Zoo Ave.

I don’t know when it happened. I am sure I was there for it all, but I just can’t wrap my head around it…”Sir” is 4. That means I have been a mother the same amount of time I spent in High School! Some how the space-time continuum must have altered or shifted or SOMETHING. High School lasted FOREVER and I just had Sir the other day so something has to be wrong!

“Sir” is an awesome kid and I’m not just saying that because he’s mine, but even if I am SO WHAT? All children have their own little things that make their faces light up. For “Sir” it is animals & plants. My husband and I think he will grow up to be either a chef or a farmer. He revels in the welfare of  our menagerie of animals, plants, and fruit trees. For him the progress of the banana trees is serious business. He knows banana trees eventually become bread, cupcakes, puddings, ice cream…. Yes, yumminess ensues!

For a little boy who loves nature as much as “Sir” does, it was a no brainer to spend his special day at the zoo. Zoo Ave is an amazing little jewel in Costa Rica. This cool little park is home to animals that have been injured, donated, or confiscated. A portion of the entrance fee goes to the rehabilitation of the animals.  Zoo Ave has an awesome assortment of Costa Rican wild life. You can see over 100 species of birds. The parrots are  first up on the tour. They are out in the open and are a lively bunch.My favorite animal in the entire place is this little guy. I swear he is a mutant hybrid of a chicken and a parrot!

Peacocks roam around freely and strut their stuff! I find it hilarious that they could care less that folks may want to eat their lunch at that table. If they decide they want to perch and preen, They are going to perch and preen!

Zoo Ave. has great assortment of reptiles too. There is a HUGE crocodile and all that separates the visitors from him is a rinky dink chain link fence!

The iguanas are all over and not all of them choose to stay in their exhibits. After our first visit, we have learned to keep a look out above because they play in the tree tops too. 

  Turtles and ducks have a quaint lil’ pond to hang out in. These turtles are living the LIFE! They pretty much bask in the sun, swim, and eat all day. I only wish I could spend a day in their life! “Pura Vida” in nature is “que lindo”!

  It only takes a couple of hours to tour the entire place and it is well worth the small entrance fee. ( It cost us about $40 for a family of 4). Visiting the brilliant birds, monkeys, iguana, deer, ocelots, tapir, puma, and all the occupants here is an amazing way to connect with Costa Rica. This Zoo is always updating and improving. We have gone several times and there is always something special that pops up. This go around we discovered that they have opened up their canopy tour!

LUST LIST #2: NEW VINTAGE RECORD CONSOLE

 This ol' soul of mine needs an afternoon where the kids are sitting down & being quiet, the "media naranja"* is occupied with something constructive, no yapping from the dogs, the chickens keep quiet, A really, really, TALL glass of  My Mixture**, my hardback of "I Know This Much Is True" by Wally Lamb, a soft breeze, comfy spot on the outdoor bed, and a stack of good vinyl to play! Oh that would be paradisaical... Music is always the final touch and the sound of my records is ASTOUNDING!!! If only because my taste in music is flawless. To improve on the perfection of my music, one needs an equally impressive machine to play the music on. I'm currently using an adequate Crosley player but "adequate" is not good enough! My LP's deserve only the best and the best is the "Symbol Record Console" . It's a sleek & modern record player that gives a nod to the old school all-in-one console hi-fi's. The Symbol has the brains & brawn. The walnut is warm & dreamy.  The metal base has this industrial chic thing going for it. Did I mention the 2 full range speakers? Or the hidden amp and subwoofer? Oh what about the built-in Wi-Fi? Let us not forget the hand-built tube amplifier and turntable! I love the way it pays homage to the fabulous record players of our past but offers up all the modern touches that make it irresistible. Your Grandma's player couldn't stream from an iPhone, iPad, iPod, or computer! 

*"Media Naranja"-Instead of saying "my other half",  Ticos often refer to their significant other as their "media naranja" or the other half of their orange. Cute huh?

**"My Mixture"- My favorite cocktail of course is a combo of pineapple juice, lemon-lime soda, and rum....lots and lots of rum ;)

Construction Debris = Papaya

HUGE, MASSIVE, GARGANTUAN,  MAMMOTH….well you get the point.  That is exactly what this pile of construction ish I have is. Remodeling a house is always a big undertaking and so is the garbage that goes with it. In Costa Rica most of the homes are constructed of concrete, unlike back in the states. So knocking out a wall entails ALOT more work. The overhauling of our home here has been our life for the past 2 years and will continue to be until “Casa de Kelley” is “listo”!

So the other day I was pulling up tile from the dining room. For some reason this is one of my favorite demo jobs! It’s just something about popping tiles up that does it for me… Ok sorry for being weird. Well, once they are all popped up it is time to take the ones that I couldn’t get up whole to go to the debris pile.  It was so random to find  that in my pile of concrete and tile a papaya tree had sprouted up!

I have heard people joke about being careful about where you spit in Costa Rica because the next day a “Spit Tree” will take root! The land here is just that fertile! I think it’s a combo of the volcanos, rain, and warm weather. That unique fusion has made Costa Rica an agricultural wonderland.

One ingredient to this concoction of perfect soil is the heavy rains that fall for about half of the year keep the soil moist and provide the vital water that all plant life needs to thrive.

