Last week I posted a picture of a winged creature, but didn't know the name of it. I asked if anyone had any ideas of what it was called to please let us know. Well, my parents' neighbour, Harold, who I'm told reads the blog faithfully, solved the mystery. He contacted my parents to let them know that it's called a Sphinx Moth. Thank you so much Harold... we're learning new things every day. And thank you for reading the blog, I'm so grateful!

We were visited by another stray this week. This one looks like a Coonhound. I was sitting in the living room with the French doors wide open and a beautiful, sunny day and I saw a dog figure in my peripheral... I thought it was Bobbie McGee. She came in and started eating out of Bobbie's dish. When I looked up, I quickly realized it was a stranger. I clapped my hands to get her attention. She was very calm, gentle and submissive. Frankie and Bobbie were none too happy, though. I guided her outside and she followed without any resistance. We named her "Winnie" because she reminded Kevin and me of our friend's dog, Winston. We fed her and gave her some affection, which she gladly received, but by nightfall, when all our chores were done, she was gone. We half expected her to be curled up somewhere in the morning, sheltered against the rain, but nope. She was gone. We wish her well, and hopefully she's back with her family. ​We're learning to enjoy these brief visits from strays... we don't get too attached, but showing a little compassion is good for the soul. 

Our weather has been lovely the past few days. It's been raining mostly late in the evening (back to normal for this time of year) with beautiful, sunny days. I was sitting outside yesterday reading a book and I got a bit burnt. July is called "little summer" because there's usually a reprieve from all the rain. It looks like we're on track for some sunshine. I know it's been a rainy spring in many areas of the world this year. Hopefully, everyone will be experiencing a bit more sunshine.

This week, this unusual insect landed on our French door. We have no idea what it's called... or what it is even. It looks like a type of butterfly or moth or something like that. If anyone recognizes this creature, please let us know what it's called!!

 The rain has slowed down this past week... so the river has stayed clean. But every once in a while, there's an obvious erosion upstream and white clay deposits fall into the river, making the water milky white. And this is what it looks like... (pictures don't quite capture the silky smooth look, this is the best my camera could do).

On a health note, I'm feeling much better... back to my old self. I went in for an appointment for my root canal on Thursday... another two-hour session, but it's still only temporary. I have to go back in for a final session this week to get my porcelain cap. Then, I'll be all done. Everything is feeling great. Like new. 

I haven't been sick in over five years. I've had the odd headache here and there and both Kevin and I have had minor intestinal discomfort, but nothing to write home about. Last week, it hit me like a Mack truck. I slept most of Monday and Tuesday. By Wednesday, I caved and decided to go to the doctor's. When I had been to the dentist the previous week, when filling out the form, the receptionist had asked me who my doctor was. I had no answer because we've never needed one. Well, that's not exactly true. Here in Costa Rica, when you apply for your driver's license, you need to get a medical. You also need to get a blood test to confirm your blood type. This information is included on your license in case you're in an accident. If every you're taken to the hospital and you're unconscious, then they know right away your blood type. I think that's such a smart idea. Anyway, I drove over to the same doctor in San Marcos, but there were too many people sitting in the waiting room. I didn't feel up to waiting around, beside other sick people. I remembered when our worker, Jairo, needed to see a doctor, I drove him to an office around the corner. So, I decided to go to there instead... it was just around the corner. I parked and walked into the second doctor's office and it was empty. The doctor came out, I asked if he could see me, he said "si" and that was that. After answering a bunch of questions as best as I could in Spanish, he checked me out. He determined that I was suffering from an ear infection, a sinus infection, a throat infection, and a respiratory infection... oh joy!! He set me up with five different kinds of medication. He avoids prescribing antibiotics as much as possible, which is fine by me. After several days, I am definitely feeling better, but still on the mend. I'm never happy about being sick, but I'm really grateful that it doesn't happen often, and I'm glad to report that my doctor experience was a pleasant one. 

I also went to the dentist for what I thought was going to be a new filling. Well, it turns out last week's appointment was merely to get a mould done. I have to return this coming Wednesday for another two-hour session to get the porcelain cap placed over my tooth. 

