My Latest Adventure

I just had an interesting experience regarding learning Spanish. I went for a pedicure today, and the technician, Jezmine, and I started talking about music. She asked me who my favorite latin singer was. I thought for a few seconds and remembered, of course, Alenjandro Sanz. I fell in love with his voice while I was living with Fredy, Ana, Patricio and Maria Del Mar in Madrid for a month in 2000. I remember Maria Del Mar playing a particular song of his over and over again, and I loved it. I bought the CD to take home at the time. But I couldn’t remember the title. I probably never really paid attention at the time because I couldn’t understand anything. I had only been studying for a year. I told Jezmine I would find out and text her later. When I got home, I texted Maria Del Mar and asked her if she remembered the title. She texted me a YouTube recording. When I started listening to it, I was so shocked that I could understand some of it. So, I couldn’t focus on the melody, just the words. Very strange. It sounded so different. In the past his voice was just another instrument. Now my ears were focusing on the words.

So, now I’m listening to his music as an audio practice. He has such a beautiful, passionate voice. I think this is the song I remember hearing, but stayed tuned; it might change. Dang! Can’t embed it. It’s Quisiera Ser – In case I forget again.

This experience reminds me of Brenda Romaniello, the teacher of Hola Spanish. She said that the process of learning of a foreign language is similar to the growth of bamboo. It starts out very, very slowly and then suddenly shoots up rapidly. I felt that surge during the festivities for Arianna’s wedding and being with all of the Spanish-speaking guests. I will always remember Amanda saying to me that my Spanish was very good, that I didn’t even have an accent. Love that little girl.

And this is Jezmine.

I have to send her a text about the song. Jezmine is from Nicaragua. She went to school there and then moved here with some of her family to escape the political oppression in Nicaragua. She did a very nice job. I always love my ritual of getting a pedicure when I arrive. I’ve been here for a while, but it’s been too wet. Now we’re ready.

And one of my very favorite parts of coming to Boquete…Barbara! We shared a kombucha and a nice long chat.

We have started making plans to go to the beach when Samantha comes at the end of March. I can’t remember how much of this I have written already, but I met Samantha on El Camino Portugués in May. She is delightful. I’m looking forward to her visit. We will spend our last days at the beach and then fly home together on April 1.

This photo made me laugh (well, not out loud). It’s in the bathroom at the BCP where we play Trivia on Tuesday nights. Just in case you’re lost…

Trivia was fun. Always one of my favorite nights out. I joined Sara Crockett’s team. I had already met Gerry, and new people included Lana, Lucas, Phil and Kathy. I should have taken a photo. Next time. I earned my seat at the table when I knew the answer to a question that no one else knew: Twelve pices of what food is swallowed in Spain on New Year’s Eve for good luck? Green Grapes. Yay! I learned that on New Year’s Eve in Chile with Ana.

I am so happy that I am only 1.5 miles from town. I even walked home after Trivia. I was only a little apprehensive because of the darkness and traffic, but then I realized that there is a sidewalk the whole way. And there are lots of lighted restaurants and music playing, families still hanging out, chatting on the streets. I love it here.

Holly left yesterday to visit her son in the States for the holidays. She left me this gift. I texted her later and told her that I was only slightly disappointed because I thought they were cookies, but they are beautiful and smell divine.

Holly and Kathy came on Wednesday to learn how to do Zentangle. We had a nice time. Holly was so pleased that she is now an artist.

It is a sad story in the neighborhood that this tree needs to be cut down.

I don’t know what species tree it is, but Barbara said that the epiphyte is vanilla. I remembered that Madagascar is the chief producer of the vanilla orchid because it was a question at Trivia one night. I found this on Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanilla. I found it interesting that its production spread when a 12-year-slave, Edmond Albius, learned that it could be hand pollinated.

And this is my hanging spot. Not ideal, but better than nothing. I’m happy I brought my leather gloves, so I can handle the square rail instead of a round one. Also, all I have to do is bend at the knee and hang. I don’t have to worry about falling too far.

