Month: December 2024

I started my day with calligraphy. I was happy that the Super Glue worked, and the calligraphy pen is now functional. I completed my first assignment toward applying for the certification.

As usual, I wanted to redo it, but we’ve been encouraged not to do that. Overall, it’s okay, but I’m still battling with ink. This looks clunky to me. The hairlines need to be finer.

The next step was to take the quiz, which I did. In order to be eligible to apply for the certification one must score 95%. I scored 92%, so I get one more chance to take it over. I’m waiting for David’s email to reset my quiz.

The rest of the morning I spent on Holly’s birthday card. I enjoyed playing with a new toy: an electric wax melter and metal wax molds. It’s going to take some practice. The number of wax buttons to melt and how to press the embosser into the ink is tricky. I overdid it a bit with this one, but it was after at least 10 tries, so this is as good as it’s going to get for today.

The electric wax melter is a big improvement over the one I had, which I had to hold over a flame – very tiresome – and hard to clean. This device gets very hot and melts the wax quickly, and it cleans up very easily with a paper towel.

I thought I could watch Bad Sisters and knit for the rest of the day, but I forgot about my Soul Matters class, which meets tomorrow. So, I’ll have to prep for that first. I don’t want to try to squeeze it in tomorrow morning. I plan to walk into town and do some shopping in the morning.

I have finally come to accept that that is all this is. My calligraphy pen holder has come loose, with the flange spinning in the wood socket whenever I apply pressure. It is, at present, unusable.

Again, I love technology. I texted Ash Giri, my former teacher and the maker of this pen, asking what could be done. He said to use Super Glue. I texted Natalie and asked if she had any. In short order she texted back, “Drawer to the left of the washing machine, under the tape.” Sure enough, there is was, and my pen holder is now healing. Isn’t it amazing that we can keep the entire contents of our houses in our brains?

I’m just a little concerned about the pen because I just began the necessary work leading toward graduation. I am encouraged, however, by the fact that I just received a notification from Red N Blue (where I keep a delivery box) that I have two packages to pick up. So, hopefully, it is one of them. There is a third one outstanding, so it could still be a while. I’ll just have to miss it for a while. Keeping my fingers crossed that the Super Glue will do the trick.

So, since I couldn’t write, I decided to make cards. I need a birthday card for Holly for her birthday dinner on January 3, and I would like to send a card to a friend in the US who has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer.

I was chatting with Mickey this morning, and she told me that she couldn’t read the last calligraphy sample I posted. It is actually UK Postal codes. Sorry Mickey.

Here’s a quiz: Which letter is missing a large element? I had to leave it off because I did not plan the start of the letter properly.

I’m bingeing on Bad Sisters. It’s a good one. I have also been laughing out loud watching Nate Bargatze. I think I’ve seen the three Netflix videos he has done. Today he mentioned that he and his father have done shows together. His father is a magician. I bet that would be a fabulous show.

I am happy that I took the time to prepare the tax data for Dan, so he won’t need to ask me for it. Aren’t I thoughtful? And I did the setup for our church auction, which doesn’t start until February 1, Now I can play for a while. That just reminded me of being a senior in high school and having my term paper on Woodrow Wilson done way ahead of time. For safekeeping, I put it in some newspapers and into a drawer on the bottom of a bookcase. When I went to retrieve it at the end of the course, my mother told me that she put it out for the newspaper drive. And then Jim Jeske stole my notecards, so I had to start from scratch. The theft was not discovered until the teacher received two papers on Woodrow Wilson. Let’s just say Mr. Jeske was not the sharpest knife in the drawer. He’s dead now. Probably went to hell for that.

I was just relieved to discover that I have enough food to last me for another day, so I don’t have to walk into town. Monday, I’ll be back on the road. Sunday is a day of rest, as it should be. The Catholics got that one right. Too bad they made the rule that you have to go to church as well, otherwise it would have been perfect.

We spent a lovely Christmas at Las Lajas. I don’t think I could ever get tired of that place. It is heavenly. Throughout our visit, I practiced my chosen assignment for my Soul Matters group: reapeating to myself, “I will never have this experience again.” I know it is very likely that I will, indeed, be there again, but I realize that it will never be the same.

For example, perhaps next time we will have hot water. I say that in jest because it was an issue while we were there. I honestly didn’t care. My thought was that Dan had somehow tampered with the heat settings. It was tepid; and some in our group did care. It was a surprise to us all that one now has to press a button to start the hot water heater. They just installed this system a year ago, and there has definitely been a “failure to communicate.”

In any event, the visit was, as always, magical.

Last night we watched (Netflix) a stand-up comedian by the name of Nate Bargatze. I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. Betty said that this was his third Netflix presentation. I will definitely watch the other two. I found that he is going to be in Chicago on October 24, 2025. I think it might be fun, and then I think again. If I could just blink my eyes….

It’s always nice to be home. I was happy to have enough time to fit in a bit of calligraphy. My course is winding down. I will be applying for graduation in January. There is a quiz and then a Certificate of Merit, which I must pen myself and submit to David Grimes. It has to be penned in sumi ink, which has been a challenge for me because it is so heavy, and it is hard to produce fine hairlines, but it’s getting better. I’m going to have to find the special paper I need, which is Arches. I’m hoping to find it in town. If not, I will have to order it on Amazon, wait about two weeks and pay $10 more than the price of the paper. Oh well, I guess you would call those first-world problems.

I was also happy to come home to my kombucha which has aged to perfection. I think I must write an ode to kombucha. But first I would have to figure out how to write an ode. This batch is a bit more tangy than my past brews, but it is still satisfying, and it does not disturb my sleep the way wine sometimes can.

So, when I say “back to work,” I mean that I have to start collecting tax info for Dan, and I am also preparing for our upcoming church auction. Those will both begin tomorrow…I think. A therapist once asked me, “Have you always been so rigid?” So, I’m working on that, and her words give me a very comfortable excuse to…give it one more day.

I received an email from Austin Macauley with their artist’s suggestion for the cover. I made a few comments and sent it back. I’ll post it when it’s finalized.

I finished my Yellowstone binge. Now I’m trying to access 1833. The series moved from Netflix to Paramount, so I’m trying to get that working. It’s only 7:30 pm, so I have plenty of time.

I’m at the beach and SO busy. I’m just going to catch up with photos.

On December 20th, Gloria had a get-together at her house. It was a birthday party for herself and Betty. It was nice seeing some old friends.

It was a short party and early enough that I decided to walk home. I was a little concerned because I was wearing Birkenstocks, but I walked slowly, and it was fine. Probably five miles.

We arrived at Las Lajas yesterday afternoon. This place is paradise. Welcome to Las Lajas!

My calligraphy desk.

My morning walk. It was VERY hot. I only managed a bit over an hour. I felt like I was being suffocated. But as soon as I got out of the sun and under the roofs of the resort, it was/is perfectly comfortable.

There’s a bit of a buzz here with the talk of Trump taking back the Panama Canal. A friend of mine had this to say: “Well, the President of Panamá has a degree in Maritime law from Tulane, so let’s see how this turns out in the future episodes.”

I’ve decided to put “my little research” into osteoporosis on hold until spring. My sister, Kathy, and I are going to take part in a program being offered by AlgaeCal (seaweed calcium supplement) in conjunction with Osteostrong, a new franchise in town. AlgaeCal is offering a money-back guarantee if one’s DEXA scan results do not improve by a certain percentage after three months of taking the supplement and engaging in the OsteoStrong program. I figured I have nothing to lose.

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.