Category Archives: Fun

This Little Piggy Visits Our House

“Snort, snort, grunt!”

We heard this strange noise and the turkeys getting a little agitated making their bubble pop noises, so we peeked out the window and up comes trotting this friendly little pig right up to our doorstep.

Pig

So I grabbed the camera and this is what ensued.

It is so funny that in addition to all the wild creatures we have around like the birds, iguanas, geckos, turtles, hermit crabs, not to mention dogs and cats we also have the occasional farm animal (cow, pig, horse) stop by and visit our turkeys and chickens!

Pig at the gate
Let me in, let me in, by the hair of my chinny chin chin!

This pig was smart and obviously had been around humans before as he followed us right up and out the gate. Britton was watching him at the gate when our neighbor drove by and he said it was his pig and it must have jumped the wall of his cage. He and Britton attempted a conversation in Spanish (Britton’s still learning) and then the neighbor offered for us to buy the pig! We’re not quite ready for that just yet. Maybe down the line. He sure was cute though and didn’t want to leave!

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Wild Hermit Crabs in Puerto Rico

After a good rain we tend to see a lot of wild hermit crabs out and about. They are so cool. I want to learn more about them. Like, where do they find their shells? Some must be from the sea, but what a long way to travel when you’re that small! Some of them pick the most beautiful homes! Some are more reticent than others who like to pinch me when I pick them up. I just can’t help but want to look into their little home and at their weird pokey eyes, hard red crab legs and quivering antennae.

Hermit Carb
This guy was just not afraid of me at all!

One day I went out and saw two scrambling around right outside the cabana door. So the turkeys, chickens and I went to inspect them amidst the fallen mangos. In this video you get a sense of the scale of these hermit crabs in relation to the turkeys who look like huge dinosaurs tromping around. One of them looked just a like a rock moving around. What a strange and wondrous life it is to live in our own little nature show.

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Out and About: More Island Scenes

I hope you enjoy some of these recent island scenes from our yard and out and about.

Pomorrosa mulberry surinam cherry
Some of the delicious produce we grow here at our place: pomarrosa (large pink pear-shaped fruit), mulberry (black berry) and Surinam cherry (little pumpkin looking fruit)

Horse and seaThis sort of captures a feeling of Rincón doesn’t it? Horse and sea

Bazooka jack BK
Britton with a house jack through the tropical gardens to the cabin

DAR Wok eventAt the WOK for a fun fundraiser for DAR, the animal rescue group

Bright green tree frog
Check out this awesome frog we saw against a restaurant window after a heavy rain!

Parrot in the tree close
A wild parrot up in a tree

Turkey mama and babies
Turkey mama and even more pavitos came out of the forest. We’re going to have to downsize on the number of turkeys as we are getting overrun!

Island scene fruit vendor
Roadside fruit vendor under a mango tree (and/or broken down truck 😉 )

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Money Matters: Shop Smart and Shop Rarely

This is part of a series on finances. Here’s Part 1: How we live on just $1000/month.

Living in a super tiny indoor space (and a park-like outdoor space) as well as having a careful budget, has really helped to understand what is important and what is not. It has helped me to weigh in whether or not this or that purchase is really worth those valuable dollars, resources or space. In 300 square feet, even a new pair of shoes can take up a pretty large amount of real estate. As I have discussed before, many of our modern problems could be alleviated by simply not buying as much stuff! And we subscribe to this philosophy quite a bit.

But sometimes in this modern landscape we do still need to buy things. This is a point when you need to be careful where your dollars go if you are serious about becoming financially savvy and financially independent. But there can be lots of temptation and marketers that would have you believe that spending gobs of money is the only way for you to get your goods. I recently saw an ad posed as an article in a magazine that made me laugh out loud.

Money matters shopping
Do you see what I see?

At first glance it seems innocent and common enough. There is a list of the must-haves for going to the beach: Laura Prepon’s supposed picks. A tote bag, cover-up, bangle bracelet, bikini and wide brimmed hat. What made me laugh though, was when I totaled up the cost of these items: $298 for the tote, $98 for the cover-up, $75 for 3 bracelets, $225 for a bikini top and $150 for a bikini bottom, and $40 for the hat. Or a total of $886! And that is not including tax which in Puerto Rico would be about $102! So around $1,000 just to wear very little to the beach?!

Outfit
What’s in Cassie’s beach bag?

It got me thinking about my beach gear. Like Laura Prepon, the swimsuit from Marshall’s was the most expensive item at $25 (and both the top and bottom! Imagine that! You don’t have to choose whether to go topless or bottomless -haha). The hat from Me Salvé was $1.99. The tote bag I’ve had for about 15 years and I think cost something like $15 back in the day. The cover up I recently got at a clothing swap, so essentially cost me just cleaning out my clothes that no longer fit me (this is the best idea ever! -thanks Ocean State of Mind!). Regarding bracelets, for one thing I don’t wear any jewelry to the beach, but I just threw them in to be comparable. The green one I got at Kohls in Greeley for about $2 and the bead one was a gift from my momma (thanks Mom!) that I think was something like $10. For a grand total of $53.99! With tax that would be about $60 total. Quite a difference especially when you look essentially the same as if you had spent what the magazines want you to think you need!

Beach outfit
Are you beach ready at $60 or $1000?

So be careful what you buy and be careful what you read. Sometimes just reading or watching things like in magazines, catalogs, TV, internet, etc can make you want things that you would never have thought about before and also plant in your mind a sort of normalcy for spending outrageous amounts of money. Remember, if you are seeking financial freedom, your dollars are your freedom fighters so use them wisely! And while bargain shopping can be a game in and of itself, the truly best way to save money (not to mention the resources it took to make the items!) is to not spend it!

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