People have flocked to Costa Rica for years because of the temperate weather. It is always warm and welcoming. Guess what? Plants like it too!

Lastly, the volcanos work wonders! The volcanos are one of the top tourist attractions here. Even scientist around the world come to research them. The many eruptions over the past millennia have dispensed a plethora of minerals into the dirt. The rich volcanic soil that was produced has contributed to Costa Rica’s lush landscape and fabulous forestation!

Sweetly Southern

A big fat slice of Red Velvet Cake and “Driving Miss Daisy” on dvd help to cure a bit of homesickness.  I love my life in Costa Rica but I have my moments when I miss the south.

Hearing the twang in folks voices…

The smell of fried food…

Southern hospitality…

Feeling the excitement of a high school football game…

Waving at folk’s, even if you don’t know them…

Sitting in a rocking chair on the porch, sipping on the perfect glass of sweet tea while watching the fireflies go by and listening to John Lee Hooker…

God I love the South! So when I am feeling all nostalgic there are a few ways to bring the south all the way to Quebradas! One of my favorites is Red Velvet Cake, even the name is decadent! It’s not quite chocolate, not quite vanilla. Imagine the perfect yellow cake that’s been given the most gentle kiss by chocolate. That’s Red Velvet Cake! There is still the mystery of why its red, but I don’t give a damn. Its great cake and great cake can work wonders!

List O’ Stuff: Red Velvet Cake

2 ½ Cups of AP Flour

1 ½ Cups of Sugar

1 Teaspoon of Baking Soda

1 Teaspoon of Salt

1 Teaspoon of Cocoa Powder

1 ½ Cups of Vegetable Oil

1 Cup of Buttermilk *

2 Large Eggs

2 Tablespoons of Red Food Coloring

1 Teaspoon of White Vinegar

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

      How To

• Pre heat your oven to 350˚
• Grease and lightly flour 3 9 inch round cake pans.
• In a stand mixer combine  flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
• In a large bowl mix together the vegetable oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla extract.
• Slowly pour the wet mixture into the stand mixer bowl until the batter is smooth and well combined.
• Evenly divide the batter between the 3 pans.
• Place the pans into the over spaced evenly apart.
• Bake for about 30 minutes. Halfway into the cooking time rotate the pans.
• The cakes are done when they pull away from the side of the pan and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the cake.
• Remove the cakes from the oven and run a knife around the edge.
• Allow cakes to cool.
• Once cool, remove the cakes from the pans.

List O’ Stuff: Cream Cheese Frosting

1 Stick of Butter, Room Temp.

4 ounces of Cream Cheese, Room Temp

2 Cups of Powdered Sugar

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

      How To

• In a large bowl combine the butter and cream cheese. It’s a lot easier to use an electric mixer.
• Add in the powdered sugar gradually.
• Add in the vanilla extract.
• Mix  until the frosting is smooth and creamy.

        Tips

• For the life of me I have not been about to find buttermilk in Costa Rica so I use a little trick to make my own for recipes. Simply combine 1 cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar.
• It’s also better if the ingredients are all at room temperature before starting.

Adult Milk & Cookies

Hormigas Are Not Amigos

I'm no meteorologist but I know the rain is about to dominate the days! Want to know how I know? The "Hormigas" told me. Every year before rainy season starts my property is suddenly littered with little trails of "leaf confetti". The leaf cutter ants make these trails while starting to prepare for the winter. These pequeño pest cut the leaves from trees and haul them back to their nest. There something sort of special happens. The ants don't eat the leaves, instead they use them to create a compost to grow a type of fungus that doesn't grow anywhere else. The fungus is then used as food for the ants. The whole business is pretty cool & yucky all at the same time.

Now I'm all for the "Hormigas" doing their thing to support their colony, but I draw the line when they begin to attack my fruit trees. Our first attempt to thwart the leaf thieves was to spray the trails and anthills with an organic pesticide. That did diddly-squat. It was sort of insulting to see them continue on their business as if I had just offered them a spray of perfume to make their journey more pleasant. We were stumped until one day a neighbor with a finca schooled us. He informed us that the best way to rid ourselves of the ants was NOT to kill the ants. Instead, we should kill the fungus. Genius!!!

Lust List: #1. Tortoise Table Lamp

We all want stuff. Trinkets, Baubles, Knick-Knacks, It's all Stuff.  Stuff can do just about anything! And in this world if there is stuff folks want, then there is somebody somewhere selling that exact stuff. I know, AMAZING isn't it!  Now the only problem with stuff, is that sometimes Stuff cost too much! This problem has become the driving force behind one of my favorite past times, Creating the "Lust List"! The "Lust List" is a cool lil' compilation of all of stuff I see & want. Getting these things is a whole other issue. My husband is a miserly man. To convince him to buy something that is not an essential need, ie. food and shelter, one must be prepared with an entire dissertation, complete with a power point and statistics from a verifiable source. Oh and Wikipedia doesn't count.

Ok, now we all know what the lust list is... Allow me to begin the list....(insert drum roll) Presenting the Tortoise Table Lamp by Z Gallerie!  It would be such a subtle, sexy nod to the beaches of Guanacaste. Now I have started formulating my plan of attack by playing up how this particular lamp fulfills both "form & function". It's a beautiful sculpture, but it's also a light! How novel! I already have a spot picked out for it in my living room.