All this and Pizza too!

Fridays are Pizza day in our circle of friends. It has become our regular Friday "here comes the weekend" day out. There are just so many chores to run and usually we save them up and do everything when we are in town. Having a scheduled “day out”, makes for a great time with friends, and a good way to make new friends also. Grace's is a good little pizza place in San Ramon, and the owners have grown accustomed to seeing us on Fridays.

The morning was so nice, and now it is raining. I hung a load of laundry outdoors, for the second time, and they did get dry. Some times it starts to rain before the clothing is dry, so I have to put it out the second morning to finish drying. Well, that is while I do not have my dryer. It is out for repairs right now. I did not know it, but with a gas dryer, if you run out of gas, and it continues to run for a long time, it will burn out the ignition. So, dry clothing, no, not even after you have gas again, just one of my new learning experiences. The propane bottles are smaller here, and now, I have not figured out how long they will last yet. I guess a gauge is in order.

I just finished reading "The Poisonwood Bible", and what a fantastic book! It is the first book by Barbara Kingsolver that I have read. I will be reading her other books. It was one of those books which kept me riveted from the very beginning. I am glad I brought my books with me to Costa Rica. I did not have time while I was working, to read all the books I wanted to, and added to my shelves. Now, I spend the time, without the guilt, reading and am enjoying it much more. Just as I always imagined, there is always time to do what I really want to do now that I am retired. I stay so busy that I don't know how I ever worked a full-time job. What am I saying...and the other part-times jobs I always seemed to have also. Too busy making a living to be able to make a life. I think my kids would have benefited the most if I would not have had to work so much.

I had to buy some poison for the giant leave cutter ants in my yard. In one day, less than 8 hours, they carried away an entire schefflera bush with hundreds of leaves. I have two scheffleras, the same size, but now one has no leaves. I am curious if leaves will grow back or whether to cut the bush back and let it start again. Going to a nursery and asking is not an easy thing to do here. My Spanish is not good enough for that yet. Maybe I'll have to get a friend to ask for me. Here, they are the most beautiful plant, more lush and green than a regular house plant. I have them planted in the yard, so I would hate to loose them. There are some plant forums, and I may put a question out there to see if I can get an answer also. I did find out the ants have a fungus in their home, and they carry the leaves in to feed the fungus. Who would have known!

With My Heart - Costa Rica

I'm posting this video so you all can see why I love Costa Rica so much. I used some stills that were taken near my home. The credits are at the end, and you can stop it on any shot you would like to look at for a longer period of time. Enjoy!! The song is beautiful also. "Con un Mismo Corazon". Translated: "With My Heart".

Click on the arrow above to view.