On this day before the last day of 2025, I have walked 8888 steps (so far, as of 2:30 p.m.), cleaned the casita to within an inch of surgical sterility, washed my dirty laundry, and written about six pages of handwritten notes, very few of which will make it into this post because I was just being silly and passing time.

 

I decided not to take the bus to Grecia today since I’m going in tomorrow for bloodwork and I can get everything else I want after I’ve done that. Marianela is going to drive me in and bring me back later so I will be able to get some things that would not travel well on a bus: a rice cooker and a small or medium size bag of dry Science Diet or some other brand that has sufficient nutrition and taste in it that Charli will decide to eat it.  I’ve tried various other brands and she has turned her nose up at all of it, so I’m hoping if I get her her old standby she will decide to eat it.

 

I will also get a couple more gels pens and another package of lined paper. I’m on my last gel pen and the other ones I bought are uncomfortable to write with, so I don’t use them much except for making shopping lists or what have you. When I write longhand I want it to be comfortable so I don’t get sloppy due to the discomfort of the pen. (We writers are picky that way, you know!)

 

Slowly Tucking Additional Things Away

 

I’m slowly tucking more things away that I don’t plan to use again until after the move.

 

As mentioned before, Charli had a very traumatic start in life. As a result, she prefers predictable routines, so I don’t want her getting wind of the move until it becomes unavoidable.

 

I’m even considering taking her to the vet for her teeth cleaning during the same drive as the move so she only has to be transported and disconcerted once.  And I still have tablets of gabapentin that the Tacoma vet gave me to fly her here to Costa Rica, so I could give her one of those the night before and another the morning of the move so she sleeps right through everything and wakes up in the new place after it’s all organized with her favorite and familiar things.

 

I will call and see if I can afford to get the vet thing done on the same day I move.  I will have a damage deposit and my February rent to pay that day (so, close to $1k in USD).  My friends here tell me that vet prices are significantly lower than in the US, and I do have Charli on MediSmart, so if I can get her in at the same time, that would be good.  It just might be a little bit pinchy on my budget to do it that way.

 

I also will need to get Revolution or its equivalent for her, because my last available dose (which I bought in the U.S.) will be given on Feb 24th and I can’t have that lapsing. I also don’t know if I’ll need a booster for her combo FVRCP shot.  (I think that one is good for three years and she got it in April last year.)

 

TRADEWINDS ARE MAKING MY WINDCHIMES SING

 

The tradewinds that are blowing through this region now are making my windchimes sing a lot. They’re very soothing. And the temperature here is perfect for me — probably about 72 degrees F. It has been a lazy afternoon, but I like it that way.

 

CRYSTAL IS BACK HOME

 

Crystal got back home without incident, thankfully, but she picked up a virus on the plane, so she’s feeling puny. She and Dale missed having lunch with Jon and Francisco, as did I. We’ll get back in the loop next week, I’m sure.

 

Katheryn Evans Hasn’t Gotten Back to Me

 

I’m still waiting to hear if Katheryn Evans found me a less expensive N Plan for Medicare. Hope so. I just sent her a text message again because tomorrow is the last day of the year and I may have to sign something by then if she did find me another plan.  GRRR!  I’m on pins and needles about that, because I don’t know what the cutoff date is for making changes.

 

Lisa Confirmed that She’s Bringing Me a Mexican Trains Game Set

 

Yippee skippy!  Now I just need to find folks who want to play it with me here. I’ve been having withdrawal symptoms. It’s a lot of fun!

 

Tarantula Holes

 

I think I spotted some tarantula holes in dirt banks during my walk today. I’ll take photos next time I go out. Gotta document everything, you know!  I’m in COSTA RICA, BABY!  (Still having a hard time getting over this!)

 

Tried My Hand at a Costa Rica Anagram-type thingy 

 

Here’s a down and dirty first draft…

 

Coast to coast

Overhead and underfoot

Sensory stimulation

Tells me to

Arrest my striving

 

Resist rushing and

Invest my heart in

Ceaseless

Awe

 

Pristine vistas

Unusual sightings

Riveting

Ants and avians.

 

Vitality

Incadescent iguanas

Divine moments and meetings

Abound

 

Costa Rica = Enriching and Enchanting

                       from coast to coast

 

Pure Life Indeed!

 

It needs a lot of work, but I’m not up for it now…

 

HOLIDAY VACATION FOR FAMILIES

 

A lot of businesses and government offices scale back during the holiday season so families here can enjoy each other without work interfering. This culture truly cares about the wellbeing of its families. (So do many other cultures. Just not the one I’m most accustomed to!) It’s CIVILIZED here!

 

Life here is lovely. Compassionate. Faith-filled in all the best ways (a far cry from Puritanism!).

 

I can’t imagine living anywhere else anymore. Truly. It’s so perfect FOR ME.

 

Everybody is different, though. What feels perfect for me might not be for you. If you’re driven, this isn’t your place. If you’re angry or impatient, not your place. Ya gotta be ready to retire, make do with less (happily!), expect things to take more time, love nature (not freak out over the occasional creeping/crawling critters that end up cohabiting with you until you evict them or learn to appreciate what they do for you). You have to be patient, friendly, respect the culture, watch where you walk (even on sidewalks), stop and visit (expect delays/interruptions, “divine appointments with passersby and neighbors), behave peacefully…

 

You know, all the good stuff that makes life worth living!

 

Slowing down helped me appreciate/enjoy/bask in the “now” of life and living.

 

I worked hard all my life. Tried hard all my life. It never felt like it was ENOUGH. I always felt behind, and that I still wasn’t measuring up.

 

And it’s true! I wasn’t measuring up to what Capitalism and Patriarchy expected of me. I intentionally did not dance to their tunes/blueprints/straitjackets.

 

I wasn’t born to be a tool in someone else’s toolbox.

 

None of us were, but we were all conditioned to be tools (men and women alike), those of us not born with silver spoons in our mouths.

 

Freedom is powerful.  When you’re free, you can give your time, treasure, and attention to the things that matter most to you.

 

In Sharp Contrast…

 

Super rich people — the hoarders of wealth — are never truly free. They’re all running scared, trying to find ways to buy their security. But it never works because dog-eat-dog people are eternally ravenous for the next humungous bite of their co-conspirators’ pies.

 

It’s a sickness.

 

I trust poor people over rich people every day of the week and twice on Sunday. People living on the margins fully realize that we depend on each other, so we share from our limited stores because our survival depends on empathy, goodwill and mutual assistance.

 

Greedy people destroy civilizations, they don’t build or nurture them.

 

Costa Rica is by its very nature nurturing. And its native inhabitants mirror that.

 

Costa Rica is one big coast-to-coast Embrace!