Uphill All the Way

>>>> OMG!
>>>> This morning, we drove over 5 1/2 hours to CIMA hospital in San Jose for a MRI for Andy's back. Uphill all the way, literally.  Two lane highway, much of the paving not much better than the dirt roads (the first half of the trip). Many very slow trucks and almost invisible motorbikes.
>>>> We stopped twice, briefly. The first was by the police for speeding. Having left the dirt road, Andy floored it and was trapped. Just as I warned him that the speed limit dropped from 80 to 60 to 40 all within 20 meters or so, we were snagged. Very nice cop, spoke English fairly well. Told us how important going slow is. A school zone followed and was only 25/kph. He showed us that he had clocked us going 86/kph!!!!
>>>> Showed Andy the schedule of fines, putting ours at $700!!!! Andy grabbed his heart and pled for mercy. Pretty convincing. We joked with cop about skipping MRI and going straight to heart doctor. The cop relented and said he would write ticket for only $100.  Phew! He gave us the choice of paying him or going to a bank. Andy wanted to go to the bank, but I knew that would be another very fattening, time-consuming nightmare. So piped in and said we'd pay him. I dug out $60 and said OK? He quickly took it and waved us on. No ticket. No record. Just a little highway robbery.
>>>> The second was a pit stop, where a gardener was trimming some nice foliage. In my very best Spanish, I asked him if I could have the clippings. He politely named the plant and tossed it into the trash. Dove in after it, clarifying my request. He got it then and gave me a huge stalk that would grow if I stuck it in the ground.
>>>> Andy is in with MRI people. The last I heard was that his stents are a problem in CIMA'a machine. He's been gone nearly an hour, so maybe that is good news.
>>>> We were planning on spending the night on the road, no matter what the outcome of the appointment with the doctor is. We don't want to be on the dirt roads at night, because bandits are known to drag trees across the road and rob cars. I want to get back for my 10:30 bridge game so we are driving a lot of the way tonight. We booked at the Hotel Yenny in Nicoya. $24 a night, but Bobbi warns that the shower is cold water. That was a joke - would you expect hot water for that price?
>>>> Just ordered food for us. Expect Andy will find me. Or the food.
>>>> Actually, he has lost a ton of weight, despite no exercise. No red meat in over a month. Very little chicken or fish. Mostly rice and beans and veggies and fruit.  Hardly anything sweet or salty. Of course, that diet does nothing for me.
>>>> One little indulgence has been pretzels' but never again! We checked the receipt to discover they are over $5 a bag. Not a Tico snack.
>>>> Lunch just arrived.

Will Travel for MRI

Andy has been flat on his back for six or more weeks. He considered not coming to Costa Rica, but couldn't bear the thought of not. So he braved the trip, hoping the warm weather would help. It's been a month and he is no better.
Not only did he try warm weather, he bummed multiple drugs, consulted three different doctors and loved a good dog. He has now been convinced by the last doctor, the famous Mauricio from my father's house call, that he needs to get an MRI to take the best steps to avoid permanent consequences.
That involves a six hour drive to San Jose, raising many questions: is he covered here; can his records get to the neurological and orthopedic surgeons in SJ; can our car make it?
Easy enough, just call Medicare supplemental program he bought specifically for international coverage, fax permission for his MRI to be faxed back and ask Bobbi about the car.
The day started out beautifully with our internet working!!!!! Skype even worked from our house, which meant we didn't need to go to the Beach Dog for telephone service. That was great because the wind today is wild. Saw funnels of dust traveling up and down the roads. Beach Dog is at an especially dusty intersection. So we were thrilled that Skype was working, so we could proceed from the sick bed.
Much to Andy's consternation, I made the call to the medical insurance company, pretending to be him. I've learned in the past that some government agencies need notarized permission for me to inquire on his behalf. He couldn't make the call cause he was so dopey from the medication. He has been amazingly up through all this.
Then the worm turned. His policy was no longer in force!!!! Leave that for the moment and request the transfer of his original MRI.
Called the company that did it and gave the number to FAX the release form. Went to pick it up a couple of hours later, giving everyone time to send and receive. The Frog Pad's FAX machine is not working. Might be fixed next weekend. Didn't know any other machine in town. Found a couple listed in phone book. The first didn't speak English. The second said the one in her office wasn't working, but she would check with accounting. After three disconnections and several Tico offers of help, she said the one in accounting wasn't working either. Called the MRI place and explained.
Face to face might be the best approach. Drove to Cafe de Paris, the first place, where Beverly was very helpful and spoke English. Phoned that FAX info to the MRI place, where Elise said it might not work cause it is not hard copy she's faxing, but electronic info. So she e-mailed me an attachment, which I forwarded to Beverly so she could print it out. You may be thinking, why not just use the doctor's Fax. He doesn't have one!
But now I did have the release form for Andy to sign. We did a victory cheer, five hours after we began the day. The FAXed version never did reach Cafe de Paris.
Andy realized that FAXing the medical records back would be a problem. We decided to ask the doctor for a FAX at the hospital in San Jose. He knew Dr. Mauricio had it's FAX number because he, the doctor, had tried dozens of times over Christmas to call that hospital. No human being answered! Just the FAX machine after seven rings.
Dr. Mauricio would expect that in the jungle where we are, but not in the capital city. He seems almost American in his sensibilities.
I used a little window shopping therapy to recover from the morning and ended up chatting with Noam, the clerk in a very upscale Yoga shop. We discussed the Pura Vida attitude here. It basically means don't expect anything and you won't be disappointed. I told him that I knew manana doesn't mean tomorrow. It just means not now. No hint about when it might happen.
A little description about how the appointment system works for the doctors. Ether call or drop in to schedule time in the next 24 hours. Or drop in and wait. No appointment book, just a little post-it. 8 - 5 are the hours. Very sleek, clean offices. But in both (Dr. K and the other two partners) places, the floors sport worms crawling about. Even with the maid just finishing her rounds, the worms explore, unfazed by people and visa versa.
The day was very fattening for me and a forced diet for Andy. I had to have a pastry at the Cafe. Unbelievable. Then a sandwich when I returned to FAX the release form back to the US. (Of course, that didn't work, so Beverly will try from the surf shop where she also works. If not, maybe she can scan it and e-mail it to me.) Tried calling the supplemental insurance company from the Cafe, where I bought an amazing chicken sandwich (so I could use its internet and thus Skype, which didn't work there.)
Went across to Marlin Bill's where our dear friend Angie (see photo) greeted me. Her internet and Skype were better and only cost me 2 gin and tonics and french fries. I did ascertain that the insurance company made a mistake, but I needed to get transferred to make the correction. The Skype became less effective as noisy patrons arrived and the wind picked up. I'll finish the correction in the AM and check on the MRI release form.
Now it's way past bedtime and the wind is demonstrating its power. It's a very different experience this year because we have a tin roof, with a branch of ripe lemons resting atop. Each gust rattles the tin and the lemons bounce violently on the roof. My work table is totally blown apart. But, for us, it is thrilling, not annoying as hell as it is to locals.
Pura Vida and goodnight.

