Today after walking for an hour this morning, I spent the time reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (in English) and studying more Spanish, so I feel accomplished tonight.
The two days of hour-long walks have brought my weight back down to where it was before (153 to 155), so I know that’s the ticket for keeping my girth in line. I’d love to lose another ten to fifteen pounds over time, but am in no rush for that to happen.
Walking early helps me meet new neighbors each time
I’m already fist bumping new neighbors as a result of walking on Calle Esteban Salas regularly. I’m feeling more confident about chatting a little with them, too.
One man walks his two dogs every day. I have greeted him and petted them twice already.
Another Tica on Calle Esteban Salas has a daughter with Down Syndrome. She or another of her daughters walks every morning with her, so I’ve been able to befriend them a little bit. I chatted a little with the mom in Spanish to let her know where I live, and I always smile at and acknowledge her daughter, who smiles back. It’s a start.
And I met another middle-aged gentleman today who lives in a native Tico hut/home on the calle. He is a real sweetheart. He’s very cheerful and kind; I can tell by his countenance. He harvests roadside flora to sell in downtown Grecia, I think. His home is entirely encircled with potted plants in various stages of growth and I saw him pick and pot a small plant this morning.
It looked to me like he was having cellphone connectivity problems today, so I pulled mine out and offered it to him to use — more or less pantomiming the offer, since he doesn’t speak English and I don’t speak enough Spanish to ask if he needed another phone — but he waved me away with a smile and a grateful look on his face, indicating that he was okay. Not long after, when I passed him again, he offered his fist and we exchanged fist bumps.
I didn’t take any pictures today. Sorry! I am determined to remember to get a selfie with Marianela this Friday if she will allow me to!
MY NEW CROCK POT IS A BLESSING
I’ve used my new (small) crockpot twice in three days to cook one-portion-size amounts of baby back ribs with barbecue sauce. Yummy!
Guess that’s all the news that’s worth your time, other than what I shared in this morning’s blog post about last night’s earthquake.
Oh! The Costa Rica postal service is now allowing letters to be sent to the U.S. and received from the U.S. again. That’s possibly because T-Wrecks has backed off his stupidest tariffs that were negatively affecting Costa Rica’s economy. He finally figured out that onerous tariffs shouldn’t be placed on agricultural products that can’t be grown in the U.S. like coffee/cocoa beans and bananas. (Gee! Ya think?!)
Have a good evening! HUGS!!!