February 18, 2012

February 18, 2012

Well today we have both water and electricity. Actually that happened late yesterday afternoon. David found a valve under some bushes towards the front of the property and gave it a half twist….all of a sudden, water was gushing from the kitchen faucet…my hero.

With both water and electricity we decide it is time to go to the store and see what we can find that is not too expensive. We had looked the day before but with the heat I was afraid anything we bought would spoil. First we go down to the beach, it is dusk and the sky has a kind of light orangish hue tonight. We enjoy the peacefulness and the sound of the lapping waves before heading to the tienda.

The store is actually pretty good sized with three or four aisles, if memory serves me correctly. It has a variety of both Costa Rican and American food stuffs. Anything jarred or canned is very expensive. For example, peanut butter runs between $4 and $8 depending on the brand, for the little jar. We had been warned about this, and so did not find it to be such a shock. What we did get was a couple of loaves of bread that are like sub rolls. I noticed in San Jose that there were sandwich shops everywhere and this is the type of bread they used. I got 15 brown eggs and some bacon. We also picked up an avocado, a limon and a papaya. And my favorite buy, some local cheese, a little bit salty with a little squeak when you chew….yummmm.

Well we made bacon and egg sandwiches with avocado. And even though the hot plate proved to be a challenge, too hot one moment and no heat the next, they were quite yummy if I do say so myself.

I still slept in the hammock last night because it had been too dark to check the mattresses for black widows. For the first time since I have been here I was buzzed by mosquitoes. I kept as covered up as I could to avoid the bites. It was a very noisy night with birds and monkeys and people and traffic and just all kinds of things going on.

David and I went for a walk in the early morning. We saw some White Throated Blue Jays with a cute top knot, a squirrel, a couple of beautiful bright red parrots flew overhead and cebu. For any Veggie Tale fans out there, the cattle here in Costa Rica are cebu, which sends me into song whenever I see any. There were five or six and a calf that looked pretty new, still a little unsure of his footing getting his face washed by his mommy cebu. There was also a white horse, it seems that every horse I have seen in this country has been white, which I find quite interesting.

We end up at the beach and I look for shells. I find several and tell myself that I will pick them up for the grandkids in April. Otherwise, the house will become covered in shells and there just is no room. By 8:00 it is hot and we head back to the house.

Today we have swept and washed dishes and gotten the mattresses out and rearranged our quarters to be a little more comfortable. The bedroom light and fan do not work, so the bed is going in the living space and all our stuff is going into the bedroom. The balcony still has the two hammocks and two rocking chairs. Just have to remember to sweep everyday and shake out the clothes before putting them on.

There is a group in the campgrounds across from the store. I am wondering if it is a church group since the side of one of the buses said Rey de Reyes (King of Kings) will have to see if we can talk to some of them later.

Tomorrow is Sunday,