My Own True Nature: Living in Blow-quete

So much for gentle breezes. Here the trade winds are howling through the neighborhood with a high degree of ferocity. These winds mean business. It does keep things cool, but there are no good hair days when it's this strong. It dies down periodically during the day, and then starts up again in the evenings. Not too bad really, but enough to blow my patio chair across the yard and take the top off the barbie (with coals inside) a bit dangerous to my way of thinking.
Root canal is over and done with. Yay! Happy to say that Dr. Myrna did a great job. It was a little more problematic than originally thought and took a while longer, but no extra charges. The best part of the process (if there can be a best part of a root canal) is that Dr. Myrna sang during the whole procedure. She has a lovely, peaceful voice and I was totally relaxed and mesmerized by her singing. I highly recommend all dentists sing to their patients and bypass the canned music.
Our friends from Bocas arrived last week with another friend of theirs in tow and we had a blast before, during, and after the Boquete Jazz and Blues Festival. Dennis's friend missed his plane in San Jose, Costa Rica and never made it. He missed a great time, but apparently a girlfriend in Costa Rica helped to soothe his disappointment. Next time, Tony.

We enjoyed the little crazy gringo parade and flash mob dance down in the town plaza. Kids from the weeklong art/music school also showed up and it was a festive time. In the evenings, there were jam sessions around town and we went to a few, but there were so many events going on, we decided to pick and choose. Glad we picked going to hear Rev. Billy Wirtz, an amazing piano player, social commentator/comedienne along the lines of a mix between Stephen Colbert and Jerry Lee Lewis. We had a blast.
Char and Pedr brought a slide show of their 45 day walk along the Camino in November and we celebrated with a Spanish night of wine, tapas, and paella. Victor regaled us with clarinet and guitar and a bit of Icelandic humor.
2 more days of non-stop fun with great weather, great music, and great friends. We said our goodbyes over some huevos rancheros at Olga's and dropped them off at the bus station in David. Not missing a beat, we returned to house chores. Mortar is almost done and Dennis is moving on to a carport/fiesta area. I snuck away for a painting class with some local Panamanian women who welcomed me with hugs and smiles, sharing their supplies until I can get some of my own. I have just enough Spanish to get by and 3 of the ladies had about the same English. The group meets above the fire station in a little open air room, next to the firemen's (bombas) sleeping quarters. Could have gotten very exciting if there was a fire. Hilda (pronounced Eelda) mi professora, gave me the homework of perfecting my leaf technique. I love my new friends. Maria, Angelique, Chollie, Jane, Gladys, and Marcela. There were a few others, but those are the names I can pronounce and spell.
I see there is another festival heading to town this week, but we'll miss out on this one. We have another spay/neuter clinic this Sunday and a trip to Volcan, a nearby town, on Saturday. And the beat goes on.
I saw this quote and had to share. They must be talking about my house. "LOVE GROWS BEST IN LITTLE HOUSES, WITH FEWER WALLS TO SEPARATE WHERE YOU EAT AND SLEEP SO CLOSE TOGETHER THAT YOU CAN'T HELP BUT COMMUNICATE. AND IF WE HAD MORE ROOM BETWEEN US, THINK OF ALL WE'D MISS. LOVE GROWS BEST IN LITTLE HOUSES." First Baptist Church Woodstock Women's Ministry