Yesterday’s trip to Migracion in San Jose Costa Rica was a resounding success, as were the subsequent side trips on the way back.

Jon Graham Mitchell, Adilio Montero Montes Vargas and I went to Migracion there to submit the final required documents (Social Security income verification letter and its Spanish translation plus the cover document which was notarized in San Jose at the U.S. Embassy last week).

On the way in, there were four separate vehicle collisions

…or stalls but we happened upon them almost immediately after each one occurred, so we weren’t unduly delayed, fortunately. Travel time from Grecia (where we picked up Jon) to Mirgacion was 90 minutes. The return trip to Grecia was half that.

The Wait In Line at Migracion Was About An Hour

There were three or four individuals in line ahead of us. Two of them had issues that took quite some time to iron out.

My matter took somewhere between three and five minutes.  Easy peasy.

The customer service agent at Migracion told Jon the processing time might be a month or more when Jon asked. Jon thinks it will probably happen faster than that and to keep my eye on incoming emails.

As soon as we get the final resolution, we can jump through the last of the hoops in Grecia to get me registered, finger printed, photographed, fees paid, etc. taken care of.  And after that, I could get my DIMEX card within ten days or so  — perhaps a little longer if we run up against the holiday season, when so many government offices shut down for a few weeks.

I Told Adilio

…that I wanted to buy him car tires for (of BEFORE) Christmas (if he needs them before then).  I told him this early so he wouldn’t buy them himself, in case he was planning to.

He was super grateful and said he would like them in November. Tires aren’t expensive here (comparatively) so it’s do-able for me, but certainly harder for ticos to afford because working class folks aren’t paid much in Costa Rica. Adilio’s wheels are his lifeline, as a driver for hire. So, I knew they’d be a good gift (either now or later).

I plan to get Jon two tires

whenever he tells me he’s ready for them, too.  At first, he told me April, but April has long since come and gone, and I haven’t heard anything more. So, maybe he’s getting them for Christmas, unless he still doesn’t think he needs them yet!

After we dropped Jon back home

… Jon transferred the cat litter into Adilio’s car and then Adilio drove me a few blocks to a tienda, El Lagar near the feria, that carries dehumidifying crystals. I bought two 3-pound, 12-ounce packages and put out the first one as soon as I got home — in five separate plastic containers so I could place them throughout the apartment.

Then, on the way back to my abode

… Adilio stopped to get gas at CoopeVictoria, so I got six personal pizzas to freeze when I got home for future lunches or dinners. (Just add pineapple pieces, and YUM!)

From there, we went to our usual return-trip haunt

… Pollolandia in Santa Gertrudis, where we waited fifteen minutes to get chicken right out of the fryer as soon as it was ready.

Selfie taken at Pollolandia Oct. 20, 2026

After we collected our lunches, Adilio drove me home.  My remote wouldn’t open the gate, so I had to call Deb to have her open it for us so we could get my goodies in and unloaded.

Adilio helped me offload my stuff, and then Deb let him out of the gate again and told me to put my remote on her credenza downstairs (her steps to the second floor, where she was, were being stained and were inaccessible) and she would have Gabriel put in a new battery when he returned that afternoon.

I Walked 11,000+ steps yesterday

…and I’ve walked 7672 steps so far today (at 11:48 a.m.).

I asked Deb if I Could Have One of Her

…8″ plastic flower pots so I could repot the plant that I bought three months ago. It has grown like a weed and sent out new flowers and was getting rootbound.  Deb said yes, so I repotted that earlier this morning.  It has more than doubled in size since I got it.

in a 4″ pot a few months ago…

In an 8″ pot today…

I’ve had the plant outside on the patio all this time. Deb tells me it’s an indoor plant and that it does best in orchid-friendly substrate, so I just brought it in and will get some substrate for it next time I get into town.  For right now, I’ve just packed some well-aerated soil and mulch mixture around the outer edges of the pot. It should be fine that way for a little while. Its root system is still all within the original substrate that it came in (from a well-known local nursery).

That’s all the news worthy of your time for this time.

Hope you’re having a DE-lightful day!

Below is your starter kit, in case you aren’t! LOL!