charliedoggett.net
And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been.
Rainer Maria Rilke
We are providing a list of blogs that might be of interest to our readers. By providing this
information, we are not endorsing or accepting responsibility for any content found therein.
Please contact us if you have any other blogs of interest that you would like to share. These are
alphabetized for your easy reference. Please advise if you find that some blogs no longer exist.
Biolley Buzz bcrcoffee.com
Bunky Bartlett http://www.bestofcostarica.org
Carole Connolly http://carolejeanscostaricacapers.com
Claudia Leon http://photoleraclaudinha.smugmug.com/
http://straightline-cmkl.blogspot.com/
Charlie Doggett http://costaricadecisionprocess.blogspot.com/
De La Pura Vida Costa Rica delapuravida.com
Dennis Easters/Pure Life Development http://www.atenasrealestate.cr/index.php/blog
Diane Miskell http://dianascostaricablog.blogspot.com
Going Like Sixty http://goinglikesixty.com
Julie and Rick in Costa Rica http://julieandrickincostarica.blogspot.com/
Marietta Arce http://marisundays.wordpress.com
Mi Chunche michunche.com
Nadine Hays Pisani happierthanabillionaire.com
New Life in Costa Rica http://www.anewlifeincostarica.com/nuevo_vida/
Paul Furlong motorcycle blog http://eyeneo.com/
Pura Vida Mommy puravidamommy.blogspot.com
Rubiatica rubiatica.blogspot.com
Shannon Farley http://enchanting-costarica.com/
Somewhere In Costa Rica http://somewhereincostarica.com
Su Espacio http://www.suespacioatenas.blogspot.com/
The Real Costa Rica blog.therealcostarica.com
The Very Worst Missionary theveryworstmissionary.com
The View From Here theviewfromherecr.blogspot.com
 |
| Merry Christmas from my Terrace where I added Poinsettias to a potted palm. A cell phone selfie. |
AND TONIGHT I DID WHAT I WAS TOO SICK TO DO LAST CHRISTMAS EVE! I went to the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service and Lord’s Supper at Iglesia Biblica:
 |
| It started with some from the Spanish congregation singing two Christmas Songs in Spanish. Beautiful! Then with the help of screens, we sang Christmas Carols, most with one verse in English & repeated in Spanish. Nice! In between the carols the English pastor read portions of the Christmas story from Luke. |
 |
| We ended with candle-lighting and singing of Silent Night. Then to fellowship hall for punch and Christmas Cookies plus visiting. I decided tonight to start attending regularly again, even though I still don’t care for praise bands or all the Wednesday night Bible studies (too complicated to explain). But I need the Christian fellowship! |
“It came without ribbons! It came without tags!
It came without packages, boxes or bags!
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before!
‘Maybe Christmas’ he thought, ‘doesn’t come from a store…
Maybe Christmas perhaps… means a little bit more!'”
– Dr. Seuss
 |
| A new sign just appeared alongside the road I walk to Roca Verde, Calle 8 |
The rough Google translation to English:
The trees are our friends, always await us in the same place.
ADECA
 |
| My kitchen window friend! |
 |
| Nativities are everywhere! Usually called Pasito or Portal here. Other Spanish names are Nacimiento, Belén, and Pesebre. |
I like living where Jesus is more popular than Santa Claus! Though Christmas Trees are around in a few places, especially commercial places, they don’t believe in Santa Claus but rather the baby Jesus, el niño or el niñito who brings some of the Christmas gifts for young children. Read this neat article in Tico Times. For where gifts come from, Santa is 3rd place after Jesus & Parents in a survey of children!
 |
| Tree in Central Park Atenas Not much! Not a priority! 🙂 |
It is a religious society and the people even live like followers of Christ! I’m trying not to compare to the States where most of my readers live, but it is tempting! 🙂 The people here are wonderful!
And I do plan to eat at least one tamale this Christmas, a very strong tradition here!
Feliz Navidad!
 |
| Up close they are a very bright yellow trumpet-shaped flower |
The Yellow Bells are blooming earlier than I expected or remember from last year and do hope they are still around when Reagan arrives in February. They started with a few blooms on the high tips of limbs that get the most sun and are now spreading all over. They do attract hummingbirds!
 |
| From my lunch table today at about 1:30 facing NW. |
 |
| From the street today at 2:00 PM (bad time for photo) |
 |
| An even worse image at 2:00 PM but you can see that my terrace is surrounded! |
 |
| Bouquets on the terrace! |
 |
| And color below my horizon views! |
 |
| Plus they are already coloring the ground as blossoms drop! |
 |
| A tree in my neighbor’s yard. |
Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul.~Luther Burbank
 |
| Me 2014 in TN |
It is ¡Muy pelagrosa! That is “Very dangerous!” Just see the 30 second video in this Tico Times article (WARNING: It is graphic pain!) Scroll down to 2nd photo with video arrow to click:
http://www.ticotimes.net/2015/12/14/watch-taxi-crashes-first-day-tour-costa-rica-cycling-race
That was in nearby Alajuela to which I ride the big safe bus! Right here in Atenas one day I walked across the Central Park and watched a pickup plow into a motorcycle, which is even more dangerous. I get my exercise walking as long as my feet are working alright. I miss biking, but common sense safety on exceptionally narrow roads and streets make it not practical for me here. “Driver Education” is just now being introduced here, so most adults driving here have no training and that includes the taxi drivers! This guy in the video is in BIG TROUBLE! He will lose his taxista job, possibly his driver license, and possibly have to pay medical bills for the three that slammed into him.
