Gratitude

Missing my family this week.  I can't remember a time when we weren't together for the Thanksgiving holiday.  Last year, Dennis and I spent Thanksgiving volunteering at the Lake City Senior City serving Thanksgiving dinners to over 500 families.  This year, we'll head to Hotel Ciudad de David for a Thanksgiving meal and the hopes of meeting other families in our new community.  
Holidays always give us a perspective.  Often, it is how we make connections.  Yes, there is a huge meal involved, and for many, a chance to step away from the daily routine of work and be with loved ones, whether they are family, friends, or other fellow human beings.  Those things transcend distance and I know my family and friends know they are in my heart this day and every day and that my love for all of them is not diminished by the miles between us.
Gratitude comes in many sizes.  I am grateful for all the people that have found a place in my life giving me so many rich and wonderful experiences.  I am grateful for all the opportunities I have been given for a comfortable life, an education, opportunities to serve, my health, travel, and a never ending desire for spiritual enrichment.
Each morning I say a blessing which includes opening my heart and letting healing blessings of love flow into my world.  I bless my family and friends, my neighbors and community, the people who have helped me and the ones who have challenged me to open my heart a little more, our leaders both spiritual and political, the young and aged, the sick and impoverished, the unawakened and the awakened, the ones facing hardships and the ones who give unceasingly.  I send blessings to our planet for healing and renewal of our earth, air, and water, and for the healing and protection of all living species. Knowing that we are all connected and dependent upon one another brings joy and gratitude for my bigger family.  To all my friends and family in the US, Canada, and Central America.   HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Fuimos a la playa (We went to the beach)

Just got back from 3 fantastic days at Las Lajas Beach Resort.  We've been there before, but only for the day, so this was a real treat.  Friends Sylvia, Dennis (yes, another Dennis), Jim and Lesia joined us for a little fun in the sun.  Miles of beach to walk and explore, a hammock to rock me to sleep, birds and butterflies galore, a lovely outdoor restaurant and a delicious pool to wile away the hours and great company made for a wonderful time.  Dennis convinced me the sharks were on holiday and the water was safe, so we rented boogie boards and had a blast. I'm a timid chicken when it comes to the ocean, but it was so nice.  I can't wait to do this again.
 We explored the area a bit as well and took in the sights in Remedios, a little fishing village where we chatted with a local family and played with their pet monkey.  The monkey was quite attached to his little owners, but  tolerated us for a bit.  There were fishing nets and boats everywhere as this is the main industry of the area.
We take so much for granted and this little village was a real eye opener.  Most people walk or bike everywhere and only a few homes had cars. A few others had horses for transportation and I saw several folks riding around.   The family we met was very gracious and pleasant, but I am sure we appeared very foreign to them.  They had a small shack for a home with no doors, no floor and very little furniture that I could see.  Most of their living was done outdoors, yet they were all smiling and eager to answer all of our questions about the area.   I think I heard there is a big fishing festival in July here (remember what I said about fiestas) so we may have to return and check it out.
 We  took a side trip to Nancito to a  small archeological site with an interpretive museum and many incredible petroglyphs.  We hit it on a good day as there was no fee.  The fee is usually only $1.00, but free is nice too.  We walked around with a very helpful guide and learned a bit of the history of the area.  Sylvia helped to translate as she is a fluent spanish speaker.  As is often the case, a farmer found the petroglyphs while tilling the land.  Nice that they are being somewhat preserved, although nature is having its way with many of the rocks and they are cracking and are quite weathered.
We then moved on to San Felix to view the church, but it was locked during lunchtime which was when we got there.  It is known for its frescos, so we peered in the windows as best we could and then found a street vendor setting up for....you guessed it....another fiesta.  We had some empanadas and meat on a stick (couldn't say this in spanish if I tried) and said our goodbyes and headed back home, a little sunburned, but very happy.  TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND ENJOY YOUR LIFE.

Can there ever be too many holidays?

