Reflections on our new life in Costa Rica

Today I'm going to cover several things at once and get you all caught up.

Grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine for this one

First - We now have a cat. A kitten. He came to us on July 5th. We had our housekeeper take him away to give to a family that wanted him but about a week later he was back.

I took him to the vet to have him checked out to make sure he was Ok and got him his first vaccination, de-worming, nails clipped and flea and tick prevention. Total cost $24.

Turns out he is a male about 4 months old. He is in good health.

We didn't really want a cat since I already have 2 dogs but there are a lot of strays here and rather than have him mistreated or dumped along the side of the road we have let him stay. He does not come in the house (unless he sneaks under the screen) LOL He loves playing in the hills and in the coffee fields. We have a large patio so he hangs out there most of the time (napping on one of our many chairs). At night he goes up on the ledge under the roofing over the patio (I guess he feels safer up high)

Very smart cat.

We named him Luis - actually one of our friends from California came up with the name. Beginning with the letter "L" to go with Lily & Lola and because we live in San Luis de Grecia. Lavanson is an L and my middle name is Lynn. So quite appropriate.

People have said that a cat chooses you and that they are your angel. So....for now....We have a cat.

our little angel "Luis"

Second - Some of you may remember me buying lots of stuff (makeup etc) to bring to Costa Rica before I left SF. Many of you were perplexed and thought it was sort of odd because I should just buy things here. Well, I am so happy that I did -- because prices are crazy here for luxury items. I looked at a pair of Tom's (just a plain black pair) and they were $65 and up. I think @ Whole Foods the cost was about $58.

If you want to really save money here you have to adjust how you live. You cannot live the same way you did in the states. However, rent is so cheap that it is still worth while living here. My rent is $266/month (my 1/3) Rent in the U.S was $2,400 - you do the math!

Before I came, I bought lots of makeup - lipstick, etc but the one thing I did not bring was nail polish. Mostly because I heard that it would dry out and I figured "how much could it cost?" Really?

When I decided I wanted to paint my nails I went out and bought some polish at the Central Market. It wasn't too much. I bought a small polish remover and polish for about $4.

Costa Rica nail polish in teeny bottles

the remover is in small bottles (the images are much smaller than they appear!) The remover is not strong so you use up most of the bottle trying to remove your polish.

The polish was dreadful It chipped and peeled and just looked awful. It never went on smoothly from the start. Yesterday we were at the Auto Mercado (a grocery store which caters to expats) and I decided I was going to get myself a bottle of REAL polish with a brand name that I recognized.

So I bought 2 bottles of Sally Hansen (that is not a high priced brand)

The smaller bottle was $7 and the regular size bottle was $12.50.  That is about twice the price that it costs in the states. The Revlon polish was $14

also pure maple syrup is $30. My Genoa salami is $6 a pack (about 8 slices) REAL cheese is crazy expensive like $15 or something. Yesterday I bought 3 packs and got charged for 4 - with the nail polish and other items my bill was $105
fruits & veggies are SUPER cheap but you gotta eat like a local or you will go broke!

Of course there are many, many pluses - Our view is to die for and the weather is perfect among other things so we still love it here! 

Third - We finally bought a gas grill. Price was $275 assembled. (I think that was a pretty good price) We brought it home in the back seat of a taxi.  The gas can with gas was $75! (ouch)  - but you have to buy the can then take it to your local pulperia (neighborhood store) for gas refills. 

To break in the grill we decided to invite a few friends over. Especially since we NEVER had a gas grill and did not know exactly how to use it.

Our short party video is attached below

Our 1st Party feat the cat that acts like a dog from Devon on Vimeo.

Video link above

Oh and Lastly - We took the bus to Alajuela (22 miles away) yesterday so I could get my hair done by my new Sisterlocks Consultant. Her name is Dr Carmen Hutchinson-Miller and she was awesome!!! Did a great job and took about 2 1/2 hrs (normal) The price was $40. I pay $100 back in the states. Cost of the bus was $1.20 ea way and takes about 30 mins.  Some of you may remember I was searching for someone to do my hair before I left.

NATURAL HAIR RULES!!!

after my lock retightening

Dr Miller and me

I won this one hahaha

You should be very afraid of WHAT you are putting on your face!

The terrifying facts about makeup

What are you putting on your face, your hair,  your nails and  your body?

If you want to know why
please watch the video below and then READ the Labels before you buy

More treasures from the garage

My computer remains at the "Apple hospital" undergoing diagnosis, so I will continue to be offline for the next few days.

But, before I go silent I thought I would share a picture of my kimono.

The kimono  is a Japanese traditional garment. The word "kimono", which literally means a "thing to wear" (ki "wear" and mono "thing"), has come to denote these full-length robes.

One of my finds while shopping the garage last week was the kimono below.  It's an authentic silk kimono from Japan. My friend and I each bought a kimono when we were visiting Lake Tahoe some 20 years ago.

