Author Archives: Myra
Old Lady in Combat Boots
When you consider how many images we’re bombarded with every day, it’s amazing that we can remember any of them, but we do. The ones that are burned into my consciousness are mostly old, from my college and early adult … Continue reading
Ant revenge
When we returned from our trip to Puerto Viejo, our friend Louis, who had been staying in our house, pointed to the ground and said, “Hay hormigas cortadoras de hojas!” We saw a tiny flotilla of green sailing down the … Continue reading
The amnesia of motherhood
You’ve heard, if you’re a parent, the phrase, the amnesia of childbirth. Some people think the reason we mothers forget the pain of childbirth is that giving birth is so horrific we’d probably never do it again if we could … Continue reading
A healthy balance on the credit side
Life has taught me to be a little nervous when I’m really happy. I want to knock wood, or refuse to speak of it for fear the feeling will disappear. I remind myself of the Chinese peasant in The Good … Continue reading
Goodbye dry season
Every morning my eyes popped open to the same sun-soaked, chirp-filled backdrop of palm and cedar trees. Not that I’m complaining. It’s hard to imagine a better alarm clock. Sun-shy, I wished, to little avail, for a few clouds during … Continue reading
Puerto Viejo adventure
We planned our first trip to Puerto Viejo, on the Carribbean side, to coincide with the visit of my daughter, Bonnie, and my two granddaughters, Maiya and Bettie Belle. The luscious tropical resort area is a seven-hour trip from our … Continue reading
Fat maven
Articles about the benefits of coconut oil have been catching my attention lately. It appears to be a panacea; however, when claims made by advocates seem miraculous, I get suspicious. Coconut oil is a saturated fat. I’d always heard, and … Continue reading
Magical Thinking
In 2007, when I bought tickets for the Broadway show, The Year of Magical Thinking, staring the inimitable Vanessa Redgrave, and written by Joan Didion, I thought I’d signed on for an entertainment trifecta. Didion and Redgrave, luminaries of literature … Continue reading
¡Boy oh boyero!
What’s a boyero? I wondered, when I saw a notice for the Día National del Boyeros, a festival held in San Antonio de Escazu, in the Central Valley. A boyero, it turns out, is a man who drives an oxcart. … Continue reading
