New Dog & New Girlfriend (Not in any particular Order!)

As the boys (and Daisy, our new dog) head out for a mid-day hike, I finally have some 'alone time', as I've missed writing this past week. School commitments continue to keep me busy every day...meetings, meetings, meetings! I just finished the draft of an article I am writing for the school's monthly newsletter (the Gallo Pinto) on the 11th and 12th grade students trip to Panama. A fascinating journey and a privilege to write.

Two 'creatures' have become prominent fixtures in our family since my last post...Daisy the dog, (of four-legged kind) and Catalina, a princess of a little girl in the boy's Kinder class.

Daisy started to show up at the tail end of my family's visit. She happened upon our house all by herself; perhaps being 'dumped' on the street. Veronica, my good friend, tells me that a lot of dogs from neighboring towns are left in Monteverde because people know there are a lot of Gringos that live here and there is a good chance that they will be given a home. So, that is just what we did with Daisy. She is so sweet, happily giving out licks to anyone in close proximity. I can 't help but think that she has, in her past, been a part of a family, as she is so loving and gentle. AND, she even puts up with the boys and all their (well, let's just call it...CONSTANT ATTENTION). Mike was quick to welcome her as a new family member, so off I hiked into Santa Elena two weeks ago to buy a collar, leash, parasite pills and flea control medicine. All that is left, is the spaying (which will be done this Wednesday) and she'll be all set. The boys and I gave her a bath yesterday - she did quite well and Michael and John enjoyed it too! We always find room on the coach for Daisy, especially at the end of the day when we read our bed-time stories. Veronica helped construct a run for Daisy yesterday, although she seems to enjoy just hanging around outside. WELCOME TO THE FAMILY DAISY! I am working with Veronica and some other community members; organizing the first, annual Pet Festival in Santa Elena, so I'll be eager to show Daisy off in May.

How am I suppose to feel when my four-year old son has his first crush? I don't remember having my first crush well into elementary school, so have times changed that much? OH DEAR! My little Michael just gooshes about Catalina. As a mom, it is endearing to watch, as they walk hand-in-hand to school, focus on completing a puzzle together or the look on her face when this 40 lb. 'linebacker to be' comes a running with a huge hug and kiss as he greets her at the pasture gate. She has been so good for both boys and now comes to play before and after school. Her aunt and grandmother work at local Co-op at the end of the street, so she can just run up and play at a drop of a hat. Her older sister and cousin also enjoy coming to play, but were disappointed when they discovered they are too big to fit in the little plastic pools for some water fun. The additional time speaking Spanish is great for the boys and they get more socialization, so it is a win-win situation. The kids enjoy a mid-morning snack of fruit and Catalina is also becoming a fan of the 'turkey, cheese and mayo' roll-ups that are the boy's faves! John is also smitten with Catalina, so I'm glad they both have a separate day at school without the other so each can have a turn escorting her to school. The trail to school has many twists, turns and steps, so I chuckle to myself when one extends a hand to Catalina or works hard to 'protect' her from any BEARS or LIONS they might encounter on the way.

Mike is working on closing out this quarter, with parent-teacher conferences next Thursday. Friday is a teacher work day; I'll be interviewing the Kinder teachers for another Gallo Pinto article, so my plate runneth over. I am also helping with the annual Caminata, Walk-a-thon fundraiser which is the biggest local fundraiser the school offers...fast approaching on April 10th. I am responsible for ensuring that all 13 rest stations along the way have folks to man them, dish out snacks and water and other essentials. The route is about 13 km and ends up in San Gerardo with a wonderful view of Volcan Arenal. Really looking forward to it - I plan on walking and will be asking for your sponsorship. If I can get about $50 in pledges, I get a free Caminata T-shirt - WOO HOO. Stay tuned.

Speaking of volcanoes, we have a week of vacation for Easter (Semana Santa) at the end of the month, first of April - we are hoping to put a little trip together to check out Volcan Poas and another one not too far from San Jose. We need to get on the planning piece....or it will never happen. I hear you can drive right up to the crater at Poas. How Cool!