An acquantance here rigged up a pole across a doorway, fell and is now paralyzed. It must have been just a spring-loaded pole that is used for showers. I can’t imagine why she would think that was a good idea. I may be wrong. In any event, I heard that she is now trying to ambulate in an exoskeleton. Wow! That would be a huge challenge. Don’t even like to think about it.

Tomorrow is, ho-hum, another party day. The Gang is getting together at Gloria’s (where I rented a couple of years ago) to celebrate her and Betty’s birthdays. I hope Beth comes. I stood her up on Monday for her lunch birthday. I had it on my calendar for Wednesday. AND I stood up Cathy Schulte. I was supposed to meet her at the Christmas tree in the park on Tuesday at 10:30; I had it on my calendar for Thursday. I’m blaming Google Calendar. Actually, I am going to try another system. I’m going to add “Calendar” to my Coffee/Meditation/Heather slot first thing in the morning. I also need to go back and check the original communication where I set it up in the first place.

Okay, time to prepare for a Zoom with Dan, Denise and Randy.

My first batch of kombucha has been “corked.” And it is very good!

Betty was here the other night and was surprised that she liked it. I’ve also given a bottle to a neighbor, Janice Beecher, who lent me the jar on the left. I am now in the process of collecting empty wine bottles – with caps. It takes two weeks to reach its complete fermentation, so I’d like to always have some going and ready to be bottled.

Betty suggested a movie to watch when she came on Friday: Carry-On. She didn’t know much about it except that Justin Batemen was one of the leading actors. It was SO awful. I have never seen an “action” movie before, and I don’t ever need to see another one. I imagine it being produced by a couple of teenage boys. The shooting and car crashes are so over-the-top ridiculous that they are comical. So, next time, we’ll go back to our original idea: Black Doves. I have also started a binge on Yellowstone.

Saturday morning I had breakfast at Aleman Bakery with the gang. It was a beautiful day. Looks like the rainy season is coming to an end.

Aleman is a beautiful, mostly outdoor restaurant right on the main road coming into town from the south. It has expanded over the years from a tiny bakery (I remember going there with Dan around 2009 – I think) to this decent-sized restaurant with a lovely garden. Beth and Gloria couldn’t join us, but we’re having lunch for Beth’s birthday at Mike’s Global Grill Wednesday afternoon, so hopefully I’ll see them there. If not, perhaps the birthday party at Gloria’s on the 20th. Or…I’m also spending Christmas with this group at Las Lajas. Always a good time.

My friend, Samantha, whom I met on El Camino Portugues last May is coming down the week of March 16th. She, Barbara Fiorucci and I will be wrapping up her visit with a few days at Las Lajas as well. It’s a nice way to wrap up a visit to Panama. I’ll be headed back to Wisconsin shortly after that.

This morning I went for a long walk with Debra. She volunteered a while ago to walk Kathy Jacobson’s (my neighbor) dog JW (Jessie Wolf). We walked into town and through Library Park, which is a beautiful addition to Boquete. It’s been there about five years now and just gets better and better.

There were a couple of young ladies there all decked out for their Quinciñera, a right of passage of Latina girls celebrating their 15th birthday. It is very much like a wedding, with formal dresses, attending maids, flowers, church service, just no guy. I can only imagine the expense. I’ve heard the family starts saving for this party as soon as the girl is born.

On our way home, we stopped and said hello to Barb and Steffen, Debra’s homeowners. Barb is now fully healed after knee surgery in Germany and is back to her crazy nights of dancing at The Boquete Brewery. Steffen – not so much. :). Barb is a wild child; Steffen is German and super handy. He kitted out a golf cart for Barb to drive back and forth from the bar. They also purchased a property behind their house, and he is renovating the two houses on it. I remember Steffen getting very upset because his flammkueche

burned in Murray’s oven last year. It was still delicous.

