I’m playing catchup again today. I’ve been writing in longhand again since February 4th so it’s time to transfer over the good stuff.
On February 4th I wrote:
10,089 steps as of 5:34 p.m.
Twas a quiet day so I took pix and wrote a blog post. Ate too much but needed to because I was a little dizzy this morning, probably dehydrated and undernourished the past few days. I feel fine now.
I’m reading RENDEZVOUS WITH A RAINFOREST by Edie Bakker, last week’s Bloom special guest speaker. I’m 70% finished with it and will read her book about growing up in Papua New Guinea when I finish this one. I’m not ready to leave the rainforest yet! Edie has had an interesting life. I’ll probably get her other books, too, as time goes by.
I also bought THE SECOND SEX by Simone Beauvoir, a classic which I have never read.
On Feb 5 I wrote:
715 steps as of 7:30 a.m.
Ate two pieces of toast with peanut butter and jelly and four ounces of peach nectar for breakfast. I’ll be hopping on the SI-Grecia bus at around 9 to go get some colones for tomorrow’s feria visit and lunch with my CR tribe. I’ll be riding in with Dale and Crystal tomorrow (Uber).
Charli is dashing in and out of the back door because Milay (the landlady’s helper) is out there watering plants. I turned on the sprinkler this morning; Milay will move it when it’s time.
The chachalaca birds raised a ruckus at about 6:45 squabbling over plantains in my back yard. I got a few short videos of them but they’re blurry because this smartphone ain’t so smart when it comes to capturing clear pix using the zoom function. How I wish I had a decent camera! I wonder if the image function on my Kindle is better. I’ll try it between now and our visit to Rescate next week. If it is, I will take it along, too, although Lisa will have her super duper camera and zoom lenses and she will be getting the absolute best shots.
I don’t plan to stay in Grecia long today
…just long enough to get colones, since most of the vendors at the feria don’t accept debit or credit cards. I may also get a half Subway sandwich if there’s time before the bus heads back up the hill. I do love them though they’re pricey. I should get the ingredients and make them at home. T’would be a lot cheaper!
It’s so quiet and lovely here
On Saturday it will get noisy for a while, though. Laborers are coming in to spread the gravel that was poured two days ago and to manicure the lawn. I’ll be here for that. I rarely go anywhere on the weekends except for walking every day while it’s early and cool.
I’m getting acclimated!
56 to 66 degrees F feels COOL to me, actually CHILLY when the wind stirs. I’m becoming a WIMP!
Saw my first local scorpion today
Dislodged it from the step it was hanging from and it got mighty feisty! I took a few pictures and thought I even took a video of it posturing angrily, but alas! It was just a still image. Drat! I would not want to tangle with one, for sure! I will get some Benadryl today while I’m in town to have on hand in case I get stung.
UPDATE: I showed a picture of the scorpion to the pharmacist at Farmacia Central when I went there to buy six Benadryl tablets. (The box expires in 2027 so I only got a few tablets, which is totally allowable here in CR.)
He told me this one is a common black scorpion and that its venom is negligible but the sting is plenty ow-ee. He says it’s the white or clear-looking ones that pack the most potent venom, but they are only deadly to humans who are allergic to their venom.
Since I have never been stung by a scorpion, I decided to play it safe and get Benadryl, which would afford me enough time to head to Clinica Sanchez or another emergency location after being stung so I could get additional help. I know how deadly anaphylactic shock can be and how quickly it can set in, so I’m not taking any chances.
Costa Rica scorpions are not considered deadly — but again, if you’re allergic, it’s another story!
At 12:25 I wrote:
6032 steps so far. Back from Grecia.
Got 50K colones (the equivalent of about $102) plus hongos and coliflor. Ate a meal of arroz con camarones, salad and limonada at Mercado Municipal while I waited for the bus to San Isidro to arrive and start onboarding passengers. I was back on it at 1:15 for the ride home.
I clocked the “detour” at 20 minutes so it’s worthwhile to stay right on the bus since getting off at the pulperia would require a 12-15 minute walk slightly uphill with a fully laden cart. It’s smartest to just stay on the bus and let the driver drop me off at my gate when he gets there. And it’s a lovely detour, but awfully wind-y, so Lisa probably will want us to get off the bus and walk up instead of taking the detour. That’s fine.
Saw Diane at the Fabric Store Today
She says they were just talking about me and missing me. I told her I miss them all, too, and to give everybody my love and hellos.
Diane says the next Blooms potluck will be in Sarchi’, which would require two bus trips and two bus stations for me very early in the morning, so I will probably skip that one and plan to attend the March one next if its more easily accessible than the February Sarchi’ event.
I will miss not going, but it’s just too much for me to think about, since the event starts so early. DRAT but OH WELL!
I love chatting with Diane. We probably visited for 20 minutes there on the sidewalk. She’s one smart cookie and a helluva great friend and human being!