I am super excited to be attending John and Amy's wedding in May - I hadn't planned on attending, but hey, your little brother only gets married once...right? We've all been waiting a long time for this - Amy is worth waiting for and we are all super excited. My flight is confirmed and I leave end of April, I am thoughtful as to how I will feel being back in the States - my first return since end of July. I'm sure there will be plenty to write about upon my return.

We are busy as ever, enjoying everything this community has to offer. We continue to miss our friends and family and look forward to spending 6 weeks home with you all mid-June.

P.S. - Thoughts and prayers for the soon to be, newest member of the Schaefer clan (that I think is due in about a month). Hope you, Carol and David, are well and enjoy this last little bit of DINKdom! Mom Schaefer - hope you are feeling better and look forward to talking with you soon!

Peace
Signed: S

Coco the Skiddish Dog

Neither Sally or I had a decent sleep last night. I listened to the wind howl all night - its been howling for a few days now - more typical weather for december. The wind has blown open a panel on the roof next door, so a strong gust results in plastic and metal clanging together. It sounds as if we caught a mouse in our live trap - I hear some clanging in the kitchen. There was minor mouse scratching in our bedroom. A cat visiting lately is meowing while we listen for the sounds of Coco, a new dog in our care that escaped yesterday afternoon. Coco is hanging around the house and at least knows the hand that feeds it. Sally is attempting to lure the skiddish canine into the house. We are just holding her for a few days.
Signed M

The Dog Days!

If you’ve been keeping up with us, you know there is no shortage of 4-legged friends here in Monteverde. The one that has caught our eye of late, is new to the mountain, about a year-old and is sweet with the children. He is called “Bebe”. Imagine a thin “collie” type dog. Bebe has been spending quite a bit of time at the Schaefer house and we all have gotten close to him until two days ago when I saw him rolling around in the side pasture in the dead armadillo (see previous post). Right then and there, he moved down to the bottom of my “who is my least annoying dog today” list. The stench was horrendous (if not having a dead armadillo wasn’t bad enough, now we’ve got it walking around on this dog…YUCK). The only conclusion we came to was that the dog was doing this to ward off attacks and advances from the other dogs in the neighborhood. We now know this to be true as Bebe was getting quite the ‘raz’ from the other pooches. We came to find out from a friend that Bebe had been ‘just’ adopted by Stella (the elderly lady) that owns the Bakery and other establishments here on the mountain. She lives in the hills and does not have any children to frolic with and keep Bebe as active as he clearly wants to be..after all, he’s just a pup. After a trip to the vet yesterday, a good washing, de-worming, de-fleeing and getting fixed, he was ready to spend his first night with Stella. Today while playing with the boys out front, there was Bebe with his adoptive mom, Veronica – Veronica tells me Bebe (now called Strider) ran away last night and wants to be with a family as he ended up on Veronica’s door step. So where does that leave me? He looks aweful lovable now, all fluffy and sweet smelling! Veronica tells me she would take him, but she already has 3 dogs of her own. Lots of folks have dogs here for many reasons, one of them for protection as petty-theft can be a problem. I am sure Bebe/Strider will be a topic at the dinner table tonight…stay tuned on his fate!

The boys spotted a deer in our side yard two nights ago – we missed it, but Kyle, the 8 year old boy (neighbor) vouches that yep, it was a deer. Kyle spent an hour in the pasture after school picking guavas with the boys and later took over the duty of pushing them on the swing…did I mention we love Kyle? We were happy when he accepted our invitation for dinner (Michael and John were delighted, so proud that they had a ‘big boy’ friend staying for dinner…very cute. Kyle proceeded to do the dishes post spaghetti – he said…’you feed me…I do the dishes’…what a great role model for our boys!

Last night Mike and the boys grabbed their flashlights about 7 p.m. and off they went looking for critters outside. Everything was pretty status-quo (your run of the mill finds…katydids, roaches, beetles) when all of a sudden, they came blasting through the door “mom, you’ve got to see this…hurry, hurry, hurry.” Crawling around the rocks that line our firepit was the grand-daddy of Wolf spiders – bigger than my hand fully extended (I kid you not). When I asked Mike if there was a chance it could find its way into our house (through cracks in the concrete, broken screens or under doors, Mike replied “no way, this thing is huge and way too big to squeeze through” – in some strange way, this was music to my ears and gave me some comfort.

