Trump's first week in office was a whirlwind that may prove to be the busiest in history. For an overview see this link. I want to speak on just one of his executive orders.

My dear friend, VW, recently posted about the wall order and did so quite elequently. The primary point being that it will (would) be a waste of time and money. However, life has tought me that sometimes planting the perception is enough to shape future reality.

Executive Order: Crack down on ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. Some seem to not comprehend the term ILLEGAL. They prefer undocumented immigrants. That's like saying it looks like a duck, it quacks like a duck, but it is really a six point buck. Really? What planet were you raised on? On this one the definition of illegal is:  not according to or authorized by law :  unlawful, illicit; also :  not sanctioned by official rules (as of a game)

I feel confident that since my wife legally imigrated to the US and I legally immigrated to her country Costa Rica I (we) can speak to the necessity of being respectful to the laws of another country. Understanding that living in a different country is a privilege and one should be honored that that country has checked you out and said you are worthy to live amoung us. 

The most prominent excuse that is used by the illegals is that they are wanting to take advantage of the American Dream. I can't understand how you seek a dream by starting out breaking a law that has allowed that Dream to be formed by hard working people that makes the sacrifice to obey the laws of the land! Or do they see themselves above the law? 

Not all illegals (there, I said it) are bad people. But ALL ILLEGALS ARE LAW BREAKERS! The United States is a country of law. In a country of law if you break one of its laws you are to be punished. Just ask the one that was caught stealing a loaf of bread and spent the night in jail. Or the hunter that shot a deer on someone elses land and was forced to give up their bounty and have their license revoked. I could go on and on but you get my point. 

The protesters that are up-in-arms over the fact that the President of the United States has now signed an executive order to deal with these ILLEGAL IMMIGANTS should step up and sponsor one or better yet the entire family. Take them into your home. Feed them and shelter them. Give them the finances to clothe themselves and buy the amenities needed to properly exist in this land of dreams. You want to fight for the LAW BREAKERS. THEN FIGHT! But by GOD leave us law abiding people and our money (taxes) alone! 

WE DON'T AGREE WITH YOU!! Now you can return to your hot coco and adult coloring books. Here's an idea........You can build them a house with you Leggos.

                                                                   

       
 

 
 

                                  Latest eruption of  Volcano Turrialba

There are over 200 volcanic centers here in Costa Rica. Fortunately only 10 are 'active'. Currently the most active one is near where we live. It is 66 miles away but during one of its eruptions we get a light ash coating over everything and your throat becomes irritated. Nuria, my better half, becomes even more irritated since she has to sweep the large front porch at least once a day.

We have visited Poas and Arenal. Both are awesome to see up close and personal. We lived at the foot of Poas for a brief period when we moved back and have been to Arenal several times. Arenal is the most visited volcano and for very good reason. It is set up as a tourist trap in the town of Fortuna that will gladly take your colones at twice the rate of the same services and 'souvenirs' down the road a few kilometers. You can get a nice little cottage for a reasonable rate. In the world of scams I think they are called 'the hook'. 

The hot springs there are fantastic. They are on different levels as you walk up. There are slightly warm ones up to a temperture that a reasonable person would call damn hot. My favorite is the one where you wade up to a bar and order your beer or spirit of choice and then just sip and relax. Others have various man made obstacles that you can sit and/or climb on. They are the kids favorites while the men lounge around and ogle the women that take great pains to give the men something TO ogle at. 

Poas is a nice inexpensive place to visit. Some say that it is the second largest volcanic crater in the world. However, this could not be substantiated by google. My wife who is a Tica (female Costa Rican) was tought in school that it is the largest. Just false pride by the natives I guess.You can stand at the rim of the volcano and look down into its belly. The pool of grayish green water makes you wonder how hot it is but with the steam that rises slowly tells you that its not lying in a volcano in an attempt for you to do a high dive and find out. Then your thoughts wander to the inevitable. Wonder how many virgins where tossed into this massive monster to appease the Gods many moons ago?. 