Happier Photos of the Festival de Luz in San Jose – I reported earlier that I missed the one here in Atenas and haven’t seen any photos online of the Atenas parade, but here are a few pix from the same parade in San Jose. Most towns have one as the beginning of Christmas celebrations. I won’t miss it next year!
featuring a Christmas Ham! And a huge assortment of Christmas Cookies! But the best part was joining a lady from my second Spanish class and her 84 year old friend Jean who will become my new next door neighbor tomorrow! She is moving in the house that my sculpture friend Anthony left for his adventures in Spain and Morocco. It is a contemporary with lots of glass to the right of my house as the casita (little house) of another property owner, different landlord.
After the party my taxista had trouble getting through the traffic and bands for the big parade as part of that evening’s Festival de la Luz or Festival of Lights which begins the Christmas celebrations here. I’m now sorry I did not stay downtown for it because I learned later that it is the biggest celebration of the year in Atenas with a stage featuring constant musical entertainment, many booths with crafts and other vendors, the parade, and fireworks. But I was tired and had projects I was working on and decided to go on home. I heard most of it and saw part of the fireworks from my terrace. Next year I will not miss this!
Today our Su Espacio Spanish Class had our Christmas Party Lunch at Fred & Susan’s house two hills over from mine with their swimming pool being the big attraction for most, but also a great lunch!
 |
| I was the only one not in a swim suit – just not my thing! |
Thursday after the last Spanish Class at Iglesia Biblica we all go to La Finca Pizza for our end of year celebration and Christmas Party. A new friend and I are having lunch next week and then on Christmas Day I am joining other friends at a nearby hotel restaurant for a big Christmas Dinner again! At Hotel Colinas del Sol. I’m having trouble finding my needed solitude! 🙂
AN EXTRA TIDBIT:
8 Great Holiday Songs in Spanish in case you think “Feliz Navidad” is the only one! 🙂
4:30 AM – Up for shower, breakfast and walk to the bus station
6:15 AM – Bus to San Jose
7:45 AM – I exit bus at northeast corner of Parque Sabana, 4 blocks from lawyer
Appointment is at 8:30 AM, so second breakfast at Soda Tapia (famous!)
8:30 AM – Meet attorney Jose Pablo Carter at his office 150 meters east of Soda Tapia
9:00 AM – We arrive in his car at Police Station with maybe 15 people ahead of us
We complete paper work and then I do the musical chair thing like at bank
This was just one long row of chairs. As a person is served we all move up
the chair line until I was next to be served. About a 25 minute wait.
Maybe 15 minutes of a guy two-finger typing all my info in a computer
He glues the three photos made back in February to 3 different forms
Then gives me all my paperwork and sends me to the fingerprint girl
I learned later she was new. She did 3 fingers then new form, start over
because she did one of my fingers twice 🙂
Then she gave me two of the photo/thumb print cards to take to my attorney
He gave one back to her and explained to her where it went (Wow!) Learner!
10:30 AM – We drive away from police station and he says no one knows how much longer
I will have to wait, maybe 2 months. But we have made some progress!
10:45 AM – He is taking me to a taxi stand to go to bus station because he has a meeting.
Then he sees a taxi, flags him down and I move to the taxi headed for the
Parada de Autobus de TUASA – there are about a dozen bus stations depending
on where you are going. I go to Coca Cola Station for Atenas bus but I need
to go to Alajuela to pick up a package at Aerocasillas. So I go to the
Parada de TUASA for the next bus to Alajuela. 5 minute wait!
By noon I’m in Alajuela with my package ordered from Amazon of a Hypoallergenic & Bedbug proof mattress cover and pillow covers which I have not found here. Then a quick quesadilla and I have only a 5 minute wait for bus to Atenas (Lucky? God’s will?). Near the bus station in Atenas is my primary hardware store where I find they have only 1 soaker hose left, so I get it and try Coope Hardware and they have none (I need 2). I call a taxi and tell him what I want and he takes me to a third hardware store (ferreteria) and they have one left. Great! I just bought all (both) the soaker hoses available in Atenas! 🙂
I go home and install them in two gardens and water the gardens. My front yard and trees had a sprinkler system installed yesterday by my gardeners at a really good price, about what I paid for the two soaker hoses! Now my yard, trees and gardens are ready for the dry season without me spending two hours every two days holding a hose to them. Bear in mind that it may not rain again here until May!
When finished, it was 5:30 and I suddenly remembered I had a 5:00 Spanish class! Oh well! I am exhausted and will catch up next week. 🙂
Today is Friday and I got more cash for Angel Tree expenses (trying 3 ATMs before one worked!), paid one Angel Tree bill, got groceries, and I’m staying at home the rest of today! Susan picks me up at 6:50 tomorrow morning for Angel Tree party preparation. She and I are in charge of moving 300 wrapped gifts from Su Espacio to the church salon. Other volunteers will help. Then a fast-moving party and I’m on bus back to Alajuela for a rent car. I like to get a car the day before needed to get used to the car and make sure everything works! 🙂 I’m excited about experiencing another new birding place starting Sunday! Rancho Naturalista. My happy feet are busy feet! 🙂 And when the bone spur in my heel hurts, I take an anti-inflammatory Rx the doctor prescribed and do great! The heel cushion in a real shoe helps also! 🙂 Wear my sandals only around the house now.
