Don't Worry Honey, It's Only a Flesh Wound!

Except for this little glitch my Christmas Eve has been going pretty well. For weeks now I've been trimming brush on our unforested one hectare. I never work more than one tankful of fuel a day, which equals 2 or 3 hours depending on which blade I'm using. Today I was finishing the last of it when this happened. Apparently I hit a piece of old wire and in an instant it passed through the underside of my forearm, in one hole out the other. It bled like a stuffed pig, if you'll excuse the gory simile, but surprisingly to me it didn't hurt much at all, though that didn't stop me from using it as an excuse for a 4-finger G&T!

Meanwhile, Christmas Eve rolls along. Last minute gift wrapping, food preparation, and late invites to afternoon dinner on Christmas Day. Lily is the presents guard.

There's zero chance of a white Christmas here, that you can take to the bank. We are hoping that unlike the last 3 years that the rain holds off tomorrow, however. The season is definitely changing, so I think the chance of a dry Christmas is a good one.

We are just about out of ripe bananas, and the ones we have are saved for the birds, which are returning to our feeder, sometimes with their young'uns, in greater numbers now. New bananas are on the way as you can see.

The surrounding fields and hills are gradually being covered by the daisy-like yellow flowers of the Quitirrí (aka Ira) trees. Many trees choose to bloom this time of year after the winter solstice, including this one to the left. It appears to be some kind of mimosa though my Costa Rican field guide doesn't show this exact species with it's tender moppish flowers.

The green bananas that we do have don't go unused until they are ripe. Boiled, they make a good imitation of a potato, starchy and bland and absorbent of the other flavors in whatever dish in which you use them. They are often found in the local Tico soups. Tamara used some today in preparing a traditional Ukrainian dish called Olivia. I love how she's adapted many of her dishes to what's available in the Tropics. Uke-Tico fusion!

Here's hoping that your Christmas Eve is a pleasant and peaceful one, without any skin piercing traumas to interrupt it. Tonight we open our presents, tomorrow we check out what Santa left in the stockings (hung on the stairs banister). We'll have a small gathering of gringos and Ticos alike for a pot luck and prognostications for the coming year!

Merry Christmas to All!