to take with me and I started one of the crocheted bowls to work on. I also have a bunch of the pot holders including 2 for Heather I am working on. I am keeping busy - or not, depending on the day. Sometimes I just lay in the hammock and read. I love it!

I would love to know what this is. It is in one of my planters and has the prettiest orange flowers.

My plantation

I told Emilio I had brought the iPad along in case we needed to document anything. The drink is mora. The little containers are arroz con leche, the meal is shredded beef, salad, fried plantain and under that is Gallo pinto, a mixture of rice and beans.

I had the same thing. And, under everything is a tortilla.

This morning I had a planting lesson.

Gerardo took me over to the area I had dug up for pineapple. I am just waiting for dirt to finish the project. Gerardo demonstrated digging it up even more and making it bigger. He also said I should plant the pina and lechuga - lettuce - because pineapple grows big but is very slow and lettuce grows very fast and is little. The pineapple will help shade the lettuce. I do have more packets of lettuce seeds. The cucumbers look great, the beets are taller, the spinach and chives are up. No sign of the dill. I am going to try planting a little in my big pot and then I give up.

Not sure why but last night the electricity was off for 2 hours and for a half hour this morning. Guess I better get my laundry done while it is back on again. 

The morning glory are really climbing and growing. I love all the different colored flowers. I have it growing up the wall. I have more tomato flowers and various plants in my pots have buds. When I question something, Gerardo looks at it close and says si or no este and pulls it out. I have an herb growing in one of the pots that he breaks off a leaf and smells it and says limon and goes on to explain it makes a great iced tea. I love having herbs in with the flowers. Now if the lavender would only spread all over the soccer field. 

Yesterday I had a great time with Ziomara in the shop. I picked up 2 slices of cake and stopped at ABC Bazaar to get packaging for her gift. I picked a bag and tissue paper and gave up trying to explain I didn't need a bag. I took the receipt and everything out of the bag and went to a side counter where you check your bags and got her gifts out and packaged them. I gave her some yarn of mine she liked, a container of English toffee I made and a coupon that said it was for her massage on 5/12 when she comes here. I chose that spot in the store because there was an attendant there who could see I was only putting my things in the package.

At the yarn shop we talked and ate and I visited with customers if they knew any English. I had brought the bows so we took them apart to figure out how much ribbon it takes to make them. Ziomara decided she likes the ribbon with the gold edging the best and she likes a combination of plaid and one with birds. Now we just need to find them at a good price. I need to make 10 big ones for her tree and we will go from there.

After a few hours I left with a book to show the craft ladies. The great thing about the books from her shop is they are in Spanish. Everything I have brought has been in English so they can look at pictures and use the patterns but not read the instructions.

I had no schedule so I started popping in and out of shops. It was a little cumbersome because I had my big purse and the blue duffle which I had to check in each place. Didn't find anything I couldn't live without until I ended up at the shop where I have bought lots of string and ribbon. I did it again - bought lots of ribbon and string. It is all hanging on a rack over the clerks heads. I pointed to the string and this time she took the dowel down with all the spools and I picked what I wanted. She then put the spool back and had me hold the ends of the ribbons until she was ready to measure them. I went with 10 meters of each string and 5 meters of each ribbon. In my defense, I was down to almost nothing because I had used it all for the dreamcatchers and Christmas trees. I do have a new project also. On the balcony upstairs there is an old stand for hanging a birdcage. I think it would make a great frame for a dreamcatcher. I even have a starting idea. Gerardo said yesterday I can have it to make one.  He also quoted me a price if I pay my rent for the next year - see, I really like it here! He also may have some ideas to help with insurance and an attorney to help with residency. The lady from Denver's daughter, Evelyn, was here to do all the translating which worked great.

This is called a fairy ring and it says it doesn't need a web but mine would, along with ribbons. I just hope my artistic talent can be this whimsical and not turn out organized and structured - 3 here, 3 there.

I love these little flowers and have them in several places.

I have no idea what this is. I walk along and break off things and stick them in my pots. It looks like it will have these orange flowers all over it. I love it. I have also bought some from the nursery that are various herbs so it could be one of those and it wasn't in bloom when I bought it.

We are only 3 days old.

I planted these on Saturday or Sunday and on Wednesday they were up. I must have gotten some super duper seeds. The big ones are cucumbers and the smaller ones are beets. No evidence yet of the spinach or chives. I do have little dill but since I haven't had much luck with that I won't get too excited. Gerardo said I had to pull all but one papaya so I did and I have 2 mango seeds I hope will sprout so I can plant them. I now have lettuce spread out and planted in the garden rows. Jose will bring my dirt soon so I can plant the pineapple. I do want to plant garlic. The cilantro didn't grow so I will have to plant that again also. 

The lady who comes everyday to visit the Denver lady brought me a bunch of succulent clippings. I planted some and gave Ana the rest for the area in front of the new apt. She has been planting it with other succulents. It will be very pretty.

Off I go to Cartago to take Ziomara her birthday gift and see what trouble I can get into. I will take my bows and some yarn and show her the hat kits I found. 

The sun is shining bright and it will be another hot day in the Orosi valley. I wear a hat most of the time so I don't get burned. It is great though how it cools off at night.

Beets. And weeds that grow faster then I can pull them.