Category: February 2013

Ants

This is not the post that I was going to write.

I changed my mind after reading, Ants, by Writingmoose , this morning.

It brought to mind, one of my tenants, who was entertaining the thought of suing me, because he had been bit by ants, allegedly, in my house. I came over to discuss it with him, and he told me that he had been on a picnic in Georgia; which is where he had gone to the emergency room, for his ant attack. My house is in Florida. There was a problem with his story.

I have a lot of ants here in my house in Costa Rica. I keep my house clean and ignore the ants. What are they going to do really, except behave as an unpaid cleaning service. I do accidentally kill some. I don’t mean to, They are a life.

This brings to mind a woman, Hazel, who lived on the hill in Flamingo. She wanted to hire a pest control company. That is the kind of thing I came here to get a way from. I told her I let the ants be ants. She laughed and said, “I know you’re just kidding”.

About two years ago, this woman was set on fire, by her pool, early in the morning. Her husband had gone out for something. This took place about six a.m.. She had been doused with gasoline. The police suspected a suicide—-WHAT?

That’s how things are around here.

Is there a problem with this story?

Others

Yesterday, I surfed at Playa Avellanes. I did two unusual things. I took my shorter board, a 7’6 fun board, and a kid with a boogie board. The board is one I use to ride, before I changed to 9′, 9’6 and now 10′ boards. It’s nice to know that I can still ride it if I want to.

The boogie boarder is our caretakers son, who has always lived here on our place, La Huerta. My husband and I taught him to swim. He’s a natural in the water. He swims like a fish. He’s my husband’s shadow.

Today, I will not surf. I will take my camera and go check out Playa Grande. It should be good. There’s not much swell here, now, but Grande attracts young rippers, who shred the beach breaks.

The point of this is, there’s a natural flow in life, that slows one down.

I’m in a stage of giving back.

I never dreamed I would be behind a camera lens when there was ANY wave breaking. I never thought I would be caring for a Nicaraguan youth, like a grandson.

But I always envisioned, that I would surf, for the rest of my life.

God + Service to Others = What I want to do, with my life.

I’m exactly where I’m suppose to be.

Floating

February 17th, 2013. As the days go by, I drift.

I wonder how did I get here? But I know how. It was the tide. That’s how life works; like the rhythms of the sea.

Were you ever taught what to do if you’re stranded in the water? You’re advised to FLOAT. Otherwise, you will expend your energy and you will soon begin to sink.

I’ve had times in my life, when I thought I was sailing along and everything was grand. Then out of nowhere, I encountered a gail force wind; or, I felt a hand push me overboard and I found myself having to swim to shore, AGAIN.

My life is not what I thought it would be. I’m older. Older than I use to be.

So today, I’m going to float.

I’m not going to fight the current of my family, or the undertow of Costa Rica.

Secondhand Surfer both the blog and the page are my raft. And we’re going to bob into a aesthetic existence.

Fueled by the breath of the Holy Spirit.

I don’t want to drown.

 

Back to Me

I’m happy to say that I participated in the Liebster Award. It’s a bit of a project; a longer post than I would ever write. But I did enjoy it. I became more aquainted with a few bloggers I follow, and I learned a tech trick or two. That makes it all worth while. After all, a portion on my blog investment is to learn my camera and my computer.

Bold Life is the title of the theme, used for my blog. It’s offered to me by WordPress. I’m sharing this information, for those who don’t know the protocol and those that might want to blog one day. In January, hoping to improve my presentation, I went searching for a new theme. I had been blogging for a year and I wanted to step it up.  I desired something with more pizazz ~ more professional looking. I wanted bells and whistles. It’s the same old story. The grass looks greener on the other side.

I landed Secondhand Surfer on two, different themes. I even entertained the thought of purchasing a “high end” theme. They sure do look purdy. As of yesterday, I came to my senses and retreated to my old, familiar neighborhood. It feels like coming home from an unsuccessful road trip. There might not have been mosquitos and roaches, difficult personalities and a broke, bank account involved, but it was a disaster, and I’m glad it’s history.

I still can’t get my pics to upload. I tried it on a friend’s computer, in my house, and had the same results. This indicates that the problem is the internet. It’s too slow.

I’m back to the old adage; patience and perseverance is the key to all success.

I am going to Playa Avellanas to surf this afternoon. My camera is going with me. I’ll get results with that  ~  right?

Liebster Laureate

The Coveted LIEBSTER AWARD

Most people enjoy a pat on the back; a bit of recognition for their hard work. I know I do. But at the same time, in this instance, it feels like whoops. More people will read my blog. My writing is somewhat like my conversations. I’m never quite sure what I’m going to say.  Attention can be scary.

I am honored to be nominated for the Liebster Award by The Beauty Within. This blog touts itself as, The Twisted random thoughts of a 20 something year old. A Girl Named Dee, the author, lives in rural Zambia and studies computer science. She is also a talented fashion designer. I began reading her blog when I started writing mine. I think I enjoyed the spontaneity of it, and her youthful perspective. Thank you very much Beauty Within.

The Rules of the Liebster Award are as follows:

  1. Thank your Liebster Blog Award Presenter
  2. Answer 11 questions from your nominator, list 11 random facts about yourself, and create 11 questions for the nominee to answer.
  3. Present the Liebster Award to 11 Blogs with 2oo or less followers; someone you feel deserves to be noticed and leave a comment on their blog, letting them know they have been chosen.
  4. Copy and paste the blog award in your sidebar.

I begin with answering 11 questions.

Questions asked by The Beauty Within:

  1. Have you ever been mean to someone who didn’t deserve it?  After examining my conscience, I would have to say no.
  2. What is your favorite movie ever?  I have two, Billy Jack and Walking Tall. In both movies the hero kicked the butts of people who deserved to have their butts kicked. I saw those movies so many times, I knew the dialogue.
  3. Would you rather give up technology for a year, or live a year eating nothing but tripe?   I would gladly forego technology. There would have to be nothing but tripe to eat, for me to succumb to animal intestines, for my nutrition.
  4. Do you believe in stuff like soul mates and love of my life?  I definitely believe in soul mates. I have been married to mine for thirty years. He has been my one and only true love.
  5. What kind of blogs do you like?  Blogs that I like don’t have to be any particular theme, but they do have to be genuine and interesting. I tend to like the character of the person writing.
  6. Are you a dog person or a cat person?  Having to choose, I will say dog. But even dogs, I have to warm up to.
  7. If there is a novel and a movie based on that novel, soon to be released, do you read the novel, or do you just say ” I will wait for the movie”?  Definitely, I watch the movie. I love the movies.
  8. What’s the first site you go to as soon as you get on the computer?  Facebook, what else?
  9. If you could spend the day with anyone for a day, who would it be and why?  My daughter, because I haven’t seen her in a long time.
  10. What do you miss more if it isn’t there, water or electricity?  Water!
  11. Do you love watching series, is so what is your favorite at the moment?    I watch two television series, one that follows the other and they both make me laugh like crazy. BIG BANG is the best.

11 Random facts about myself

  1. I like to drink coffee
  2. I like to eat out
  3. I surf
  4. I am a hobbyist photographer
  5. I went to Parochial School
  6. I grew up in the country
  7. I can ride a horse
  8. I like alfalfa sprouts
  9. I travelled to Europe as a teenager
  10. I have monkeys in my yard
  11. I am a back porch musician

11 Questions for my nominees

  1. If you could travel to any destination, where would it be?
  2. Who is your favorite philosopher?
  3. Have you ever done drugs? Just kidding….If you could choose a degree, everything paid for, what would you study?
  4. Do you believe we are all connected as One?
  5. What is your favorite color?
  6. What is your favorite car?
  7. Are you familiar with Alice in Wonderland?
  8. Do you believe in infinite possibilities?
  9. For the right amount of money, would you go over Niagra Falls in a barrel~what would the right amount of money be?
  10. Do you prefer the sunrise or sunset?
  11. Do you read the blogs that you “like”?

From what I understand, this is all quite tongue in cheek. The Liebster award is a way for blogs to be further circulated and for bloggers to recognize their peers. I know that a few I have chosen will opt-out on this award, but some will gladyly accept. I participated, partly because it was another challenge, also it is an opportunity for me to have some fun. Rule #62-don’t take yourself so seriously.

The blogs that I choose to pass this torch to are:

  1. Incidentallearner ~ because I love the art and relate
  2. A Proper Blog ~ well, because it’s proper
  3. APENYO ~ because it’s incredible writing/ off the charts
  4. My Life Through and 15-55mm lens ~ a student of art/current abstracts are awesome
  5. livingingraceland ~ because she devotes her life to those in need, and shares the grace of God
  6. Quantum Veil ~ a new find, that explores science, religion and consciousness
  7. Mobile Photography ~ Nokia photography – this person has an artistic flair
  8. One Not Alone ~ a spiritual lady, telling her story
  9. A PHOTO JOURNEY ~ a Carolina nature study, poignant
  10. MothCatepillar ~ a random thought humorist
  11. Carberto ~ because I am impressed by his imagination and tenacity

Thank you fellow bloggers. I wouldn’t follow you if I thought you were BAD. You actually add measures of interest to my life. So, CHEERS!

 

Home Again

I’m home again. I’ve returned from a four-day, road trip; first to San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica and then Parrita, a small coastal town, south of Jaco. I allow myself to sink, in the comfort of my little house again; back to my coffee pot, air conditioner and Big Bang.

The trip to town was brought about, by my need to see the dermatologist. I got a good report from the Doc. That was a relief. Then we were out and about town, visiting friends and mostly traveling in cabs. We did take the bus line one time. Traffic is so anti-systematic here. Cars dive for space; seemingly each driver is anticipating the other’s move, and it’s on! I’d much rather sit back and let a cab drive wreck his car, than take a chance on our rental. Continue reading Home Again

Good Morning

It is a good morning. It’s ten til four. I keep waking up, so I decided to rise and write. The reason for my restlessness is a trip I’m taking. I’m going to San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. It’s where one has to go for anything important. In my case, the doctor.

On a bike ride, a while back, water splashed on my leg, and I suspect a parasite has now taken residence under my skin. Yuk! You never know what’s going to happen here in the wild. So, off to civilization.

It’s a four-hour drive, that can be maddening. We, my husband and myself, will be crossing narrow, winding, mountain roads, behind big trucks, aging, loud tractor trailers, smoking trucks, old farm vehicles on their last leg and slow-moving cars. All the while, dodging occasional cows and meandering pedestrians. Not to mention, simultaneously being passed, by insane little cars that don’t slow down for anything. Double yellow lines are meaningless to them, as well as oncoming traffic. They don’t put this in the travel brochures.

I am carrying my board, as I am going to take this opportunity for a surf trip down south. I’ll have my camera in tow.

During this hiatus from photos on my blog, I have taken a lot of pictures.

Some are good, some aren’t.

My camera is far smarter than I am, but I would like to be more in control. I am very inspired by other photographers.

I wish I had a witty story to tell this morning, but hey, it’s four o’clock.

And all is well.

  • I’ve inserted this related article. It’s by Brian and it has pictures!
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A Sprinkle of Rage

Two sisters are crouched in a three by three space, attempting to suppress their hyper-ventalatized breath; not wanting to address their present fear. Twenty feet and two doors separate them from a man with a gun.

A man whose, out of control, deep and threatening voice, is screaming. “I’m going to kill them!” “I’m going to kill them!” Continue reading A Sprinkle of Rage