Happy New Year!

2011 - The Year of Our Big Adventure. This time next year, we will actually be in Costa Rica. It is amazing to sit here tonight, on December 31, 2010, in Cloverdale, B.C., and imagine typing similar words a year from now - only in a completely different country.

I went to the local storage company today and bought some foam wrap because I am going to start wrapping up the dishes, silverware, etc., that we are taking with us. Before I wrap them, I'll be taking photos for insurance and shipping purposes. I'm only bringing the good and/or old family things. The every day dishes, cutlery, pots and pans will be going to the charity stores.

This week, I dropped off another pile of good, useable things at Talize,  www.talize.com/. I love looking through their vintage section as I'm always on the hunt for genuine Hawaiian clothing and they often have some. People on the west coast go to Hawaii, buy the tropical clothes, come back to the coast and realize it's not suitable for our climate. But it's suitable for someone like me moving to Costa Rica!

So, on this last night of 2010, I want to wish everyone who reads this blog a very happy and prosperous 2011 and don't lose sight of your dreams - whatever you want to do, you can.  

Who Dunnit?

This has absolutely nothing to do with moving to Costa Rica, but it's good for a laugh. The three pictures below show what I found in our dining room when I came home today. My husband says he didn't do it, so that leaves our cat Genny (you can see her head in one of the photos) or the cat that is not ours, but moved in anyway.

Froggy was a gift from a good friend of mine a few Christmases ago - he keeps breaking his legs and this will be the third time he needs surgery. He spends the summers in the garden and comes indoors for the winter. Always has a smile on his froggy face and forever paddles through life on his lilypad.

West Coast Christmas

It's only a week until Christmas! Not sure if we will get snow this year here in Cloverdale - most years we don't but there have been a few winters where we were digging out the laneway.

I'm feeding the wild birds with suet and black sunflower seeds and I don't cut back any bushes/plants in the fall that have seeds on them because the birds go for them also.

I found a couple of strings of lights that missed going to the fellow who bought our Christmas stuff. I phoned and left a message for him but didn't hear back, so a string of pretty blue lights are hanging in our dining room window. That is about it for Christmas decorations this year.

Stopped in this morning at West Coast Select www.westcoastselect.ca, Canada's best selection of wild Pacific smoked salmon and seafood products. Their retail store (with wholesale prices) is located here in Cloverdale and it's the only place where I buy seafood. Drooled over huge stuffed clams, bought Pacific halibut cakes and two packages of lox for us, smoked salmon and tins of lobster, Pacific salmon and crab pate for friends. They also had big chunks of hot smoked tuna for sale ...... we are spoiled on the west coast.

So tonight's dinner will be the smoked salmon on crepes. Now, I need to look into restaurants serving Christmas dinner .....

Costa Rican Furniture

Why drag your old used furniture down to Costa Rica when you can rent a furnished house OR go shopping here in San Jose:  www.laartistica.net/main.php?.action=quienes.

All the corners of our 3 year old sofa and loveseat have been shredded by our cat Genny and her visiting feline neighbour friends. I think they leave messages for each other. The condition of our furniture is why we are not shipping it to Costa Rica but I wonder what we can do with it.

Orchids Go To New Home

My orchid collection left today - and they have gone to the perfect home. Jennifer took them all - she already has orchids - and a parrot - and a cat - and a dog. Her husband was quite cheerful about all these new additions although we heard a few mutterings about "hoarding". You can never have too many orchids.

Here's something rather amazing - an immature orchid I bought at a show about 5 or 6 years ago finally bloomed a couple of weeks ago so at last I got to see the result - it is spectacular.

It's a weight off my mind knowing my orquideas are right where they should be now.

Here is a photo of the Blc (brassiolaleocattleya - hope I have spelled that right) flower:

18 Days Until Christmas

Yes, just 18 days .... and we are going to look like the Grinch family on our street. I sold all our Christmas stuff last Friday - tree, stand, storage bag, indoor & outdoor lights, tree ornaments (kept just a few special ones), two wreaths made by me, table decorations, wrapping paper - everything. The great thing is that it all went to a young family - I hope they have fun going through everything. It is nice to think our memories will merge with their memories over the years. That's what Christmas is all about - memories.

And we get to look forward to creating new Christmas memories in Costa Rica.