A MOVING EXPERIENCE, PART IV
Sinking into Pura Vida
Or, sometimes a girl just needs a little dog-love
For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been house- and pet-sitting for a friend in Quebradas—two very large and very sweet Golden Retrievers and two very loving kitties. I had been missing the dog-love of my former home and also wanted to NOT have to drive that nasty mountain-goat-trail down the hill every day, so it was a welcomed opportunity to stay in a lovely house on lovely level ground for a couple of weeks with friendly creatures for company.
Having spent a lot of time in Costa Rica over the years, I should have known there would be more than the four official pets to deal with.
Two of my favorite critters endemic to the tropics are geckos and anoles, cute little lizard guys who crawl the walls at night devouring anything with legs or wings. You’ll know they’re there—even if you haven’t spotted them yet—by their chirp chirp chirps sounding every few minutes in the evening.
I’m told that the Ticos detest these creatures and do not welcome them into the house. I love them and wouldn’t mind having several, especially if it means no more mosquitoes. The only disadvantage I can see is, like anything that eats, they poop. But cleaning a few black rice grains from the window sills in the morning is a small price to pay for free insect control services.
Each day I fill two small bowls with cat food while two warm furries rub against my legs purring. “We love you! Got any food?” They are both meticulous, dainty eaters, perched on their high platforms away from the dogs.
But when I later find kibble bits strewn about, I suspect foul (or maybe fowl?) play. I captured this evidence after hearing a raucous bird convention in the hedges behind the porch. This clever bird and his entire family have been helping themselves to cat kibble in spite of the fact that it’s, well, CAT food!
Lately it has been so wet here that even the local amphibians have sought shelter on the back porch. Tonight I caught this fat boy chowing down on the cats’ kibble. Unlike Mr. Scarlet Rump above, this guy has no fear of cats, nor of humans. No me gusta. They have poison glands behind their eyes, and even their skin is toxic. I have no intention of tangling with this bad dude, instead moving the cat bowl to a higher elevation where maybe he can’t reach. I did chase him with a broom for a minute or two, but he’s still out there. “I’ll be back!!”
You may be wondering about mosquitos here. They’re officially not pets, yet I am reluctantly feeding them as much blood as they care to drink. Tomorrow I might venture out to buy some skeeter repellant, because these are not pets I feel obligated to tend to.
With all the distractions of taking care of animals, domestic and wild, and moving around from place to place until I settle into my new home in a month or two, I have yet to deal with whatever emotions are festering and fermenting deep in my body-mind.
Meanwhile, I’ve been making wonderful salads with market vegetables plus a little chicken or fish, shedding a few extra pounds, taking long walks, attending theater productions, eating out with friends—healthful stuff like that, but avoiding the tears that I know will come eventually.
Holding back the deluge can take its toll, even with a margarita now and then to keep the dam patched. I know this because today, shopping for a few grocery items, I found myself irresistibly drawn to the hard liquor section and reaching for a large bottle of cheap rum. “No!” said the little man in my head. And I listened.
Instead, I headed over to the freezer aisle and picked up this:
… and I ate almost half of it right out of the container while standing over the kitchen sink. Aaahhhhh! Thanks! I needed that fix. Sometimes a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.
The adventure continues! I hope you’ll keep me company along the way. :D