Just in case you have to ask.....

I indeed have the absolutely cutest grand kids on the face of the earth (except for everyone else's grand kids, I'm sure). Miriam is 4 1/2, Elaine is 2 1/2, (and yes, they are biological siblings....

reminds me of Carlos Jr and Ana-Christine about 25 years ago) and Miss Logan (who is ready to do some serious work with her Daddy's hammer) is 22 months. AND, I expect ALL the rest of my grand kids to be just as cute...just in case you have to ask.

Mary-Carmen

Well, while the summer winds here in Costa Rica are in full swing and blowing the dust around, my own personal whirlwind has returned to the states. She was such a part of our lives here that it seems like a different place without her. Catie-Lynn misses her so much that she's cleaning her room...rearranging it and all. When a Chacon woman rearranges furniture it means that something is changing in her life and she has to change the furniture as well!! The 'boyfriend' has cried on my shoulder twice and that was in ONE day!! Poor guy! Isn't it interesting how one person can change so many lives in the simple act of going somewhere else.

We miss you MC.

You bring joy into the lives of people that you are around. You bring love to the men in your life when you bless them with your attention! What a bag of blessings you carry with you in your life.

I hope you find what you are looking for Mary-Carmen. Thank you sharing the last 8 months and trying to help Catie-Lynn and me find our place here in Costa Rica. I love you, MC.

lemons, oranges...and other stuff.

There are many interesting things in Costa Rica that until you really look, you really don’t notice. Simple things like lemons, limes and oranges for instance. Looking at the pictures can you tell which are the lemons, limes and oranges? I even cut them for you so you can see the insides. I’ll give you the answer at the end of this blog.

One of our favorite drinks here in lemonade. We squeeze the juice of 3-5 lemons, depending on the size of course, add about 2 qts of water and 1 cup of sugar. Yum, Yum. Just a sec……ok, I’m back, I had to get me a glass of lemonade! I prefer mine a little strong on the lemon but the sugar cuts the tartness.

We will have papayas from our own trees in the next few weeks. The trees have lots on them at different stages of development-they seem to grow year round here. We typically have fresh papaya drink every morning or fresh pineapple. A blender is a must here! Mangos are very seasonal but we do have a MANGA tree. (Mangos are smaller than the Mangas) Women rule in the world of mangos. (for those of you who aren’t up on your Spanish words ending in A are feminine and ending in O masculine).

Well, our little dog, Negrita, (yes, she’s black) choose to live with us in Sept or Oct., and then went into heat in Nov. Well, last week she had two puppies 3 weeks premature and both died. It was very sad but I must say that I really wasn’t looking forward to having puppies around. Having 2 dogs is quite enough for me…but when they bark all night 2 dogs is 2 too many!!!

Here are the answers.....
If you guessed that the biggest (uncut) green one is an orange, you are right!!
If you guessed that the REST of them are lemons, you are right!!
Oranges, lemons and limes can be green, yellow or orange here. But lemons are mostly green or orange. Oranges are green or yellow. Limes are intermixed with lemons but are usually smaller...but I won't swear to that fact.

Well, I don't know about you but I think I'll go enjoy my lemonade!!

New Year's Eve in Costa Rica

Well, I have been trying, very unsuccessfully I might add, to upload video that we took of the fireworks that we could see on New Year's Eve. It was truly amazing with so many fireworks going off at one time.

Happy New Year everyone!!!

To my daughters and son...and their children

One day you 'turnaround' and you look at your grown up children and wonder where the time went. I hope that you have happy memories just like I do! I love you Kids...so very, very much.


Turnaround

Where are you goin' my little one, little one,
Where are you goin' my baby, my own?
Turnaround and you're two, turnaround and you're four,
Turnaround and you're a young girl going out of the door!

Turnaround, ( turnaround! )
Turnaround and you're a young girl . . .
Going out of the door!

Where are you going my little one, little one,
Little dirndls and petticoats, where have you gone?
Turnaround and you're tiny, turnaround and you're grown,
Turnaround and you're a young wife
with babes of your own!

With babes of your own . . .

Words and Music by Alan Green,
Harry Belafonte and Malvina Reynolds
Clara Music Publishing Corp. & Cherry Lane Music Publishing ASCAP