Maria del Mar sent me these photos today. I just love her kids, Amanda and Einar. Maria, Jannko and the kids stayed with us for Arianna’s wedding.

This is a photo I took of Amanda when she dressed up in my outfit for the wedding.

Sara took them all Trick or Treating. Einar was so proud of himself because his Spider Man costume had muscles. Cordelia and Marie were League of our Own players. So cute. Maria found Einar hiding behind the couch one morning eating candy.

Tony Esposito, one of the student mentors from Dreaming in Script, posted this photo after I asked him to clarify what he meant by using construction lines to help him write a letter correctly. He’s an engineer and a very good penman. The beauty of precision.

I finished the first two seasons of The Diplomat, which was excellent. While waiting for the third season, Betty and I are going to start watching Black Doves. The trailer looks kind of violent, but Keira Knightley plays a role that reminds me of Salander from the Stieg Larson books (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest). I love Salander; she made me want to buy a taser. I even checked with the police department to see what it required. I never did it, but I would if I felt the necessity. Betty is coming for dinner tonight. I’m going to try another recipe with the Air Fryer: chicken thighs with panko, parmesan and lemon. I’m also going to make linguini with marinara, salad and a dessert (homemade yogurt with berries).

I’ve decided the only place I can do my brachiation (monkey hangs) is from one of the railings on the patio. It’s not ideal because the railings are square, but I brought my leather “gloves” along, which makes the grip much easier. I could skip it for the four months I’m here, but it took me a while to work up to the one minute I’ve accomplished, so I don’t want to lose that. I’m doing it at the back of the house and out of sight. Hope Martín doesn’t see me and wonder what the heck I’m doing. The one problem with this is that I have to wait for a break in the rain. When the sun came out this morning, I hurried outside, only to have it start raining again as soon as I started my countdown. Oh, well, I didn’t melt.

Dan sent me a link to one of Peter Attia’s videos. Attia is a physician who specializes in healthy longevity. He’s interviewing a physiologist by the name of Belinda Becker.

Becker conducted a research study in Australia putting elderly people through a weight lifting routine and then measuring their bone mass. I haven’t seen the details of the study, which I plan to do, but she said the results were significant, and some of the participants even got taller! Not by much (0.5 cm), but it sure beats shrinking!

I’m still working on my osteoporosis article. I plan to wrap it up shortly. I think my conclusion is going to be that I am going to continue my refusal of medication in favor of increased exercise and collagen. The results of my last bone scan were improved, but the practitioner blew it off. I also might participate in the program being offered by OsteoStrong, a new franchise near our house in Delafield. Basically, you have a DEXA scan done, engage in their osteoloading program for three months, take AlgaeCal (a seaweed supplement) and have a repeat DEXA scan at the end of that period. If you do not see a certain amount of improvement (not sure how much right now) they will give you all your money back. I plan to start that when I get home. Can’t hurt. The deal is actually being offered by AlgaeCal, not OsteoStrong; they work together.

Wednesday was an eating -out day. I met Jerry and Linda for lunch at the Sandwich Shop. I hadn’t seen them since their trip to Vietnam. As I expected, Linda hated it (too hot with horrible food), and Jerry loved it. He was there during the Vietnam War, so was impressed by their recovery and hospitality.

Dinner was with Kathy Jacobson and Holly Lane, my neighbors here in Boquete Gardens. We were going to go to Tiny Buddha, but they were closed; suprisingly, because Kathy had made reservations! We ended up at Christopher’s, which was no disappointment. Kathy and Holly both eat only meat and loved their steaks. I had the risotto with cauliflower and Holly’s vegetables. I actually had that for three meals.

After dinner we walked to El Parque Central to see the decorations, which were much nicer than prior years.

This little clip cracked me up. I love the look on his face at that end, like he’s saying, “Pretty good, right?!”

