Chapter 25 - Sunday Again

We woke up to a gorgeous day again. It seems Sundays are often the best days of the week  Nothing eventful happened this morning to impede our trip to Grecia.  We leave with the expectations that 45 minutes will let us arrive at the chapel at about 15 minutes to nine.  That allows us to be early for service.  We find that they ran totally on Tico Time this morning.  It was quarter past the hour before they started.

            Brandon came in a little tardy.  I was beginning to think I would have to play the piano for them again this week, but he came in with his family and I leave the music to him.  He gets more out of the organ than I can. Last week was the first time that I had played that instrument, and I was hesitant with it.  I will have to get some pointers from him before he leaves.  They are planning to go back to the States in March. His wife is due to have their third child in June.

            The church president asked me through his wife, who speaks quite good English, if I would say the closing prayer for sacrament meeting.  I said “si …in English”.  He smiled and nodded his head.

The heat has been a little oppressive the past three days.  I am so thankful that it cools at night.  Victor told us yesterday that the elevation here is 1100 meters, so that makes it about 3400 feet above sea level.  Calgary is about 2940 feet. The reason that came up is Melaney suggested he plant a coconut palm here, but he says the elevation is too high, and they like the lower sandy area with sea winds. I knew they liked the sea air.

            Victor cut us a group of different bananas yesterday.  I have the outside sink full of them.  They are mostly very green, so I will use up the ripe ones and by that time the others will be ready.  He also brought us some fruit called guayava in Spanish, or guava in English.  When they are ripe, he takes the outer skin off, cuts through the fleshy part, and spoons out the seeds.  He offered some to Mel and me.  Mel took the spoonful; I couldn’t get past the looks of it.  It is a softly gelatinous material that looks like it’s spoiling. When all was done, I tasted a couple of seeds, but I didn’t like the taste any better than the looks of it.  I won’t bother with that again. Mel has been feeding the remaining guava to the birds.  He did bring me a guava flower, which was beautiful, but overnight it closed, never to open again. 

            I had planted four of my tomato plants in the ground.  I realized what was slowing them is the plastic container that I had them in.  The ground is too tough.  It needs some good compost. 

After church while Mel was walking Gigi, I watered all the plants around the front part of the house.  I am getting a nice showing of roses, they are doing very well since I started watering them.  There are blooms and new shoots on all of the bushes.  There are also a number of the plants that look like zinnias.  Some are tiny, but they will thrive.  I found the third marigold this morning.  I planted other seeds yesterday, including a group of nasturtiums.

           It’s a clear day, and I can see the mountains in front of my window.  It was so cloudy yesterday, I couldn’t see them.  Sugar cane harvest is well under way, and we noticed the sugar factory puffing smoke on the way home from Grecia.