About 9:00am I called Janet. Emilio had put her number in my phone. She really doesn't speak English so I hoped I could use enough Spanish to have her understand. I said who I was - Gay Lee and she got that. I said tomorrow at 2:00pm in the afternoon, two ladies ok and she got that and I said Friday at 10:00am and she got that. BUT I said it all in Spanish. So, I am finally set for the sewing lesson tomorrow afternoon and the craft lesson at the Senior Center on Friday morning. Then I soaked raisins in rum for an hour and made 2 loaves of Papaya Raisin Bread. One will be for tomorrow and one I sliced up to take to Dora's today. I took a few more things with me today. They were very impressed with my metal measuring cup and spoons. We waited till after coffee for the lesson. I got salt and sugar from Dora as well as a cutting board and pot for the liquid and jars to put the finished product. My students were Ana, Dora, Marta, Flora, Johana, Mario and Dora's daughter who did a great job of writing everything down. She understands enough English and so does Johana and I used as much Spanish as I could so we really didn't have any problems. I sliced up 2 cucumbers on my mandoline, part of an onion and part of a red pepper. The recipe is very forgiving and the amounts don't need to be exact. I told them 2 or 3 cucumbers, 1 or 2 onions, 1 or 2 peppers. The liquid is 1 or 2 cups white vinegar depending on how much vegetable you have, 2 or 4 cups of sugar depending on the amount of vinegar and 1 tablespoon salt and 1 tablespoon celery seed for each cup of vinegar. Bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar. In the meantime I put the vegetables in the glass jars and when ready poured the liquid over them. I explained they needed to put it in the refrigerator with the covers on and wait 3 days to eat it. If the liquid doesn't cover the vegetables then each day turn it upside down a couple times to make sure it all gets juice on it. They are so simple but really very good. Gerardo came late and missed the lesson but read the recipe and they all talked about it.
Now the exciting news. I forgot yesterday to tell you about Turrialba volcano. Friday the eruption was the biggest in 6 years and the ash is affecting the flights at San Jose airport. Lot of delayed or cancelled flights. Some people are having to use Liberia airport in Guanacaste, several hours away. Dora's front porch has a direct view of the volcano and it went off several times this afternoon with high plumes of ash and smoke.
Tomorrow morning should be Katherine and the girls and another cassava flour experiment and then the sewing lesson in the afternoon. Still don't know about Wednesday.
I gave Ana and Gerardo tomatoes from my pot this morning. I know, they must have been really filled up with one tomato each but it was quite exciting.
I do love my life!
L
From Dora's porch.
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