Magdelena

Magdelena
We finally got a maid, which we needed very badly. She worked miracles on the house. God did not grant me neatness.
One of the surprises she encountered was our computer flying out from under the kitchen table when she moved it.
A little explanation. When we got to our abode, we were quite distressed that there was no safe. In past years, we never left our house without locking everything up. Even to just sit by the pool. So, no safe meant we were at the mercy of every robber in town.
Our landlords felt this casita was not at risk for several reasons. Surfo Juan, a Tico, lives on the property, excluding it from the robbers' targets. And the whole building is like a safe, with the barred windows and doors anchored to the cement building. If robbers had the tools to get into our house, they would have the tools to break into a safe. Ticos would look for a safe to rob, not a hiding place.
To make us feel better, they suggested Tom might build us a secret drawer. We came up with a simpler idea. He built a little shelf under the dining table.
So when Magdelena moved the table, two iPods and one ancient computer tumbled to the floor. She did not tell us about it. We knew because of the way they were replaced and by the broken latch on the computer. In her defense, she does not speak English and we do not speak Spanish.
Her wage is $2.40 an hour!!!!! Minimum wage is $.80 an hour.
And we are finding the cost of living outrageously high. $50 of groceries is one bag!
Magdelena just walked off with our hose. I called to her and think she is returning it in one hour.
I need it very badly. For the very rare orchid (which Howie brought form the mountains) twice a day and the potted plants less often. And the yard in general.
Lili said to water as much as I like. That is a very different mentality from Bobbi's. Bobbi lets her beach house garden go dormant for the dry season. Lili's is a Garden of Eden always.
Louis is Lili and Tom's full time gardener. Six days a week he blows leaves off the driveway and lawns. So much for quiet in the garden of Eden. Will electric blowers get banned here?
Right now he is clearing dead palm fronds, etc. from our yard. I dread the day he surely will come to hack back the lush foliage that has sprouted over a foot in the last three weeks. I can't bear to see the hacked remnants even though I know they will be invisible in a very few weeks.
I bought my pruning shears for my potted plants, but it is everything I can do not to shape Lili's trees and bushes.
My orchid suffered a set back after Howie gave it to me. I didn't spray it one morning and the two incredible blooms began to crumple. They are now completely gone. But two of the fours rhizomes are looking quite healthy and I am hoping for a recovery.
Tom said he will take care of it when we are away. He has an amazing collection of orchids. One of his prize orchids seemed to be missing half of it's mass when they returned here for the winter. When he asked Louis about it, Louis said, "Tom, Ticos do not steal HALF an orchid."

