Author Archives: Myra

About Myra

I'm retired in Costa Rica, having lived in Philly, State College, Salem Mass, and Kawagoe Japan. You might call me a career gypsy, but my last and best job was teaching English to some of the best and brightest kids in Philly. I'm new to blogging and websites, and will probably make all the mistakes there are, but now I'm sharing my writing. I moved to Costa Rica in June of 2009 with my husband Jack, my dog Buddha, and Jack's two cats, Hobbes and Noir.

Widget Nightmares

I’ve always suffered work-related nightmares. In the early eighties, I tended bar and cooked in two rock and roll bars in Philadelphia’s South Street area. Those were low-stress, fun-filled jobs. In search of bigger bucks, I found a job on … Continue reading

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In Costa Rica, Toasters Costa Lotta

When we moved here, we brought our toaster oven with us, but we haven’t used it at all. Before we retired, we liked the convection oven function, which allowed us to have a simple dinner of salmon or barbequed chicken … Continue reading

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Chicken Little or Henny Penny?

The stray chicken is back. Actually, she’s been pecking around the house ever since the lately departed Osa tried to eat her. I don’t see her every day, but she’s here. Often, the first sound I hear in the morning … Continue reading

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Rain, rain…..

Last year, the rainy season took a vacation. When I arrived, at the end of June, we got rain every day for two or three hours, but that only lasted for a few days. During most of July, it hardly … Continue reading

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Miracles large and small

The first time I visited Costa Rica, on George Lundquist’s tour, retirement for the non-rich, one of the sights I saw was the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles, in Cartago. George had lots of cool stories to tell … Continue reading

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Spiders and beetles and toads, oh my

Like many women I know, I hate insects. If I were in South Philly, I’d say they skeeve me- or I skeeve them- I’ve never been sure of the exact usage. Insects can turn me into a raving lunatic, a … Continue reading

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The car will be ready tomorrow- and the check’s in the mail.

This morning, Buddha and I wound our way up the steep, earth and gravel road to Raul’s. He’s the friendly neighborhood mechanic who’s been working on our 1986 Toyota Land Cruiser. We’re fairly certain that our car used to be … Continue reading

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Garlic heaven

Last night, the kitchen was redolent of garlic, as it usually is when I cook. By far, I love garlic more than any other spice. Folk wisdom has it that the health benefits of garlic are staggering. A Google search … Continue reading

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Osa, Adieu

Hobbes has come out from behind the sofa. Who knows what’s going on in his little pea-brain, but I suspect he knows that Osa is no longer lurking outside every window and door, waiting to give chase. The Himalaya Anxocare … Continue reading

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Osa, we hardly knew Ye

We admitted defeat this week, and wondered aloud to her owners, Mike and Sandy, if there had been a plan B for Osa’s care.  We’d grown fond of her, but neither Hobbes nor Noir had.  And that’s why I was … Continue reading

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