Vicki went home today

My cousin Vicki has been recouping for 2 weeks from hysterectomy.  She needs to go home to check in at a medical clinic. Her follow-up appointment for the surgery is in FEBRUARY 2012-I guess nothing went wrong if you live that long.  Her boyfriend Roger-pronounced-Roe-hair-drove out to pick her up since she can't lift her legs to get into the regular bus. Guess she'd qualify for CherryLift-the bus for people with disabilities in the Salem area.  

 they are happy to see each other again!

 my mom and roger

 sharing a laugh

Happy Birthday to my little mama!

Born during WWII, same year as Mick Jagger, Robert DeNiro, Oliver North-A gallon of gas was 15 cents, average wages $2,000, and a new car cost $900. 

Marcos & Gloria's Wedding

Salome's next door neighbor got married to his longtime love.  The Catholic ceremony was held in a church on a saturday afternoon.  The wedding had many unique aspects-the priest said-you are now married.  If you lose your ring somewhere like in your pocket, or at home in a drawer, or in these troubled times you may sell it, you remain married.

If she is unfaithful, you still must be faithful.  If he is unfaithful, you still must be faithful.

 The priest said, we are going to do something special-and then he got a rope and tied the wedding couple, who were seated, together. Then he told them to stand up.  Struggling and using each other for balance, they stood. He commended them on working together now that they were tied together.

haircuts for shaggy men

S cut russ's hair and Ko cut his own and S did the back.  Mr. super shag tan, didn't want his hair cut but he was busy on the internet and I attacked with the scissors.  Came out pretty well, since I couldn't see his smiley face.

felt fun

cook like a sandanista!

I got a sore throat and 2 hurting ears.  I also have a cough.  ugh!  I have decided to not go the pharmacy and get an injection, that a friend administers, to overload with antibiodics.  I have been putting garlic oil in my ear, and drinking tea of manzanilla with honey and lime.  Then my cousin Vicki reccomended oregano tea, and that seemed to help quite a bit.

I have been trying to get certain recipes from the family here and I made one tamal asado, baked tamal, and it turned out like a flat tire.  It was black and had a hole in the center and fell down on one side.  So this was the last attempt to make it.  I was sneezing and had a runny nose, so I put on this hat and handkerchief to help contain the germs to me.  Vicki said she did not want to cook with a Sandanista!  My mom couldn't stop laughing and got some nice pics. 

the award winning recipe of tamal asado:

4 cups masa for tamales

8 oz queso fresco-farmer's cheese

1 c sour cream

1 bar of butter

1 c water

4 c buttermilk

3 c sugar

1 TBLP vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

Mix masa, cheese, sour cream and softened butter in a large saucepan.  Add water, buttermilk, sugar, vanilla and salt.  Cook on stove on medium heat for about 25 minutes, until the mixture pulls away from the side and the spoon stands up straight in the pan.  Put in greased pan and place in preheated 375 degree oven on the lower rack for 45 minutes, until a knife swipe, comes out clean,  then on an higher rack for 15 minutes to brown top.  Turn stove off and allow to cool. Serve cold.  Can add 1/2 to 1 cup raisins also to mixture before cooking on stove.

This is my cousin Vicki's recipe.

Ko adventure to the ER

Ko came up the 1/2 mile hill from the river limping with his hand wrapped.  He said, mother, i think we need to go to the emergency room.

He was climbing in a fruit tree and he said that there were ants and he tried to shake them off the tree.  But instead the branch he was on snapped and he fell 15' into the river and rocks. He flipped over onto a big rock.  

He got x-rays for his wrist, ankle and hip.  Everything looked ok but the doc sent the x-rays home in case something turns up.  He kept ice on it for a couple days and got bored of that.  He wore a wrist guard they got from some other incident to help stabalize his wrist.

This is the hospital orthopedic area. Literally Door # 2, #3.  Except they all connect into a room in the back. 

It was the 4th trip to the ER on this trip.

selfish

in a house where there are 8 people living in where usually only 5 live, it becomes a matter of trying to get what you want or need, as you may perceive it.

whether it be food, entertainment, sleeping quarters, or sleeping times or rising times, or conversation topics, it can be like trying to herd cats to get cooperation to happen with so many personalities.

one definition of selfish: 

1. devoted to or caring only for oneself; concerned primarilywith one's own interests, benefits, welfare, etc., regardlessof others.

