New Neighborhood Swimming Pool
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| Complete with Racing Lanes, It opened this morning for an event. I think it is a private club promoting triathlons, but no sure. Atenas, Costa Rica |
See my March 6 post on the construction of this commercial facility, complete with sign describing the purpose of it. I think the early morning event here was a small triathlon for primary school children, probably to promote the facility and gain membership. My neighbor walked by between 7:30 and 8:00 this morning seeing a couple of hundred parents and children here and then later saw the children running through town. I missed the activity but cellphone photoed the pool that I walk past every day on my way to town. There is a high interest in health and sports here, though not a lot can afford a private club, if that is what it is.
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| Triathlon “Motivational Quote” |
Early Bloomers
Our “winter” or el invierno (rainy season) generally goes through November with “summer” or el verano (dry season) starting in December, with some flowers like the yellow & orange below not blooming until January. Even though we still have some rain (less now) the flowers indicate summer. It has been a very wet rainy season, so I guess a very dry season coming! 🙂
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| Bougainvillea Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Yellow Bells Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Triquitraque Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Once de Abril Atenas, Costa Rica |
Flowers are restful to look at.
They have neither emotions nor conflicts.
~Sigmund Freud
All of the above flowers snapped on my cellphone in my personal garden yesterday. Love it!
And for more flowers, see my Flora & Forest photo galleries! Beauty year around here!
And for more flowers, see my Flora & Forest photo galleries! Beauty year around here!
¡Pura Vida!
300+ Days of Renewable Energy
http://www.ticotimes.net/2017/11/21/happy-birthday-costa-rica-300-days-of-renewable-energy-that-is
As of today ICE (electric company) broke past record of number of days without using any fossil fuels to produce electricity country-wide. Most comes from hydro-electric, then wind, thermal, and solar in that order. We also broke a record on how much wind energy produced so far this year. Read the above linked article in the English online newspaper.
Neighbor’s View of Atenas
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| Atenas as seen from higher up the hill from me in the morning fog. This nice photo was made by Tom & Jessica, here for a couple of months on their trip around the world. See their blog http://www.worldwidewaftage.com/ Like most places you pay more for better view! Of course they zoomed in on the church with camera – they aren’t this close! Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Maybe call my view toward town “more natural” with more trees than even houses & no church. I am barely on the side of a little hill while the other view is from twice as high & zoomed more! Atenas, Costa Rica |
BLOG STATS
I have now written more than 1,000 posts that have received more than 100.000 pageviews online from more than 20 countries. I guess there is a lot of random viewing of blogs by some people. 🙂
Chachalacas in Guarumo Tree
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| Two Gray-headed Chachalacas in the Guarumo Tree at my Terrace My Garden, Atenas, Costa Rica Note that the orange blooming tree is more than 100 yards away on a hill. |
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| Closer view of one Gray-headed Chachalaca My Garden, Atenas, Costa Rica |
I realized that If I had to choose, I would rather have birds than airplanes.
~Charles Lindbergh
And since it is Thanksgiving in the states, my American friends can pretend these are my backyard turkeys! 🙂 Though Thursday is just another normal day here! Unfortunately a few businesses are doing “Black Friday” here. Anything to make a buck! And a lot of these rich American expats here still can’t turn loose of the states and feel obligated to buy a $40+ imported American turkey and try to recreate an American Thanksgiving here. Not me. Just a regular day thursday! So, happy Thanksgiving or happy regular day to all my readers! 🙂
And for the fellow birders, I just learned today that the Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab of Ornithology just released a Costa Rica Pack, so now you can use it to identify birds in Costa Rica and I’m hoping it will be better than the local app for identifying birds, but either way I will have two choices now! You have to download the Costa Rica Pack separately to the app. Just got it today, so no time to test it yet except for one bird from the terrace. Merlin ID is free from your app store and then within it you download the free Costa Rica Pack that includes info and photos of 750 Costa Rica Birds! Cool!
Home Business Sign Replaced
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| The lady I use as my seamstress got a new sign this week. The old one I posted in June is shown below. Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Somehow this old sign seemed to have more “character,” whatever that means! |
See my photo gallery of Home Business Signs – Atenas
That Spot of Color is Joy!
