The Sea is a Salty One

  I woke up this am thinking about writing about foibles and follies of the media. An industry that I was part of for ten years that has turned deeply toxic. But I realized after seeing the blog posts of a few people I know, and many I don’t about moving here thinking it’s going to be a piece of cake, and slamming up against their own ignorance I figured it was time to explain things. It’s not that cake and eating it too, for some it turns out to be a urinal cake, an old sodden urinal cake. Look, I don’t want to discourage anyone from pursuing their dreams. I just ask you do some basic research about the place, what to expect, how things happen here before you show up with stars in your eyes imagining it to be just like your luxurious tropical vacation. Moving here is not for the faint of heart, and knowing what you are up against can make for a much better experience. We were lucky, our research paid off, we did many things right, but we also flubbed up a few times a...

  This has been quite the week, hasn’t it?  We went to nearby Playa Grande one day around noon this week. We’re currently in the tail end of rainy season here in Costa Rica, meaning it can rain for days, peak rainy season, so any slight break in the weather is a good excuse to travel the roughly mile and a half to Grande with our beach chairs, ice chest and other accompaniments for an afternoon diversions on the sand at the part of Grande that is Palmeras Beach because of the large clump of palms growing there. Love the beach even during rainy season because you can get some dramatic photographs.   I briefly explored the tiny creek estuary I love. It was per usual filled with small hermit crabs scuttling every which way and with my beloved sea beans. Once I got back from nosing through the sea wrack looking for beans my husband Jim took his stroll on the sand to Dante’s Rock, a huge stony mountain of rock jutting into the Pacific Ocean that divides Grande from ...

  A local IFB church near my old house that had beaucoup of trouble too bizarre to detail involving a child molesting pastor. I am sitting here in all amusement watching Jim rush about madly trying to make everyone involved with his new church happy. I'm not dressed for church, I'm sitting here in my old cotton granny nightgown drinking coffee and listening to the phone conversations. He just said to me that perhaps he's too nice of a guy. You think? All this started earlier in the week when Velma, the older lady who likes to use our hot tub but has no idea how it gets hot , visited for another hot tub bout. Jim mentioned something about picking up Dave for church too, and she lost it on him, screeching she WOULD NOT ride into town, with Jim driving of course, to pick up Dave. Did I mention it's only about six minutes out of their way? Now I'm not as nice as Jim and that same afternoon I had an unfriendly exchange with Velma who started bemoaning that the virus is a...

  Yesterday's beach view from breakfast at Johnny's.  I didn't get a photo of it but later when I was beach walking, walking off my breakfast and that morning's Pina Colada I got to see a Tico on horseback with a large old school boom box hoisted on his shoulder playing NWA's "Fuck the Police" A sight that sort of summed up the day. The last few days involve naps and running about. A Price Smart/Costco run with stops in Wal Mart and Moda Tex to get fabric to recover the chaise lounge cushions. We are both still suffering from various body boring bullshit like dizziness with the added complication of fevers, sore throats and coughing. Rona please stay away! I am annoyed because we had to go into two Coronavirus hot spots for Jim's surgery. But all of that madness was culminated in yesterday's goat rodeo two-step dance in boots on the wrong feet. Because of Jim's surgery I am the only driver now. Yesterday being Thursday was one of the two days w...

 Well we are here, in the Hospital Metropolitano in San Jose, where Jim ended up 18 months ago for his fall and shoulder, and my mini stroke two years ago. I am here and just had to shower wiping off with paper towels. Yeah, I get it Covid has changed health care. Here pretty drastically. Fewer nurses, my pleas in Spanish and English for a towel never produced one. Earlier in the day when I requested breakfast three times I was ignored. No lunch. When the dietician came around for Jim in the late afternoon I had to insist I got fed too.  The security guard was awful to everyone I could see. Very weird compared to our previous experiences here where they provided meals and towels for whoever the spouse was staying without even asking. Now I see a handful of pleasant thoughtful actions and things that are skipped, likely for budgetary reasons.   Thankfully Uber Eats brought me a quick meal at lunch and I had some bananas, cheese and crackers in my bag for a makeshift breakf...