Sheesh — I didn’t login to my laptop yesterday so now I need to play catch up again from my handwritten notes, about sixteen pages of them! Hopefully not much of it needs to be brought here, but we’re about to find out!
Here we go!
On Saturday Jan 24th I wrote:
Holy cow! Charli is 7 1/4 years old, NOT 5 1/4, which I believed her to be until just right now. Facebook just sent me a flashback to this date in 2019 and there is little Charli. I reported then that she had hidden one of my remote controls and I couldn’t find it anywhere.
I did finally find it below the headboard of my bed, so she must have pushed it between the mattress and the heaboard, and gravity did the rest.
But there she is, cute as a little button, very much still a kitten…
So, now I have a senior citizen cat and need to buy a different Hill’s Science Diet food for her. I’ve been buying Ages 1-6. Not that she is showing any signs of ill health as a result but she’s getting a little chubby, so she’s probably getting too much nutrition.
I Just Gave Myself a Haircut
I learned to cut my own hair during COVID but for the past few times I’ve had it done professionally. But I just figured out that I wear a hat here in Costa Rica all the time and no one sees my haircut anyway, so I’ve decided to save the money by cutting it myself again. It looks fine. I just need to color it again soon.
Took a Shower — and Charli Lost Her Mind Again
…mostly to wash the errant hairs off my shoulders post-haircut.
Charli always gets so upset when I voluntarily get wet (bathtub or shower; makes no difference to her!). She just cannot fathom why I would willingly endure such a bizarre ritual. Poor girl…
“Record Heat” Here in the Heights Again Today
It might be 80 degrees Fahrenheit here. It doesn’t even feel very warm to me. No fan required. In full sun, it would be a different story, but there in the casita, or in the shade, it’s comfortable. Not that I’d want to be digging a ditch at this temperature but sitting here in my shorts poses no problem!
Can’t Get Over the Gifts Homer Gave Me
What a sweetheart.
He told me he knows no one in San Isidro so I told him I will be returning here for visits and will always look him up when I do. I’ll probably visit Diane and Miguel and Marilyn and Guido from time to time, maybe 2-3 times a year.
I’m going to MISS my Calle Esteban Salas friends and neighbors, for sure. When I get familiar with the San Isidro bus route I’ll make it a point to catch the El Cajon bus from Grecia to visit these folks, my very first Costa Rica vecinos/neighbors! They helped make my transition so welcoming and inviting!
I know that writing on paper isn’t eco-friendly but…
handwriting is super good for a lot of reasons – cognitive, motor skills, meditation, and more, so I plan to keep doing it. It’s freaking GOOD for me and I have the time and temperament, so … forgive me!
My giant grasshopper art is turning brown…
The leaves are losing their chlorophyll, so pretty soon it’ll actually look like a grasshopper!
10, 605 steps so far today (4:34 p.m.)
Doubt there will be many more ’cause I’m fading fast and will be in bed before much longer, but 10K steps is FINE for one day — waaayyy more than the minimum set for myself (7500).
On Sunday January 25 I wrote:
7006 steps so far today (9:14 a.m.)
The runner rugs and half moon rugs are down at Cat’s for Bernal to power wash and this casita is totally swept including under both beds. A week from right now we should be in San Isidro either unloading Marianela’s vehicle or arriving at the gate. I’m super eager and excited. WHEEE!
NO KILLER DOGS TODAY
I didn’t encounter the “killer dogs” today but did carry the steel handle of my insect catcher just in case, per Diane’s suggestion.
I visted with her and Miguel at their front gate for about 20 minutes, which is always a special treat. I’m gonna miss that when I move! But I plan to find a way to attend Diane’s monthly BLOOM potluck so I don’t lose touch with her, and occasionally I’ll ask to catch a ride with her back to this neighborhood to say hi and visit with my Calle Esteban Salas friends.
Lisa Sounds Super Jazzed About Flying Down
I sure am glad. She needs a break and I need a “Lisa fix!” We have so freaking much FUN together!
7198 steps so Far (11:37 a.m.)
Next Sunday at this hour…
I should have most of my stuff unpacked and put away. I’m looking forward to having a place that reflects me again. This casita looks mighty Kris-less right now! Like a hotel room except for the barest of essentials. Neat and tidy but BORING!
At breakfast and lunch but not much, either time. A good thing about the Costa Rica diet is that it’s both filling and satisfying. Packed with nutrition, it lacks additives that make it addictive, so eating too much (more than required) doesn’t get prompted. It’s a godsend in that way.
Windchimes Will Come Down Soon
Along about Wednesday or Thursday I will probably take down the windchimes. I have a fear of forgetting them. (I had the same fear in Tacoma and took them down days in advance.) They are very special to me, but I do tend to take them for granted when they’re silent, and if it’s not windy on Sunday morning, I might forget to take them. So, I want to make sure I don’t!
It’s Gorgeous Outside
(DUH!!! It’s always gorgeous outside. Even when wet!) I don’t think I will ever get OVER how gorgeous it is… Sure hope not, anyway!
Charli is Sacked Out on the Couch As Usual
It’s a cat life here near the equator:
Siesta y fiesta.
Pura vida y comida.
Heaven on earth 99.9999999% of the time.
I can’t imagine why anyone would ever want to leave here, even for vacation.
I’m a total convert.
