The Tim & Joan Lehnings arrived in Atenas this afternoon at their hotel and we went out for pizza at my favorite pizza place, La Finca. Sorry I didn’t think to make a photo! Talking too much! 🙂
Waiting Patiently . . .
 |
| . . . for the sun to bring out their new leaves. Two trees seen from my terrace. The fog always passes. The leaves always return. |
Patience is not simply the ability to wait – it’s how we behave while we’re waiting.
~Joyce Meyer
And I’m working on patience as I do the paperwork and legwork to get my CAJA health insurance applied for. Wednesday week I go to the U.S. Embassy SS Department to get my proof of SS income. Then I take it and all my other paperwork and filled in form to the other side of San Jose and Jose Pablo Carter, my attorney, to collect my residency card and make sure I have all my paperwork correct in preparation for my July 8 CAJA appointment. Then I will see what else is needed! 🙂 It has not been easy but it will be worth it to have 100% health care coverage through my new government. Then all I will lack is a CR Driver License to get a rental car occasionally. Then no more new tourist visas every 90 days! But I am doing it at least one more time the end of June.
And I’m working on patience as I do the paperwork and legwork to get my CAJA health insurance applied for. Wednesday week I go to the U.S. Embassy SS Department to get my proof of SS income. Then I take it and all my other paperwork and filled in form to the other side of San Jose and Jose Pablo Carter, my attorney, to collect my residency card and make sure I have all my paperwork correct in preparation for my July 8 CAJA appointment. Then I will see what else is needed! 🙂 It has not been easy but it will be worth it to have 100% health care coverage through my new government. Then all I will lack is a CR Driver License to get a rental car occasionally. Then no more new tourist visas every 90 days! But I am doing it at least one more time the end of June.
Neighborhood Pastoral
 |
| One of my favorite views when I walk through the neighborhood. |
And of course it immediately reminds me of Psalm 50:10
. . . for every animal of the forest is Mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
Psalm 50:10, Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Today I went to church with a Tico friend and after church I went to a Tico restaurant with two Tico friends instead of going to the gringo restaurant with a bunch of gringos! I feel good! And my finger is healing very rapidly! Sufrexal is a miracle drug! It causes new skin to grow!
New Graffiti on Skateboard Ramp
In the city recreation park in front of Central School Elementary is all kinds of recreation from soccer to volleyball that I’ve shown before. Well, the skateboard ramp just got a fresh coat of paint in the form of some new graffiti or public art that should please the skateboarders! Tuanis! Mae! (Cool! Dude!)
Shot with my cell phone and cropped a little in the computer. I shared some graffiti a year ago that was not as interesting and the more distant shot of skateboard ramp is particularly less vivid! Most of the other graffiti shot last year is about the same with 2 or 3 small new additions on walls.
The Lehning’s Passed Through Today
Tim & Joan Lehning and all three kids passed through the San Jose International Airport today where I welcomed them and immediately said goodbye as they got on van transportation to the Pacific Coast beach town of Tamarindo where they will participate in a surfing school for the next four days. They return Tuesday afternoon for two nights in my tranquil little farming town of Atenas before returning to Nashville. They came here from Peru where they hiked up Machu Pichu as the first part of their Latin America trip. They’ve seen coffee farms before, about our only tourist attraction here, so I will just walk them through our little small town life and feed them well! And show off my little rent house and garden and visit! They are staying at Eden Atenas Tuesday & Wednesday nights.
More on Wednesday about their visit in Atenas.
And more things are happening on my CAJA application than I can explain now, but bureaucracy is hard at work in this government health insurance thing but my attorney is back in the middle of it. And I really need it! The Rx cream for my finger to help skin grow (Sufrexal) cost me about $48!
Sharp Knife, Dusty Volcano & Red Tape!
SLICING THE TIP OF MY FINGER OFF
Whoever told me that a sharp knife is safer than a dull knife . . . I might want to challenge you. I got a new kitchen knife the other day that looked really sharp like the one I have that is usually dirty from slicing veggies, meaning I needed another. Last night I used it the first time slicing some onions and peppers for my guacamole and I sliced the tip end of my finger off and never found the little flap of skin. (I probably ate it in the guac!) A painful, bloody mess! The Doc and EMT this morning fixed it sort of, but she cannot easily do stitches over an open hole. (A last resort.) I cringe just writing about it. Sometimes I do stupid things like slicing the tip of my finger off! It hurts!
Whoever told me that a sharp knife is safer than a dull knife . . . I might want to challenge you. I got a new kitchen knife the other day that looked really sharp like the one I have that is usually dirty from slicing veggies, meaning I needed another. Last night I used it the first time slicing some onions and peppers for my guacamole and I sliced the tip end of my finger off and never found the little flap of skin. (I probably ate it in the guac!) A painful, bloody mess! The Doc and EMT this morning fixed it sort of, but she cannot easily do stitches over an open hole. (A last resort.) I cringe just writing about it. Sometimes I do stupid things like slicing the tip of my finger off! It hurts!
