This is dinner!

We went walking this afternoon and had lunch at Lydia's which is a Caribbean place. We sat and played a game of Quiddler while we waited for lunch and after we ate. No ice cream today but a melon drink for lunch and a watermelon/pineapple one with dinner. We picked up a few supplies as we were having Fish Heads Soup and beef fahitas. You can understand my reluctance when I saw this was dinner.

Aren't they just yummy looking. You can imagine my excitement when dinner turned out to be this.

Emilio put the other fish in the soup along with potato, carrot, onion, celery, and ginger. Very flavorful. We used the beef, onion, and peppers for the fajitas. Emilio brought beans so he prepared refried beans for the fajitas. I had bought salsa and scoops chips so I created fahitas with them instead of using tortillas. Everything was so great. We would have paid big money at a restaurant for this. We took the rest of the soup over to the owners. 

I gave out cookies today to the owners family and then to the waiters at the restaurant where we had lunch. I told them all about me being the Orosi Cookie Lady.

Emilio says he is not going to cook tomorrow so I guess it will be his turn to eat what I fix. We have lots of bread so I think I may do French toast for breakfast. Or maybe pancakes with fruit in it. We'll see. I like this kitchen. There is much more counter top than in my kitchen and they have a good supply of pots and pans. 

I think tomorrow will be a visit to the beach. I will need to be very careful. 

Wednesday morning already

Originally we were staying until Thursday but when we arrived I asked about staying until Sunday and we were told the house was available so we are staying. The weather has been bearable. Hot during the middle of the day but when I go out I use an umbrella, a hat, sunscreen and big sun glasses. I don't think I will get very tan or burned. There is no air conditioning in our house but there is a ceiling fan in almost every room. On the porch is a hammock and hammock type chair. It stays quite comfortable. Not an excess of bugs. They keep the ground cover cut very short. The worker is here today. I like that because I can walk in it.

Yesterday afternoon  we went out walking and to have lunch. First shop I bought a dress I love. I have it on today and it is so cool and comfortable. I ended up having a big ice cream cone for lunch and we went to a nearby restaurant and Emilio had ceviche. We bought fish and shrimp and Emilio was so excited because the man gave him 3 fish heads so tonight we arehaving Fish Heads soup and beef fajitas for dinner.

Last night was pasta with shrimp, garlic bread and mango and grapes.

I just took a break to go see a poison dart frog and lots of howler monkeys including a baby. The jungle is alive today. The owner says that sometimes the animals are nowhere around. That is not the case.

This morning I heard lots of noise about 5:00am and my first thought was I hope Emilio doesn't think it is my snoring. It was howler monkeys. I was just finishing breakfast when the owner came to tell us there was a wonderful opportunity to see a baby sloth. It was only 3-4 feet up the tree. It was very calm even though there were 5 of us around. The owner, Jason and Genny, said there are a couple trees the sloths always come to and others that the monkeys hang out in. 

From what I have been told the mother sloth keeps the baby for a year to teach it everything it needs to know to survive. Then the mother leaves. This baby is alone so it must be at least a year old. 

We tried to photograph the monkeys but they were too well hidden in the leaves, way up high in the trees. We could see them moving and see the baby, but no pictures yet.

I would not hesitate to come back here or to suggest it to anyone.  Casa Mono.

The day will involve a walk and maybe a stop on the beach. We will see what kind of crazy lunch we can try today.

Our baby sloth

My new dress

The poison dart frog. Jason thought it was a female looking for a spot to lay her eggs.

Dinner last night.

Across the road.

I know, I know, I know

You can't wait to hear about my adventure to the beach. It was a long day with lots of buses. Emilio talked with the driver and he stopped right at the road to our house, by Kaya's place and we just had to walk up the road to the end. The owner came out and greeted us and said he was just finishing the cleaning. The place is spotless, well equipped and larger than I expected. We are in a beautiful area with lots of trees and plants. It is a jungle but the ground has been cleared so you can easily walk around. There is a little fountain I can hear. If we walk up the road and cross the road, the beach is right there. It is black sand. 

I decided it's a good thing to travel with Emilio. He got up early this morning and went for a walk into town. He got the milk for coffee we forgot yesterday and then went to an Italian bakery and bought treats for breakfast. When he got back he made scrambled eggs and coffee and we had a great breakfast.

So far the weather has been great. This morning I couldn't believe how still and quiet it was. A breeze has started now and it is hot, but not too bad.

We are going to take a tour of the grounds with the owner to see everything he has planted and developed. Her family used to own all along this road but they are now down to 3 places. All along the road it is well kept and some of the places have beautiful carved wooden gates.