2.

characterized by or manifesting concern or care only foroneself: selfish motives.

I was getting very upset when things seemed like they were coming apart. one person was not tired and didn't want to go to bed. another who sleeps in the living room currently was entertaining themselves texting until person one went to bed. Then a car pulled up outside my window.  person one went over and turned on the outside and inside lights.  person 2 was texting.  I got up to see why we were turning lights on. person 3 was tossing and turning from the commotion.  

person one said'There's someone out there!"  I told them I didn't care and to turn the light off and don't worry about it.  

person one stomped off. person 2 asked if i could tell person one to go to bed cuz they were keeping him up.  

when i told person one to go to bed since person 2 had to go to school, she uttered some unmentionable and said that i couldn't tell her what to do.  i said, she could say what she liked, but go to bed and turn off the solitare game.

person 2 angrily stomped off to bed waking up a roommate.  shortly thereafter person one got too hot and opened the front door. person 2 came out to investigate. with all this going on outside my room, i once again got up and asked them to go to ved and for person 2 to stop texting. 

the door was shut. then a door was slammed. the roommate got up creeping to the bathroom. meanwhile 3 people slept irregardless of all the disruption.

I got to thinking of how selfish person one was.  i was irritated. from that person's perspective, they weren't tired and wanted to stay up and didn't care about anything else.

but my own selfishness was in wanting to go to bed once without getting up repeatedly and feeling very angry while trying to sleep.  

maybe sometimes we have reasonable desires-wants-needs but in a situation of overcrowding and sharing space, maybe we have to give up some personal comfort for the greater good.

downgrade from crisis to normal

a long time ago I went into crisis disaster status.  I lost my beloved son and I could only see the world thru pain and loss.  I have tried to fake normal to appear as if everything is ok but little will set me back to full-on crisis mode.

I realize that I must downgrade my life to normal.  I have to reset the terror in my heart to peace and live from that heart God gave me and get back to living and not surviving.

penal code 309

At the hospital above the emergency room guards window is a sign regarding the penal code 309: There is a prison term for one month to two years whoever insults all who are public service, by saying of him, personally or publicly, or by written communication, telegraph or telephone or by a superior.

When I looked it up online it looked like it had been eliminated, but apparently news hasn't reached this hospital.  I thought it was funny they included insulting by telegraph. "The guard at the hospital is terrible. STOP.  He gets off work at 10 pm. STOP.  Be advised the night guard is a woman whose worse. STOP."

The most controversial aspect of Costa Rican legislation has been the long-standing desacato or "insult" law which protects public figures from critical journalists. The Legislative Assembly voted on March 26, 2002 to eliminate Article 309 of the Criminal Code which made it a crime to "insult" the dignity of the president and other public officials. This aligns the code with the "actual malice" standard, first articulated by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1964. This standard requires plaintiffs to prove not only that published information about them is false, but also that the journalists knew or should have known it was false at the time of publication. Until the change in this law, journalists faced potential jail sentences of anywhere from a month to two years in prison, or as much as three years in prison if the offended party is a higher-ranking official such as the President.

Read more: Costa Rica Press, Media, TV, Radio, Newspapers - television, circulation, stations, papers, number, print, freedom, online http://www.pressreference.com/Co-Fa/Costa-Rica.html#ixzz1VZboPvSK

baby and poster

We were at the hospital and there was a baby about 10 months old, he looked at this poster of a baby nursing and he started smacking his lips. then his grandma asked him if he wanted the boob.  she handed him to his mom and he kept looking at the poster and smacking his lips.  She then nursed him.  It turns out that Aug 1-7 it was international lactating month and they Costa Ricans hadn't gotten around to taking down the posters.

home medicine

My cousin Vicki had surgery and the next day they kicked her out of the hospital to avoid a flesh eating bacteria. So she came to stay here and we have a neighbor studying medicine whose attending the wound.  They left Vicki with her skin open and no sutures or anything to keep it healing. so this girl comes over and cleans the wound and checks on her to see how she's doing. She's a friend and theirs no charge.  She gets a candle and puts wax to keep the wound clean.  We can also buy pain killer injections to administer as needed.  my cousin is still recovering and it's been over a week but it still gives her great pain and she has to hold her tummy to walk.

mother's day fun

Mother's day is Aug 15 in Costa Rica. So the men put on a show. They had some guitar players from the church play some beautiful music.  They gave us ensalada de frutas-fruit salad-with jello, ice cream and toppings and barquillos.  A famous Christian singer-Fabricio Alvarado-sang and told us some encouraging words.  Then the youth preformed some hilarious skits-one with Laura of America-a talk show host.