Mickey was moved to a new room at Shorehaven. She has improved so much that she no longer needs skilled nursing. She is actually walking again. I didn’t think I would see that happen, but again, it shows the power of physical therapy. She has also gained quite a reputation as a sheepshead player. She told me that one day, she had to be taken on “an emergency basis” to play with a group of guys whose fourth didn’t show up. She didn’t even have time to put in her hearing aids. She beat them all, and they have asked for her ever since.

I talked to Lynne yesterday, and I was surprised when she asked me how my back was doing. I completely forgot. It settled down very quickly.

My lower back is very sore. I’ve been walking to and from town, and although it is only about two miles round trip, the climb up the hill is waking up muscles I haven’t used for a while. I’m happy Jolene is taking this seriously. She has started walking to and from her dental clinic, so we’re off to a good start. No whining on the Camno.

I have a lunch date at the Sandwich Shop today with Jerry and Linda (my former landlords) so I’ll have to walk into town for that. But I’m going to skip my Primal Moves workout today, just for a bit of a break. Tylenol and Fisiocrem help as well. I am assuming that Jerry and Linda will offer me a ride home since they have items for me from Pricesmart. I know if Jerry is reading this, he will say he can’t do it.

The rainy season is forecasted to extend longer than usual, so there has been on and off rain since I arrived. I had to order a new rain jacket, since I lost mine, as well as a couple pair of closed-toe shoes. I wasn’t anticipating this, plus it’s a great excuse to buy new shoes. I was happy to see the rainbow still making an appearance.

The past couple of days it hasn’t been raining very much. I woke up yesterday morning to this lovely welcome.

Barbara came for a visit a couple of days ago. It is always so great to see her. We chatted for quite a long time, as usual, before Murray’s smiling face was here to collect her. I’m looking forward to spending more time with her and the Wednesday Girls. I live very close to Debra and Barb (the other two members of the group) now, so it will be much easier to get together.

Martin is the caretaker here. He came this morning to replace the shade that fell the other night.

He is a very nice man, and I am happy for the opportunity to speak Spanish with him, as well as with Digna, the cleaning person. She was SO happy that I spoke Spanish.

I don’t think I have posted anything regarding calligraphy since April, when I started my class with Dreaming in Script. In short, it has been amazing. The instruction via the Teachable platform is well organized with videos and prompts, and the feedback is more than I expected. David Grimes is the owner and main teacher, and there are two student mentors, Sneha and Tony. I receive feedback from at least one and sometimes all of them within 24 hours. My classmates also provide feedback.

I completed the course the first time a couple of months ago. Since it does not end until April, David suggested that I start from the beginning and do the entire program again. This has been a valuable experience. So many times I have felt like I had never seen the lesson before. There is so much to take in.

This is an example of how technical things have become. All of the red marks are mine: an indication to the instructors that I understand where I need improvement.

And…case in point. I just received this feedback from Tony, one of the mentors:

Looking great!! Your dedication is inspiring. I continue to be impressed by your practice of the numbers. My numbers are particularly weak because I don’t practice them much. I need to follow in your footsteps, haha! I’ll provide two thoughts that might help with the construction of the des: 

• The des, as we’ve discussed in the past, is a full rotation of the asc. This means you should achieve a hairline before you make the turn at the bottom. Your shades here stretch a bit too far. 
• You are very close to achieving the almond shape. The final refinement is that the second half, the portion that reaches back up to the baseline, needs to be a bit straighter. Look at the portion below between the blue dots. Do you notice how straight it is? It isn’t perfectly straight, but quite a bit straighter than yours here.

Again, great work!!!

I am in the process of completing the Production Agreement with Austin Maculey. It gets a bit tiresome having to rewrite things like a Bio and Synopsis. Each publisher has different specifications in regard to word length and focus. I also have to submit a photo for the cover as well as one of myself. The cover photo was easy.

The photo of myself is proving more difficult.

I’ve been invited to dinner this evening with new neighbors, Kathy Jacobson and Holly Lane (isn’t that a cool name). I made these for them. Too bad I didn’t guage the script correctly to accommodate the hole. Oh well, they’re giftable. 🙂

I just received a phone call from the Eli Lilly drug company. They asked if I would be interested in participating in a study regarding their new drug for the heart condition I have (elevated lipoprotein A). The interviewer didn’t have the name of the drug, but I have heard that there is a new drug coming out which switches off the gene that causes this issue. Stay tuned.

