Let Me 'Splain Sometheeng To Joo

Remember Pura Vida? 

Pura Vida, or Pure Life, is many things.  For one thing, it has been turned into a marketing tool for Costa Rica.  Probably a full third of the souvenirs (is that REALLY how it's spelled?  That just goes against my grain.  Just sayin'.) use it as the 'signature' of Costa Rica.  Because really, it is a philosophy of sorts, and one I can really subscribe to.  Not necessarily 'pure' life, but pure LIFE. Doesn't that just sound like us?  I like to think of it as grabbing all the forking gusto I can and wringing what I can't just grab out of what's left.  I guess some of this is coming from something Braja spoke about in a recent post.  I choose, every day, to see the beauty around me instead of the ugliness, and I try my damndest to see the beauty or the funny in the ugly.  Do ya feel me?

In that vein, I wanted to say, just for the record, that I have a lot on my plate right now.  I have birds trying to make a granny out of me.  I have a wonderful, two legged trip to prepare for-and this is a full time project in and of itself-we don't do anything halfassed, so I have a chitload of research to do.  Fortunately, I know the history of Amsterdam and the artwork, architecture and language barriers involved from previous trips, but Barcelona is a whole new ballgame.  In order to fully appreciate what we are seeing, there is a staggering amount of information to absorb.  Then there is El Juevo, who has been somewhat on the back burner for a month.  When the Innocent Bystander is home, he is the one who really suffers, because all focus is on the IB for the duration, so I try to rectify (I just like that word) the situation when the IB is on the boat by making it all about him, which means it is all about hockey.  Another train I can get on board, as I am a fan myself, but something that takes up a tremendous amount of time.  We have a routine, El Juevo and I.  We get there when the doors open, an hour prior to the game, so we can watch warmups.  That is after a 45 minute drive to the coliseum.  Add to that the minimum two and a half hours for the game, and the 45 minute drive home and you are looking at five hours per game.  We have games six days in the next week, and we have tickets to five of them.  And then, there is this:

Puss.  Someone evidently dropped her off back here instead of taking her to a shelter, and the night I found her out in the woods howling for her momma it was supposed to be a hard freeze, so I got her set up in a little corner with a towel and some dog/duck food I had.  I improved her conditions considerably yesterday so she was VERY comfortable last night.  I will take her next week and get her shots, wormed and spayed.  She will have to be an outside cat because of the birds, but we have a very nice screened in porch for her recovery period, after which she should do quite well as a houseboat cat.  This in addition to the five strays I feed over at the house.

My point?  Why yes!  I have one.  I explained all this as an apology.  After my recent reticence about posting, I felt I should warn you in advance that although I am going to do my best to continue posting and replying to as many comments as possible, and will continue to keep up with all your blogs, something has got to give, and the only thing I can think of that I can ease up on that will save any time is commenting myself.  So.  Don't think I'm not reading you, or that I no longer love you many.  I am just trying to keep myself from being overwhelmed.  I am sure that I will be moved along the way here and there to comment, because we all know what a big mouth I am, but they will be fewer and farther between.  Know that I am still out here, and I appreciate each and every one of you, and will stick my foot back in it as soon as I am able. Until then?  PURA VIDA!

*smooches*