There are two black and white dogs here. Bianca is very friendly, her son, Bear, not so much. I was told yesterday that the owner saw a sloth go up the tree in front of my house. I am keeping an eye out for it. They usually only come down once a week to poop.

On the way back from the super we stopped at Kaya's place for a cold drink. Then we went there for dinner last night. I was concerned about a dark walk up the road but there is good lighting. Dinner was very good. Emilio had rice and beans and chicken and salad and I had chicken fajitas. Dessert was grapes at home.

English is spoken by almost everyone in this area. Emilio is having a difficult time with knowing which language to speak.

Gotta go. I think we are heading to the bakery and hopefully cannoli. We are bad.

I love the trees. This is our gate and outside shower.

The kitchen is very nice and well stocked.

What a great spot to sit and eat, or just sit.

Breakfast. I told him the bread would last me 3 days. We are going to turn the rest into garlic sticks.

Dinner at the brewery.

We are taking a few things to eat with us.

When my sister, Carole, and I would go on an outing, we were sure we would die of malnutrition if we didn't eat every 20 minutes. I think that habit is repeating itself with Emilio and myself. I started cooking Friday afternoon. I bought carne - beef- and put it with onions and garlic and juice in the crockpot. From about 5:00pm until 9:00am. I shredded it and put it in a container in the freezer. The rest of the meat and the juice I put in another container for another time. Today I started at 7:30am making bread. Next was orange cranberry nut muffins, chocolate crinkle cookies, cinnamon cream cheese roll ups and finally a pan of assorted muffins which include 4 cinnamon, 4 chocolate chip and 4 with bacon, cheese, onions, red pepper and tomatoes. I also have peanuts in the shell, pickles and guayaba jelly.

The baking is done but I have to finish packing my purple bag and take it to Emilio. Tomorrow I will have my red bag for the rest of the stuff. Just in case I really like the place and can stand the heat, I checked and the house is available for 3 more nights. Even if Emilio had to come back on Thursday for work I would be able to stay and come back by myself on Sunday. We'll see. I may be ready to come back on Thursday.

I had a good day with Ziomara and her daughter, Maria Jose yesterday. After her massage with Otto we walked to the restaurant by the gas station and had a good lunch. We went to talk with Katherine and then Emilio in the pizza shop. We then walked around town handing out flyers for the yarn shop. Finally we went to Monster Shake for dessert. What a mess I made. I said I wanted the waffle bowl for two scoops but he understood I wanted 2 bowls. I said I wanted Carmelo instead of chocolate for the sauce. What I got was 1 bowl with a scoop of orange and a scoop of crema chips. The other bowl had 2 scoops of vanilla Carmelo ice cream. Both bowls were drizzled with chocolate. We all shared the extra bowl. I guess I have to go more often so they will understand what I want.

When Ziomara saw the hats she suggested I offer them for sale in the yarn shop. I came up with another idea. I suggested we have a couple of hats and a sign saying if you have lost your hair and need a hat, take one. We would also have a kit with yarn and crochet hook and directions for sale for them to make a hat. It may help the yarn shop sell a bit more. She liked the idea so we will do that when we have more cotton yarn. I have packed enough to make a few hats on my trip. I also packed Quiddler in case Emilio is willing to play.

I will be on the 7:15am bus from here tomorrow morning so it will be an early night for me. I  still have lots to do. We will take lots of pictures so you can be part of this adventure.

Let me tell you about yesterday!

The ladies had decided they would leave on the 8:40am bus. That meant leaving here at 7:45 or I would be cutting it close and I didn't want to worry about that. The Orosi bus stop is just before the central square and I have to walk across the square to the corner, turn right and go one block, turn left and half a block to the San Jose station. Emilio and his family live a block farther down that street, at the bottom of the hill. I was plenty early so I had a cafe con leche while I waited. They have a little cafe. At 8:30 one of the other ladies came so I knew I was in the right place. I started texted Emilio that he had 10 minutes. Then the other ladies came and I texted he had 5 minutes. Then we got on the bus and I texted that. No Emilio or Rosita. We headed out, turned left and went to the corner. I was in the front seat and as we got to the corner I could see Rosita and Emilio running up the hill. The driver waited so they were able to get on. There were 8 of us on this adventure. I pulled out my crochet and finished a hat on the way. It took an hour from Paraiso to San Jose. It varies depending on time of day and traffic. Our first stop after we arrived was the park across the street for pictures. Our second stop was a guatamalan market and our third stop was a naughty shop with sexy lingerie in the window. Well, wouldn't you know it, I was the only one to buy something. But it is so cute and will work great on the beach trip.