Okay, off to lunch.

I just signed a contract with Austin Macauley to publish my book, One Woman’s Camino. I have been told that the process takes 10 months. I’m just a little bit nervous that it will take time away from the other things that I love to do, but it’s only 10 months. I hope I don’t have to do a lot of rewriting. I’m sick of reading it.

Austin Macauley is what is known as a hybrid publisher. I was holding out for a traditional publishing house offer, but I don’t think it’s going to happen, and I got this email from Austin Macauley:

“Thank you for your email. I fully understand that most people feel that the traditional model of publishing is the only viable option these days. However, as I am sure you know, the publishing industry is an extremely saturated market, meaning that a large majority of traditional publishers will close their doors to both newer and established authors alike. This makes it extremely difficult for authors to break into the traditional publishing ring. Therefore, the hybrid model of publishing has become increasingly popular during the last fifteen years as it minimizes the risk in taking on an author and it gives these authors the chance to have their works seen around the world.

I would like to emphasize that the Board reviews all works with a view to offering a non-contributory agreement in the first instance and their decision is not solely based in the quality of your work; The Board will only offer a contract to works that they truly appreciate and would really like to work with, such as yours. To clarify further, the choice to offer a traditional contract is a lengthy process in which we must consider the author’s publishing history, strength of their profile, current market trends and many factors must be accounted for when offering a contract; therefore, we will ask the author for a contribution towards the publication costs rather than reject a work with excellent potential. Each contributory fee detailed under Clause 15 represents roughly 1/3 of the overall publication costs, regardless of the option you choose. We would be covering the remaining 2/3 of that cost, which is why we refer to this offer as a partnership-based offer. As we work predominantly with new authors who we hope to introduce to the market, the contributory fee allows us to work with them while remaining pragmatic.”

I’m also working on an article about my experience with the medical community and the diagnosis of osteoporosis. I want to have some people review it before I post it to Substack. It basically is just asking questions about the diagnosis and treatment that no one seems able to answer for me. Stay tuned.

Last night, I attended a neighborhood party at the home of Lesley and Don Hughes. They seem a very welcoming and supportive group. I feel fortunate to be here; it’s the first time I have actually lived in a neighborhood. Lesley and Don just completed some extensive landscaping, and the effect is enchanting.

We celebrated a number of birthdays, including Natalie’s. Happy Birthday Natalie!

Lesley and Giselle:

I received one communication from Dan yesterday. “Fantastic day of skiing.”

We’re both happy.

I had an enjoyable experience today working with the Geek Squad over the phone. I called them because I couldn’t get my printer to work. It worked fine last year, but now…no. I tried to download a new printer driver from HP, but they said they no longer support this printer. So, I got on the phone with the Geek Squad. I eventually ended up with tech support in Panama City. I first spoke with a delightful young man, Steven, who said he grew up in this province (Chiriqui) and then moved to PC for his job. We talked about the rain and the parades and the rain and the beauty and the rain. He couldn’t get the printer to work, so he transferred me to the next level. I hung up my phone, but they still had control of my Mac. Eventually Primoul came on, and in very short order he got the printer to work. He also said he noticed that my system was kind of sluggish, so he fixed that and cleaned up old files. I was so impressed. Ten years ago I could barely get decent Internet here. Now I’m able to get technical problems fixed in a snap. And at the end of the chat he typed in “Thanks for your love and support.” Amazing.

It is not quite 9:00 am, and I have already done my morning routine of meditation and exercise, walked into town, bought basic groceries which should last me awhile…

and now I’m here at the computer ready to do some writing.

This is the excerpt, which I mentioned in the prior post, from Kim Suhr’s new book, Close Call. It is from the final essay in the book, Eradicated. I loved it and had her send me the file to share with my calligraphy class and here.

