I’m playing catch up here today.  I’ve been writing in longhand on lined pages for the past few weeks to keep my penmanship in shape.  And I just love writing in longhand ever since I started doing it again (after years of NOT doing it) while learning Spanish over the past many months.  I have missed the “meditation” aspect of it.  It’s leisurely and contemplative, much moreso than tapping out words on a keyboard!

 

On January 6 I wrote:

 

I’ve walked 8132 steps so far today (at 8:50 a.m.)

 

Saw Diane briefly. Happily, Blanco is fine today after her run-in with the insect while I was walking her yesterday.

 

Blanco and I were near Eileen’s place when I stepped off the road with Blanco so a vehicle could turn around more easily.  Blanco took one step up a pathway next to the road at that moment, stuck her head into a bush, and came out with an inch-long winged insect in her mouth.  It either tasted awful or it stung her (she didn’t yelp, so I didn’t think it stung her) and she quickly spat it out, but for the rest of the walk back she acted gaggy and pawed at her mouth.  No salivation or swelling, just a display of contining “YUK!”

 

So of course when I returned him to Miguel (Diane’s husband), I told him what happened so they could keep an eye of him in case he started exhibiting more symptoms.  The next morning when I spotted Diane in her vehicle, I asked her how he was. She said he was fine and that I could take him for a walk again when I got back to their place, because she knew he would love it.

 

How’s that for trusting me again with her beloved dog?  I was relieved that she felt that way.  And I shall endeavor to keep him strictly on the calle from now on!

 

I think the UTI antibiotic I’m on is good for my brain, too. I feel more clear-headed and balanced than I did yesterday. I wasn’t too “off” yesterday but there is a improvement today after only one dose. I know UTIs can mess with one’s brain. I’ll take the second dose (of 5) at 10 a.m. after I’ve eaten something.

 

Those are the instructions.  And I totally understand every word of the instructions and how to take the pills without needing to use Reverso or Google Translate. Slowly but surely, I’m becoming more fluent. Marianela even commented on it yesterday! Made me feel GOOD!

 

Christine is Returning to the United States

 

I was sad to learn that Christine K. won’t be staying in Costa Rica. She is such a great goodwill ambassador for gringos coming here and wanting to learn the ropes. And she was formally learning Spanish in a classroom.

 

But she misses her daughter (who fully embraced her transition) so she hasn’t been able to be completely happy here. I very much fear for her safety in the U.S., but she needs to do what’s right for her. I hope she’ll stay in touch and visit at least occasionally. I need to text her as soon as my phone is fully charged to send her my love and my best wishes.

(Update: I just did that this minute. She told me she will be here until April and then will become a snowbird and return in November every year, so we won’t be losing her forever. Hooray!)

 

Lunch with Jon, Francisco, Marilyn and Paul/Guido

 

I’m going to be having lunch with four of my favorite people up at Marilyn’s and Guido’s later this month.  Jon and Francisco will pick me up on Calle LA on their way up, since my casita is right on the way.

 

Marilyn has also invited me to walk Oliver the goat with her before I leave here for San Isidro, but I’m playing that my ear for now, with my foot the way it is.  I’ll find out how rocky and uneven the goat path is there and decide based on that whether I should do it now or get a raincheck for later.

 

It’s a beautiful day!

 

(And in other non-earthshaking, non-surprising news, water is wet! LOL!) I just can’t get OVER what a paradise Costa Rica is (especially at this altitude).

 

Edward Won’t Be Visiting Me After All

 

Edward IM’d me to say he won’t be coming to Costa Rica for a visit after all. I’m saddened and also a bit relieved. He isn’t in great health (as mentioned in an earlier post) and he has a geriatric kitty who is miserable every time Edward goes anywhere.  And I know I’d worry about him the entire time he was here, feeling responsible for his wellbeing and HORRIBLE if he needed emergency healthcare while here.

 

But this decision of his means I will never see him in the flesh again. Virtually, yes (thankfully!) but no more hugs, lunches, face-to-face, heart-t0-heart conversations and reminiscences. I have known him for more than 45 years, well longer than half our lifetimes.   So, the situation SUCKS, and I’m certain he feels the same.

