I’ll be interested to see what my altered diet here in Costa Rica is doing to my INR level.
I’m due for another “finger poke” next week (here in CR, it’s actually a blood draw) to see if adding rice, refried beans and avocada (on occasion) more abundantly to my diet has altered it a whole bunch, or if it will remain within the range it’s supposed to.
I should also arrange for a kidney check relatively soon since I have only one working kidney (and it’s moderately compromised) because too much protein (from some sources, especially animal protein) can affect kidney function. I’m not eating much animal protein here, but my bean protein has certainly increased!
Because good golly, Miss Lolly, I am loving the Costa Rican diet — fresh nutritious fruits, vegetables, rice, beans, avocado.
I never feel hungry but I’m always ready for a small meal three or four times a day. And I mean small. I’m not gaining or losing an ounce down here. I’m at 155 pounds consistently every morning when I weigh in. I’d be okay losing another ten pounds, but I’m deliriously happy with the way I look right now. My skin is soft and it feels somehow thicker down here. That’s probably because it’s sufficiently hydrated — given the humidity here and my watch’s frequent reminder to drink water — and protected from the sun. Proof: I’m not bruising much at all when I do something semi-clumsy, like banging my arm, leg or wrist against a table or chair.
Got a full eight hours of sleep last night
Because daybreak is about 5:30 every morning, I have been rising with the sun for weeks. Which has resulted in my getting between six and seven hours of sleep every night. But this morning before the sun rose, I donned an eye mask and slept a full eight hours and fifteen minutes. So I’m going to make daybreak masking a habit from now on.
Charli Enjoys Daily Brushing
Charli and I established a routine well over two years ago. She follows me into the bathroom every morning while I do my potty business, so I started putting a towel over my legs so she could jump up and sit/lie with me while I do that. She loves it and it’s fine with me.
But since we’ve been here in El Cajon, I have altered the routine to comb her hair while she sits there. She absolutely loves it and almost goes into a happy trance. I never get much loose hair off her, but she loves the way the comb massages her all over. I wish I could catch it on video (you certainly don’t, I’m sure! HA!!!), but that would be impossible unless I had a tripod.
She just completely luxuriates during the process. I can lift her, turn her over, upend her completely, and do whatever I need to do to comb her everywhere. She considers it heaven. And it delights me to delight her in that way. It’s our daily “quality time” before she goes her way and I go mine during the daylight hours. We both have a lot of exploring to do in this new world of ours!
Of course, this new routine means that I spend considerably more time on the throne than nature requires, but it’s a small price to pay to keep her happy!
My little queen sits on “our” throne while I attend to her! How purr-fect is that?!
It’s Monday So I ordered from Max X Menos again
I ordered two boxes of cat litter and a combo box of fosforos para la cocina (kitchen matches) after I finally figured out what they are called here in CR. I’ve been looking for them for weeks and finally decided to use Reverso to find out what they’re called in Spanish.
And hey, what they’re called here makes better sense. (The term phosphor/fosforos arose in the 19th century as a generic term for materials that glow in the dark.)
I’m beginning to dream in Spanish
Now, as to whether I dream perfectly in Spanish is certainly up for debate, but at least my brain is working on translation projects even while I’m asleep. And when I’m awake, I’m finding Spanish terms more readily available when I need them.
For example, as soon as I learned fosforos, I created a sentence in Spanish while asleep, asking Jose at the mini mart if he carried them. “Hola, buenos dias, Jose. No necesita mucho esta vez, pero tiene Usted fosforos para la cocina y maiz dulce en lata?” (Hi, good morning, Jose. I don’t need much today but do you have/carry kitchen matches and canned sweet corn?”)
Little by little, day to day and dream by dream, I’m getting there!
Poco a poco, día a día y sueño por sueño, ¡me estoy acercando!