In other news, Martin rescued (or bought, I'm not sure) a baby calf about six month ago. The calf is getting too big to hang out in their small yard, so he brought him over to our pasture to join. our five bulls. When Kevin asked his name, Martin said "Junio". He's all black... and beautiful. Introducing a new bull to an already established herd is always full of anticipation: will he be accepted or bullied? Our bulls are docile and we've never seen them be overly aggressive, but one never knows. Like people, they have their personality compatibilities... and incompatibilities. Kevin witnessed them jousting gently... just having a bit of fun. They seem to be getting along just fine. It's nice for Junio to have some pals: bulls are social animals so living a solitary life doesn't seem right. We're happy we have the space to accommodate him.

So, going in a clockwork direction, we see Junio (all black) at the top, then Rocky, Cruise (he has to most unusual colouring with black legs and light grey back), Redford, and Rain Man. Willis is off to the side, down the hill... out of the frame. As you can see, they're all pretty relaxed.

Last Monday morning I woke up with searing pain in one of my lower left molars. It was a radiating kind of pain: it travelled up and all around my entire mouth. I haven't felt that much pain in a very long time. So off to the dentist I went. I got to the dental office just as they were opening and the receptionist managed to get me into see the dentist a half hour later. The dentist only speaks Spanish, but apparently "root canal" is a universal term. She explained that all indications point to me needing one (or an extraction), however, she doesn't specialize in root canals. She referred me to another dentist who is located in Cartago... an hour and a half away. 

I mentioned to the dentist that I had plans to go visit a friend in Samara (in Guanacaste... 7 hours away) on Wednesday and that maybe I would simply wait until the following week to go down to Cartago. The dentist was adamant that I mustn't delay. The tooth could be infected, which could be dangerous. I hummed and hawed. I really didn't like the idea of having to go all that way on Tuesday... then drive again to see our friend, Marie-Pierre, on Wednesday. The dentist clarified that the specialist would come to Santa Maria to do the procedure... I would not have to go to Cartago. Sweet!! The dentist called the specialist's office to see if she was available to come the following day. She was. So, the dentist filled out a prescription for four painkillers, I went to the pharmacy to pick those up (thank goodness... they sure helped!!). I returned the next day, met the specialist who spoke English, which was an added bonus. She took some digital x-rays, within seconds the images came up on the laptop screen and she explained my situation. The tooth was not dead and she felt she could save it by doing a root canal. Two hours later...it was all done. She closed it all up with a temporary filling and I now have to go back to the dentist on Wednesday to get it replaced with a permanent filling. 

After the numbing agent wore off, my jaw felt like I had been sucker punched in some fierce boxing match. I'm still a little tender, but I think the final verdict is that it was a success. By Thursday, though, one of my top left molars started to ache. This time if feels like perhaps a small cavity (I haven't had a cavity in over 30 years so it's hard to be sure). I will get the dentist to have a look on Wednesday. I'll get her to do a full check-up and get anything else I need done, done asap. So, here's what I paid:
Monday's half-hour consultation with dentist: $10 U.S.
Tuesday's two-hour root canal procedure with specialist from Cartago who drove all the way to Santa Maria: $270 U.S.
Four painkillers: $3.75 (total)

I just spoke with my mother today to tell her about this little dental adventure and she mentioned that in Canada a root canal costs approximately $1,200 CDN. 

I ended up feeling well enough to go on my 7-hour drive to meet our friend, Marie-Pierre. She and her husband, Philippe, were originally B&B guests. They came here during our first season of being open. Then they came back a second time the following year. They are from France and decided two years ago to buy some property in Costa Rica and spend their winters here. They found a great property in Samara, overlooking the ocean. They have been sharing their story with us via email and it's been exciting to follow their journey. Marie-Pierre contacted me a few weeks ago letting me know that she would be here for a couple of weeks on her own and asked if I'd like to visit. Of course! I get to speak French when we're together, which is always nice. 

Samara is on the Pacific northwest, in Guanacaste. It's very hot and humid there. As I was driving through the largest town in the area, Nicoya, the temperature on the car dashboard read 36C/97F... but thankfully, by the time I reached Samara Beach, it cooled to 29C/84F. Marie-Pierre was at our meeting spot, waiting for me. We had a lovely time catching up. They've built a really nice home for themselves. This is the view from the pool... unfortunately, it was really cloudy by the time I took this picture, so you can't see the ocean view. Trust me... it's gorgeous!