Dodging Mother Nature

The summer or dry months are coming to an end which brings also signals potential for dangerous fires.  Last week our neighborhood had a "too close for comfort" experience with a nearby fire.  Adjacent to our home is a nature reserve which also has a deep draw that provides us with a lot of privacy and views of different critters during the year.  However, the same beautiful reserve is a potential fire hazard every year because of the inaccessibility of the area.  This year a fire started a couple of hills over and burned for three days before the winds picked up substantially pushing the fire toward our neighborhood.

Last Friday we saw the fire come over the hills near the reserve.  The flames were shooting up very high and we experienced smoke and the sounds of the fires crackling as the wind blew the flames down the hills and closer to our area.  We decided, like our neighbors, to pack up the valuables and a few personal items just in case we had to evacuate.  The fires continued to rage all night, but fortunately Mother Nature granted us a reprieve early Saturday when the winds died down completely.  Later that same afternoon, the winds shifted and the fire was trying to go back from the direction where it had already scorched the mountain side.

By Saturday afternoon we were all feeling very grateful and relieved to see the smoke completely dissipated. We all understood that due to the small size of the country and limited resources, the firemen could do very little to eradicate the fire while it was burning down the side of the mountain.  We drove over to the area where the fire had raged to assess the damage and take a few pictures.  The adventure may have involved a bit of trespassing, but it was interesting and fun to venture out after the danger had passed.

During the same period our fire was raging, the local newspaper reported that over 70 families had lost all of their belongings in a horrible fire near the airport.  We empathized with their loss and realized how fortunate my family and my neighbors were that the fire had not made it to our area.  Seeing a fire of the magnitude that occurred made me quickly realize how little control we often have over events in our lives.

For now, we pray that the rains will arrive soon.  We have also planted a variety of wonderful fruit trees so the rains will additionally help spurt some growth for the trees that include icacos, pomegranates, mamey, zapote, mamon verde, and nances.

We have also had lots of big projects going on to improve our little piece of paradise.  We are converting our "man cave" to a guest bedroom with a full bath, adding a pergola for our two hammocks, and have expanded our driveway.

The orchids are back in bloom!

After a wonderful getaway to Cancun with the hubby, we are back to our lives in Atenas.  The orchids are in full bloom around the Central Valley as are the Sabana Roble and Cortez Amarillo trees.

Last weekend we had the opportunity to visit a beautiful orchid "forest" in the neighborhood of Cocaleca in nearby Palmares.  The national orchid, Guaria Morada, was in full bloom throughout the gardens with some other beautiful orchids such as the Lluvia de Oro (Rain of Gold) and the vanilla bean orchid.

We have had multiple projects going on at our home as well.  We decided to expand our driveway, which was the best idea ever since anytime we had more than one vehicle at our home it was a challenge maneuvering in and out of the lot.  We are also remodeling our "man cave" into a spare bedroom for my dad.  The other project that we had done and are glad we invested in is a sprinkler system.  The dry months and wind can be brutal on our beautiful plants.

The runoff election for the new president of Costa Rica took an unusual and unexpected turn last week when one of the two candidates, Johnny Araya, withdrew from the election.  From what I understand, he cannot legally drop out of the election,  but he can stop campaigning.  The election will still take place on April 6th so it should be interesting to see how the process materializes.

One of the products I miss for cooking is Rotel Tomatoes, which are a staple in cooking in South Texas for casseroles, beans, queso, and other yummy recipes.  Since tomatoes are so cheap here and jalapenos are readily available, I have decided to try to learn to make a copycat version of Rotel by canning some tomatoes.  My dad has a lot of experience canning, but I am a novice so I am going to enlist his help and see if we can replicate the item.  I was able to find canning jars today at our local upscale grocer, the Automercado.

I am really enjoying learning to be resourceful and innovative with cooking.  The lack of processed foods and spare time allow me to research great recipes on the Internet and then experiment in the kitchen.  With the abundance of fresh veggies and fruits, it is easy not to miss all the foods of our former life.