This is what it looks like from the front. It is a sheer skirt you can see through.

It has a slit all the way up one side and has little black shorts built in. Last year we found it very hot in Puerto Viejo so this should be great. We left the shop and I was showing it to the ladies and people were walking by on the street saying muy Bonita. 

We stopped in lots of shops - they really like shoes! We went to 2 fabric stores and they were a great help looking for fabric for binding my quilt pieces. I have them trained -all cotton. I bought gold colored in the first shop and red, blue and green in the second one. I spent enough in the second shop that I got to register for a free sewing machine. We put Emilio's number on the slip because if they called me I wouldn't know what they were talking about. I did take a picture of the shop so I can go back.

We continued shopping and walking towards the Holiday Inn for their lunch buffet. Thursday is Mexican Day. Salads, breads, Bean Soup, rice, vegetables, potatoes, rolled up tacos, chicken, meat, and 3 or 4 desserts. A very good fruit drink was included as well as coffee. It was great and everyone left stuffed. 

When we came out, Emilio and I left the ladies and headed by taxi for the bus station to get our tickets for Monday. They were 10,800 colones for the two of us one way. The ride is 4 1/2 hours.

There was a very nice man helping us and he was a taxi driver so he took us back to the Chinese area which is close to the bus stop. We came across a bronze of John Lennon sitting on a bench so had a photo stop. Emilio explained his glasses only lasted about 3 days and then disappeared.

Little more shopping then on the bus. While we were on the bus we called the place in Puerto Viejo to find out how far it is from the bus stop. She was very helpful and said to ask the driver to drop us off at Kattya's Place. That way we only have 200 meters to walk. The  ladies were going to Paraiso but I got off at the Cartago stop by the church and just had a very short walk to the Orosi bus. We learned that Aura and her family will be there the same dates we are. They are driving.

It was a full, long day and almost dark when I got home. As much Spanish as I am learning and as much English as they understand, it was a great help to have Emilio along. He is always watching to make sure I don't trip over anything or get hit by a car or truck or motorcycle.

This morning Ana and Tia were here and I showed off my new skirt and showed them the shorts. Tia laughed and laughed as I wiggled what little hips I have. I've done laundry in case it takes a couple days to dry. I also have to get the house ready for Otto and Ziomara tomorrow. I still have all my baking to do to take with me Monday.

Our stop at the park for pictures.

All of us with John Lennon.

Lunch.

I did learn if I do the bus from Paraiso it is quite easy and I would be able to handle it on my own. Monday morning I will have to leave here at 7:15am and I think we decided on the 7:45am bus from Paraiso. We then take a taxi to the bus station for Puerto Viejo on the 10:00am bus. The bus stations are spread all over San Jose but if you know the name of the station - for instance Coca Cola -  or where you are going it is easy enough. I wrote down the name of the park where the Paraiso bus stops so I know where I have to go back to get the bus.

So to give you an idea, it is 480 colones to Paraiso (almost a dollar) and almost 1000 colones to San Jose (almost two dollars) and 5400 colones to Puerto Viejo (just under $11.00). Those are all one way. When I went from San Jose to San Isidro last year we stopped part way for a coffee break. We will see if we do that this time. I want to do some checking on going to the Arenal area. With the bus you can get almost anywhere. I would also like to go back to Cachi area to see if I can find happy dishes. I will also be looking in Puerto Viejo.

I have an appointment!

I have been toying with the idea of becoming a resident of Costa Rica. It has advantages. I don't have to leave every 90 days to get a new visa. I get discounts on things. I am part of the national healthcare program. I think also, when I turn 70, I can get a pass for the bus. Lots of goodies. Anyway, it is a long process, takes 6 months or more to be approved. Also requires lots of paperwork and fingerprinting. If you use an attorney it is also pricey. I have read lots that an attorney isn't required but you know my Spanish and I don't want to take a chance of having to apply more than once or have it take forever. I put out feelers for suggestions. Jose was here today and I told him what I had done so far and who had been suggested. He agreed and called the attorney. He and I both spoke with him and I have an appointment on September 5 at 11:00am to met with him in San Jose. He speaks excellent English and was very easy to understand.  Jose will pick me up at 8:00am as it is a Monday and rush hour. 

This way I will be able to get or do whatever I need in Minnesota in October. I allowed extra time after I return from California to take care of this.

Gerardo and Ana were around today and I mentioned I have maise. He went and looked at it and said there were also sunflowers. Then he went down the list of everything growing here. I laughed and pointed at the soccer field and said Gerardo's finca in La Quinta. He just laughed. I don't think he is ready to plow the soccer field to turn it into a vegetable garden although we have all kinds of things planted around the edge. I was able to send Jose home with 2 avocado that had fallen and I have one.