 

He’s an original. He stayed true to his essence. He is a very kind, decent, sensitive soul. I love him dearly.

 

My Left Foot

 

I’m pretty sure my left foot anomaly is tendon/ligament related. The constant, micro-rolling of my ankles to navigate the rocky, uneven Calle Esteban Salas has really done a number on them. Every time I walk now, I pay close attention to what it’s “costing” my feet and ankles, so I can feel it now. It doesn’t hurt, per se, but it is definitely pulling tendons and ligaments each time.

 

I’m being super careful not to over-do and staying more on less-rocky patches as much as possible, which slows me down even more, but it is what it is until I’m in a better spot. Maybe I’ll even back out of walking as much  as I have been UNTIL I’ve moved.  That’s probably prudent.

 

Yes, I’ve just made an executive decision: I’ll do that.

 

I won’t walk up Calle Esteban Salas except to carry a trash bag every two to three days. Instead, I’ll walk in the other direction. It’s smoother most of the way, with pavement and gravel patches that are totally safe and wobble-free to walk on.  It’s all in the shade (bosque) which will make it cooler so I’ll have to wear my flannel nightshirt some mornings, but that’s okay.

 

Between 11 and noon my groceries will be delivered. Gonna make chicken and rice soup again. (If the whole chicken gets delivered. Sometimes it doesn’t because the store runs out of it.)

 

Lisa will be here in 36 days!

 

Damn, I’m excited now that I have the transportation to and from the airport settled and locked in. And Jon has reconfirmed that he WANTS to be our driver and tour guide when we go to the animal-y places (La Paz Waterfall/butterfly house/critter rescue center and the Alajuela critter rehab/rescue place, which Jon still calls the zoo, even though zoos with healthy captive animals have been outlawed here for several years). We also MIGHT visit a sloth rescue sanctuary if it isn’t too far afield. Jon is looking into that. (Lisa and I are both sloth lovers.)

 

Oh!  And Jon told me that if I carry my immigration expediente document with me I might be able to get the “resident” discount at these places, which would save me at least $15 at each place, so I intend to do that in addition to having my passport along.

 

Great insights and hints from Jon!  And he offers his immigration coaching services and medical appointment attendance to gringos who don’t speak Spanish. He’s fluent in both languages. His full name is Jon Graham Mitchell and you can find him and more about his services on Facebook.

 

Cleaned the Casita Again

 

I’ve cleaned the casita again including the placemats, small appliances and the refrigerator and have stored back into their original boxes the smallest fan and the largest 22″ fan and its pedestal. The midsize one is still out and available in case I need it, but I rarely do at this elevation.

 

I have also returned the small table lamps that come with this casita to the master bedroom, plus one of the clothes racks to mirror what everything looked like when I moved in. The ornate table lamps and the standing lamp that Crystal and Dale gave me are stored in Charli’s bedroom with all of the already-packed-and-ready-to-go items. So this 1000+ square foot place looks entirely adequate again for one or two residents.

 

I’m keeping the casita super clean and pristine so prospective renters will be able to stop by at a moment’s notice and get a good idea of what they’ll be getting, as free of miscellaneous clutter as is humanly  possible for someone who is still actively living here.

 

I sweep once  a day, keep the wet trash contained in an airtight bag, wash the dishes, sinks, counters, toilet bowl sude tables, etc. daily. It’s easy to do. This is a small place and I have scads of free time.

 

I brush and comb Charli every morning so there’s very little loose hair when I sweep. It’s super easy to keep the place looking nice, especially now since I have so much stashed away in Charli’s bedroom. Only the essentials remain out and on display: toiletries, sunscreen, toothbrushes and paste, meds, a few items of clothing, BP monitor, etc. Small stuff, mostly.

 

Most shelves are empty in both bedrooms.

 

Chatted with Cat briefly today

 

Told her about my foot anomaly and about falling. She commiserated and says she has been trying to get the naighbors to agree to pave Calle Esteban Salas for years, but so far no luck.

 

I asked if she has had any bites on the casita, and she said she hasn’t. I told her that Brooke has listed it on her website, and on Facebook on Grecia Expats, and that I am telling all my incoming gringo acquaintances about it.