So, just when you think you’ve had all the wildlife you can take, you are surprised with another find!

As you can see by the picture, our hammock is up and operational! I have yet to relax in it, but have dibs for sure sometime this weekend.

We enjoyed homemade tomales from Goudy’s mother-in-law last night – she is making some empinadas and breads for us today and will be by in the next thirty minutes…YUM – sure beats the beans and rice we seem to find on the Schaefer menu daily around here.

P.S. - A late photo added - Ginna - we love ya girlfriend! Our boys are completely engrossed whenever you are around and you break open a book - you have the gift!

Signed: S

School - Outside looking In

When I picked up the boys from school the first day and emerged from the wooded path, I saw a sight I've never seen before in the U.S. (although I am sure it exists). It was completely foreign to me, so I am sure i looked a little 'deer in the headlights', but nonetheless, it was refreshing. Brooms, brooms and more brooms, kids sweeping up the front of the school, emptying trash, composting, etc., at the end of each day. Now - that is a great way to teach accountability and responsibility not to mention keeping the maintenance and clean-up costs of the school to a minimum. It is quite a social scene when the bell rings - kids head to the play-yard, the local farmer may be taking orders or dropping off dairy goods from their farm or some transplants from Argentina selling home-made breads and sweets. A flurry of activity...you can only imagine what it is like inside the classroom.

Yesterday when I dropped the boys off for their second day, I ended up staying around for about 40 minutes as Michael had quite a hold on me...I think he was a little apprehensive and insecure coming out of the clinic the night before. The teachers gave him extra TLC and once they mentioned celebrating a birthday with cake, that's all it took for Michael to let me loose. I was able to observe the teachers in action and the Spanish is full throttle forward. During 'circle time', I was happy that I could at least sing along with the select song...'Buenas Tardes, buenas tardes, como estas....' I come to find out tonight at the dinner table that Michael helped clean the chalk board and John watered the plants outside. It is like pulling teeth sometimes to get any information about school from a three year old! They have met all their classmates and have already formed a boy-bond with Jackson, another very active little one.

The kinder teachers are hosting a Sunday tea where they will share their teaching philosophy (Montessori) and give the parents and children a chance to meet and interact....looking forward to it. I have met many families walking to school on the way to drop or pick up the boys...all with very interesting stories as to how they have come to know Monteverde.

Mike attended a meeting tonight at the school for new teachers, parents, sort of an orientation...pot-luck dinner afterwards. I stayed home with the kids as we could not get a sitter and thought since the meeting coincides with the bewitching hour, no naps and already up for 12 hours, better to stay home than to trudge through the pouring rain. I walked into Santa Elena today to get some ingredients at the Super Compro to make a beet salad for the pot-luck. Santa Elena is a grueling walk on the return trip...and I thought I was in shape????

We are watching the Director's dog as he and his wife had to go down to San Jose unexpectedly today...the boys are enjoying Ellie, not so sure Ellie is enjoying all the attention from them though :)

Watching the boys is constant chore (I mean joy), with no TV or fenced yard to send them off to, you always have to keep one eye on them or an open ear. Couple this with the daily chores - no wonder why I am passed out by 8 p.m.

Looking forward to another weekend and opportunity to expand our social network.

BTW - It is 8:30 PM, pouring rain and we hear a very boisterous howler monkey outside and much closer to home, one of the many dogs who hang out here (there are upwards of 1/2 dozen)...this one we have affectionately named "Limper" as he is an old, (I think relatively harmless) dog with a bum leg and no tail. He is scratching at the door and frequently wakes us up at 4:30 a.m. with his whining. He sits on the bench outside our bedroom window and stares at us through the window with a very forlorn look; it breaks our heart but we have decided not to get in the boarding business! Sorry Limper -

Signed: S