Tomorrow is the excursion to San Jose with the craft ladies and Emilio. Maybe I will learn about another hospital for the hats.

The ladies are back sewing today. I am in good shape with made up scarves for the hats. Now I only need more yarn but that will have to wait and come back with me in October.

I am blessed!

I was concerned the ladies here were just making the hats for their own use, not what I intended them for. I knew I needed to be very careful, you know I am not very diplomatic. Katherine offered to come and help with the translating but it turned out they were busy at the hotel and she couldn't come. I prepared by entering a couple questions in my translate program. How many ladies in Orosi need hats and what ladies are you crocheting hats for. I explained I gave Ana 3 hats today for the ladies in Orosi. They explained their group decided they would help me and that they were making the hats for me to go along with what the ladies in Paraiso are making. This is what they have done since we started.

I explained about being gone next week and 2 of the ladies took yarn for 2 hats and one of them took yarn for 5 hats. I will be ready to find another hospital very soon.

My stockpile of yarn is pretty depleted so they will be happy when I return in October with lots more yarn.

I am so happy and relieved that I was the one who was wrong. I should have known I didn't need to question their intentions.

So, my afternoon. Besides my 3 crocheters, my 2 sewers showed up. I put them to work at the sewing machines making the scarves. I had an assembly line going. Arabella did the long seam and then handed it to Efigenia to do one end, turn it right side out and do the other end. She seemed to do much better just doing short stretches instead of long. I think she gets nervous doing the long and then messes up. They are both coming back tomorrow to do more scarves and Katherine will be here to start on her next dress for Courtney. We have some ideas to change it up a bit. I don't remember if I showed you the picture of them in their dresses so I will post it again. Next time they get Dora dresses.

Lexi and Courtney. This was her first attempt at sewing so we used fabric I had. It was intended for placemats but this puts it to much better use. We may add a ruffle around the bottom of Courtney's as it is a little short. We do have some extra fabric. She would also like to make little shorts to match. Courtney's birthday is October 16 and she will be 4 and starting school in February. I was going to say she will need clothes but she may have to wear a uniform. Most of the school kids here do but I don't know how young that starts.

We had a lovely coffee with muffins and fresh tortillas from Janet and sweet bread with Mora/Strawberry jelly. I had been giving my sewers hot green tea but when they saw I had coffee, that is what they had. I don't usually make coffee because I just make instant for myself. They would never ask, but I will have to change that.

I headed out as soon as everyone left and my first stop was the hardware store. They are so nice to me there. I showed the man a little hook and said I needed one or two or three but grande. He brought back one in each hand and I took both of them. Now, there are 544 colones to the dollar right now. The total was 82 colones so definitely not a major purchase. I got to the cashier and I had 75 or 100. She took the 75. I kept digging in my purse and found a 10 so I felt better. They don't have anything smaller than 5 so you either round up or down. I headed for the fruit market but I didn't like the looks of the mangoes so I kept going to the bakery. They didn't have the bread I like so I bought eggs, yogurt and a donut. Then the other fruit market but they were very low and their mangoes looked even worse. Back to the Super and I got some chicken and hamburger buns. Their fruit and vegetable bins were pretty much empty. Early in the week is tough, or late in the day. I blackened the chicken and added guayaba jelly to the bun and am having yogurt and a chicken sandwich. The donut may have to wait until morning.

Here are some shots of my hard working ladies.

She works at the senior center and crochets really fast. She helps the others a lot. She took yarn for 5 hats.

She is a neighbor across the street.

This is Janet.

Arabella

Efigenia

I think I have corn!

Either that or it is really big grass weeds.

They are coming up all along the planted area. Katherine also picked out some sunflowers growing.

And I have peas that are doing very well. I need to plant more.

And, I have just been delivered lunch.

Chayote from one side of la Quinta, camote from the other side and avocado from the tree in front of my porch. Also, a big piece of chicken. It is delicious.

This morning we had so much fun.

This morning I heated white and milk chocolate and we dipped all kinds of things in it. Strawberries, bananas, papaya, small and big marshmallows and even muffins.

Katherine is going to come back this afternoon when the crochet ladies are here so I can find out more about how many ladies there are here in Orosi who need hats and where the hats they are making are going. 

Did I mention the soup is very good!

I planted watermelon and cantaloupe but it is too early to see anything yet.

