It’s been quite a while since I’ve been here. There just hasn’t been much to talk about or time to read other articles. I’m finally recovering from that dang cold that hung on forever. The band has been keeping me busy between gigs, practice, and learning new songs. There is just way too much interesting music out there, and we always find more songs than we can possibly learn!
Life in Panama is going on as usual. After five years everything is just normal life, and it’s easy to forget that to others it’s all new and interesting. We woke up today to no power and very little water. The power came back shortly, but now it’s out again. The power is usually quite reliable so this is unusual. Oh! It’s on again, just a short outage, never mind.
The water is less reliable. It may be inconvenient but it’s not that big a deal. We have stored water on hand, and it’s usually out for a few hours or maybe half a day. It’s been out longer only a couple times but they sent a water truck around to fill any container you gave them. Today was a short outage, and if you want more water there is plenty pouring off the roof at the moment.
We are in the rainiest of the rainy season right now. The rain should taper off over the next month until it stops entirely in mid/late December. I know it’s a hassle for people out and about, but I love the rain. Morning are usually clear and beautiful, a good time to be out if there are things to do. Then, come home in the afternoon, enjoy the rain when it comes, and enjoy the cool air. I love sitting on the terrace and looking at the yard when everything is so lush and green.
Oh yes, earthquake! We were driving home from a gig last night and didn’t feel it, but many others did. It was a 6.5 in central Costa Rica. We have felt quite a few others though. It’s a very odd feeling to have the ground under you shaking and moving, and a good reminder that we are only small beings on this massive and powerful earth.
Otherwise… we still have birds, bugs, lizards, and other wildlife, often in the house. There was a very interesting bug in the shower the other day, like a large, long legged spider with a beetle body, but only six legs so not a spider. I should have taken a picture but I was busy trying to trap him while Joel stood on the drain where he had seen the bug escape before. I managed to get it outside where it scurried off PDQ.
The rain seems to be tapering off, but the thunder is still strong enough to set off a car alarm nearby. I have a good size metal baking pan that I use as a birdbath. It was empty when the rain started and now it’s overflowing, and I’ve seen it rain way more than this at other times. But, this is the tropics where the air is warm, and the water that falls from the sky is also warm so life goes on through it all.
Life in Panama… it’s a pretty chill life if you want it to be. Nobody cares if you haven’t mowed your yard in a month, or if your dog barks, or if you are having band practice in your house for four hours, or if your laundry has been hanging in the carport for days. Enjoy life. Don’t sweat the small stuff. It’s all small stuff. Life is good.
