Author: Charlie

Retired American nature-lover, living in Costa Rica, photographing birds and other jewels of nature. This site simply reports on my joys of being RETIRED IN COSTA RICA!
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Minimalist?

Catarata Falls, Trogon Lodge, by Charlie

In addition to receiving Christianity Today, now digitally, I also get their weekly blog which ties you into articles on their website. Today’s pulled me into this neat article about getting rid of stuff as I am doing right now: Stockpiling Treasures in My Junk Closet.

And if you guys prefer articles written by men, check out this minimalist blog by Joshua Becker, Becoming Minimalist, who in this post points us to 8 other simple living blogs. Wow! Too much, but my new simple living seems to be popular again. And it is fun to read how others are struggling with it too.

I sold my wonderful Relax the Back Zero Gravity Recliner tonight to the nicest young man who was buying it for his mother! He already has one! And it is fun meeting new people who are all so interesting! This guy has a small car dealership and gives a portion of his profit to give used cars to poor single mothers in the community! Now isn’t that neat!

What neat person will God bump me into tomorrow?

POSTSCRIPT: In 2021 a woman wrote and asked me to add this link to her site on how to ditch cable TV (I did) and yet get streaming or other valuable shows for free or cheap. I do that now in 2021 with no TV but streaming of free YouTube videos and a documentary streaming service called CuriosityStream. The requested link to add is: https://www.killthecablebill.com/ 🙂

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4 Weeks Minus 1 Day

Baird’s Trogon, Osa Peninsula, by Charlie

I’m scheduled to leave in 4 weeks from yesterday. So 4 weeks from today I will wake up on Christmas morning in Atenas, Costa Rica. And I seem to be getting busier or finding more that has to be done. But tomorrow is turkey with friends at McKendree.

Just got two text messages about two different items listed on Craigslist tonight. One item at a time is going!

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Three Steps Forward, One Step Back

Bikes Rule! Shot leaving San Jose in August. I will get a bike but not a car at first.

That title means that most everything is moving along pretty much on schedule with more good things happening in the last few days. I sold another big ticket item and finished my last day in the Village Treasures Shop which is a relief. If you want to pray for something, pray that my dining room table and chairs will sell and the zebra desk for reasonable prices – both are expensive.

The one step back is that my Nashville Police Background Check was not accepted in Costa Rica without an Apostille, so I have to do that again and try harder for the Apostille which they didn’t seem to know about before. The same for the Social Security letter, but Jose said I can get that easily at the U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica after I arrive. My first appointment with him is not until January 12, so I will have time. If you wonder what my rush for Residency is, it is because I want it as soon as possible so I can then get on their government health program which will be one of my biggest living cost savings in Costa Rica.

Another new wrinkle in my process comes from the moving company in Costa Rica that I will use for door to door service. Because I am downsizing so much, he now advises that I pack my stuff on pallets in the garage for  a forklift to come get and take in a truck to their warehouse in Tampa to save a lot of money on both storage and shipping. I hadn’t planned on that, but it seems to be the best way for me if I can do it in the next 4 weeks. I had thought I would use the neighborhood storage place, but it will cost twice what the other will cost and then the shipping would cost more because it wouldn’t be on pallets. So we will see!

As of tonight I have more than half of my address changes or cancellations made, so that is good progress this early. But I will wait at least another week to post addresses here. I don’t want mail piling up for me before I get there. Said as if I think anyone will write!   🙂

I heard from Mark and Kim again tonight, the couple I traveled with in August who live in Hacienda La Jacaranda where I’m moving. They will be moving to Panama in January (to try it out also) and have a printer for sale that I will probably get to start with. Well – that’s enough to report tonight! Hasta pronto!

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Charlie and the Wonderful, Enjoyable, Not Bad, Very Good Day

Sunrise at Tortuguero by Charlie Doggett, 2010

You’ll understand my title only if you’ve seen ads for the kids movie Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day which I know is a fun comedy, but I felt like being positive today since it was a very good day for me. Or actually a good weekend!

I dragged all my old computers & accessories over to the Treasure Shop yesterday along with my bike hoping some of it would sell. Not one of those items sold, though it too was a good day because I sold one of my more expensive items, the Frederic Remington statue titled “Cheyenne.” Then I lugged the bike and all the computer stuff home and listed it all on Craigslist last night. In 24 hours I had sold every single item except the bike. I got so many text messages on the old laptop for $50 that I could have sold a bunch of them!

The desktop was the last item to go tonight with a delightful visit with George the Egyptian, the buyer and a fellow nature lover and nature photographer. We talked for nearly an hour about nature photography and places to go for good photos. He capped off a very good day! And maybe we’ll have some warmer weather soon to attract bike-hunters or maybe Christmas shoppers? Or a lower price than what the bike shop suggested? $250 is a little steep for a used bike!

I have a little notebook by my bed in which I nightly write one thing about that day for which I am thankful. It helps me sleep better and have a better tomorrow! Tonight I may write two thanksgivings: George & Craigslist!   🙂  And may you have a blessed day also!

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Computer Brings Big Slowdown of Activity

Family Leisure Time on River, Uvita, Costa Rica (at Villas Rio Mar, 2014 by Charlie)

For two or more weeks it seems, I have been wrestling with the new computer setup and the re-installing and/or buying of software that is for use on only one computer.  My evaluation this time around is that online Geek Squad has been much more helpful than the guys inside the Best Buy Store. Adobe and Microsoft basically have no customer service and Quicken has become just about as bad. Four days ago I had to schedule a call back which is not until this Sunday. Grrrr! Okay, that’s off my chest now!  🙂  I’m getting used to the big laptop and it is fast! Computers are hard to live with and just as hard to live without, so I guess we adapt!