I decided I will be making Peasant Bread, assorted muffins, some savory and some sweet, chocolate crinkle cookies and refrigerator pickles with me to Puerto Viejo. I will give my purple carry on to Emilio Sunday evening so he can take it home with him and bring it Monday morning to the bus station for San Jose. That way I won't have to handle it Monday morning and he won't have to meet me at the bus stop in Paraiso where I get off. We will just meet at the bus station for San Jose.

I have started the process to find someone to help me with applying for residency. Jose will talk to me tomorrow, Katherine has given me a name that she highly recommends and I got a name from Ziomara's sister, Monica. She works as a reporter for the Justice department. I want to meet with them before I head back to the States late September so I know what I have to do or get on that trip. I have been reading the application time is down to 6 months.

Would you believe - two adventures!

August 29 to Sept. 1st Emilio and I are going to Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica.  It is the same place Jose took Heather and Courtney and me last October. We have rented a two bedroom house and will be a 2 minute walk from the beach and a 5 minute walk from town. This is good because it can get very noisy at night. We have at least picked the quieter part of the week. This time we are taking the bus which means me leaving here at 7:15am. What an adventure this will be! There were a lot of shops it will be fun to check out. Lots of artist things. That is where I got my painted Costa Rican coffee makers.

Now I will have to see if I can get everything in my red bag or have to use my purple bag. 

I am so excited. I am going on an adventure!

But first, this is a translation of a post on Facebook about the hats we have donated.

" A deep appreciation to the ladies that made us a donation of some beautiful hats for the patients treated with chemotherapy. Our partners in the project little piece of heaven was delivered. Blessings for this valuable input."

This is the picture that accompanied it. I was asked today to keep making hats so they can be given to other hospitals. 5 more hats were collected today and by the end of the meeting, 2 more were done. I explained that now I must make some for ladies in Orosi. What a great project it is turning out to be. One of the ladies in the Paraiso group is a cancer survivor with very short hair and she is crocheting also. She had a hat partially done today and she showed it to me for help. It was mostly my yarn with a few rows in plain gray. I asked what that was because it definitely was not cotton and was very scratchy. She tore it out and one of the other ladies turned in some yarn that matched and I gave her that. The hat was kinda big so I showed her how to do the scalloped edge because that tightens it up.

Next Thursday instead of their afternoon meeting they are taking the bus to San Jose at 8:30 in the morning for shopping and lunch. I'm excited because I have been wanting to go and learn how to navigate it but I didn't want to do it alone. They will keep me from getting in trouble. We are going to have lunch in the central market. It works great because I don't have a massage next Thursday so I don't have to cancel anything.

Also, Ziomara is planning to come here a week from Saturday for a massage and a walk and a visit. Otto has already said he is available. What fun it will be.

At the end of the gathering today, Emilio came by and we went shopping. He took me to the butter store. They sell more than butter but their products are right from the farm. They only had 1 container of butter so I bought it and a bag of grated cheese. We headed to the fruit stand in front of where I catch the bus and I bought 6 mandarina for Tia. She loves them and there aren't any on the tree here.

It has been a very rainy day and it was quite cool in Paraiso. Emilio would say cold. By the time we got to Orosi the temperature was warmer, but still rainy.

I have little scheduled from now until Tuesday morning. I do have to go into Cartago to get my hats and go to the market. Believe it or not I am running out of jelly. I do have a bunch of jars so I can make more. Probably the papaya, pineapple, orange. But who knows, the mango, strawberry is good. I am not a big fan of the mora, strawberry. It is a stronger taste. I may also try more orange marmalade because I like to use it in chicken stir fry.

The one on the left I donated today and the one on the right I gave to Janet for the daughter of the lady at the senior center.

Let me tell you, when you want to communicate, language doesn't matter.

The 4 ladies just left at 5:45pm and they are coming back next Tuesday. They each managed to finish a hat and took yarn and a crochet hook to work on their next hat during the week. One lady only had a small hook so her hat had tons more stitches but we made if work. I  sewed the fabric into scarves while they crocheted. Now, to give them credit, they knew how to crochet, some better than others. They just needed instructions on how to make the hats. And, they speak almost no English. You know what my Spanish is like so we had an interesting afternoon. There were 2 crochet hook casualties. They are forceful crocheters. I mentioned I can't do the little hooks and I tried to help the lady with the little hook but I ended up having to get my yarn and hook and show her with that. Yarn and little hooks is definitely not a good combination for me.

Even with two languages, they asked me questions about myself and my family and we even talked about who had spouses and who didn't and who had a bad spouse. It was so fun.

