What I see, what I hear, and what makes me smile.

As my camera was stolen recently :(, I thought I would write out some of the experiences and images I have witnessed over the past few days to give you a hint of the kinds of things I learn on a daily basis…

How to Help a Chicken Lay Its Eggs

First I slowly and gently shoved one egg after the other underneath the chicken’s breast. Once all four eggs were under, I did a little tickle or what I like to call the finger dance under their belly. I took my hand out and observed as the chicken rocked and wiggled from side to side, (doing a chicken dance, as Manuel calls it) adjusting themselves on top of the eggs!

Monkeys Love the Nectar

Take one of the white flowers by the sink and approach the monkey cage. Put the flower in your pocket and watch as the monkey takes the flower out of the pocket with its hand and sucks the nectar from the center of the flower.

The Parrot’s Water Dance

I watched as Oscar, one of the muchachos who works the grounds, doused the parrots and other tropical birds with the hose in the late afternoon heat. They fluttered their feathers, doing a little dance. It’s truly lovely to watch and I can’t help but giggle and smile.

The Slow Growth of the Mighty Guanacaste

The Guanacaste seed has a hard shell around it which slows down the germination process. With the shell, the seed takes one year to germinate to a small sapling. Santos, our jardinero (gardener), takes the seed and rubs it up against the tree to wear down the shell. This process means the seed only needs eight days to germinate! The Guanacaste tree takes an average of 300 years to grow to its full size.

Fireflies at Night

Now that the rains have begun, the fireflies have begun to appear at night. As I lay in bed at night, I follow their luminous glow as they whir over my head. Their magical presence surrounds me every night.

The Laughter That Fills My Home And My Heart

Yamy's and Josimar's whole hearted laughter fills the home with love and whenever I'm sad or feeling lonely, it cheers me up. I will miss this.

Or Armando’s ( a Mariposa worker) high pitch, never ending giggle that sounds like he's up to something...