 

Update: Jewels Verne is moving to Costa Rica on February 17th and is interested in seeing the casita, so I hope she will love it (as much as I have) and decide to move into it.

 

I hate the idea of leaving Cat and Bernal without a renter. They are such good people!

 

Diane Told Me

 

Diane told me she might tap me for some editing work soon. She is a webmaster for several sites (including Que Pasa Grecia) and she thinks she may need some help.  I told her, “Sure!”  It’s all volunteer — even what she does — and I said that’s fine. I like to keep my skills polished.

 

 

I Was Down to 151 Pounds This Morning

 

I’d love to get down to 145, but healthily. And since I won’t be walking as much (unless I walk to the soccer field and walk there) it probably won’t happen until after the move now.

 

I hope there’s a park or someplace nearby in San Isidro where I can walk, but the driveway is paved and the road out front is paved, too. There is grass beside the main road, so those places also offer better walking options than I have here close at hand.

 

I can walk down as far as Dale’s and Crystal’s home daily as part of my new routine, or maybe even to the local bogantes, although I think that’s a little farther away than I’d like to be walking, since I have to walk back, too. But the slope there is negligible; it’s totally doable.

 

I’m All But Moved Out Already!

 

I’m so close to “moved out” (three weeks early!), it’s ridiculous!  But that’s me in a nutshell. Pre-punctual!  I always get stuff done early.

 

I’ve always met — heck, annihilated! — deadlines. If something gets on my TO DO list I DO IT! That’s a good thing, isn’t it?  It frees me up to do other things  — unexpected things, opportunities. And if nothing comes up to do, I write, or veg, or read, or nap, or sing, or sit with Charli.

 

I’m rarely bored. Inactivity, for me, is as fulfilling as inactivity (sometimes more fulfilling). And here in Costa Rica, I don’t have to spend “down” time wondering if I can AFFORD to be idle. I CAN!!!  It’s freaking wonderful!!!

 

For the first time in my life, I feel free just to exist!

 

No worries or expectations to trip me up. Just be, breathe, exist!  THIS is what SAFETY feels like!  I have ENOUGH (and then some, for occasional adventures, lunches, etc.). As long as I can stay healthy and ambulatory until I’m on CAJA — and so far, so good! — I’m gonna be just fine. And given my diet and baseline numbers, that should continue. I don’t travel much, so bus/auto accidents are unlikely and the folks I ride with are careful, alert and conscientious.  It’s all good!

 

Which Brings Us to TODAY, Tuesday January 7th

 

(Hang in there — you’re almost caught up!)

 

I’m back from my 7443-step morning walk. Today I walked the flattest, most heavily gravelled part of Calle Esteban Salas, which is located in front of Eileen’s home. I stayed on that strip (about 300 feet in length) for an hour to put in close to 7500 steps. I’ll get the rest in here in the casita during the day.

 

It’s cool and shady at Eileen’s and super easy to walk without fretting about twisting an ankle and losing my balance. The doctor told me that walking is good PT for me but to avoid as much as possible twisting my ankles while the mending is in process.

 

So, I’ve found a good solution close to home for the rest of the time I’ll be here.  I just need to be mindful getting there, but the portion of Calle ES that leads to it is far less rocky and uneven than the part that leads to Calle LA.  So, that’s good. AND I’m wearing my hiking boots to protect and support my ankles and reduce the risk even further.

 

The Sound of Silence

 

I haven’t heard a peep of response from Jackie as a result of the two emails I sent her over the past two months. I’ll ask if Lisa will call her and ask if she saw them. She needs to be aware of Lisa’s travel plans and to let me know if Dennis will be doing my taxes before Lisa comes down here.

 

Jackie may be super pissed at me for moving…

but elections have consequences and I gave her advance notice that if T-Wrecks got back in, I’d be getting OUT before we sold the property. Maybe she didn’t believe me — thought I was bluffing  to pressure her not to vote for him — but NOPE!  ABSOLUTELY NOT! And I never bluff; she should know that about me.

