Oh, When the Ants Go Marching In...

When friends from the States ask us about life in Costa Rica with lots of bugs and other tropical creepy-crawlies, we say, hey, we have bugs here that eat the other bugs, so no hay problema! Little did we know just how apt that phrase really was. But if we needed any confirmation, we got it recently when our rancho was literally invaded by ants. Not just a few ants, not just a bunch of ants, but thousands and thousands of ants! And they showed up in no time at all. We had done a load of laundry that morning in the rancho where our washer is located and there had been no sign of ants, just the normal iguana skittering away at our approach. But by mid-afternoon when Layne went out to get the barbeque grill for me, the place was swarming with them, great huge lines of mid-sized brown hormigas, busily trooping along the bottom wall, up the sides, under the cabinet. It was downright spooky!

Since we were uncertain whether to be concerned about this, we turned to our friend and neighbor Marcial, our go-to guy for all things Costa Rican. Even though it was Father's Day, he soon arrived at our gate to take a look. After studying the creatures up close, he assured us they were not only harmless but were actually "cleaning house." According to Marcial, this particular type of ant comes en masse and in the space of a few hours carries away the eggs of other ants, cockroach eggs, dead ants, wasp nest eggs and the larvae of all manner of other unwanted critters. Drawing our attention to one or two which were toting little white balls on their backs, he assured us those were eggs of some undesirable insect. He did say they carry a mean bite so avoid getting stung but he also said they are not out to get you. And sure enough, within a couple of hours, they had disappeared completely. Who knew?

We did have to keep little Winston, our new foster puppy, out of the rancho while the ants did their thing as he seems to relish nibbling on ants. With their reputation for a mean sting, we didn't want him getting a mouthful of those guys. Winston, of course, is getting a reputation of his own; you might even say he's world famous. (After all, this blog has readers in lots of other countries, including Russia, China, Germany, France, Japan, Latvia, Australia, as well as the U.S. and Canada!) This morning as we were breakfasting at Natural restaurant, friends Joni and Mike drove up and immediately recognized Winnie from having read my last blog post with his photo. It's not surprising that he makes friends everywhere he goes. For instance, at VGym this morning, as he was waiting patiently (well, sort of patiently) by the door while we did our workouts, everyone stopped to give him a pet and rave about what a pretty boy he is. Naturally, we agree. In fact, as some friends predicted, we have decided to adopt him. Big surprise, eh? He's just too nice a dog to let go, a real find, we think. We look forward to many joyful years with him in our lives.

With all the attention, Winston was pretty tuckered out by the time we got to Natural for breakfast so he fell dead asleep by Layne's chair while we enjoyed another fabulous meal at this new eating place. If you haven't made your way there yet, you'd better go soon before there's a waiting line to get in. The food is so delicious -- fresh, wholesome, much of it organic and beautifully presented. My new favorite is the House Special fruit, natural yogurt and homemade granola dish. Today I asked for extra granola and then learned just how carefully it is prepared, using coconut oil and honey instead of vegetable oil and sugar. The extra care really shows in everything proprietress Maria prepares. The fact that she herself is so charming and sweet is icing on the cake, so to speak.

By the way, she is looking for a new house to rent, nothing fancy but comfortable enough for her, her two children and her mom. Of course, we hope to find her a place here in Santa Eulalia, but if you know of a nice low-cost Tico home near Atenas with a yard for the kids, please let me know and I'll pass it along to Maria. Or drop in for lunch and tell her yourself!

Check out Layne's book "Moral Turpitude," available for only $2.99 at Smashwords.com. High adventure with corporate intrigue, danger and romance; from the exotic jungles of Borneo and Costa Rica to the erotic jungles of San Francisco. Sample or purchase at --https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/159570 
  

Oregon: To Escape From the Rain?

Abuela bugs in a swarm

Yigüirro birds are everywhere so I guess it’s official: the rainy season is upon us. Or as it is euphemistically known here, the “green season,” a term coined no doubt by the tourist industry. Of course, it is true that in coming months the whole country will be transformed into the greenest of greens, with flowers blooming and jungle canopies dripping with humidity, the exact image of a tropical paradise.

Yesterday afternoon the thunder and lightning began booming and blazing around us and a torrential downpour pelted the ground. Other than unplugging our laptops to avoid a power surge, Layne and I continued on with our work, unconcerned with the weather. But soon our upstairs neighbor Linda called to point out a unique phenomenon happening outside. At the first rain, she said, the abuela or grandmother bugs swarm and we should close our doors so they would not get inside. We looked out the window and were amazed to see a shimmering cloud of black bugs flying helter-skelter in the air just off our front porch. I tried but found it exceedingly difficult to get a good picture of the multitude of small insects doing their frantic seasonal thing in the rain. If you click to enlarge the photo here, you might get some idea of what a bizarre event this was.

Today the weather pattern is much the same as yesterday -- sunny and warm in the morning becoming muggy by mid-day, turning into rain by the afternoon. It seems like a good time to head back to the United States for a visit. Portland, Oregon, should be nice this time of year even though Texas, our other destination, is likely to be insufferably hot and humid. But part of the plan for our retirement here in Costa Rica was annual trips back to see family, so the rainy season seems like a good time to go.

Before we leave the country in mid-May, we plan to look at other housing options for when we return. We love so much about this apartment it’s very hard to consider giving it up but when we have company a one-bedroom apartment is too small for comfort. Now granted, we have not had much company so far but we are hoping to be a magnet for friends and family who would like to experience the beauty of Costa Rica without incurring big hotel bills.

An iguana neighbor

A resident gecko

Looking at other houses makes us really appreciate this place, however. The cleanliness, modern appliances, comfortable bed, nice furniture and swimming pool all make for a pleasant living arrangement. Plus, we are within walking distance of town but have the jungle right outside our doors. This offers us the enchantment of having wild things pay us a visit. This big iguana was wandering around the backyard recently and seemed happy to stop and pose for me on a log. We have our own little clutch of geckos keeping insects under control indoors. When our friends Sue and Christine were visiting, they enjoyed the rare experience of a horde of capuchin monkeys migrating through the trees out front. Toucans fly by, as do flocks of emerald green parrots, squawking loudly in flight. Even the nightly moonrise is spectacular here. And as for landlords, well, Odie and Eduardo are unbeatable. So we’ll see. If we don’t find a more perfect place that this, we will stay here and figure out other accommodations for guests.

Meanwhile, our residency has been approved! Tomorrow we go to Migracion to have photos taken for our cedulas, and we hope to receive them by mail before our departure date in mid-May. Having started this process just about one year ago, sending the completed documents to our attorney last July, we are quite pleased with the approval of our application in this time frame. At last we’re legal. Pura Vida!