Wait till you see the pictures!

My babies are becoming toddlers! And, I have things coming up in the flower bed also. I don't know what it is but they look like butterfly wings. 

We were going to the pools today but not sure that will happen. It is raining - which is good for the babies - and cool and overcast. Things can change quickly here so who knows. I think John and Debbie are off on an excursion. They were going to take the bus to Cartago and then the train to San Jose. It only operates into the city in the morning and back late in the day. There are so many different climates in this little country that it may be nice in San Jose even though it isn't here. For people who are coming for a short stay, this coolness is probably frustrating. For me, I love it. It gives variety. The Ticos say the weather is changing. It is getting hotter and cooler than it used to get. 

The work on the new apt. is not happening so far this week. All is quiet. My brother Gerry and his wife Donna have been gathering things for me to bring back from my visit to Oregon in March. They are such good kids! They picked up 2 suitcases from a thrift shop, doing like Heather and carefully checking the wheels and zippers. I gave them a list of things that would be good to give away so one suitcase will have that in it. The latest items were a football for the worker here and wicker paper plate holders for Ziomara. Kids tee shirts and little toys and paper and pens and pencils were other things I mentioned. The other bag will have my hammock hanging kit and the things I want or need like butter and Da Vinci flavored syrup, sugar free. I love the hazelnut and I can't get that anywhere around here. With a lot of things it isn't that you can't get it here. It is just that it might only be available in San Jose and it is very expensive. I think I will ask to have bacon everyday while I am there. The bacon here is not cured - more like salt pork and I don't like it. I do miss good bacon. Nuts are very pricey here also. Heather gave me a big Costco size bag of pecans and I am almost out so I will get more. Chocolate chips are very hard to find also. Heather is bringing a bunch in the luggage she is bringing on Monday. As well as butter - I am out - and coconut. 

In the luggage coming on Monday is my cast iron frypan. I can't wait to see if my English Toffee turns out here.

I saw a guayaba on the ground yesterday. Maybe we are having another crop so I can make more jelly!

I give away most of what I make. Even the locals tell me it is very good. I just do what Marta taught me.

I have been playing travel agent this week, putting together a trip from Montreal to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. Part is by train and part is by car. I think it will be great. It was a little tricky to coordinate it all since the train only operates 3 days a week and they wanted 2 night stays in each area they stopped. Got it done! Just have the cars to book.

The flower patch and my butterfly wings babies.

The lettuce.

I think this is what Debbie thought were beans so we will see.

See how big the babies are!

This is the dill patch but something else moved in!

I had a delightful day!

Mass at 10:00am and already the Main Street by the school was blocked off. Today is Election Day for local government offices. Their term is 4 years and in 2 years will be the presidential elections. Voting is in the schools and outside are the candidates and vendors and maybe music. Traffic was rerouted here in Orosi. I came home after Mass and picked up my loaf of bread and headed for the bus stop a block away. Because of the detour, the bus came right past La Quinta and continued on our street for a few blocks before heading back to the Main Street. After church some people asked me if Los Banos were up the street past the church. That is the pools in town and I was able to tell them no and head them in the right direction.

In Cartago I walked the block to the church operated by Franciscan monks. As I went in there was a monk blessing people and sprinkling them with holy water so I said me too. I've been blessed! I sat in the church for a little while and then waited in front for Ziomara. She and her daughter were right on time and we headed to her house, which is lovely. I met her husband and his 2 daughters and son. A lovely family. He owns the house next door so they spend their time between the two houses. I told Ziomara her house is not a normal one because it has lots of cabinets in the kitchen and storage areas. Lunch was salad, rice, a mixture of lentils and beans and bacon, broccoli, mushrooms and chicken. Dessert was chocolate cake and I brought a loaf of Papaya Raisin bread. When she tried it she asked if the raisins were soaked in alcohol and I said yes. The recipe says to soak them in rum for a half hour but they had been soaking for two weeks. She said she was going to keep the bread for herself.

After we ate we took a drive to their church where Mass had just started. It is a lovely church, very light and open. Next we walked across the street to the school for her to vote. It was very organized with a list of names outside each room. You find your name and that is the room you vote in. It only took a few minutes.

Back to the house for more talking and then they took me back to the bus. I was told I was welcome back anytime. Ziomara explained to me how much her husband likes my guayaba jelly. She said they were having it with bread and he took a little taste, then a bigger taste, then a really big taste. She said it is different from other guayaba jelly they have had and delicious. I need to bring her more.

When I got home I stopped to chat with John and Debbie and Debbie said "you have a bean about this tall - she motioned about 4 inches." I said that is interesting since I didn't plant any beans. It was dark by then so I can't wait till tomorrow to see it. I did see several little shoots in the flower bed this morning. The area of dill has tons of little spikes coming up. I am preparing myself for thinning time.

In case you are wondering how the 3:30 trip yesterday went, we didn't go. It was dark in the little apartment with no signs of life till about 8:00 last night so I think they slept through till then. They were very tired, having flown all night.

Tuesday is pool day and Thursday is massage. A good week.

Old friends are back

Today is change over day. Angela just left and the lady from Denver and her daughter arrived. The daughter is a flight attendant and will leave on Monday. Her mother will stay for a week. She is the one who first took me to the pools and her daughter and Gerardo first took me to the pharmacy for my sciatica problem. It is fun to have them back.

People here do a prayer and music service when they put the manger set away for the year. That is what went on at the senior center yesterday. Today I have been invited to one at their nephews house. They told me 3:30 and Ana joked that to me 3:30 means 3:30 not 5:00 as it does in Costa Rica. 

Yesterday at the senior center Janet brought me up front and told everyone I have no idea what. I just kept saying Si but I have no idea what I agreed to do. I asked Emilio last night to please call her so I know what is going on.

On the way to the Pizza Shop last night Debbie joked that I am the only person she knows who brings food to a restaurant. I made a pan of Cranberry Nut Bars and brought them along. They were very good and I came home with less than half a pan left. Pizza and garlic sticks were great and I won 2 games of Quiddler.

This morning is bread making to take to Ziomara's tomorrow. It was cool this morning but now is sun shiny and beautiful.

Life is good! I am so blessed with the people who are a part of my life and the adventure I am living!

How am I ever going to bring myself to thin out my babies!

This is a picture of my lettuce bed which is in a big pot in the vegetable garden. Can't possibly all be weeds! I checked the flower garden but not much sign of life yet. I only planted it Monday so maybe tomorrow. The second picture is something growing in the onion area but it is the only one so probably a weed. Such a farmer I am!

I guess there are more little ones if you look close.

I have babies!

I am so excited! Now I can't be sure they aren't all weeds but I am hopeful.

There is one by the big rock.

I had a totally delightful day.

I left here alone at 9:45 this morning for Paraiso and went right to the square and the church. Mass was scheduled for 10:00am and it was a little after but things were running a little late. The church was packed so I stood in the back and watched all the priests and police walk in. I then went and sat in the square to wait for Emiliio who was running a little late. A man came up to me and wanted to practice his English. He showed me all the words he had written in Spanish and English and we traded words until Emilio got there. A little later we joined Emilio's parents and another couple waiting for the ending. Another man came to speak English with me. 

As it turned out there weren't any guns firing but there were lots of noise fireworks and at the same time the church bells ringing. Lunch was being served next to the church and music and characters in costumes dancing. Lunch was great and afterwards I went home with Emilio and his mother. She continued to feed me with Cas ice cream and a Cas drink and homemade cookies. It was all great. At the gift shop by the church I bought a loaf of bread made by monks at the monastery in Paraiso. We tried it and the taste is really good but it falls apart so I couldn't toast it when I got home.

Emelio took off for his Tuesday evening class and Rosa and I came back to Orosi on the bus which was jam packed. I had just enough time to water the flowers and vegetables before it got dark. No sign of life in either garden yet.

This church is different than most of the others I have been in here.

A little formation work after Mass.

The virgin that is the patron.

Where the virgin is usually kept.

The masked and costumed dancers.

I know what it is like to spit into the wind.

You may remember the area of greenery along the soccer field that came loose and fell down. Well, Oscar has cleared that all away and there is a big patch of dirt so today I decided it would be a great spot to plant flowers. And, I have lots of packets of seeds. First I had to loosen up the dirt which took me a couple hours with my little trowel. They have a pick like thing that Oscar uses but I am not up to that. There are a lot of big roots from the climbing green stuff. If it was little I pulled it out. If it was big I just dug around it. When I was done digging, I raked a layer of dirt and rocks to the edge and decided to water it good. That is when the fun started. I took the hose from my house to the sink at the soccer field. It reached partway across and since there is no sprayer you use your finger or thumb over the spray to get it to go farther. The sink is to the right of where I was digging so that determined where I had to stand. There is a pretty good breeze today and it was blowing towards me. Yup, you got it! I got drenched. I let the wet ground set, had lunch and went back to plant. We picked tall, medium and short flowers and mixed all the tall ones together, all the medium together then all the short ones. After I spread the seeds I raked the dirt over them that I had raked to the front. You got it, now I have to water the whole thing again really good. Soaked again from head to toe. Now I will have to move the hose to the laundry sink and water my vegetable garden, then move it to my house to water all my flowers. Why didn't I start this during the rainy season! I think I may need to invest in some hoses.

This morning about 7:00 I heard a lot of noise involving the barrel that I had only heard once before. Sure enough, Costa Rica has one less zorro. They are really ugly!

Tomorrow morning we are going to Paraiso to the Central Park in front of the church for a celebration of the Mary that is the Patron Saint of the military. They don't have a military here but the police will be doing a gun salute. You rarely see weapons so it should be interesting.

Last night the power went off just as we were finishing dinner so we sat out on the balcony with a candle and flashlight. It was really beautiful to see the lights on the mountains and everything else closer was dark. It lasted maybe an hour and then everything came back on.

Speaking of dinner, I suggested kabobs. I got chicken, beef and pork, boiled some little potatoes to add to the skewers, cut up palmetto, pineapple, peppers and onion. I marinated the meat and put the skewers together and John took it from there and cooked them on the grill. They were very good and I have enough of the meat for a couple more meals. I will divide it up and freeze it.

Speaking of the meat, there is a meat market at the other grocery store. It is where I got the sausage for the dressing at Thanksgiving. The Super didn't have much to pick from so I went down the street. The guys there are so nice and got someone who spoke English to help me. They even deboned and cut up chicken breast for me so it would be thick like the beef and pork. By the time I left they were all saying words in English and they told me the cashier loved my purse. You know Heather, the one with all the scarf pieces hanging on the outside.

Two weeks from today! John and Debbie went to the lookout the other day and we think it will be a great spot to take Heather and Kent for a picnic.

My new flower patch.

So full and heavy it broke off. I have a bunch and John and Debbie have a bunch besides all of these.

I found this in my vegetable garden today but since it has only been 2 days, it must be a weed.

The area where the new flower garden will be.