Tomorrow is the next to last weekend “yard sale” for me in a room at “The Village Treasure Shop” here at McKendree. Two computers and a great monitor go on sale! I’m having moderate success each weekend and after the 22nd I will give a lot of stuff away and advertise some on Craig’s List, maybe eBay.

A college student who works part-time in our McKendree Dining Room just came back from 4 weeks in Costa Rica in an immersion Spanish language class. That has been a fun connection. My immersion begins in a little less than 6 weeks. Wow! Things will seem to start moving faster now. And maybe I’ll post more often.

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Another Big Step Today

I sold my office furniture, entertainment center and TV today and it was all hauled off in a moving truck. The house is becoming more spacious and life is simpler, except that my internet-only connection with Comcast is not working effectively like it did when I had both TV & Internet – so I have to wait until Monday for a technician to come out. It gives me email, google, and my blogs (all on Google) but no other website. Strange! Tomorrow I pick up my new Asus Mega Laptop (G751) which replaces my desktop that I’ll be selling soon. The transformation to my simpler life in Costa Rica is happening daily and letting go of all that furniture today was another big step. 
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Will Costa Rica Be Surrounded by Canals?

Everyone knows that Panama is just south of Costa Rica with one of the busiest and most important canals in the world that many American businesses have greatly profited from. Now Nicaragua, just north of Costa Rica is planning an even longer and wider canal – or should I say that China is planning a canal there that will of course greatly help the economy of Nicaragua, but of China even more, just like the U.S. profited most from the Panama Canal. They break ground on the Nicaraguan Canal in December. 

It will go not far north of the Costa Rica border
through Lake Nicaragua, largest Central American lake.

Those of us who care about the environment and clean water are opposed to it, but “green” people still don’t have that much influence in the world, beyond Costa Rica that is. In contrast to the U.S., China and Nicaragua, Cost Rica is one of the greenest and most ecologically sound countries in the world with 25% of its land set aside as National Parks and reserves. They planning to become the first carbon-neutral country in the world and already produce about half their electricity with renewable sources. Ecology and preservation of nature is one of many reasons I’m moving there. Hopefully the neighbor to the north won’t let greed spoil our pristine Costa Rican environment with spillover affects through overlapping rivers and forests. 

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Costa Rica’s “Psychotropic” Pop Music

With Salsa music big on Costa Rica’s west coast and Reggae/Calypso popular on the Atlantic/Caribbean coast (for tourists in particular), and a world-class symphony orchestra in San Jose, I haven’t really experienced specific Costa Rican pop music. But one local band, Sonambulo, is trying to help the world experience it with a new album “Psicosonorama.” 
Read the Tico Times story about it or to just see the YouTube music video of one weird single, “La Maraca,” on their “Psychotropic” (Voodoo-like) album that is also being released in the United States. It is the most popular group among youth in Costa Rica, selling out all concerts. Interesting! Though not exactly my taste in music. (My age maybe?)   🙂  I suspect that U.S. youth will like it! 
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A Testimony of Living in Atenas

A Rural Road Near Atenas, Cost Rica (copied)

I’m guessing she is a 30-something girl who wrote this descriptive testimony of living in Atenas where I will live in less than 8 weeks.

Check it out to get a different description than I have shared yet. One of her photos is a road outside of town which I expect to find near my apartment. We’ll see!

This morning’s activity was another “Moving Sale” day in the McKendree Village Treasure Shop. I did fairly well, a little better than last Saturday.

This afternoon I will be doing laundry and culling down my files to what I really need to take with me to Costa Rica. And I saved one of my books from sale or disposal which I thought I might read first, Richard Foster’s Freedom of Simplicity (click for excerpts) then I discovered it is available on my new Kindle Fire which I got to avoid carrying so many heavy books to costa Rica. It was just instantly loaded on my Kindle – how cool this is! I’m going to live in the rainforest while building my new library electronically!   🙂   As usual, I’m as excited as a little kid about all of this!

And as has happened before, my post on His Spirit Blog today relates directly to this, the removal of stress by depending on God and simplifying my life as getting rid of all this stuff is doing already!

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The Move is Moving Along Faster!

It is like so much is happening every day that I have not been able to keep up with posting. I have buyers for my car (Dec. 19 release so money in bank that day), Washer & Dryer sold for Dec. 20 release, Office furniture and bookshelves sold and I’m letting go in the next two weeks when the buyer gets transportation arranged. In relation to that I just bought a new mega-laptop to replace my desktop which comes in next Wednesday and two days to get it setup and my desktop cleaned off for selling. Whew!

And before he gets my credenza file cabinet I have to refile everything for (A) Going to Costa Rica and (B) Going in storage. Whew again! I’m still moving books and little things to The Treasure Shop here at McKendree for about 3 more Saturdays of selling stuff though it is slowing down and is much less money.

I’m also looking at the new T5i Canon Rebel since the two I have are really getting old and worn but I will keep and use. If I get the new one I may start trying little short videos and even start a YouTube Video Channel. We’ll see.

Turrialba Volcano on a Pretty Day

And for those interested, another volcano erupted this week in Costa Rica, again not close to where I will live. Here are some nice still photos:
http://www.ticotimes.net/2014/10/31/turrialba-volcano-eruption-in-costa-rica-photos-from-the-web?utm_source=BenchmarkEmail&utm_campaign=Daily%20RSS%20Newsletter&utm_medium=email