I’ll be late getting out the starting gate this morning for my walk. I’m waiting for my phone to charge to full strength so I can take it along. I always carry it so I can take pictures and in case I need it for other reasons: sprained ankle, some other personal or neighborhood crisis, etc. “Be prepared.” “Take precautionary measures.”
I also always take my passport
Carrying my passport at all times is mandatory until I get my DIMEX card sometime next year (hopefully, if the processing backup doesn’t delay my receipt of it beyond 2026). I really want the DIMEX card so I can start paying into CAJA and get socialized health coverage here just like all of the other developed countries have — except for the bad ol’ USA.
Cat Scratcher Update, Day Two
Charli has adopted her cat scratcher as a resting place, too. She has claimed it big time.
If she were a human (God forbid — a step down on the evolutionary scale, for sure!) she would plant a flag in it like a nationalistic nincompoop.
As Mark Twain procalimed in one of his letters:
“If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat“
I agree wholeheartedly. Cats are the perfect blend of co-independence (on their terms!) and evolutionary mastery of their species. They haven’t changed much in millions of years except where humans have meddled with their genetics to cause nearly flat, pug-like faces, inverted eyelashes, and other unhelpful characteristics among the purebreds.
The typical wild and feral alley cat is a consummate survivor. Like rats (not a denigration! rats are amazing too!) they have adapted to the changing environment with precision and cunning. They will survive forever unless humans poison the planet to such a degree that they simply cannot survive — in which case, we humans will not survive, either.
After The Walk
Here are 18 photos (and a video) I took this morning during my 8,114-step walk:
This is what the trunk of a banana tree looks like inside
Casitas Serenity and Colibri (hummingbird) in my barrio
are all decked out for the Christmas season now
The front door of Casita Serenity or Picaflor
(Not sure which is which;
there are no signs on the doors to identify them.)
Outdoor picnic area
New swing set
The second building…
Back patio of second abode
Front porch of second abode
View from the front porch of the second abode
Concrete outdoor table and bench close up
Coffee bean bush near Casita Serenity
Mountainside gulch near Casita Serenity
Foliage above mountainside gulch
Selfie taken today Nov 27 2025
The first winds of the summer (called Los vientos de Navidad/The Christmas Winds locally by Ticos) are here. I captured about a minute of them on video. (The winds pick up about halfway through this one-minute video; hang in there!) Very refreshing!!!
Happy Thanksgiving to all who are celebrating today!
Gobble ’til you wobble!