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| Can you see it? In the fork of the guarumo tree on the distant hill. Red-orange. It is a spot of color I see every time I walk out on my terrace and it brings a smile. It is an African Tulip Tree I’m glad a neighbor planted! Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| It is a tree like this one by our front gate in Roca Verde, African Tulip Tree, native of Africa and brought here as an ornamental tree for yards that adds new color to the many natural colors here. Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| And a little closer. |
The purest and most thoughtful minds are those which love colour the most.
John Ruskin
See my photo gallery: Flora & Forest
Tamale-Making Class en Español
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| The meat and some vegetables were cooked ahead of time The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| First, some of our Su Espacio class member ground fresh corn to prepare fresh tortillas for our coffee break The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Felix, one of the twin boys from Germany hand-grinding yellow corn The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Cecelia’s family members made these scrumptious corn tortillas which we ate with coffee grown on their farm. Delicioso! The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| All morning people worked on cutting and cleaning banana leaves to later wrap our tamales in. The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| As with families preparing for Navidad, everyone including kids had a job to do. The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Washing cilantro & other spices from the garden outside The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Cutting up vegetables The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Cutting up freshly cooked pork The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Cutting up freshly cooked pork The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Using a grater and sieve to make fresh tomato juice for the recipe The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Listening to instructions from Corinna The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Felix & Jon take turns stirring the white cornmeal batter for tamale base The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| We all worked and visited all morning – A great together time! The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Finally we start putting them together! The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| A family member shows us how to wrap the final tamale. The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Soon the tables were filled with tamales! The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| And we looked like a tamale factory! 🙂 The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica |
This was an activity sponsored by David & Corinna of Su Espacio as a total immersion Spanish activity. It was totally in Spanish, a lot of fun, cultural learning, tasty, and good use of the Spanish language! I loved it even though my leg was hurting.
AN ASIDE: On my way walking to Su Espacio to carpool to the farm my right leg that’s been giving me trouble had a spasm as a made a big step up from street to high sidewalk and caused me to fall. I finished my trip in taxi, even though I had a B-12 shot just yesterday! I planned to go back to Dra. Candy’s office after the class where I mainly stayed in a chair. Well, near the end of class, the enthusiastic young German Felix opened the can of Garbanzos (each Christmas tamale has 2 garbanzos representing mama & papa.). Unfortunately he sliced his finger open pretty bad on the tin can. Kindly George took the boys and me with Mama Corinna to Dra. Candy’s office where Felix was treated first by the paramedic on duty this Saturday and Felix’s Papa came and picked him and his brother up to go home (their 6 week home) which is in Roca Verde not too far from me. Small world! They also got medications and/or prescriptions to avoid infections.
Then I was examined by the paramedic who called and consulted with Dra. Candy. I was given a pain shot this time and Rx’s for muscle relaxant and a gel to rub on the hurting areas of my leg. It periodically hurts very bad, especially when I get up from a long sit at desk or walk downhill! I go back Wednesday and we discuss if I need a specialist or maybe a physical therapist which they have many of here. It is a problem that has gotten worse, but I’m confident we will find a solution! ¡Pura Vida!
And for my permanent display of these same photos see my “People and Fiestas” Gallery titled:
Tamale Making Class. And for those who would like the recipe, here it is, just for you to make Christmas Tamales in Tennessee! 🙂 ¡Feliz Navidad! (And good luck finding all the ingredients there!)
And for my permanent display of these same photos see my “People and Fiestas” Gallery titled:
Tamale Making Class. And for those who would like the recipe, here it is, just for you to make Christmas Tamales in Tennessee! 🙂 ¡Feliz Navidad! (And good luck finding all the ingredients there!)