The Show was called They were ugly but now worse-for instance one guy had no butt, he asked the doc to fill it up and he ended up with a huge butt-so the doc said-he just needs to gain weight to even out.

Another person wanted big muscles-but the guy hit a nerve and causes him to jerk night and day-the doc said he'll get his muscles cuz he exercises night and day.

We laughed and enjoyed ourselves immensely!

orthodontist check-up

We had to take Vale to her check up.  We drove to a town called Naranjo-and there is a street lined with dentist.  We go in the waiitng room where the movie Liar, Liar is on TV. We check in for the 3pm appointment.  We wait with 15 other people.  Then the lady at the front desk goes to the back because it's time for the coffee break.  So the whole office grinds to a halt and the workers have a seat and have coffee and bread for 15-20 minutes.  We all sit watching the tv, and more people arrive.  After waiting nearly 40 minutes, Vale and I go to the back, where there are two patient chairs.  The doctor is suppose to come in but one of the soccer players from the Costa Rican Team, so they attend him first. We sit and wait again, there's music in this room, but I give my ipod to vale.  Finally the doc shows up. He squeezes the cheeks of the other patient and inspects her teeth, while we watch. Then he signs off her chart.  Then he checks out Vale and says everything looks really good. The total price for the year long treatment is 60,000 colones-which is $120.  Each visit they pay $20.  The dentist then tells me how he went to Washington State and got stopped by a police for jay walking- He said that he was told to only cross at corners-in costa Rica you cross when you can and where you can.  Also he went to a park and looked for someone to pay to watch his car so it wouldn't get stolen, but instead he saw a guy get a piece of paper and write something and put it in his window and then he asked and the guy was going to pay later.  He said he really liked how nice it was there.

run for the laundry

We have a washing machine with cold water.  Then we dry the clothes on the trampoline, which is fine until you hear the rumblings of the thunderstorm, then everyone sprints to the trampoline to get all the clothes and then they get hung up under the roof to dry.

It's the run for the laundry. The worst experience was it not drying for 3 days! then the clothes smelt a bit moldy, and then a bird pooped on the clothes and I had to rewash and redry!  If the rain doesn't stop, you hang your clothes behind the refrigerator and it dries.

tough week

I don't feel too good. This week I have had 4 days that I can barely be seated.  My back feels like a metal rod is climbing up it. and I finally can't take it anymore.  I have been trying to really get after my treatment, but I feel super discouraged. I am holding only onto that God wants me healed, and the faith that my physical therapist has in my getting better.

I have a renewed commitment to doing everything no matter what a terrible day to get better.  

I just feel like going away to a quiet peaceful place and just being alone.

but I am happy to have my family alrededor around me.

Pain in the neck

Still going to Physical therapy twice a week and trying to keep on doing all the prescribed neck stretching and back stretching/strengthening exercises.  Have had some setbacks of feeling totally nausious and weak and unable to do much but just lay around. I haven't been able to take walks, I just drag myself out to the car to dropor pick up Vale from school.  I've gone to the physical therapist and she says that sometimes you get worse when you are getting better. I don't get it. I just know that I have to keep on getting better no matter how I feel or what I think. I will get better. I have to return to work in one month and I have to try to be able to improve my back so I can sit more than 20 minutes without extreme pain or somehow work around it.

so I will keep going forward. 

Go to the Red Cross to pay your phone bill???

So After Salome had me go to the corner market to pay the water bill, and stop by someone's house to pay her cell phone bill, she had me take her to the Red Cross.

It was here that she paid her electric bill,  health insurance and home phone bill also.  Apparently Red Cross takes a cut of the payment if people pay it here with them. So there's 2 windows and there are people in the lines paying their bills.