 

I was serious as a heart attack. I wasn’t about to hang around to become “disappeared” to some gulag or loaded onto cattle cars. I’ve read history. So did the creators of Project 2025. It’s their blueprint, for heaven’s sake. Steven Miller appears to be a fullblown Nazi, as does Elon Musk.

 

So does T-Wrecks, but he’s their (and Putin’s) puppet, their patsy, their fall guy. The plan is in place and it no longer requires him since it has Thiel and JD Vance as well.  T-Wrecks is just there as HORROR SPECTACLE, as their “Squirrel!”  They know what they’re doing but — even as paranoid as he is — T-Wrecks doesn’t have a clue. He thinks they’re his friends and that they have his back.

 

And he will right until they jab their knives into it. It’ll shock the hell out of him.

 

The stooge is always the last to see the big picture. He only sees what he wants to see.

 

Poor deluded bastard. And poor US and the world, for having to put up with all of this backroom treachery unchecked.

 

But ENOUGH OF THAT!

 

VIBRATION CHANGE INCOMING!

 

I noticed last night — even while asleep and dreaming — how much higher my baseline vibration has rebounded from the damage done to it before moving to Costa Rica. My dreams are high-energy, positive, even joyful.

 

Yes, even the “downer” dreams!

 

For example, in the past I’ve frequently (at least twice a year) had dreams where the homes I’m in begin to flood and/or the ground underneath me shows evidence of imminent collapse. In the U.S., these dreams were deeply unsettling!  I’d wake up with my heart racing.

 

I had another similar dream last night where the house I was in began to flood, but my dream response was not the usual “HORRORS!” but a question: “Do you have a floor squeegee? I have this little handheld one, but I need an industrial sized one with a handle.”  I found myself in it in professional Emergency Management Mode!

 

I’m not a trained dream analyst, but this indicated to me that I feel as fully in control of my fate/destiny as it’s possible to feel in a truly unpredictable world. That is certainly a step in the right direction!

 

I’ve always “sorta” felt that way — that I’d always “muddle through” whatever the universe sent my way — but this is something  beyond that, beyond “sorta.”  It feels more like certainty — which, of course, it can never be in a world of uncertainty — but it’s unbelievably “freeing” anyway!!!

 

It’s close to Zen, as I understand the concept. No struggles except those I allow and embrace (unwisely) — and I don’t have to accept any of them. It’s a CHOICE, not a MANDATE.

 

Gimme a squeegee!

 

I’m smiling. I can now handle things without struggle, with equanimity, in peace. “It is what it is. It is NOT a judgment or a curse or a warning. The universe is unfolding as it should. Some humans suck. Most DON’T. Namaste.”

 

That’s where my vibration has landed just four months post-move. I’m surrounded by nature, light, warmth and goodwill. It doesn’t get any better than this. HEAVEN couldn’t improve on it.

 

I’ve removed myself from what I cannot control to a place where I feel no real need or desire to control. Nothing feels broken or wicked or wrong-headed here.

 

True, I haven’t been exposed to all that many people personally — maybe 20, total — but the ones I have are all wonderful and the general population in and around Grecia appear to be friendly, patient, aware and responsive. And HAPPY!!!  The field workers, the sanitation workers, the vendors, the vast majority of customer service representatives — they’re all smiling. They have kind eyes and faces. They all look like they know they are loved and deeply appreciated.

 

It’s just a different vibe here entirely

 

I will never return to the United States unless I need crucial short-term medical care (like a surgery before CAJA kicks in for me). I left nothing there that I actively or acutely miss. NOTHING.

 

Oh, I miss Lisa acutely, but we chat on WhatsApp as frequently as she can and wants to, and she will visit occasionally. And maybe (if I live long enough) she will even move here after she retires. (My fondest wish, but probably unlikely.)

 

I’m perfectly content here.

 

My research was impeccable.  I cannot endorse ENOUGH doing your research if you’re thinking about moving to another country (or anywhere else, actually)!

 

 

Heard Back From Deb

 

I can see the new place, pay the rent and deposits, and sign the lease agreement on January 30th, two days before I move in. WOO HOO!

 

And that, my friend, brings you right up to the minute.

 

Enjoy the rest of your day!