By now, middle of March, it hasn’t rained in about 4 months here in the central valley. While the coast gets more rain, it’s dry as a bone there, too, by all accounts.

Costa Rica has two seasons: wet and dry. Starting in May, it rains off and on for a couple of months, then pours down for about five more. The rainy season ends late November and end it does. Nada drop. My yard is now completely brown, as are the fields all around us.

Apparently the local kids, just for fun, set ’em on fire just to watch the burn. Fire IS fascinating… you can stand and watch it burn for quite some time before tiring of it. At least once a day for the past month or so, there is smoke billowing past our windows… Even our vista over the city of San Jose looks a little smoky these days. There is some burning of crop fields, true. But there ain’t no crops around here.

Tonight as I was driving home, there was yet another fire by the side of the road to my house. Last week, the bomberos [bomb-BEAR-os, firemen] and their truck were parked outside my house for a few hours. The field behind us was on fire and my neighbors house was at risk… he has a wire fence and a wood house. Fortunately, the fire burned itself out before it got close. We have a tall brick fence and a CBS house so we feel pretty safe. Besides, most of the fields have already been burned right around us. We’re good to go till next year.

My friend Pat from Key West was just here. He owns property in Potrero, which is on the Guanacaste Province near the coast. He spent a few days around here, then Arenal, then went to visit his land. He said there were fires all around Potrero and Flamingo. He was thankful he hadn’t built a house there yet. ‘Cause it might be burning now, too!