A Lesson in Love and Letting Go!

So by now, I imagine Tookie has completed his 48 hours in "quarantine" at Zoo Ave. and that he is slowly adapting to his new environment. No little hands to contend with, the absence of cats, dogs, folks accidently stepping on his tail - oh, he must be in bird heaven! "Yep, I've lived through about 4 or 5 cat attacks and 1 from Troy, the local Huskie and still living to tell about it. Check out my injury, pretty nasty huh?".




We had a great trip to San Jose this past Saturday - leaving at 6:30 a.m. and arriving in San Jose at about 10:30. I was behind the wheel of the trusty Galloper and relied on Carla (a friend of ours here in Monteverde) to navigate and help us decipher the map. She accompanied us down the mountain as she also had things to do in the big city. She was a great help as she had lived here previously and knew more about the towns and roads. Although we missed our turnoff to the 'new' highway, we detoured through some old towns in the lowlands and enjoyed the meandering roads and the quaint little plazas in the center of the towns. Tookie enjoyed the four hour ride in his little plastic travel bin, equipped with papaya, a stick for perching and plenty of newspaper!

Arriving at the Clinica Biblica, I ran into my doctor's appointment and then we headed to the Koenig store to buy them out of garbanzo, tapioca, sweet potato and rice flour. I think we spent close to $80 in different types of flour, flaxseed and nuts, so Mike should be well stocked to create his yummy non-gluten breads. Just about to load up the car with our purchases!





From there, we headed out of the city proper to deliver Tookie to Zoo Ave, or so I thought! After circling around the city (I felt like I was going around and around as you had to be ever so mindful as to the one way streets), we ended up smack dab in the middle of the Central Market (not a place a Gringa driver wants to be stuck mid-day on a Saturday). I grew impatient and picked my words carefully as I negoitated around the many pedestrians, street vendors, vegetable and fruit toting sellers, obnoxious taxi drivers, et. al. What a sight - Mike turned to me and said that this amount of over-stimulation reminded him of his trip to India two decades ago - complete chaos but after 45 minutes, we got through the center of the city and headed onward.





We were all happy to find Zoo Ave. and disembark with Tookie perched upon John's finger. Zoo Ave. was a pleasant surprise, with a very natural feel to it, lots of thought provoking messages posted throughout and large cages for all types of wildlife. We met Carmen, the Veternarian at the entrance, the boys said their last goodbyes as I completed an intake form. The boys were very brave and gently kissed Tookster and handed him over.







Carmen said that Tookie would spend the first 2 days in 'the clinic' where he would be checked for parasites and given the same diet that he was accustomed to, before introducing him to his new, permanent home. With goodbye's said, we followed the trail around the zoo and checked out all sorts of wildlife; birds, pumas, ocelots, monkeys, crocs - it was great time.







The boys were very inquisitive and wanted to know everything about Tookie's new life, as we continued to look for the cage that read "Tocancillos Verdes. "Ah, here it is, I found it", I hollered and indeed there they were - lots of little Tookies hopping around. A perfect place to welcome the 'new kid on the block", I thought to myself.














































The sign, translated, reads "hundreds of people have rescued animals, sick, without homes and have donated them to Zoo Ave. for rehabilitation and liberation - Thank you for your support!". Well put indeed.



Michael and John are very eager to return to Zoo Ave. to check on Tookie's progress - who knows, one day he may even be returned to the wild.

A quick hotdog and a cup of coffee for me and we loaded up again for our return up the mountain. About 2 hours into the drive, the sun had set and the roads became pitch black - forget any street lights, or reflectors - for me, it was sheer hazardness - perhaps it comes with age, but my driving glasses weren't cuttin it - so I pulled over and had Mike take over, Really, "would the Transit Police be out this late?" Hope not, as Mike does not have his CR driver's license. Home safely after a full day. Lots of 'I miss Tookie' and "Mom, what do you think Tookie is doing right now?" questions and statements, but all in all, the boys were troopers and learned a lot about loving and letting go! As I read to John that night and said prayers, Tookie was the first on his list - he began to sniff and tear up and I encouraged him to cry and close his eyes and remember all the fun times with his little feathered friend.

So, here it is Tuesday, and I am enjoying again having the doors open in my house and not having to watch where I step - I'll work on de-Tookifying the house this week and ridding the floor and walls of splattered bird droppings.

Our days are extra full these days with lots of activities up through the end of the month. We'll be heading to a swim tournament in Zarcero on 11/26 with about 15 to 20 other kids from the zone. This is a great opportunity that the boy's swim instructor has brought to all the families here and we decided to jump on it. Zarcero is about a three to four hour drive from here so we'll leave at about 4 a.m. that morning in order to arrive around 8 a.m. for the start of the competition. It is all about enjoying and participating in the event, as all the swimmers will come home with a medal and a feeling of accomplishment. I went to a meeting last week in Santa Elena to hear all the particulars about the tournament - I was the only Gringa and most of the other parents I did not know as their children most likely took lessons on another day. It was a great Spanish lesson in and of itself! The discussion focused on ordering swim shirts and swimming trunks, colors, names, sizes! I came home with lots of info to share and the boys were super excited to hear about their swim 'uniforms' and that their sleeve would proudly display their name. I ordered swim caps for both as John looks like a shaggy dog in the pool - it is a wonder he can even see beyond that mop of hair. They'll look like real professionals by the start of the tournament. Swim practice is every M-W-F up until 11/26 so they arrive home fully exhausted at about 4:30 :)

I'll close with a pic of the birthday boy (Michael) proudly displaying one of his gifts - more Bendaroos! Thanks Choppy and Poppy! Six years old - It is hard to think that when we arrived in Monteverde, they were only 3 - big boys indeed! We'll celebrate again in another two weeks with John Gustavo! Michael is truly enjoying these 20 days of being 'the big brother'!




Much more to tell, but that will be for another day!

Peace!
Signed: S