We sat out on the porch although when the sun came out they moved to the inside wall to get away from it. I had made muffins so Janet could try them. It is an easy basic recipe and then you add whatever you want. I made 6 with strawberries and 6 with chocolate chips. I sent 4 over to Tia's house. I also had some glaze made up and explained without glaze they were muffins and with glaze they were cupcakes.

Tomorrow afternoon is sewing class and I will make another batch of muffins for coffee as I have more strawberries. I wish I could say I am having as much luck with sewing class as I am with hat making class. It's a good thing I will be bringing more yarn back with me in October - and more crochet hooks. Heather has some to give me and I ordered a bunch that is waiting for me at her house.  I know the ladies are happy we are making hats for the ladies here in Orosi who need them. I gave Janet the hat for the senior's daughter that I said I would make when I was at the senior center. When I pick up the two I forgot at Ziomara's I will give them to Gerardo for the local ladies he mentioned.

I am happy I can help in this way.

My last two hats.

The ladies and their hats.

They included la professora. 

It is Mother's Day and I am celebrating!

I know, I know I am a mother that ran away from home and moved to Costa Rica to write stories to keep you all entertained. But, my daughter understands and still talks to me and comes to visit so all is good and I am celebrating. I even planned ahead by taking a package of bacon out of the freezer last night and it is cooking right now. I cooked the whole package and will put most of it back in the freezer. Well, a couple pieces anyway. I still have the other package for Thanksgiving. 

I told Heather today the one thing I want them to bring for Christmas is ham. Have you ever had Honey Baked ham? It is the best. They usually get it on the bone but to save weight it does come boneless. Or, she can cut it off the bone so she has the bone for other cooking. If they can bring me butter and bacon, they can surely figure out how to bring ham.

Well, the food is cooked and eaten and I may have to celebrate more often. My bread supply was very limited so I took a hamburger bun out of the freezer and toasted it and then added butter and guayaba jelly. I wanted to make the meal a little more Costa Rican so I opened a package of refried beans. I accidentally ran them through the bacon grease. That's what happens when you are only using one pan. Then I fried two eggs - in the bacon grease but that was on purpose. I have to say toasted hamburger bun, butter, guayaba jelly, bacon, refried beans and fried egg is definitely worth having again. Gerardo even got to try a slice of bacon and is a fan. That is one slice to Emilio and one to Gerardo so far. I am very stingy with my bacon. I just had 3 slices so I will save the rest. I love it on hamburgers or with green beans.

My cactus flower has closed up and is seriously drooping so it will probably drop off soon. It has been wonderful to watch. Ziomara wants a slip from the plant, and Heather too.

Tomorrow afternoon is hat making class and Wednesday afternoon is sewing class. Katherine said she bought some new fabric. Thursday morning is my massage and in the afternoon the craft ladies. I need to make a trip to the yarn shop in Cartago to pick up the hats I forgot at Ziomara's. I also need to hit the fabric  stores for the binding for my quilt piece. Yesterday Douglas's cousin, Daniella, was wishing she lived closer so she could come and learn how to quilt.

Besides the Rose, Ziomara gave me a travel mirror and a travel container for pills. They are lovely. 

I let Gerardo know that we might have an additional person here for Christmas and we would need the little apartment also. I will let him know as soon as I know for sure. That would bring our numbers up to 5. How fun!

The birds are enjoying the guayaba and avocado I have in the feeder. They both fell or were knocked from the trees by other animals. They love when I put open bananas in the dish.

Back to crocheting. I am almost finished with another hat.

What a lovely day.

I packed up everything - Pumpkin Caramel Cheesecake Bars, white and dark chocolate dipped strawberries, refrigerator pickles and a big container of guayaba jelly, hats, crochet bag, fabric, my dress,and a spatula for Ziomara's Mother's day gift. I left on the bus at 10:15am because Ziomara called and asked if she could pick me up at 11:00 instead of noon. The bus was jam packed. I only waited a minute for her and she said she needed to stop at the market and buy peanuts in the shells. We parked behind the market where all the flower vendors are so I went there and bought a lovely flower arrangement for the table. When she got back, Ziomara bought red roses for all the mothers that would be there today, including me. Off we went to her house. It was Douglas and Ziomara, 2 of his kids and her daughter and a little cousin. His mother and aunt and cousins and brother and her parents and sister and a few friends made up the group. 

Douglas and his brother took care of the grill which was beef and chicken and chorizo and heated tortillas. We also had rice and cabbage and tomatoes and my pickles to put in the tortillas with the meat. It was all great and i have a bunch of new fans for my pickles. We ate and ate and ate. We did up dessert plates for everyone with a bar and a strawberry and this also was a hit. Ziomara's father tried to talk her out of the guayaba jelly and said i make it just like his mother used to. They agreed they were going to share as Douglas really likes it too.