Dr. Bells, the “I” in the scene below, has come to one of the last “Artist Colonies,” a place where creatives are quarantined from the rest of the public because they suffer from “Artism,” in a world where creativity is seen as a mental illness and must be eradicated. He is a researcher and wants to see the last of the creatives before they go extinct, “like the glaciers.” Working on his notes one night, he notices that he has–without realizing it–created (yes, CREATED!) illuminations in his notes and one of the residents/patients, Elizabeth, takes him down to the community art room to ink it. (They allow artists to create all the art they want–but it is incinerated rather than going out into circulation, presumably without their knowledge.) 

I took the pen in hand and bounced it a couple of times to acclimate to its mass compared to the pencil. I practiced for a time before settling in. I wrote, ‘The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dogs.’ Where had that sentence come from? The ink glided onto the paper with a satisfying sweep. Elizabeth found an extra small nib for the tiny outlines on my embellishments, and I used the magnifying glass on a stand to put in the finishing touches.

When I finished, I held up the last sheet and couldn’t help myself. “Lovely.”

Elizabeth smiled. “Absolutely lovely.”

I couldn’t leave the pages there to dry, but they would smear if I moved them.

“I know.” Elizabeth found containers of paint and small tubs of clay to weigh down the corners. “Here.” She handed me a piece of cardboard. “Fan.”

She moved her own cardboard just above the papers kicking up enough wind for me to feel it on my face. It felt like summer. I started to fan, too, and noticed the ink drying. The places where it was dry were slightly lighter than the wet spots. Before long, the four sheets were completely dry.

Elizabeth looked pleased. “There, now you can take them back to your room and finish your article or chapter or what- ever you’re writing.”

“A bit of each.” I carefully stacked the papers alternating horizontal and vertical just to be sure they didn’t smear. “It’s silly, though. I’m the only one who will see these.” My manuscripts would be sent electronically, of course.

“It’s not about who sees it, silly,” Elizabeth said as if she was talking to a nine-year-old. “It’s about who makes it, how it makes you feel.”

“But—”

“Well, of course, it is important, inspirational, informational for the viewer even, but everyone here will tell you they’ll keep making art whether anyone else will ever see it or not.” She paused long enough to make me uncomfortable. “We make it even though no one will ever see it.”

I was supposed to conclude she was talking hypothetically, but I knew if I met her eyes, they would confirm that she knew exactly what became of all the artwork created in the colony. Nothing.

She took my chin in her hand and tipped my face up, so I had to look at her. “We make it anyway. Maybe that makes us insane.” She smiled. “Maybe not.” 

Today at 1 pm I have the appointment with Austin MacCauley Publishing. Hope I get it right this time.

At 5:30, I’m going to Lesley’s house for a neighborhood party. It will be great to meet everyone. I am going to experiment with Natalie’s Instant Air Fryer and make Sweet Chili Chicken Wings.

This is to answer the question “What do you DO all day?” It is my general daily schedule.

7-8 Coffee/Emails/Heather

8-9 Meditate

9-11 Exercise/Walk/Shop

11-2 Calligraphy (Podcasts/Books)

2-4 Paint/Write

4-5 Spanish Class

5-7 Cook/Knit/Netflix

7-9 Read

So, way ahead of schedule. That’s what happens when one gets up at 4 am. Still adjusting I think.

Right now I’m going to make yogurt and then get to my calligraphy.

I arrived in Panama on December 1. Fernando, my favorite taxi driver, picked me up at the airport and then took me to the Do It Center to find an Instant Pot and glass jars for my kombucha. No Instant Pot there, but I did find a nice gallon jar to prepare the kombucha. He then dropped me off at Los Pinos, where I experienced some minor disappointment. I was anticipating that my room was going to look like the photos on booking.com. They were close, but no balcony. The one in the photo on booking.com belonged to the next unit over. What they called a balcony in this place was laughable. It was just a narrow hallway, (about 3′ x 8′) that had an open area and rail at the far end. I asked about this balcony, and the owner came and asked if I wanted to change rooms. I was thinking about it, but, in the meantime, I texted my friend, Natalie Kelly, to let her know that I had arrived. She reminded me that she and Mike had to go to the US because Mike needed medical treatment. They will not be back here for many months. Long story short: I left Los Pinos and am now happily ensconced in Mike and Natalie’s house.

