June 25, 2008

The Villain

Dear Dad,

We are on the hunt for the villain cat that has been terrorizing our neighborhood.

It all started when he killed my new kitten and now has moved on to kill two

pet rabbits.

The night guard had captured him but the cat bit the guard and he let it go. 

I got two pills from the vet that are supposed to make the cat sleepy so we can capture him and put the nasty varmint in a cage and take it to a refuge to either cut off his balls (I am so mad and sad  that I would like to do it myself) or put him to sleep.

We have been trying to catch him for two weeks.

This same cat has also hurt my two adult cats – twice each and this is why he is on the

s--- list and we need to get rid of him 

Anyway, I was very upset and Bryan took me back to the house to get the brother of the cat that was killed.  His name is Happy and we have had him for a week.  It is very difficult to keep everything closed so he stays inside until we get rid of the menace. 

Last weekend we were at Punta Coral.  My two great friends, who live here, went with us.  We had a wonderful time although there were a lot of mosquitoes.

The good news is that Juan Jose is now in charge of the other two guys who work out there and in the two weeks since Misael left and he was put in charge, they have been doing a wonderful cleanup job.

When we arrived, Juan Jose was hanging up the curtains in the casona – he washed them.!!! No one is more surprised than I am.

This is the time of the year when lots of monkeys are on the property to eat the mangoes.  We even have white faced monkeys too and they are a nice addition to the Howlers that are almost always at Punta Coral.

Our first evening, we were surprised with the number of Hermit crabs that covered the sand on the front of the property.  There were so thick that walking was impossible and we just watched.  Each crab has a different sized shell.

I went for a walk the following day with Juan Jose to see all the different jobs and clean up that he and the other three workers had completed during the two weeks that passed since Misael left and he became the ¨man in charge¨ I was very impressed.

All the collection of garbage, old wood and old .well stuff that had been collected was gone.  What wasn’t organic, was packed up and sent away.  The organic or termite eaten wood was thrown back into the jungle to decompose.

Juan Jose took me for a walk to Vista Tortuga Trail to see the planning that Edgar had done.  On the path was the biggest Hermit Crab I have ever seen.  The shell was bigger than a golf ball.

Edgar has also started to plant ¨sepas¨ or small clumps of grass- the amazing grass that has now grown in and makes the front lawn green from corner to corner.  It is amazing grass that doesn’t mind the sun or salt water and even prefers growing in poor soil and sand.  Anyway, we have an on going project to eventually eliminate the jungle weeds and replace it with the amazing grass. 

Now, the area behind the wooden swing is planted making the whole area near the horse shoe court all covered min the bright green grass.  It will take about a year to fill in.

The section that was planted last year in the area of the citrus trees has filled in nicely.

You should have seen the expression on Edgar’s face when I congratulated him on a job well done.

In the meantime, the gaviones or wire mesh baskets that are a meter square and filled with rocks to use as a barrier to keep erosion at bay needed some repairs.  Misael had made ¨spigas¨ or three barriers to change the direction and force of the waves and keep the row of gaviones that are three high in tack.  The force of the water has caused a hole at the bottom and this could cause a collapse of the wall if not corrected.  It took a few days and the biggest hole is now plugged up.  There are more to repair and we now need to build another barrier (the barriers are at a right angle to the sea wall) that willwork with the other three that are already built..

To thank the guys for excellent work with the clean up, I bought and sent out a little kitchen cabinet to keep their dishes and food in.  Needless to say they are very happy.

I will buy more new items for them:  sheets, dishes and pots and pans and window coverings so their little apartment is better looking.  I also have to have the carpenter measure the space between the bathroom and main room so we can put on a new door too.

I finally have a wedding to plan for at Punta Coral. It is next month and a group of 31 people.  The young couple is from Norway and family and friends are flying here for the celebration.

I ordered the wedding cake today, a tiny tiered cake.  The couple was in Norway before coming to Coast Rica last year; but didn’t get to have the celebration party.  This is what we are planning together for July. 

You are not going to believe this, but, the coffee we are buying here is not as good as what we are used to.  We were getting a coffee that when I or David would make it in the morning the whole house will fill up with the delicious aroma.  Now, it is bland tasting and no aroma to speak of.

We have tried lots of different brands and have not found one to our liking.  We are not the only ones complaining, all our friends feel the same way.

The only thing we can think of is that all or the best coffee is being exported and leaving only the second grade.  What a disappointment.  I am seriously thinking about giving up coffee and drinking tea.  Really, it is that disappointing.

Yesterday, the guard and gardener were able to trap the villain cat and put it in a cage that Miramar, our carpenter for years, had built for me about 25 years ago. I had given him two pills hidden in cat treats and a can of tuna to bait the cat.   When I got home I saw the cage in the carport and when I looked inside I saw the monster.

I immediately called Pedro, the man who had promised for more than 10 days to come to the house and trap the nasty animal and he came over to get it.  He had a pole with a long noose and was able to take the cat out of my cage and put it into a smaller cage.  He and his wife commented that the cat was indeed savage and then they took it away.

Yeaaaaa!  Later that evening there was a party of sorts with my two adult cats and the remaining rabbit.  I had to pay $30.00 donation but it was worth every penny.  I am so happy now that I know my animals are safe.

We just returned from lunch with Celiece.  We went to our favorite restaurant, Machu
Pichu, a restaurant we have been going to for 30 years.  The food was a big disappointment and I even had to send a plate back to the kitchen.  We asked the waiter if the restaurant has changed cooks and he assured us they had not.  There is something wrong and all three of us felt it was our duty to let them know.  If they don’t know that we were very disappointed with the food they will not study the problem. In fact, the waiter, Mario – a person who has been waiting on our table for 30 years, told us that normally the clients don’t say anything but just never return.  I hope it gets fixed and back to the way it was.

I just re-read this letter and it seems that all I did was complain about this or that.  I guess it is just been that kind of a week.

We are working hard to get certified as a tour operator going green and following the government rules of sustainable tourism.  It is a lot of work and frustrating when the country seems to be moving at a snails pace to educate and correct problems of pollution.  I must learn to be more patient. Progress of any sort is better than doing nothing at all.

 

This is all the news for this week.  I hope you are recovering nicely and are feeling better too.

 

I love and miss you.

 

Besitos,  Cecs