Rooster Serenade

Well it's a new year and we are coasting along, waiting for the next development in our long term plan. Today we have something to celebrate. We just got an email from our builder/developer to say that the first phase of our home is complete. Farid,our sales rep, had already told us that the house shell was up but this notice makes it official. It also means we have to wire more money for the next phase of the house. Anyway, it actually seems real now as we have a picture of the exterior of our home. It doesn't look like much yet, but when finished it will be a plain, modern,white villa. I'm already dreaming of interior and exterior finishes to make it ours.

Tomorrow Bob and I are going to Albrook Mall to buy a real mattress. The "mattress" in our rented digs is always a challenge, when one must crawl each morning from the deep furrows created by our reclining bodies. I'm always amazed that I'm not crippled by the lack of support in the "mattress". I think it must be  one of the $50 ones you can fold and bring home in your car from "El Machetaza", a local discount store. Anyway, tomorrow we get ourselves a Sealy or Simmonds at "The Do It Centre". I can't wait!

Speaking of "El Machetaza",we rather like going there as it has a bit of everything, kind of like Zellers or Walmart. Presently the only close one (30km.) is in Penonome but I understand that there is one coming into one of the new malls in Coronado, which will be very handy, as we generally go there (Coronado) for banking, groceries, vet, doctor etc. El Machetaza means machete, an iconic object in Panama, and until fairly recently, it was the exclusive tool for cutting grass. Now that's doing it the hard way, especially in a tropical climate and definitely not for wimps! Today grass is mostly cut with whipper snippers, which is still  hard going but works well especially on highway medians and hillsides. I admire those guys, who are covered from head to toe... goggles, a heavy hood, gloves and a long apron wrapped around them. You would think they would melt or pass out from the heat.  Some are working in the middle of the highway, which isn't real safe either. The vacant lot next to us is at least two acres and took a guy 2 days to cut with a whipper snipper... just crazy. You don't see many lawnmowers like we are used to although  there are a few pushmowers being used on our street on bigger "fincas" i.e.estates but no riding mowers to be seen at all.

It's definitely summer here with clear blue skies and lovely breezes most of the time. It's very dry, though, quite a change from just a couple of months ago. Recently we had an acquaintance, Deb Pearce, visit from Canada. She and some family members were staying at the Decameron and we had the pleasure of showing Deb and Dari around a little of the neigbourhood including where our house is being built at Playa Blanca . I met Deb and Dari at spanish class in Orangeville several years ago and we reconnected at Christmas time when Bob and I stopped in at Mochaberry, in Orangeville, where Deb is part owner. For those of you who have loved that special coffee place, Deb and her partners are selling up, as they are ready to move on to new adventures. Hope it stays as good as it is now.

Update We went to Panama to shop and the new mattress arrives tomorrow. You wouldn't believe the amount of paperwork for one item, I can't imagine what it will be like when we have to buy multiple items before we move in. Antonio, the manager who helped us at The Do It Centre , was very charming and helpful and we will deal with him in the future.

 I named this piece in honor of the rooster, who serenaded us all the way to Panama City on the bus. I guess he was being taken to visit his city relatives. No dogs are allowed on the bus but fowl are OK.

The shell of our house is up!

Well that's it for now, blog ya later.

Chris