I Texted with Lisa Last Night
…to celebrate seven days to her arrival. She is already 95% packed and her camera batteries are charged.
My Next Outing…
will be tomorrow when I catch an Uber ride with Dale and Crystal to the feria at 9:40 from their place. I’ll have to take the bus home, though, because Jon and Francisco drive them home after our lunch and there isn’t room in Jon’s vehicle for that many people and feria food carts.
That’s fine. The bus works fine. I just have to leave the lunch gathering in enough time to catch the bus at 1:10 or 2:20. (Probably 2:20 because 1:10 would require wolfing down my food and running to the bus station!)
TRANQUILO, BABY! I am adaptable! I rarely have conflicting appointments or timetables so if getting somewhere takes a little longer and a few more steps, so be it. I’m easy!
Charli was happy to get me back home
She always comes running to see me unless someone accompanies me through the door. And then she sometimes asks to go outside again, but not always. Often she just lays down next to me and goes to sleep.
I handwashed some clothes (a t-shirt, pair of socks and underwear) and hung them on the clothesline to dry. Now I just have to remember to go get them in a few hours!
I feel great today!
Very occasionally, I feel a wee bit weak in the upper legs (especially after walking uphill). But I’m a little anemic (or was, last time I was tested) and my blood pressure is usually around 112/58, so that can account for some weakness and for dizziness if I stand up too fast. Otherwise I feel like a million dollars 99.999% of the time.
My left foot is slowly getting better. I looked up some additional exercises online and have added those to the mix, which are helping, too. My foot no longer “drops” (slaps down loudly) when I walk. It has regained most of what it lost during my “mountain goat” months from Sept to last week, I’m thrilled to report.
I will still see a foot doctor and see if I need to get some new shoes. When I walk in my slipper shoes, my foot behaves super well, so getting new shoes might help, too. I’ve walked waaaaayyyy more than the 600 miles that should be walked before buying new shoes. Probably twice that far.
Just got in 7500 steps for the day! (4:57 p.m.)
I did 10K+ steps yesterday and will probably get 7500 steps in tomorrow at the feria and in town.
Looking forward to bedtime tonight. Sitting here on my butt more than an hour at a time makes it feel numb! Now that I’m normal weight, I’m discovering butt nerves and bones that I didn’t even know I had. LOL!
Think I’ll get into bed and finish RENDEZVOUS WITH A RAINFOREST tonight before falling asleep.
Which brings us to TODAY February 6th…
Watered the plants again.
The new leg exercises are giving me more feeling and fewer sensations of “pulling” or “tightness” in my legs and butt. I know the origin of the problem is probably in my left buttocks area. I can feel the spot when I do the physical therapy stretches.
Took the garbage and recycle stuff to the canasta on the road
Took two trips to be sure I get in 7500 steps by the end of the day. I’m at 1700 steps so far…
Looking Forward to Doing the Feria Again
I think this will be only my fourth time going. I will be going weekly from now on except for the day when I have to return Lisa to the airport. That’s because I will be riding in with Dale and Crystal. It will be fun seeing them at least once a week.
I feel less isolated here in San Isidro
I even felt isolated in Tacoma, so the feeling isn’t new, but it’s unwelcome, for sure! I LOVE connecting with my tribe at least weekly! My landlady is fun, too, when she’s feeling good and is available.
BACK FROM THE FERIA AND GRECIA
As it turned out, Crystal wasn’t able to make it to the feria or lunch this morning (she had two unexpected appointments with clients this morning in addition to a scheduled one; she’s a psychoanalyst/counselor) so Jon was able to bring me home when he delivered Dale back home this afternoon. I didn’t have to wait for a bus or hurry the meal. It was heavenly.
At the feria, Dale and I saw iguanas again (of course). I left my phone at home charging, so Dale took the pix.
Here are the best ones he took:
And Jon took this photo of my meal and me at lunch time…
Dale and I arrived at the feria about 15 minutes before Jon and Francisco did, so we walked down one of the aisles and bought a few things before the other two guys joined us. I bought iceberg lettuce (a real find down here, my favorite kind of lettuce!) during that time.
After Jon and Francisco joined us, we hit all the rows again. I got a new (to me) squash that Dale told me how to boil and prepare (yummy!), a cantaloupe (delicious!), dry cat food for Charli (hopefully; it’s Jon’s cat’s favorite so if Charli won’t eat it I’ll give it to Jon to feed to Tigressa), some desserts (two cookies and some sweet breads), aguacates (avocados), and who knows what else? I’d have to look in the fridge to recall what else and that isn’t gonna happen!
I’m crockpotting dark meat chicken for dinner
I meant to start it going before leaving this morning, but we were back here by 2 so there is still plenty of time to cook it completely before I feel like eating again. It smells wonderful, though!
We sure did miss Crystal today. Hopefully she will be free to join us next week.
Jon and Dale saw my new place when they dropped me off
They’re very happy for me. It is a fabulous place with amazing views.
That’s all for this time!