*Special thanks to Nuria for her insight and her uncanny proof reading ability*

                          Oh Yes He Is. Or Feel Free To Get The Hell Out

January 20, 2017. It will be a day that will go down in history. In more ways than one. Why is not everyone celebrating? Or are they 😖? Of course they are! Many are taking out their Sunday best and preparing to welcome a much needed change. Others are plotting their own little way or trying to gather a group however large or small to disrupt the blessed affair.

First lets think about the the former. These are the ones that except that president-elect Trump has been duly elected to steer this country into the future with honesty and hard work. Mind you he is not your run-of-the-mill politician. He was elected by doing something no one has done before. Fingering his nose at the run-of-the-mill politicians. Saying what hurt feelings. Telling them what they didn't want to hear. Such as, by God, we need to look at what got us into this mess and how I can help you get out of it. WITHOUT ROSE COLORED GLASSES. Hey people. This is not Disneyland. You want to play with the big boys? Put on your big boy pants. Grab your bootstraps and pull like hell. Wine and roses are for romancing. I'm not here for romance. It's time for hard decisions and with those come, oh my God, consequences. The tit is dried up. Or I plan to push hard to make it so.
So if you want more of what you have had.........Ah, you do know and understand what you have had, don't you? Put a politician back in there. If you are sick and tired of being sick and tired. I will be your remedy. Thank you for your support. Now lets get moving!!

Now for the latter group. Some call them snowflakes. Very poor choice. A snowflake is a thing of beauty and it is said there is no two alike. This description is the total opposite of what these sheepal are doing. Others call them cry babies. Much more appropriate. If a child doesn't get what they want when they want it they cry. They are also known to throw tantrums. Just like this group is doing. My candidate didn't win. Boo hoo. If you don't give me what I wanted then I'll throw a tantrum and make your life miserable. If I can't have what I want then you are deserving of having to put up with my BS! I want to keep my free stuff and I demand that you allow the crap that has been happening to continue. Stop telling me that on January 20, 2017 I have to come out of my comfort zone and deal with a reality that I helped my fellow sheepal create over the years. Give me back my ROSE COLORED GLASSES!!!   

                                    He Is My President. I'm Staying

                                         MERRY CHRISTMAS!!


Where did this great pharse come from? Why are those that find it offensive?

This is a magical time of year. That is if you aren't one that is politically correct. If you are then this is a time that irritates you because afterall, you most likely are unhappy with yourself and as the old saying goes,"Misery loves company". Fortunately there are only a few of you deadheads. By God, that means that the majority are happy even elated to say "Merry Christmas". However, you CAN join those celebrities that have avowed to leave the country since President-elect Trump has pledged to "drain the swamp". 

I digress. Merry Christmas.Time for giving and receiving. Time to spend with family and friends and to thank God for His gift to us. A gift that I believe not a single parent here would ever think of giving to another. A gift that NEVER STOPS giving! A love that can never be matched. So I hope that all can join me in thanking God for his selflessness and bountiful blessings that He bestows upon us each and every day.

                                           MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

                                                    and

                                     Happy Birthday Jesus!!

                      The real reason for the Christmas Celebration

Here in Costa Rica it is extremely important that each family have their portal displayed during the Christmas holiday period. The portal is merely the manger scene depicting Jesus in the manger shortly after his birth surrounded by the animals, his parents and the three wise men. 

These displays can be seen on front porches (garages) and/or in their living rooms near the traditional festively decorated tree. They are normally set up at the begining of December and then taken down and tossed away or stored away after the first of the year but only after praying the rosary. It is customary that the replica of the baby Jesus is placed in the manger at midnight on the 24th. Which leads me to another interesting custom. 

Eating!! The families get together Christmas Eve night and socialize and eat and talk and eat and dance and eat and sing and eat.........you get the picture. Then after midnight they sit down to eat again. They enjoy various typical local dishes. Tamales, marinated beef and the cherished pork leg. This savory main course is cooked in the oven or outside over coals.   