TAMALES NAVIDEÑOS
Ingredientes
1 paquete de MASA blanca de maíz (´´Doña Juana´´ o ´´Doña Arepa´´),
1,5Kg de posta de cerdo,
1Kg de papas,
2Kg hojas de banano o plátano específicos para hacer tamales,
0,5Kg de tocino,
0,5Kg de zanahorias,
2 chiles rojos,
1 tomate,
Achote para dar color,
1 lata grande de garbanzos,
1 lata pequeña de guisantes o petit pois,
1 rollo de culantro Castilla,
1 rollo de culantro Coyote,
1 rollo de pabilo (cuerda especial),
1 salsa Lizano,
2 cabezas de ajo,
1 rama de orégano,
2 paquetes de consomé de pollo,
2 ramas de apio, sal y aceite.
TAMALES NAVIDEÑOS
Preparación
1) COCINAR LA CARNE DE POSTA DE CERDO. (Doña Cecilia la prepara en la mañana temprano antes de que nosotros lleguemos).
Picamos finamente y cuidadosamente media cabeza de ajos.
Ponemos la carne en una olla con agua suficiente para tapar la carne (la carne la ponemos entera), ponemos también una rama entera de apio, la rama de orégano, y la media cabeza de ajos picados finamente.
Ponemos sal al gusto.
Cocinamos hasta que la carne esté suave.
Después quitamos la carne del caldo, la dejamos enfriar y quitamos la rama de orégano para botarla.
Mientras la carne enfría continuamos con la preparación de las verduras.
2) (por razones de falta de tiempo, también el paso número 2 lo prepara doña Cecilia en la mañana temprano)
Picamos finamente 3 dientes de ajo.
Pelamos las papas y las picamos en cuadritos pequeños, después las ponemos (las papas) a cocinar con un poquito de agua.
Agregamos los 3 dientes de ajo picados finamente, una cucharita de achote para dar color y sal al gusto. Se cocinan al dente.
3) Pelamos las zanahorias y las cortamos en rodajas finitas.
Lavamos los chiles y los cortamos en tiritas.
Escurrimos los guisantes y los garbanzos.
Sacar las hojitas de culantro Castilla de la ramita y NO se botan los palitos de culantro.
Conservar estas verduras crudas para el final.
4) Partimos la carne ya fría en trocitos del tamaño a gusto propio.
Rayamos el tomate sin piel.
Picamos finamente 2 dientes de ajo y los ponemos a dorar con media cucharita de achote.
Después agregamos la carne picada, el tomate rayado sin piel y salsa Lizano al gusto.
Mezclamos bien y doramos por 10 minutos.
5) Ponemos la masa blanca de maíz en una olla grande.
Pelamos una cabeza de ajos y la licuamos con la rama de apio que quedó, el culantro Coyote y los palitos de culantro Castilla que conservamos del paso número 3.
Colamos o filtramos el líquido y lo agregamos a la masa de maíz que está en la olla.
6) También agregamos a la masa del paso número 5 el caldo de la carne de posta de cerdo del paso número 1.
Mezclamos y revolvemos bien, agregamos el consomé de pollo y la sal al gusto.
Cocinamos moviendo constantemente hasta que hierva. Si vemos que la masa se seca rápido antes de hervir le agregamos agua.
7) ¡ ¡ ¡LA MASA SE TRABAJA CALIENTE PORQUE FRIA NO SE PUEDE MOLDEAR ! ! !
Posicionamos las hojas de banano en la mesa: una grande y arriba en el centro una pequeña.
En el centro de la hoja ponemos un cucharón de masa y luego agregamos una cucharada de papas del paso número 2, después una tirita de chile con una rodaja de zanahoria, 2 garbanzos, 3 guisantes y una hoja de culantro del paso número 3.
Por último ponemos un trozo de carne, envolvemos las hojas y amarramos con el pabilo.
8) Una vez que estén armadas las ´´las piñas’’ las ponemos a cocinar sumergidas en agua hirviendo por 30 minutos desde el momento que el agua hierve.
9) Sacamos las piñas, las escurrimos o filtramos y las comemos.
¡BUEN PROVECHO!
Added Bird from El Salvador to My Tree
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| “Peace Dove” by an artist in El Salvador Now hanging on my year around Christmas Tree |
In my living room last Christmas I added a tree on which I hung crafted birds from all over Central America. Some I bought locally and others came from UNICEF. Every purchase from them helps care for children all around the world! I encourage you to consider buying a new tree ornament or other hand-crafted Christmas gift from: