First I want to apologize to all those who emailed me (or spoke to their son hehe) about me missing last week's blog post, I'll try an make it up to you this week with a nice juicy one. No excuses, I just didn't feel like there was much to report last week.

I have three "creature" related stories to share. The first one is funny, the second is a tiny bit sad, and the third is just strange. Okay, here we go...

I was outside a few days ago, reading my book. It was a gorgeous day and really hot so I decided to sit under the awning. The river was flowing, the rain from the night before made everything lush and green. I felt relaxed and I was completely absorbed in my book. All of a sudden, I felt a "plop" on my head. I reached up, but I didn't feel anything... so I resumed reading. A few seconds later, I felt something in my hair, but I couldn't locate it. Then as I was trying to figure out the mystery, this little guy scurried onto my shoulder and started to crawl towards the opening of my v-neck. Boy, did I ever jump! Literally doing a jig with my arms flailing in every direction... which then made him do his own version of a jig. We were both dancing!!

These green spiny lizards are harmless and they never bother me. I'm not scared or squeamish. But being surprised and then feeling his little feet stepping quickly on me is a different matter altogether. I briefly had an out of body experience watching this woman skipping and jumping all over the terrace... made me laugh out loud. I don't know which one of us was more startled. Poor guy. I managed to swat him off me where he landed unharmed on the ground. We were both breathing a little easier after that little episode.

Our little Frankie has been so active lately. She follows us everywhere and getting lots of exercise. Her coat has been looking so shiny and her eyes bright and clear. When she gets stressed though, she tends to chew her paw pads. We're not sure what happened, but on Monday she started to chew. Sometimes she stepped on something prickly and she needs to get a pin or thorn out. But, she just wasn't relenting. Two days of constant chewing, her paw pad was raw and bleeding. She was being so aggressive she lost another tooth in the process. Kevin made a little sock for her and taped it all up so she couldn't gnaw it further. We decided to take her to the vet's. It appears she has an infection: we're not sure if she is gnawing because of the infection or if she has an infection due to all the gnawing. Either way, the vet gave us some cream to apply twice a day. I asked for a cone to fit over Frankie's head to prevent her from her incessant chewing. She's not impressed, let me tell ya. (our vet bill: no charge for the visit, $6 for the cream, and $13 for a powder we sprinkle over her food to help clean her teeth and hopefully preserve the few teeth she has left). The good news is her paw is healing well...  yay!

And now for our third event... a few days ago, I looked on the ground and saw this weird black creature creep forward really slowly. The movement was like a person crawling on their elbows and dragging their legs behind them. It wasn't until I got a lot closer that I realized it was a bat. I'm not sure if he was starving, dehydrated, too young, too old, or what, but Kevin quickly scooped him up and took him to a shady area in hopes he could find his way back home. Just look at this guy...

I've been busy getting the guesthouse cleaned up, all the laundry done, and baking fresh bread today. We're hosting a couple from Arizona for the next 4 nights. 

On Thursday morning, I heard a lot of barking from our two dogs. This is a sign that there is a stranger in our midst (usually our neighbours cows meandering over onto our property). I went out to have a look at what all the commotion was all about and a cute (miniature version) Rottweiler type dog was on our terrace. He was the friendliest little guy. Frankie was none to happy though. He just wouldn't sit still. He came up to the threshold of the doorway, but never crossed over (what a good boy!!). Bobbie was delighted to have a friend. They played for over half an hour, just chasing each other up and down the front and back lawn. It was very hard to take a picture, but I finally managed. I got him to sit beside me and he kept investigating the camera lens. I called him Oscar... for no particular reason. After about two hours of hanging out with Bobbie, Frankie and me, he scampered off. I haven't seen him since.

We had a lovely Costa Rican couple stay in the B&B all week. Super nice people. The husband is a pharmacist and professor at the University of Costa Rica... and the wife also teaches at the university. All they wanted to do was relax in the hammock, sit outside reading their books. They were very low maintenance guests. I cooked their lunches and dinners, so I kept busy in the kitchen. 

They wrote a lovely review:
Dear Anne and Kevin,
We had a wonderful time in "la casita" at Hush Valley. Thank you so much for being such a great hosts for us.

You have a really beautiful property and I hope that you always keep that peace that you came her to find. Thanks for sharing that peace and beauty with us.

Kevin, it's amazing how much you have learned about the trout and the passion you put into your work. Anne, you are a fantastic host and you cook splendidly. We definitely will come back here in the future.

Thanks a lot!!
Ronny and Catalina,
Heredia, Costa Rica

The new bridge has been complete for over six months and there was supposed to be a "thank you" lunch for the men from the municipality who built the bridge. This lunch had been postponed three times. We figured it was all forgotten, and that it wouldn't happen. However, one must simply be patient. This past Friday, our community came together to show our appreciation to all the workers involved. We did our part by supplying the trout. The food was prepared by Clara and Martin and everyone gathered at their restaurant. It was delicious and it's always nice to get together with our neighbours.

And the Blue Heron continues to visit. I woke up yesterday morning to this beautiful sight...

Kevin needed to renew his Canadian passport so he did his research and found out he could renew it in San Jose at the Canadian Embassy. He printed out the online form, filled it out and then we went to San Jose on Thursday, March 16. We were the only ones in the embassy waiting room... and we waited a mere five minutes before an embassy official called Kevin in. The entire process lasted all of ten minutes. We received a call this past Monday saying his passport had been processed and was ready to be picked up. Wow... talk about lightning-speed service (without paying extra to be expedited)! Kevin is a happy camper.

Since installing the lights over the river. last week, no beetles have come. But we are patient... "if you build it, he (they) will come" as the saying goes.

And now for something completely frivolous... we've been binging on a show called "Drop Dead Diva". We didn't have much hope, but we're enjoying it a lot more than expected. It passes the time in the evenings. We love Netflix.