The Sea is a Salty One

A pair of Magpie Jays contemplating taking a bath at the bird bath. Very hot here today, and around late afternoon I heard some truly disturbing news. We officially have a case of Coronavirus here in the greater Tama area. It's in the next town over, a couple of miles, in Playa Langosta. Another gringo. No one knows what the route of transmission was yet. So hot I stupidly got back into the pool, and had to get out within ten minutes. Crazy wheezing. I don't know how this happened but I seem to be having problems with the chemicals in the pool and hot tub.

Last night before I drifted off to sleep I saw something that made me guffaw most of the night and bray with laughter this morning. The ex of a relative got remarried, mere days after the divorce was signed. He is an abusive jerk. But that's not why I was laughing. I was laughing because he and his new bride got married in sweats, the bride even had a white bedazzled lacy hoodie sweatshirt topped with a bridal veil. The groom was balding and wearing black sweats. Who risks infection and marries in the middle of a pandemic? In sweats? Oh man, a wedding as bizarre as the coupling. I know younger people have more casual ideas than most folks, but they are almost to my ancient age group.  Different strokes I guess. It's not like it's cold there. A Tamarindo traffic jam, stray confused cattle on my way to pick up a few things at the Auto Mercado. I went out early during senior citizen hour to get a pound of butter and another bag of dried cat food. I discovered upon arriv...

One thing is for sure. People are just starting to lose it. I had some much stuff to post this morning at No Longer Quivering and there's other things I never even got around to adding. Just a little while ago Jill Rodrigeus tried to self justify her conference last weekend and her breaking Ohio's Stay at Home order. Add in new information on the Duggar's problems that I'm sitting on like a very uncomfortable golden egg and I'm sort of in "Calgon take me away!" mode. I feel as cranky as this Tico cop arresting surfers over near Bowie's Point and Hermosa Beach earlier today. People, freaking stay home if the government wants you to. Who am I fooling? I'm going nowhere. Yesterday I got into the pool for the first time in three weeks because the asthma related skin problems and promptly started having asthma. I was just done for the day and out for the count by 2 pm yesterday. Today is not much better. I am in the bedroom underneath the air...

Today I did something I really did not want to do. I went to see my doctor in the middle of this COVID 19 confloption. Why? Two days ago I woke up with a red and painful nose. Not the 'whoops I picked my nose so hard I scratched it' feel. More the 'Oh holy squid I have MRSA again' pain. I was out of mupirocin and Bag Balm was not touching it I figured it was better to drag my biscuits into town and see Dr. Vivi. early on. Better to squish this quickly in this time of Coronavirus. Left the house early on. No traffic, deserted streets everywhere. Even the computer shop, the most crowded place in town was customer-less. Only the bakery was doing a booming business. When I pulled up to the clinic it was tumbleweeds, deserted as a restaurant only serving up durian. I was nervous about showing up, not sure what I would find. What I did find is that they are taking it way more seriously more quickly than the States. The clinic director Dr. Andi was wearing full PPE ...

So we ventured out again today. Relax, it was just to use the bank ATM. Tamarindo is deserted. Shuttered shops. Closed restaurants. No traffic. I did see a number of iguanas walking, not running as usual, across the road. Near the Diria. Usually this road has people parked willy nilly on both sides with traffic crawling now during high season. Today not so much. We decided to just drive around since we were out and sealed in the car. The abandoned beaches complete with police crime scene do not cross tape. Boats idling in the harbor abandoned and connected to anchors riding the waves. Middle of town, right where the roads split, one going up to the bank, and the other going to the rotunda. Another place usually filled with parked cars and bumper to bumper traffic. Being it's Wednesday it was hit the Mega Super for the 4 for the cost of 3 sale. We ran through. Had to laugh when I saw several very nervous gringos wearing bedraggled creased used single layer ma...

I tell myself every single day that I will not watch the afternoon COVID press conference and every afternoon I get sucked right in. Today was no exception. For the life of me I cannot explain or understand our commander in chief. He mangles so much of the information and now he's floating an idea that scientists and doctors are saying is not even remotely possible - returning everyone to work, school and life by Easter, a mere 3 and a half weeks! He mentioned again and again and again, in great detail, something that was a short quick throw away idea spilling from his lips yesterday. His idea of all the churches filled to the brim, spilling over with happy grateful smiling people with the pandemic over. It's pretty obvious that the only real person Donald Trump listens to is Donald Trump. We've seen this before, some petty pipe dream thought he mentions once that gets confabulated into a cornerstone of his ever shifting rhetoric. What's dangerous about doing th...

Missing meals and sunset views from here. From Eat at Joe's Tamarindo last month. Not now sadly enough. This morning I could put it off no longer I had to make a bread and milk run to the grocery store. Both Maxi Pali and Auto Mercado have special old timers hour at the beginning of the day. Even if I'm still a few months from 60 I turned up at Maxi Pali during that hour and the nice security guard let me through the gate. There was literally not more than two or three others shopping, and the store was fully stocked for a change. Was able to replenish my supply of tissues, paper towels, juice and milk, even if I was limited to three of each. Actually glad they are limiting. I never buy more than that anyway. But I was surprised by the amount of fear I felt, just running a short and simple errand. I felt conspicuous in the worst way,  trussed up like a germophobe in nitrile gloves since I had a box, my mask wiping down the cart, and later the groceries. One amusing mome...

A crazy day for one spent entirely at home. I have run out of tissues, but remembered I have another large Costco/Price Smart case stored in the guesthouse. Trying futilely not to touch my face except with a fresh tissue. One thing I have noticed today, something that makes me happy I'm not posting much on social media. People are starting to just lose it. Example? One friend that is married to an Asian lady wants everyone to stop spouting racial remarks about Asians. Another friend went nuts on him, stomping around everywhere yelling about the horrible Chinese. I'm not getting involved, mostly because I would have to care more about the issue to jump in. I try not to say racist things, but I'm also not tasked to police force the entire world's emotions and interactions. They need to work it out, but I know I'm seeing fear turned in strange ways. It's a tense time. I hope they manage to come to some sort of agreement, and apologize. It's too heated righ...

The Whale Tail is closed here, along with everything else beachy. What are you doing to wile away your time during this self-isolation? I have a shameful secret. I've been watching "Love After Lockup" and the occasional "90 Day Fiance" I normally tend to stick to things like "Poldark," "Masterpiece Theater" "Better Call Saul" and a handful of other shows I've always had my one trashy reality show addiction. It used to be "Dance  Moms" but LAL is my new jam. I'm mostly off social media, including Facebook, because it's just incredibly frustrating to watch misinformation being shared like the gospel truth. I realized after I jumped all over Mrs. Satan for sharing misinformation that I needed to take a social media break. There are a million reasons to hate her, like forging my husband's signature on tax documents, but this one is too trifling to go where I took it. So I'm quilting. I finally got m...

This funny picture sort of sums up my attitude right now. I think I am going to be taking a long social media break. I'll still update No Longer Quivering, and I'll approve comments on the site and Facebook pages, but that's gonna be about it. I'm burned out trying to explain to people that gloves and single ply masks are next to useless in this pandemic, and that you should not blow dry up your nose. Burn your nose hairs and stupidly trust in a piece of thin porous cloth to save your ass. I'll be over here working on my garden and sewing. In the finishing stretches finally of my Paris quilt and about a million other projects. I did a ton of repair on clothing today, made new pillows with a lovely parrot and tropical leaf patterned fabric for the patio. Sewed on popped buttons, tore apart and remade my crocheted swiffer like mopping pads. Onward and forward. Even cooked a large meal and baked today. Planted more seedlings. I'm climbing in the bed and turn...

Almost two weeks in to mostly quarantine and I am almost officially out of yarn. I've been crocheting bath mats and bedroom throw rugs. See below. I  think I'm about to switch over to a big hand quilted project because I think this is going to take months. Idle hands and all that. I have been going out for a drive every day too. Sealed in my car, but yesterday after that hot mess of a lie press conference by our president Jim drug me out to the beach, to Playa Grande. Grande is usually deserted, it's a national turtle nesting beach without many people. We figured it might be a safe option for a little exercise. The place was filled with gringo tourists drinking, hugging, violating all of Costa Rica's laws on social distances. But thankfully not very close to us. Sunset is so beautiful there. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Around midnight last night we got some disturbing news. Disturbing and sort of satisfying in a sick karma bit you in the ass kind of way. Remember Mrs...

Yesterday was day two of our crazy tilt-o-whirl get everything done. We filled up our bottled water jugs (too high of calcium in the tap water to drink). We got back to the bank to deposit the check from the hospital. Tests happened for lung function. The Bank Unlike the day before there was no lines at all, not inside, not outside. They were still allowing people inside in small numbers, one or two at a time. They'd removed half of the seating in customer service, and spaced the remaining chairs roughly ten feet apart now. So empty it was eerie as hell. Spoke with my favorite teller for quite some time. He's worried and upset that most Costa Ricans aren't taking this seriously. He is afraid of contracting it, as we all are. The security guard forced me to remove my Vog mask. First time ever. I've worn it before in the bank because when the asthma is stirred up I tend to react to people's colognes, cleaning solutions, all sorts of wild things. It really hel...

I am loving my savage Costa Rican brothers and sisters for their brutal retorts to an idiot issuing a come to Jesus over the Corona virus. All these popped up behind it. “There x God doesn't seem enough with what you live today for you to come with these blowjobs” “That one smokes it very green” “Cancelled the coming by Corona virus” Stay savage my friends! My darling husband, who I love so much, but sometimes in the most frustrating man on the planet hence the occasional grumbles about how pissed off he has made me, was busy believing a Corona lie yesterday. My response was 'Go ahead asshole, burn your nose hairs off and nasal passage skin. Go blow dry your nose, but I'm not driving your ass to the doctor."

People are starting to stupidly stumble out of bed and smell the coffee. Today was epic in only the way a panicking second world country with issues dealing with things in a timely fashion could do. We were trying to get everything done today, today only, pick up that refund from the Hospital Metropolitano, get it deposited in the bank, drop off books and supplies to the local bookstore, buy another CD at the bank, refill our bottled water jugs and get some baking powder. Today didn't quite shake out that way. The bank. We ran to the bookstore before going to the bank, and by the time we got to the bank in mid morning the bank has shut and locked their doors. There was a huge panic of people trying to get into the bank to withdraw money. Bank security was only allowing people into the bank in twos and threes. The bank had their customer waiting area and chairs spread five feet apart, but to no avail because everyone outside was lining up and jockeying for position very closely,...

I'm going to be blogging what's going on here with the new COVID 19 virus here in Costa Rica. I've been self isolating all week with a few exceptions because I take immunio suppression therapy. I am watching and waiting. It's been very odd here. While my medical people, like my doctor, and the government seem to be taking this seriously, but not so much with the people. Right now there are approximately 35 people confirmed to have the virus. I think the numbers are likely much much higher due to the stories I keep hearing of Ticos being told they cannot get the test and that it's not appropriate for them to be tested even while they have all the symptoms. I think the culture of Costa Rica, a culture of do the least and slide on by is going to make this hideously bad here. Today the government's response is to order all discos and bars closed. Restaurants are allowed to be open, along with all other businesses. The order comes after it was found that bars are...

Jim is out gallivanting around playing softball. I am home, with my yarn and Netflix. He is not slowing down from the Corona virus possible exposures, but at least I finally got him to use hand sanitizer even if he thinks it's a girly plot, like hand towels, coasters under drinks and throw pillows. Stuff manly man never partake in. I am better. No lung crud, no mad scratching, no stoned feeling. A lot better. But I know better than to push my luck. Or stop with the social distancing. Some gardening, some laundry, some cooking, some reading, some exciting day. Not. But I am introverted enough to actually prefer this to the mad social scramble people I know like. Bingo was cancelled  (HA!) and I'm not crying any tears since I barely tolerated it in the first place. Some small things have been cancelled here, and a few concerts. Lots of things in San Jose are cancelled, but in the rural backwater with a beach we live in its business as usual, fleecing the Gringo tourists and...

I have been in the great indoors. I can't get into the pool or hot tub because of the skin problems. I'm not supposed to get in the sun for the same reason and sweating in the heat seems to make it all worse. It is getting better, but so so slowly. Not that I feel much like doing anything with the chest congestion and asthma I'm going through right now. Nope. I am doing a lot of laying down and laying around. Yesterday I managed to send someone all those horrible screen shots that they used in today's video. And more today I am hoping get used in a future video. We went out yesterday in an attempt to finish stocking up for social distance. What did we buy? Toilet paper. Lots and lots of toilet paper. I also picked up almost three months worth of prescriptions at my local pharmacy.  I wore my Vog mask since I'm runny nosed and wheezy and the folks working at the pharmacy  looked at me like I had three heads. I started trying to talk to them about the Corona v...

It's official. We have several cases of Corona virus here in Guanacaste now.The mask went on and I used that hand sanitizer when I was out so much and so hard you might have thought I was addicted. Like you could get literally high from it. I am still having asthma high-jinks going on in the body. Low fever, sore throat, lung congestion, tightness in chest. Not even taking into consideration the stupid skin stuff. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is high winds stirring up mucho dust asthma, but my teeny tiny monkey brain keeps yelling "CORONA!" Caught in hideous traffic going in and out of Tama today. There was a drug related shooting, and the subsequent scrambling of those related to the Keystone Kops - our local police force. That is one of the scary things about living here. Law enforcement is a lazy joke that seems to exist to ask for bribes. I haven't been shaken down yet, but Jim has. The most annoying thing were the stares I got over the mask,...