 I wonder if a kimono becomes more valuable with age?

The kimono and obi are traditionally made of silk, silk brocade, silk crepes (such as chirimen) and satin weaves (such as rinzu). Modern kimonos are widely available in less-expensive easy-care fabrics such as rayon, cotton sateen, cotton, polyester and other synthetic fibers. Silk is still considered the ideal fabric.

Let's talk UGLY feet - and don't shoot the messenger!

I said I was going to write a post on the 'mature' woman and shoe style, but let's start with the basics - our FEET!

I'm not going to call out all the ugly feet or pass judgement here but there is even a page on Pinterest devoted exclusively to "Ugly Feet".

This can be a sensitive topic, but don't we all know whether we have ugly feet or not? (eye roll) Really, c'mon now.

Bunions, corns, callouses, hammer toes…wide feet, stubby feet, flat feet, toenail fungus and weird toes....

probably not a good choice! 

Or perhaps some of us are more sensitive about how our feet look in public.  Back in the day I dated a guy whose feet looked like hands (no kidding) It was awful!  Maybe that's when I started to notice ugly feet.

Personally, I am just as sensitive about my own feet.  I'm not a big fan of the open toe shoe and only wear certain sandals.  It's not that I think my feet are particularly ugly, per se (and in comparison to many feet I've seen on the street), but after 64 years of squeezing them into those tight-ass high heels and other shoes that may have been a tad too small, my feet are showing some signs of wear and tear.

I have corns on my baby toes and on some of my other toes as well, mostly on my right foot.  My baby toe even kind of rolls over when I walk.  (Some bone structure thing, according to the doc)  My podiatrist says "it's not correctible without surgery".  Since I've heard horror stories about foot surgery and since it is does not impede my ability to walk, I've pretty much come to conclusion that these are the feet I'm stuck with and have left them alone.  

But I feel like ugly feet can ruin an outfit...so, given the choice, I will always choose a closed toe shoe over an open toe shoe every time.  Fortunately I don't live in a hot climate so I don't have to deal with having my feet out 24/7.  I do take proper care of my feet...Well, sort of.  In the warmer seasons I wear polish. (that counts, right?) I used to have pedicures regularly but now, mostly only if I am going somewhere special, otherwise I do bare minimal home foot care.  I have read that most podiatrists advise against wearing polish as it can discolor nails, instead they suggest using a nail buffer and use a protective nail oil.  Or, if you must apply polish, use a base coat and don't leave it on for more than 48 hours. 

Yes, these are MY feet.  In need of a pedicure.

The main thing I do is (whenever possible) is wear shoes that MINIMIZE my flaws (just like I do with clothing).  I can't wear every clothing style that is out and so neither can I wear every shoe/sandal style.  I can no longer wear a HIGH heel (nor do I want to) and pretty much stick to flats or a pump.  Those typical sexy, strappy sandals doesn't look sexy on my feet at all.  I also have rather slender ankles and calves and recently (to my dismay) I discovered I cannot wear those gladiator sandals.  I'm sort of sad about it because I like them, but soon enough they will be out of style and some other sandal will be all the rage.

I'll just wait until then.

I tried on the shoe below on Saturday at The Walk Shop in Berkeley. They were super comfy.  Come in light grey, black and red. Price is $179.  Debating about getting them.  Am partial to the red.

We all have something we don't particularly like, nest pas?  But smile, you gotta love your feet!!  They get us around and what would we do and more importantly, where would we be without them?

but....I swear to you I will NEVER rock a Birkenstock!

here are some shoe alternatives that I think minimize flaws for less than stellar toes 

Foot Facts - 
39 percent of women say they wear high heels every day, and 75 percent of those women say they experience regular shoe-related foot pain and suffer from bunions, arthritic big toes, calluses, hammer toes, and plantar warts.
The biggest problems are related to the height of the heel and/or the narrowness of the toe box.

The narrow toe box makes it hard for many women to properly fit their entire foot into the shoe. This poor fit can lead to toe deformities in many women. These include bunions, hammertoes, and calluses.

High heels also bend the toes up and can move padding under the knuckles of the foot further down, exposing more bone to the bottom of the shoes, causing a great deal of pain. 

Any tips for how to minimize flaws?
or
Got ugly feet? Tell us all about them.

Here comes the weekend!

What are your plans for the weekend?

I survived week one. Got the blog up and running all by myself and that is quite an accomplishment in itself. I'm pretty proud of myself.

It's raining out but I hope it will clear up for Saturday and Sunday.

Tonight I'm hanging with my girls Lily & Lola and painting my nails. I have a hair appointment on Saturday morning and I'm not sure what else is in store for the rest of the weekend.

Livin for the weekend!

Happy Dance in a pair of black NYDJ from Nordstrom, Raspberry & black dotted blouse by Vince Camuto and Black scarf  purchased in Nice, France

Friday is jeans day at our office

Have a wonderful weekend, whatever you decide to do!