Just returned from our Monday morning hike where I found out that today was another Panamanian holiday.  November is chock full of them (not that I mind one bit) and many of the stores were closed for the day.  Kind of put a kabosh on Dennis going to David for some roofing supplies, but he didn't seem to mind too much.  Banks, schools,  and government offices were shut down as was the utility company and our favorite hardware store for paint.  Others remained open and it seems that participation is optional when it comes to being abierto(open) or cerrado(closed)
  I kind of had an inkling of a few of the holidays celebrated this month, but somehow this one escaped me.  My take on this is that people here work very hard, especially the people who are the really physical workers.  People put in long, hot hours, sometimes for little pay, and holidays are a nice break to gather with friends and family, throw a fiesta and catch a parade or two.  And after all, who doesn't like a day off?  Nobody is going to get a snow day here.  For those of you interested, here is a run down of holidays just for the month of November.
Nov. 3 - Independence Day
Nov. 5- Colon Day
Nov. 10 (but celebrated today on the 11th) Shout in Villa de Los Santos
Nov. 25 Independence from Spain (day off)
Nov. 28 Independence from Spain
Any holiday that lands on a Sunday automatically is celebrated on Monday for a nice long weekend.  And according to my spanish teacher, the celebrations will last from 25th to the 30th. with people coming from all over Panama to Boquete to celebrate.  Can you say, "Cervesa, por favor?"
I'm beginning to feel a shift in the weather with little breezes in the morning foretelling of the tradewinds that are soon to arrive.  We've had a few days of sunshine with no rain, and so I think the rainy season is dwindling.  With this incentive, I got busy the other day planting a few things around the yard.  I put in a papaya tree and 2 other trees that I don't know the names of.  One has beautiful red and green leaves with yellow stripes and the other has upside down trumpet looking flowers that come in a variety of colors.  Also planted some climbing vines along the fence to eventually hide the chain link, several other bushes and got a start on my herb garden with some lemon balm and basil.  Lesia gave us cuttings from her garden, (check out the pic of a small part of her gardens)  but I also found a few 'must haves' along our hike this morning and grabbed those as well.  FYI, don't grab bougainvillea branches with your bare hands.  They have huge thorns. There will be blood.  Got most everything in so they can take root before the winds dry things out  and blow them away.  (Hoping to give my good friend, Deb some competition in the planting department.)
Spanish lessons are on break for a week or two, while Evelyn begins building on her new home.  I've posted some pics of Evelyn and Henry, who co-teach the class and are wonderfully patient with my efforts.  I can't wait for classes to start up again.  Wish I could close my eyes, and when they open, I would be fluent.  Sadly, it doesn't work that way and I am having to put in at least an hour a day to see any real progress.
Check out the thai lemons Lesia is holding.  Also the beautiful murals she has in her entry area to the house.  Jim is on the steps with Dennis 'supervising' the plant selections.  HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY TO ALL WHO SERVED AND ARE SERVING NOW.

All work and no play........

Hola amigos,
Sunday afternoon and having a relaxing afternoon after a very busy week.  The driveway is in and looks great.  Dennis worked many hours raking it and is a real 'rockstar'.  The rocks finally arrived on Halloween (was this a trick) so we jumped on it and got 2 truckloads.  One more should do it,  but for now we don't have to wade through water to get into the house.  That's always nice.
Made the rounds on Halloween, first to see our friend's husband's band and get our dancing ya-ya's.  After that, we headed to Amigo's for the annual 'Monster Mash", but after a day of driveway raking, we were ready to head home.  I'm amazed we lasted that long.  My favorite costume of the night was a man covered in paint samples.  When I finally gave up on guessing what he was.....he told me he was '50 shades of grey'.
We've had some gorgeous mornings lately and I have a gang of regulars (birds) who visit.  I got a few pics of my favorite ones.  One little sparrow is getting very brave and has come into the house twice checking things out.
Tried to plant some flowers the other day and got an ankle full of bullet ants.  Ouch!  Will have to rethink my strategy on that one.  Today I bought an agave plant and want to add that to the mix.  I was warned they grow very tall so will plant it along one of the fences where it will have room to do its thing.  Now I have to learn how to make tequila.  Not!
Today was the monthly flea market AND it was also one of the Independence Day holidays, so we scooted over to Dolega for the market and then cruised downtown for the big parade.  The kids were adorable and the dancing and drumming was awesome.  The festivities will go on until Tuesday, but the parade was the kickoff.  Caleb...the kids in green are from the International School.  Just thought you'd want to know the uniform YOU would be wearing.   Also made a quick stop at the Mercado for some avocados, onions, and potatoes. Total was $1.25.   They are building a new mercado (sorely needed) , so it is temporarily an open air market, which I like a lot.  A bit hot for the vendors though.  Soon they will have a nice cool building to sell their vegetables.  Enjoy the pics.  The 2nd to the thelast photo is my friend Lorena and her youngest daughter, Sierra.  Her other daughter, Isabella, was marching in the parade.  "TODAY WAS GOOD.  TODAY WAS FUN.  TOMORROW WILL BE ANOTHER ONE." Dr Seuss