Today was better. The itching is lessening. The stoned medicine feel is lifting. I sang today for the first time in weeks on worship team. Although I am clearly still goofy. When we got home from church I baked, making the recipe as I went. A banana-blueberry-walnut-lemon bread. Could not have turned out better. This afternoon I spent a large slab of time unraveling  a sweater I crocheted shortly after arriving in Costa Rica in cold Copey, and discovering I could not wear it. Wool, real wool, not the acrylic kind. Just way too  itchy to wear. I have enough leftovers from various projects to turn out a few soft knitted bedside rugs. Once upon a time one of my kids criticized me, saying that they saw me pulling apart more partial projects to start again, pull apart and start again. She said it in such a way that I knew she didn't get the why, which is if it's not perfect, not going to lay flat or if the pattern is way way off (and they can be in needle craft magazines) I h...

I'm not convinced this brand new antihistamine that they gave me is doing anything. Still itching like mad no matter how much oil soap and emollient I use. It is making me sleepy as a sloth. Which is ironic because I was put on it because the doctor was concerned that my go to antihistamine makes people sleepy. Well, not like this. A rare side effect. Too messed up on these stupid goofball prescriptions to drive so its quilting time baby. I guess I'm just squicked out by the texture too. Rubbing the thick prescripton good on my skin is just err, eek, oooh uncomfortable. I hate the greasy feeling. This evening we ran down to the local Maxi Pali, another division of Walmart here. While there I started thinking about how culturally different shopping behavior is here compared to the States. Americans tend to gawp, lollygag and gape more, clogging up the aisles. While in the market the niceness nature of Costa Ricans evaporates. You have to be on your toes because it is jus...

Spent much of the morning at the clinic with my itchy twitchy self. I couldn't take the scratching any longer. I'd changed out all my soaps, laundry soap, lotions, potions, pots and pans to things that usually sooth my rebel skin. No relief. Figured this was linked to the skin issues I had in January. I think I've been having problems off and on since the beginning of the year. Maybe I had hongos  (both fungi or mushrooms) You could have knocked me over with a feather when Dr. Vivi said I had asthma dermatitis, and that my oxygen levels were 91. I didn't even know that was thing! In the past few years I would sometimes get very dry and itchy skin on my legs, the area between the ankles and the actual calf. Itch so bad I'd start bleeding. I'd come to realize this was a precursor of a bad attack. Toss in the drugs, and Nivea the hell out of those itchy bits. Dr Vi changed around some of my medications and I left with special body wash and prescription crea...

We're switching more of our investment funds from the States over to investments in Costa Rica. As per everything here we're spending large portions of this week trudging back and forth to the bank. The bank here is small, and understaffed. In order to get special services like buying a CD you  have to see if you can get in on a day not so busy, and get the right customer service person. This morning  it finally worked out for us after trying all week. Banks here, are both good and bad. First of all only two banks in all of CR have government backing like the FDIC in the U.S. Special insurance that assures you if the bank tanks you still get your money. Those banks here are the  Banco Costa Rica and Banco Nacional. The others, the BAC, the Banco Popular, the Davivienda. Scotia Bank and a million others are privately owned. Some of these are huge, and unlikely to go under, but we're seen in our short time here several banks go under and all the depositors lose everythi...

Yesterday worked out to be something of a troublesome day. I got up and my thin discs in my back weren't a lot better. I remedicated, right down to another eatable. I generally do not use my medical marijuana for pesky things like pain, I save it for those bad asthma days because it completely relaxes the airways. Damned it if didn't work and work well. I think I've figured out what does works for pain. The dosage I mean. A very slight amount, less than it takes to open my lungs. While I was a little extra relaxed between the muscle relaxers, pain pills and medical eatables. I decided to talk to Ken Alexander aka SCurre on Twitter. I set up a twitter account, followed SCurre and he banned and blocked me before I could say a word. Whoever it is that SCurre really is they happen to be unbelievably cowardly. Only a  chicken would run from someone like that before word one had been exchanged. Pwak-pwak cockadoodlydoo chicken. SCurre is Ground Zero for the dumbest things s...

We did manage to go down to San Jose yet again so Jim could try and parley with the customs warehouse one last time. No bribes were offered or paid, but even important none were requested of us. This happened Friday the same day I managed to run screaming out of Costa Rican's version of Costco with a three lb pack of Gwaltney bacon and Gwaltney hot dogs feverishly clutched in my hot little hands. I haven't have a true hot dog since leaving the States. The things they sell as hot dogs here could not even be considered as good as the cheapest chicken hotdogs in the  U.S. I rarely want a hot dog, but when I do I want something I like. Very typically the drive to and through San Jose was insane. It always devolves in  to this conversation every single time. Google Maps: Take the next right. Jim: WHICH RIGHT!?!?!?! THERE ARE SEVEN!! Me: TAKE THE FIFTH ONE!!!!!!! NO NO THAT'S THE THIRD ONE YOU JUST TOOK! Jim: @#*&%*(&#(*$*)%* full loud volume Google Maps In 9,99...