Least we not forget the rompope. They make the tasty little drink and add Ron(rum). The times that I have partaken of their mixture I always say, "So you like a little eggnog with your rum I see". I have learned to say that after the first sip otherwise later my speech is so slurred that even I can't understand what I think I said.  

I have gotten off the path that motivated me to write this post. The PORTAL. This is the real symbol that properly depicts the reason for the season. Unfortunately, due to the commercialization and the politically correct crowd in Estados Unidos this concrete fact has been buried! For me it's like taking the birth out of birthday. Then you have just another day. Another ho hum day just like yesterday and probably just like tomorrow will be. 

So lets raise a glass of rompope and toast to the real reason, the Birthday of Jesus. 
 

Christmas Time Bull

                            Now for something totally different. 
                                                         
                                                       
One of the most interesting differences of celebrating Christmas in Costa Rica is the week between Christmas day and New Years day. That is unless you don't like horses and 'bull fighting'. It's not really bull fighting. It's not bull running. It's more like bull antagonizing! 

First there is the festival itself called ‘Festejos Populares’. It is held in a picturesque district  called Zapote. It is the highlight of that district for the entire year. It also houses the offical residence of the president. But enough of the priddle. Lets talk bull.

The  ‘Festejos Populares’ is a very interesting pastime for Ticas and Ticos alike. For an entire week these brave(crazy) people(very sick individuals) get into a 'bull' ring and wave their arms around and pester some poor unassuming bulls. What they want is for the bull to come at them so they can jump a wall to get away and thus strut around like they just conquered the poor unassuming bull. Now I ask you amigos and Amigas, in what deranged state can this be called COOL?  

However, there is alot of amusement in watching it on TV whilst sipping, truth be known, GULPING heavily spiked eggnog and devouring turkey sandwiches for four days. I sit there wondering.........Do these people take vacation time for this tomfoolery or work a half day at work drinking so they can spend the other half making total jerks of themselves?

But then there is always this. It gets interesting at the 1:45 minute mark. To gain a better understanding of the overall experience click here.      

In retrospect growing up in Roanoke, VA, maybe induring freezing temperatures and shoveling snow ain't so bad. Wait, we all know thats nothing but a high heap of bull!!!     

Panama City, Panama

                                

                                            Holidays In Costa Rica 

 

 

This will be my sixth holiday season here in the small Latin country of Costa Rica and there is such a contrast so I thought I would expound on the stark differences between my hometown of Roanoke, VA and this place many see as paradise.



There is no Thanksgiving celebration here. Why should there be. They did not have a feast with the indians to thank them and God for their appreciation of the knowledge that had been passed on to them. At the time they were indians going through their own trials and tribulations.

Christmas? Many had yet to learn of this thing called Christianity. Gods were plentiful and they already knew about sacrifices and such. Afterall, there are many volcanoes here. I am not suggesting that many virgins met their fate in the hot firey bellys of some, but then again, who knows.

Our last Christmas in Roanoke in 2009 was a real snow affair. The wife who is from Costa Rica always went into a joyful dance when it snowed. But as I told her each time, "You're elated but you aren't the one that has to shovel the walk and dig out two cars"!! She would then show empathy through her snow colored glasses and proceed to watch me through the deck sliding glass doors as I toiled and cursed outside in her winter wonderland.   

Fast-forward to our home here. At Christmas time we are coming out of the rainy season and the hardest thing I am faced with is what pair of shorts shall I wear today. Don't laugh. You haven't seen my boney stumps! Thank God they now have those that come down below the knees.

Another satisfying thing is that the open vegetable markets go year round here. The selection is enormous and the quanity abundant. But you need to be  cautious. Have them cut open a sample if they haven't already just to keep 'em honest. I have found that just because it looks good outside does not necessarily represent what is inside.

The seasons favorite food is tamales. A mixture of cornmeal with a sprinkling of vegetables and a small piece of meat or two. All wrapped in a plantain leaf. They go great with a cup of hot costa rica coffee that has been pumped up with a little Don Braulio to taste.(coffee liqueur) Don't eat the leaves.   

                                                  More later...................