Dale and Crystal Say They’ll Be Getting a Vehicle
Can’t imagine why but more power to them. You couldn’t pay me to drive here. Too dicey! I’m content living on a bus line and having a completely affordable personal driver for special or time-sensitive trips. It’s so cheap to get around and, after I get the DIMEX card, buses will be 100% free for me because I’m a senior. So I can forget about buying gas, insurance, maintenance, tires, etc. That ALONE save me easily $1000 to 1600/year!
Some of the imported food is expensive but I’ll start attending the feria weekly after the move. That will save a bundle. I can catch the bus to Grecia and a cab to the feria from the bus station. Easy peasy, a fun outing, complete with giant iguanas! And I can probably catch a ride from the feria to our weekly lunch date whenever Jon has room in his vehicle for me. There’s plenty of time to figure it all out.
Potluck this week plus the lab and bank
My last week in El Cajon will be busy! I have a potluck to attend this week and on another day I will need to visit Sanchez Lab for a blood draw (INR check) and the bank for some colones so I can pay Marianela for her services with enough left over for a few more groceries.
After next week my pension and annuity funds will arrive and I can do a larger grocery shop run then just prior to Lisa’s arrival on the 11th.
Jon Has Two More Spanish Books for Me
Jon found two more Spanish language books for me in his library. He’s going to give me the first of them this Friday at lunch. Spanish Pronouns. It’s a primer and workbook of sorts. I’m gonna love working with it!
Writing Helps Focus My Brain
…so I don’t dream up and entertain ridiculous Kobayashi Maru scenarios. (There is a Chinese ship that visits Tacoma often named Kobayashu Maru but I’m referring to the STAR TREK “no win scenario test” here, as any Trek fan knows!) That’s probably why/when I started writing as a kid, now that I think about it: to “order my world” and control my anxiety (control my uncontrollable existence as a dependent child).
In a Tasmanian Devil (alcoholic Dad) whirlwind kind of household, writing gave me a respite, a place to vent safely, to dream, to create my own world with “safer, saner” role models like Roy Rogers, the Bonanza boys, Spock and McCoy. It was THERAPY as much as it was ART.
Whenever I write, outside concerns become less Kobayashi-Maru-like and more manageable. I realize I’m over-thinking or catastrophizing ultimate outcomes where they are extremely unlikely to occur.
The only present true catastrophe is what’s happening in the United States Right Now
…and I’m not there anymore, thankfully! This fact takes it beyond my control except for my vote and social media influence. So I can compartmentalize it and live “outside” its compartment. I can view it as much or as little as I choose. I know that the people experiencing it hour to hour are fighting in uncounted numbers, doing all they can on the ground in their communities to document the unconstitutional abuses and resist them.
MY puny issues — tax prep, proof of life notarization, lengthy immigration situation — pale in comparison
This is one of the ways in which writing keeps me sane during even INSANE times. I took action to remove myself from regime harm. I foresaw the potential for imminent disaster and did what I needed to do to be safe. Millions of others are doing the same now, as the madness increases. The whole western world is doing the same: mitigating against the harms envisioned, espoused, and instigated by a certifiable madman and his regime.
What’s left for me to do beyond what I’ve already done is to simply live and enjoy my life. And I’m quickly and capably learning how to do just that. I don’t spend much time thinking about what can go wrong anymore. I anticipate a good outcome. Always have, always will.
I’m the result of hundreds of thousands of generations of ancestors, all of whom faced realities and challenges far more dauntingt and dangerous than mine. I’m a continuation of those stubborn souls. That gives me hope and a backbone!
And that’s probably why I became a storyteller: to remind myself and others that we can write our own stories and create our own destinies. We don’t have to accept the lives that others have prescribed for us. We have the ability and the free will to say, “This is who/what I am” and let the world go hang if it doesn’t like it.
As long as our choices don’t harm someone else by turning them into a victim or an “other,” our life choices and lifestyles are valid and commendable. We LOVE. We HELP. We VALIDATE. We Are One. Anything that harms another should be understood as harming us all.
Love doesn’t hurt. It doesn’t HARM.
It’s so freaking straightforward and simple to my mind. Love has always helped and healed me. Judgment and coercion have rarely helped me. I think this is true for everyone, not just me.
6:10 p.m.
Lisa and I chatted for almost an hour just now. She got her travel sickness patches ordered and will take her POA papers to BECU on Wednesday to try and get my “proof of life” doc from MPI notarized. Dennis will do my tax return.
Everything is working out!
Lisa told me that Jackie gave the chickens to Natassia Neel. I’m glad. I know Natassia will do right by them. She’s a farm gal through and through. Her critters own a big part of her heart. He son Colton owns the rest!
NO SCORPIONS STILL
Still haven’t seen any scorpions, which is a good thing. Indoors or out. T’is the season for them, from what I hear and see online, so I’m on the lookout for them. The species aren’t deadly here in CR, but their sting can be really painful and long-lasting, and if you happen to be allergic, they can be a threat (anaphylactic shock). I hear it’s good to have Benadryl on hand, so I’ll look for some next time I’m in town.
Which Brings Us to Today at 10:12 a.m.
I’ve walked 6506 steps so far today. Just a thousand to go to reach my goal. Easy peasy. It’ll happen!
Two pretty posies I captured today!
That’s all for now. What’s happening in your life? Answer on Facebook below this post!