One of these days, we are going to get it together!

November 9^th, 2012 David, Chiriqui Provence, Republic of Panama. 

Yup, that's where I live. 

Tomorrow will be one month since I left Florida. Tonight will be one week since the whole family came home. In some ways it has gone so fast, and in others so much has happened its hard to believe it's all taken place in less than a month.

Maybe we are going to get things in order here. Maybe... someday. I can see that there is an end in sight, maybe not close, but certainly closer than it was. Today we bought shelving, the other big thing missing from the house. It gets old having everything in boxes the floors. We still need a table in the living room, more dishes, and other things but they are smaller and less urgent. I still want to finish cleaning and painting the house but we can live with it as is for a while.

Basic things are getting easier. I bought a second gas can for the house today, and found the shop in just a few minutes!! The first time I looked for three days without success and finally got a cab driver to take me there. It's close to KFC. No, it's not close to KFC. It's behind the FUR place (he meant the Ford dealer!) It's on the highway. It's not on the highway. It seems directions are a challenge for everyone here, and the locals don't have the same sense of explaining where things are that we do. The language barrier doesn't help either.

Today ma decided it would be fun to go out for lunch, so we headed for a restaurant we'd been to in the past and liked a lot (El Fagon). We had a general idea where it was but couldn't find it, so we stopped to ask a police man. He was wonderful! He got on the phone to check the location, and then told us in great detail three times. Then he asked for paper and drew us a map, explaining twice more exactly where we needed to go. This way... turn right, then 5 blocks turn left, car dealership on the corner, to the 4 lane road, etc etc. we head down the street ready to turn right, glanced to the left and THERE it was! We were just around the corner. Where would we have ended up if we followed his directions?

We did find the restaurant and we had a very nice lunch. I had something like lemonade but it was made with pineapple (the fresh fruit). wow! It was great. I will have to try and make some of that at home. I bought a juicer yesterday so I can do things like that. But, I digress... 

We also found the gas can place. Today we, also found shelves, a laundry basket and trash can, and more pineapples, papayas and other produce. Priorities, you know! If you have amazing fresh pineapples and papayas every day, you have to smile. 1 large papaya, 2 pineapples, 4 very large tomatoes, a cucumber, a dozen oranges, two grapefruit $8.25. Everything is grown nearby, picked ripe, sold fresh, and it tastes amazing. 

We also had another wonderful conversation with our neighbors. Maybe I have an idea now where to find a gardening store, and if not he offered to go with us. I also have a lead on where to buy ma some dresses that she would like for the warm climate here. Maybe tomorrow we will go scope that out.  

I think it's time I try to slow down and start doing some of the things I was looking forward to doing here. This afternoon we took a walk in the woods across the street from us. It is mostly huge tall pine trees and some of the biggest banana trees I've ever seen. Yes, that fuzzy little thing is Joel standing under the banana trees. 

 I also want to go back to the river again, and walk around the neighborhood more.

I'm still amazed by all the birds! I've seen these birds walking but they are so shy that by the time I get to the street they are in the woods. I got lucky yesterday though and caught a decent picture of one.

I also saw this bird on the utility wire. It was tiny. I thought it was a humming bird but I don't think they usually sit on wires.

Of course I'm still in love with clouds, and sometimes there are some awesome clouds around here! We are still in winter which is the rainy season. I understand that summer, the dry season should start in a month or so, and last maybe three months. It will be a bit warmer, but dryer and more windy so it's actually more comfortable. So far we have managed fine without AC, so it will be interesting to get the electric bill.

Speaking of bills, when we got home today, the water/sewer and trash bill was stuck in the gate. $24.12 for water (that is for THREE months), and $15.36 for bi-weekly trash pickup (also for three months). It's included in my rent so the landlords pay it on line.

I'm going to try to work a bit more on my blog, and maybe try some more videos. I've been starting to put my blog posts on WordPress also. I think that site will be a bit easier for me to use. So, little by little, things are getting done.