I crocheted part of the time and Ziomara explained what I was doing. I showed thhem the two hats i had with me

I talked a while with Ziomara's sister who works for the Justice Department and asked her if she could suggest an attorney to help me get started on my residency. She will contact me soon with a suggestion. I want someone who is not just an attorney but experienced and knowledgeble about residency.

It was well after dark by the time I got home. What a fun day, enjoying their family and meeting new people. I even remember some names. Daniella and Daniel and Pablo and Ruth. Little by little, little by little.

I know, what Catholic girl doesn't like bingo.

I got to the senior center about 9:45am today. I am not a big fan of bingo. Not like Sandy and her family. I think they may even have been asked to leave, or close, for being too rowdy. Anyway, I solved the problem. I pulled out my crochet and started making a hat instead of playing. Keep in mind this was all in Spanish. The announcer was really good. First he would say let's say trente tres and then he would say tres tres in case they didn't hear or understand. I am pretty good to 39 but after that I was never quite sure till he did the 2 number version. 

They took a break and served fruit and then continued with more bingo. The prizes were food items and they continued as long as they had prizes. After it was over they switched to music and the seniors do love to dance. I tried leaving about 11:30 but they wouldn't let me. I was told they had a present for me. I had raided my stockpile and took with me several things I thought they could use for prizes or giveaways at some point. A bag, a metal spatula, a kitchen towel and 2 of the microwave potholders.

Lunch was delivered. It was cheese burgers and fries and they were handed out to everyone. I declined and after everyone ate they called me up and said the presents were from all of them to thank me for my participation. Then, everyone was given a gift bag. I did ask Janet about Dona Rosa as I haven't seen her around. She said she is in the hospital in Cartago with a stomach problem and is not doing well.

I finally left at quarter to 2 and stopped at the Soda by the Super for a chicken Casado to bring home. That is where Emilio gets the ones he brings here. They do the chicken more like a stir fry and I really like it. I asked for it with no arroz and got beans, salad and a vegetable picadillo. Several vegetables chopped small and cooked. All really good and for 2500 colones (about $5.00) enough for 2 meals.

This morning I took a plate of the desserts from yesterday to Tia's house. I definitely don't need them or my size 4 jeans won't fit.

My flower is still on the cactus but definitely drooping. Several people have said they have the plant but they have never had it bloom. It must like where I have it planted.

Sunday I will be going to Ziomara's for Mother's Day so I need to figure out what to bring. I will take the pickles we made yesterday and some dessert. 

I finished the hat before I left the senior center. Janet brought a lady over whose daughter has cancer so I told Janet it would be for her. It is done except I didn't have a scarf with me. One of the staff came over and said she crochets and has a hook and wants to learn how to make the hat. I signed her up for Tuesday at 2:00pm. I am up to 4 ladies. I cancelled the sewing for Tuesday so I can do that instead. There seems to be quite an interest or need. Everyone seems to know someone with cancer. I am so happy I brought all the yarn and scarves with me. I had no idea I would be back to making hats and showing others how to make them.

My gifts.

Janet is the one with the ponytail. The little girl is her granddaughter.

At one point the floor was packed.

Everyone is gone

And it is quiet again. I had 20 here and with the cooking lessons I asked for helpers for everything so they could remember better. There was tons of food including one of the biggest pots I have seen. 

I met everyone at the gate and welcomed them. It had been Ileana's birthday within the last few days so I gave her one of my stockpile of metal spatulas. Once most of the people were here I started with the coconut balls and bananas as they had to spend sometime in the freezer. Next came the artichoke dip as it needed a half hour in the oven. I knew most of them would have no idea what the pickles were so I brought out the batch I made on Monday and gave them each a fork. Once they knew they really liked them I brought up helpers and went thru making another batch. The soup -pozol - was cooking on the stove and I reheated the picadillo in the microwave. I brought the guacamole and the artichoke dip. I had put out my bread to go with the dip as well as 2 kinds of chips. There was bread pudding squares and the most beautifully decorated cake. I also has strawberry banana bread and there were little apple tarts. There were tortillas to go with the picadillo de papa. Now about the pozol. I have been asking around and I was told it was made with pigs head. Another said pigs ears. Another laughed and said she makes it with carne. I was prepared to try it no matter what it was since it was being made special for me. I did have to ask though. First they said yes to pigs head. Then they asked Vera and she said no, pigs leg and pigs meat. The other main ingredient is corn. They called it Cartago corn and it wasn't like any corn I had ever seen. It was very good and I would eat it again. The problem is, it was all brought cooked so I now know how to eat it but not how to cook it.