This house is a bit less than a mile from el Centro – perfect. I walked in this morning to go to the Tuesday Market and to the grocery store to buy some sugar (to make kombucha) and yogurt (to make my yogurt in the Instant Pot). Another big plus about staying here is that Natalie has a fully equipped kitchen. So, I didn’t have to worry about finding an Instant Pot. There is also an Instant Air Fryer here. I’ve never used one of those.

I stopped at Baris’s booth at the Tuesday Market and bought a supply of CHOX.

Kombucha made. Two weeks to wait.

I got off to a roaring start with the publisher. We had an appointment for our first meeting today at 1 pm EST…I thought. It was actually noon. Dang! I put it on my calendar at noon, but it was changed to 1 pm when I entered EST. Oh well. She was very nice about it, and we now meet on 12/5.

I haven’t posted anything about calligraphy since I joined the Dreaming in Script class in April. What a great experience. I finished the course a short time ago, and David, the owner/instructor, suggested I start from the beginning and do it all again. I find it interesting that I do not remember some of these lessons. There is so much to learn. I don’t think I have ever felt this passionate about anything artistic. This class in particular pushes all the buttons: precision, language, dexterity, focus, memory… David, and the student mentors, Sneha and Tony provide detailed feedback almost immediately. I don’t waste time making the same mistakes over and over. And they don’t just tell me it’s wrong; they suggest techniques to do it correctly. So different from my prior experience.

Sneha posts a prompt on Sundays called Words of the Week. These prompts highlight a specific word group that share distinct characteristics. This is the first part of my daily practice. Then I go back and repeat lessons in the Course Directory.

The numbers on the above photo are the width of letters and their connections. I used to detest (as in resist) this part of the course. It just seemed so messy, but I am getting better at it, and then, of course, it’s more fun. I am amazed how there is improvement every single day.

This has become a very spiritual practice for me. One day, while I was struggling with a letterform, I heard a voice say, “Just let ME do it!” I stopped trying to control the pen so much, relaxed and just watched as my hand wrote. I have never before experienced this feeling of Consciousness creating through me. This is joy: The feeling you get when God is saying, “That’s it! This is what I want to do through you.”

I recently finished reading, Close Call, written by a friend, Kim Suhr. I loved the final essay, called Artism. (Funny, AI wanted that to be Autism, very relevant – not insightful, but it gets it right sometimes.)

Here is an excerpt: Oops…can’t send until tomorrow. Stay tuned.

The complex I’m living in is called Boquete Gardens (NOT the Boquete Garden Inn, as my taxi driver thought and seemed very annoyed when we had to track down Natalie’s house. All fairness to him, no one seems to know this place is call Boquete Gardens except the people who live here.) There are about 10 houses (not sure). I already know one of the residents, Lesley Hughes. Lesley was the head of Boquete Health and Hospice where I volunteered for a while. Natalie and I trained with Lesley as new volunteers. Lesley sent me a WhatsApp text almost immediately after she learned I was moving in, inviting me to the group chat as well as to a party on Dec. 5th. I met Billy on the road this morning as I was returning from town. I met Kathy Jacobson yesterday, as she was the person “with the key.” I’ll leave that in quotes for now.

Just talked to my niece, Jolene. We are planning to do El Primitivo, a Camino in Spain. She just let me know that she got the time off. We’re going in September 2025. Yay! Time for another adventure!

Today I asked Claude (claude.ai), my AI friend, to take my Address List, which has been compiled over my lifetime in the form of a Word table, and import it into my Contacts. It took a couple of attempts, but it was finally successful. It imported over 300 names, phone numbers and addresses from this table to my Contacts. I am entirely impressed.

