Three Little Birds

This title is from one of my favorite songs of Bob Marley's. I taught the words to my niece when she was about six years old, sooo cute. Every morning when I come down the stairs, I open my curtains to see these same three guys in the same spot, rain or shine. It's a reminder of the more simpler things in life which are both amazing and special. I always called them "Morning Doves" and until recently, I didn't know any better after all, I see them in the morning every morning. Now, I know them as Mourning Doves and it seems so appropriate that they come to see me everyday these days. I miss my Brindy girl. She died. Brindy kept her three puppies under control and without her, the pups just seem to have lost direction. They always followed her lead. She was the pack leader in our house, no doubt.
Now, when I call them to come upstairs and they won't come, I just whip out "Brindy says" and they jump up and come. Steadily, I am regaining control of my pack thanks to Cesar and El Encantador del Perrors (The Dog Whisperer). Cesar's methods WORK!! Especially "THE WALK". I am working on walking them all at the same time.

And then there were three......

For those of you who miss the TeriTunes music here (I do, too), here is a YouTube clip from an artist from the 70's, Harry Nelsson. He was truly unique. I can still remember ALL the words and the song is stuck in my head for weeks now.
Early In The Morning, Harry Nelsson

Out My Backdoor

I don't have to look very far to find willing subjects to pose for the camera. This iguana is a regular.
Do you know they climb high in the trees? I've watched them come down from the trees head first and tail first, each one having their own style and finesse. Those sharp claws coming in handy on the descent. Sometimes they fall which can stun them into not moving for several minutes.

WHICH REMINDS ME to tell you.... Don't think an iguana is DEAD because he isn't moving. They play possum. REally! I have rescued many iguanas from my dogs and they will 'comatize' for about 5-10 minutes before coming back to life and escaping. It happened yesterday with a beautiful HUGE young green iguana. They are my favorite, very colorful. The dogs had him pinned behind some plants and he was "in the zone". By the time I got my camera, he was gone.

So, the next time you think about bagging that poor 'dead' iguana, give him a chance to come back to life.
He really may not be dead!!

Here are some past posts on Out My Backdoor:
http://yo-yoinparadise.blogspot.com/search?q=out+my+back+door

Coming soon, photo of Iguanas romancing in the trees. Funniest thing to watch but photos don't do it justice!
Iguana -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iguana
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_iguana

Fix Ya'll Some Tea??

I know I have been severely lax blogging lately. The rains are commencing so I'll probably get back to blogging.

If you've ever been to my house, you know the first thing I ask is "can I fix you some tea?" It's a Southern "thang", pushing over-sweetened tea and sweet stuff on people. You can expect to drench your thirst and be fed when you visit a Southerner. A virtual friend of mine, Shannon from Canada (Novia Scotia), sent me a huge box with books and CDs full of music. One of the books was "Culture Shock USA - The South". I'd say most of the stuff in it is true (although customs are different in other "southern" regions) but they sure did leave out a lot of stuff!! How can a non-Southerner truly depict the South? It's a funny read though and it's amazing how much I have forgotten or just thought everyone was like that, not just us southern hicks.

One of the things most difficult to adjust to is our water here in my area. They are working on a better filtration system but until then, when it rains, we get muddy water. I've posted about it before. My sister calls it Exorcist Water. Usually, they turn off the water during a big rain as not to clog up the filters. The water is red or as some refer to it, "chocolate". It's a joke of mine when someone comes over to offer them ice with their tea, either "Hermosa water" or "bottled water" ice.

When I bring out the tray of "Hermosa ice", I am always delighted in their surprise. It's not real Hermosa water, it's frozen tea. It's soooo hot here, ice last about a nano-second. I freeze tea in ice cubes so when it melts in the glass, I just get more sweet tea. People always choose the bottled water ice until I tell them my secret.

I've noticed Ya'll is 'spelt' by non-Southerners as Y'all. I know it is an abbreviation of 'you all' but that's not how real Southerners spell it. It's Ya'll, ya'll. AND we don't call it sweetened iced tea. It's just called 'tea' and we all know it's sweet (REAL sweet) and served with ice. I don't know many of "us" that drink hot tea so we don't even think to offer that!

O.k. I'll try and think up a better post next time. Ya'll come back now, ya hear!!
Oh, and we don't "prepare" or "make" anything, we "fix" it.

FYI - Here is what they have to say about the correct spelling of Ya'll.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ya%27ll
Guess that makes me an idiot but hey, I'm used to getting that coming from the South.
Bless their hearts, they just don't know about Southerners.

Shannon called me and was shocked I had a Southern accent. I've tried to loose it but the older I get, the more I fall back to it. You should hear my Southern Spanish!!

Recipe for real Southern Ice Tea:
Boil water, take off the heat, add 5 small Lipton tea bags, cover and steep for five minutes. Pour hot tea over one cup of sugar in a pitcher, stir to dissolve sugar and then add more water to fill pitcher.
Guaranteed to make your teeth hurt and add a little zip in your step!!

Seven Years

Time sure flies when you're having fun. Well, maybe not all fun but it sure goes by quickly when you stay busy. It's now been seven whole years since I arrived to live in Costa Rica permanently. The first couple of years were spent working on the house I bought. The rest, well, the days pass very slow and the years pass by fast. That's life in the tropics. I am definitely not the same naive person that stepped off that plane with two dogs and a parrot seven years ago. Costa Rica teaches you life lessons that you aren't aware you are learning until time passes. This has been the experience I was searching for when I was considering making the move. Starting over again, learning a new custom and language (failing poorly at Spanish) and discovering things about myself I never knew. Being married all my life (practically), I didn't even know what I liked to eat! It has been a real journey discovering myself and my new homeland.
Pura Vida. I wouldn't change a thing (except eliminate the crime here).

I thought I'd go back on my blog to when I first started YO-YO in 2006, when my blog was new and much better. Here is the post:

You can't HANDLE THE TRUTH
Great line - Colonel Jessep, from A Few Good Men.

So you think you may want to move to
beautiful, lush Costa Rica?
It takes a brave soul to "Sell off and
Sail Away" to a place you've never LIVED...

Visiting here is NOTHING, and I repeat,
Nothing like living here.

I think after living here two years,
one is not considered a Rookie
but not a Vet yet.
After 5 years, you show some tenacity
and (hopefully) gain the local respect
and AFTER TEN YEARS,
You're a Veteran.
You deserve some sort of special Medal.
Chances are, you'll stay here forever.

Some days, I still feel like Dorothy in Oz,
clicking my heels like hell to get "home".
I'm going on my fifth year soon.

Note:
I don't get this "ex-pat" status us gringos have here.
I'm not in exile - I'm a North American (from the South) in paradise.

Got Wood?

I couldn't resist posting this snapshot of a house I photographed while driving lost in Escazu a couple of weeks back. I took this photo as I was passing in traffic so no time to frame it up. It appears this guy cannot even get in his front door due to all the generous donations of wood.
The sign reads "No Mas Madera Gracias", translated "No More Wood Thanks".
Funny stuff.