So now I have a complicated cleaning and bandaging process every day for awhile. She prescribed a cream or ointment that is suppose to encourage skin to grow over the wound. Hope it heals fast! I’m allergic to pain! A big baby!
VOLCANO TURRIALBA STILL ERUPTING
All that means to us in the Central Valley is more gray dust blowing in, which is a nuisance at times. See it erupting on YouTube The big explosion is more than 30 seconds into the video.
COLLECTING DOCUMENTS FOR JULY 8 APPOINTMENT
I’ve got a month to hopefully get everything right for my CAJA appointment that will get me in the more affordable government health program, but bureaucratic red tape comes first! 🙂 And filling out the form in Spanish has become a Spanish Class project we will possibly finish tomorrow. 🙂 They are another support group! And I contacted the embassy today for proof of my SS income. ¡Poco a poco!
So yes, Pura Vida includes this messy stuff too! But I will survive! 🙂 And I’m enjoying another day with high of 79 and low of 65 with late afternoon shower! Sweet!
Why Atenas?
 |
| WHY ATENAS? by Tina Newton |
This blog post by a friend of mine (Tina Newton) is one of the best summaries of why so many of us choose to live in Atenas. Yes, she’s a realtor and thus some ulterior motives, but I think it is a heartfelt statement and certainly reflects the way I feel about Atenas. And I’ve not been able to put my feelings about this little town into words as well as Tina just did! (And her better photo of the church than I’ve made yet.) So I thank her and share it here with anyone interested. FYI !
New Photo Gallery Under Construction
For many reasons I decided to move all my Costa Rica photos into a new photo gallery outside my old PBase gallery which for now I will keep for “history” or pre-Costa Rica photos as is. After checking out several possibilities, I chose SmugMug.com as the host and I am working on a new gallery there that will be formatted more like a website I am calling:
 |
| Screen Print of Home Page – GO THERE NOW! |
Please be patient. It is a long way from finished since I have to upload and label each individual photo one at a time. But I think you will like it when finished! You can simply BROWSE as on any website, but also with a powerful search engine you can SEARCH for and bring up all photos for say one place name or one bird, etc. In the case of birds, they are listed alphabetically by the English name, but with SEARCH you can get a lot of other combinations.
The GALLERIES of photos are organized first in FOLDERS by subject or theme such as “Birds” or “Vistas.” In each gallery you can click the button SLIDESHOW for the best full screen viewing of those photos. Or PASS YOUR CURSOR OVER PHOTO FOR TITLE & LOCATION. Then at the bottom of each photo and top of each gallery is a button labeled BUY that takes you to a multitude of sizes and mediums to order a copy of the photo, from a regular 4×6 print or large wall hanger to a greeting card. Fun!
————–
Changing the subject:
Interesting Article: Expats Moving to Costa Rica Discover Healthier Lifestyles!
Non-Bird Wildlife at Carara
 |
| White-faced Capuchin Monkey – Just hanging around! Pura Vida! Carara National Park, Costa Rica |
 |
| Agouti Carara National Park, Costa Rica |
 |
| Variegated Squirrel Carara National Park, Costa Rica |
 |
| Northern Ghost Bat Carara National Park, Costa Rica |
 |
| Some Kind of Fungus! Carara National Park, Costa Rica |
Unless I do a post on plants, that is all from the Campesinos/Carara trip. But every trip seems to have about a week’s worth of posts! Always a lot to share! I love it here!
UPDATE ON RESIDENCY RED TAPE
As the attorney told me, I went to the local Atenas Social Security office to be “inscribed.” I took Jason (one of my language helpers) with me as an interpreter and he was absolutely needed! In short, the first desk sent us to another desk which was the appointments desk. Of course we needed to make an appointment (but you do it only in person-not by phone!). I am on standby for July 8 with a firm appointment on July 15.
I have a two-page form in Spanish to be filled out in Spanish. David is going to make it a class project next week in Spanish Class! 🙂 There are a bunch of other things I need to bring like proof of at least $1,000 income, the resolution I got, an electric bill, and a copy of my housing rental agreement. I can hire ” a professional” to help me walk through this, but it is more fun to work with friends and get closer to local Ticos! (And cheaper!) Ten to one odds that there will be some document not exactly right for the July appointment and I will have to go back again, but that is part of the adventure of government bureaucracies!
Birds at Carara National Park
 |
| Orange-Collared Manakin Carara National Park, Costa Rica |
 |
| White-whiskered Puffbird Carara National Park, Costa Rica |
 |
| Montezuma Oropendola Carara National Park, Costa Rica |
 |
| Black-mandibled Toucan Carara National Park, Costa Rica |
 |
| Scarlet Macaw Carara National Park, Costa Rica |
 |
| Pale-billed Woodpecker Carara National Park, Costa Rica |
 |
| Blue-crowned Motmot Carara National Park, Costa Rica |
 |
| Common Black-Hawk (most likely) Carara National Park, Costa Rica NOTE: The front is lighter than usual, but it happens on them some. It does not match other characteristics of Gray or Gray-bellied Hawks |
Tomorrow I will post a few shots of other non-bird animals I shot at Carara.