BeachMagic: Earth Friendly Transmogrification

Every day, at sunrise and sunset, Skippy and I walk the beach. He digs, I swim and collect trash.
When we get home, I rinse myself and the trash off.
Then I sort the trash into piles on our round, green plastic table. I've made a work station under our bedroom window, forever in the shade. When not in use, the piles of trash are hidden under my April Cornell tablecloth - very pretty vignette.
Since Andy has been flat on his back in bed, we can chat and laugh while I create things using the trash. So far my tools have consisted of pruning shears, Plackers and candles. I do need tweezers or needle nose pliers - try finding the Tico Word for needle nose pliers.
The goal is to recycle what has been tossed.
If we ever get back to manning the Recycle Booth at the Saturday Farmers' Market, maybe I can sell some of the junk. The money can be used by the committee to good purpose. Or I could make cards from the photos.
Andy has been naming the pieces. He calls the whole entity BeachMagic: Earth Friendly Transmogrification

Marriage Bed

a rubber shoe sole and a sea shell, cupping a piece of coral rising from a cluster of styrofoam bits.

A numbered series of "SeaFlora": flower arrangements in bottle caps, using bits of plastic, straws, unravelled plastic rope, etc.

SeaFlora One

SeaFlora Two









SeaFlora Three

Your Conscience

Coral with eyes of melted plastic and candle wax.

Why Does The Garden of Eden Need More Plants?

My main complaint about our casita is that it looks directly at Surfo Juan's. In fact, all the landscaping directs the eye toward Juan's place. Even though his house is 60 yards or so away, it pops out at me.
So I bought a lipstick palm, which will grow to 9 meters tall, eventually blocking out Juan's house. The palm is multi-stemmed and red trunked. It is flourishing, but Howie just told me it is very slow growing. It doesn't really matter to me, because I see it as it will be.
That is one of my handicaps. Especially in the decorating department. I don't see the mess of my unfinished projects. I just see the results in my mind's eye.
The casita's front yard is the gravel driveway (I have been watering the grassy parts and the gravel to try to make the whole thing grassy). So I have bought pots, soil and plants to bring the garden up closer to the house. The red and yellow hibiscus are to attract butterflies and hummingbirds. The bouganvilla to shade the porch from the afternoon sun. The plumbago to satisfy my love for that gorgeous blue. Then there is the creeping flowering thing for the pink and some bird of paradise things for the exotic touch. A couple of mini and regular mimosa trees to see if I can get their fabulous pink, yellow and red flowers closer to me.

All the plants from the nursery are far cheaper than the dirt I've bought. They come in tiny plastic bags packed tightly with dirt. The bags are black and holey. If left lying around. they will root and grow.

I have also gotten plants from bridge friends. Alice and Mike have the most beautiful, delicate ground cover that I am trying to get to cover the area beyond the driveway. Greg Smith gave Alice and Mike a variegated spikey plant, one piece of which was not put in the ground, so I stuck it here. Another Mother-in-law type plant came my way from someone and it is trying take hold too.
I bought a red-leafed plant that is abundant here because I wanted to make a better design than the gardener did. Lili told me I can plant anything I want.

But that transplanting now was not possible. We'll see when I get some traditional palm trees from Beverly and some fringe palms from Alice and Mike in the next few weeks. I'll put the fringe palms beyond the lipstick palm for further coverage of Juan's house. It grows very fast.
Put a sprouted coconut in the ground and a pineapple top, which doesn't look too happy.
We throw all the vegetable matter into the jungle. Maybe a mango will sprout or an avocado tree. Happens all the time at Bobbi's mountain house.

BEACH MAGIC: Earth Healthy Transmogrification.

Skippy Meets Miss Piggy

Right behind us is Honali, a new bar, wildly unpopular with the neighbors. The reason is noise. Weekends feature music, very loud and late. Nobody can sleep. Except us.
Though we are closest to it, our thick cement walls block the noise almost totally.
Honali does have some positives though. The building itself is quite interesting architecturally, different from anything else in town.
And a darling pot-bellied pig lives there. Anna first met him when he squealed at her from his wobbly dog crate. She gave him her banana peel and gained a friend for life. We pass him every time we leave home. Often, he is loose, rooting around the property.
A word about the corner lot on which Honali sits. Two years ago we watched the transformation from a lovely stream running through pretty jungle to dirt pile rising above the dry stream bed. Now the lot features a sunken pit, containing tables and chairs surrounding a huge bonfire. All I can see is rainy season, with chairs, tables and charred logs swirling around that pit.
Of course, we are forbidden to patronize the place. But, having been without internet again for several days, I dropped in to surf the net. I was hoping to connect to them permenantly, by-passing our unreliable connection. And, of course, our landlord Lili biked by and spotted me immediately. I defended myself by saying I was doing undercover scouting of the offending business. I did photograph the license, which permitted liquor from 10 AM to 2:30 AM. Lili pointed out that it expired that very day AND was from another, closed restaurant.
She had met with the owner, stating the neighbors' concerns, but could tell from watching Lie to Me, that the owner was lying from the git-go.
Guess we'll have to wait to meet Miss Piggy.