Also, yesterday, I imported all my medical workup from 2023 and 2024, including labwork, angiograms, EKG and medication list into Claude and asked questions regarding my results. It asked me about my diet and exercise routine. Again, I was very impressed by the feedback. A few days ago, I was thinking that my angiogram results were worse. Claude’s analysis explained how the results may actually be an improvement, although there were still some areas of concern. It also gave me a questions (prioritized) to ask my doctor when I meet with her on 11/7.

I am now in the process of writing an article about my experience with the diagnosis of osteoporosis. Stay tuned.

I got home last night about 7:30 pm. Dan had dinner waiting for me, and there were welcome-home flowers from my sisters. How lucky am I?

After the Porto challenge, my trip was relatively smooth sailing. I met a sweet mom-and-son couple, Lecia and Harlan, while waiting in line at the gate in Lisbon. They were returning from the Taylor Swift concert in Madrid. It was a 16-year birthday gift for Harlan, and by the sounds of it, this was a good excuse for Mom as well.

I laughed at one point in our conversation when they were showing me photos of the Golden Doodle puppy they adopted a few years ago.

I said, “Aren’t dogs great? They are such perfect creatures.”

Harlan said, “She reminds me of Gigi.”

Lecia offered, “Gigi was my mom. She died in Apri.”

“Aww,” I said, “You see your grandmother in the dog?”

“No,” he responded, “In you.” 🙂

Turned out their seats were right behind mine. I caught this as I was heading for the bathroom.

And hallelujah for Global Entry. When I was coming through Customs in Chicago, there were thousands of people in line. I zipped through without waiting a single second!

It was a delight to have my French press coffee this morning and pay a visit to my garden.

I was also delighted on my way home to receive a couple of messages from mentors in Dreaming in Script, in response to my latest calligraphy submission. I submitted the sample with a list of 14 comments I saw as errors/weaknesses.

From Sneha: “These are looking so awesome, Christine! It’s easier to see 14 things of what you’d like to improve, but how about picking 14 things or more that you’re happy with? 🙂 I see so many great things happening on this page! <3 

I’ll share one with you: your ASC loops are gorgeous and have a lovely consistency!”

From Tony: “Sneha is very good at reminding us to focus on the things that are going well as much as the things that are not. 🙂 

I agree with her that your ascender loops are stunning. Your “l” and “b” in the third line are chef’s kiss.”

So, now that I’m home, I can print the required sheet to submit this formally. This is required to move forward in the class.

I may have said it before, but it bares repeating because it has become even more true. This is the worst job I have ever done at choosing a flight itinerary. I was already kicking myself for the 10-hour layover in Lisbon on the way in. Wasn’t I suprised when I arrived in Lisbon from Porto, on my 11 pm flight last night, and proceeded to connect with my 12:40 (thinking it was am) flight to Chicago, only to discover that it was for 12:40 pm the next day!! I wasn’t even thinking that airlines use military time. If it were actually 12:40 am, it would have said, 0040.

The only thing that took the sting off was Michele’s coincidental message letting me know that Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts. It helped…some. I tried sleeping in a chair, in a couple of chairs, and on a bench, but the sounds of construction would not allow me to sleep. I finally went into the bathroom, went to the farthest stall, put on my rain gear for warmth, used one of my cubes for a pillow, curled up in a fetal position and slept on the floor. It wasn’t great, because of the occasional slammping of stall doors, but I did get a little sleep. I swear, this will never happen again.

I continue to be amazed at the number of smokers here and in Spain. I saw these images on tobacco products in the duty-free shopping area:

It’s 8:20 am. I have four hours until my flight. I just spotted a McDonald’s in the food court here. Perhaps I can get a decent cup of coffee, which I will enjoy while I do calligraphy.

Also, such a gift that Trump will be sentenced on my birthday. Thank you God.