The ladies made good use of the yarn and scarves and I was asked what I would charge. I explained that as long as the yarn was used for hats for cancer ladies that I was happy to donate it. I was asked by many for crochet hooks but they have to wait until October.  I have 10 sets of 12 bamboo crochet hooks on their way to Heather's house. I have lent out all I have here. 

At the end a half dozen of the ladies took over my kitchen. As they worked I added pins to the backs of the deGrazia pictures and pinned one on each of them. I have to admit I am tired and it is so nice to not have to worry about cleanup. I did clean up and empty the party room. I have a little dip, a little guacamole and some desserts left.

Now the funny part. I had read on the blog for the group not to bring food, to bring some little gift. They would share the cost of the food that was brought. When Ileana and her car full got here they had a gift for me and I put it up on the shelf. I noticed lots of gifts being put up there. I was also given a gift by Emilio's little cousin and I put it on the shelf. I thought they were all for me. After dinner they had us each draw a number and they started giving away all the gifts including the one Ileana gave me and the earrings Emilio's cousin gave me. Ileana explained and I was given my gifts back. I apologized saying I didn't know what was going on and I just thought they were all for me. Since I hadn't participated but I was given a gift, Aura didn't get one. I will give her a spatula at the next meeting. I wasn't thinking fast enough to do it right then.

The avocado tree in front of my porch was partially harvested today to keep branches from breaking. They were just enormous. Only the ones on the branches over the roof were harvested. There are still plenty.

It was a busy but very good day.

If you look close, Gerardo is working in the tree. Ana is helping and Tia is watching.

Soup

Picadillo

Soup

My morning is off to a busy start.

I am up, showered, dressed, have set up the party room with Ana, have gotten groceries, have finished setting up the party room, have given Janet her next lesson. Poor thing was supposed to stop at row 10 and she went to 14 so we had to rip out to 10. Or, I just made her rip out to 11 so it wouldn't be quite as bad. I showed her how to make the stitches for the area for the scarf. I also gave her more yarn and a scarf for another hat.

I was just taking a little break and having something to eat when she came back with 2 ladies who also want to learn. They kept asking when so I traded my sewing time on Tuesday for crocheting time.

Let me explain. I am the world's worst crocheter, not that the finished product looks bad. But, according to my teachers when I was 15, I crochet backwards. I am also quite clumsy so I have never been able to crochet with a tiny needle and fine thread. I feel sorry for all these ladies who already know how to crochet and are now trying to learn from me. What I have and they don't is a good supply of pretty yarn and scarves. I have explained to all of them that it is only for hats for ladies with cancer. One of the ladies today had breast cancer 5 years ago. 

Now it is back to work. Finish carrying everything to the party room and get the coffee maker from upstairs so I have two. Make the guacamole, and make sure my kitchen is ready for cooking.

My cactus flower is still here and I saw several pea plants this morning. I'm still looking for corn.

It is quite spectacular

I came out this morning to this.

Based on what Ana has been saying, it will only last a day. Although not quite as spectacular, I also came out to this.

In case you are even less of a farmer than me, the bigger one in the center is peas. I also have planted watermelon in a couple places. Gerardo wasn't sure it would grow here. I still have two packets of cantaloupe seeds to plant someplace. Ana said yesterday that Oscar is going to work on the vegetable garden area, treating it with something. They don't use chemicals here in La Quinta so I will wait and see what happens. I need to talk to Gerardo about the papaya trees. Whether they can stay where they are and Oscar removes the zarong from that area or whether they have to be moved. They are about 7 feet tall now.

We didn't go to Cartago yesterday because we were concerned there might be a mess and it was raining already in the morning. The taxi drivers were protesting Uber and the police had said they would not allow them to block the main highways. There were some arrests in the morning and then things settled down. People were reporting the police did a good job and Uber drivers got them to work quicker than usual. Anyway, Katherine and the girls came over and had a fun morning playing. We had strawberry white chocolate muffins and bananas and spagetti and bread with peanut butter. I brought out some colored chalk and now my porch has all kinds of artwork. Katherine will be back this afternoon to work on her dress. The head hole has been expanded so we will need to make a bigger facing strip. It is possible one of my students will be back today. She stopped in yesterday to say she was going to a funeral but maybe tomorrow.

I have the craft ladies coming tomorrow and Sunday I go to Ziomara's for Mother's Day lunch. I need to figure out what to bring.

I made my dress yesterday from the fabric I brought with me in July. It will work great for hot days or on my massage days. Great for the beach if I ever make it there.

No hiding with this on.