Whatever Wednesday - No Fooling Around in Costa Rica

Our guide, Randall, is an amazing man. This was his last tour for Odyssey and our group was very fortunate to have him.  Here we are at his own home, about two hours outside of San Jose, to see his orchid farm. Randall has over 700 species and hybrids of orchids. He's not officially a botanist, but this is his specialty and he does studies on the pollination and effects of climate change. He has certifications from the Smithsonian for his work. Scientists come from all over the world to see his garden. Absolutely fascinating

And we were treated to lunch. His mother, two  sisters, and a niece cooked an authentic Costa Rican meal of chicken & rice, beans, salad, and THE BEST TORTILLA I've eaten in my life. 

Dessert was a flan

 All that and surrounded by the beauty of orchids. 

We also had a quick walk on his property - a lush jungle of flora. 

This jaunt was a highlight of our trip - and it was only day two!

Happy April!  No foolin' 

April Fool

Every day I wake up and wait for a declaration - APRIL FOOL!!!

Alas.....nope

 

Monday Madness and Foolery

 Happy April Fool's Day - then again, considering it's election year - Happy April Fool's Year

Here's an assortment of past blog photos - all out of context, but what the heck - fun to look at and contemplate. 

Monday filler and foolery

Always do right. This will surprise some people and astonish the rest - Mark Twain

Wednesday Wisdom

 Yep - nuff said there.  Yes, it's okay to fund the arts. Duh.

 and I always say, "Look up."

In our little quarantine time, spend a moment. Sit on your front porch (like I did Sunday), and look up.

Trees - worth contemplating. Time well spent.

This is no April Fool's joke. Savor the moment.

Happy Wednesday - hump day - carry on......

A: April, Fool Me

I'm doing the A to Z Blog Challenge. It's appropriate that April begins with an A. Every April God rewrites the Book of Genesis - Austin O'Malley. Indeed - with Easter in a week, it's a time of rebirth, tulips, chocolate bunnies, and jellybeans. In Texas, it's sunshine and crazy rainstorms. It's Rangers baseball opener on Good Friday. April is tricky - it embraces spring, harkens to a final winter blast, or hurries into heat.

April is the cruelest month - T.S. Eliot

Characters named April seem jovial with a delicate prettiness. However, look deeper and there's a darkness lurking. The month of April sheds dead live oak tree leaves, it blasts us with pollen, and can lash us with pelting cold raindrops. A girl named April could be sweet, or maybe she's planning a murder. That's the fun of being a writer - you can play with names, fill an April with opposite expected tendencies, and trick your reader.

April the month, or April a girl - fool us all

Fool for Easter

April Fool's seems appropriate this year to begin the Easter weekend. It's Thursday and the first quarter of the year proved wacky weather-wise. Now sunshine and heat prevail. We jump from winter to summer in a flash. If you don't find the hidden Easter eggs, your nose will find the rotten eggs soon enough.

I've always loved the timing of Easter - both religious and frivolous. Renewal. Hope. Chicks and bunnies and jelly beans. Forsythia's in bloom at my father's house - the waving yellow tendrils contrasted with clear blue sky. Time to stretch, kick off the winter blahs, and go for a walk.

Happy Easter Weekend!

April Fool

April Fool's Day, 2005. I embarked on my new career as a writer. I deemed it an appropriate date to begin this adventure. Was I crazy for attempting to fulfill a dream? Was my husband absolutely nuts for suggesting I quit a perfectly good full-time job with matching 401k? He was weary from my job complaints ( he knew the guys I worked for were slightly berserk and they added a third musketeer to their team), but it took me a year to get the nerve. Since then we've still been able to eat, travel some, and enjoy life. I'm happier. Ray's happier because I'm happier. And since I do like money - I have an excellent part-time job in documentation for a lab. I type up a storm.

It's good I do live in the age of computers. See this lefthanded smeary mess. Back in Jane Austen's day, my manuscript would have been rejected as illegible. Go further back in time, and I would have failed if I had to chisel my words in stone. I'm generally not allowed to use tools. So, here in 2009, with the click, click, click of keyboard keys, I pursue my dream. I am a published writer - see links on the side. I'm even a paid writer - thank you Chicken Soup (that check's long been spent). Thank you, Ray, for pushing me and supporting me and cheering for me and consoling me...and...for putting up with your April Fool.

Joanne