BoomerGirl Diary

Our Costa Rica home was built in December 2003 while Ken and I were here visiting during our winter vacation from Kansas. A friend of Ken's from Lawrence, "Olson," was sharing the time with us and he helped us break ground on our Rocky Top home. Olson has visited us several times since then and we are expecting him again in two weeks for what has become his annual summer stay in our home.

Back in early January of '04, the three of us returned to Kansas and a week later Ken was back in Costa Rica to oversee the completion of the house. Ken was expecting me to return for a week in February. Little did he know, behind his back I had arranged to take a 10-week leave from work. He was quite surprised with this news that I gave him for his "Valentine's gift" that year. He was thrilled to have someone on the job site he could speak English with and have two extra hands that could help get some work done.

During my extended stay we lived out of boxes as construction continued around us. My main jobs were trying to keep the dust under control, cleaning up the job site at the end of each day and painting every inch (three times) of our concrete surfaces. All the cooking was done using our tiny microwave or a knock-off version of a George Foreman Grill. It was a challenge at times.

We made trips to the hardware store in the rust bucket of a truck that Ken had purchased. Our meals were simple and our bedtime came early. After working hard all day and cleaning up before it got dark, we'd collapse onto the bed right after sunset on most days. There was no telephone or internet back then, nor television or direct TV. Life was very simplistic.

So many things have changed since those first few months and we've made a lot of improvements around the house. Thankfully we got a more dependable truck (was well as motorcycle and 4-wheeler). We upgraded the microwave and purchased a large gas oven too. We check our e-mail daily and can phone our friends a few miles away rather than have to use ESP to contact them.

It was during this construction time, while using a cardboard box as my desk and paint can to rest my coffee cup on, I typed up the poem below. The next chance we had to visit an internet café, I emailed it to my friends and family back home so they could get a feel for what my life was like in Costa Rica.

Even though we've had improvements and upgrades, the poem pretty much reflects how life is still today.

Life on Rocky Top

Our home on Rocky Top sits on a pile of rocks

From here we can see where our boat is docked

It's not quite a "house" yet it's more than a hut

In an earthquake it will stand ... hopefully ... with luck.

I like it here, except for the ants.

But it's warm every day, no need to wear pants!

In fact it gets so hot you'll choose to stand in the shade

but even doing that, your tan never fades!

By 9:30 each morning, we drink our first beer

it's normal down here so nobody sneers.

Daily we view amazing birds

and daily we have to clean up toad turds.

Having friends over to cook for is always nice

We sit, talk, relax, and have beer poured on ice.

At Rocky Top there is no internet, telephone or TV.

But we play solitaire on the computer and movies on DVD.

By 7:30 at night we are ready to retire

But not before I burn the day's trash in a fire.

I learn more words the longer I'm here

and when I speak one correctly, inside I cheer!

Life on Rocky Top is different every day

I like it so much I think I'll stay.

I hope that one day you'll visit us soon

and witness the reflection, in the ocean, of the moon.

Ronna ~ April 2004