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I’m tired of trying to think of titles. From now on it’s just the date.

I haven’t been doing much lately. Well, maybe I have. I had dinner on Thursday with Jerry and Linda at Bluefin, which is just a bit down the hill from me. I was underwhelmed. I ordered Thai curry soup with chicken and a pasta dish. The soup seemed like plain coconut milk with a few pieces of chicken, not spicy at all. I ate it, and it ruined my appetite for the pasta. Oh, well. The pasta was good the next day. I would not go back. I bought fresh tuna from the pescadería (fish shop) the other night. It was only $4/pound, and it was fabulous. I also bought catfish. I’m going to experiment with it and see how it holds up to a recipe I like to use for a “fish fry.” I’d like to have the neighbors over. I feel like I should take my turn. And it’s a Wisconsin thing. Plus, they are very nice people. I really lucked out.

As I was walking into town the other day, I came upon a funeral. This is the main Catholic Church in town. They walk to the cemetery, which is about a quarter of a mile away.

I went to the Knitting Group on Friday. I got a nice walk in and was able to see some old friends. I felt like I had risen from the dead when Brandy saw me. She was so shocked. I don’t think I saw her at all last year. She lost her husband, Bob, to Covid, and I think she was out of commission for a bit. She was happy today. I love seeing her hug the Ngobe kids. She has established such a great connection with that community, as have a number of gringos here. It seems the happiest way to live here as an expat is to share your time and wealth somehow to make the community a better place for everyone.

This is the Knitting Group. I said Wednesday, but it should be Friday. They make hats, scarves, sweaters, blankets and other items for the indigenous. It is a very nice way to spend a couple of hours. As I view this video, I am still impressed that Cathy Schulte is still with us. She is the second from the right when the video first starts. Three years ago she had something wrong with her and looked like a resident of Auschwitz. I really thought I would never see her again. The following year she looked great. Then, last year she was hit by a bus and sustained some very serious injuries. But here she is!

As I was writing this, I realized that I haven’t volunteered for anything for a while. I was going to try the Boquete Library, which is a beautiful, mostly glass building. I haven’t done it yet. I just havent felt motivated to do that. It would be a three-mile walk each way. Actually, that might not be a bad idea. I’ll keep that in mind…no idea how long.

Sara sent me this photo of Cordelia the other day. I am so happy that she learned to knit at her school. And…I am happy that she enjoys it. I won’t push it. I’ll wait for the day when she asks me. I’m not holding my breath, mind you, but…you never know. Her grandmother also knits. I remember that as one of my favorite childhood memories: when my grandmother came to visit after Michele was born, and she taught me and Kathy (I think) how to knit. I was nine years old. She gave me a little ball of camel-colored yarn and a set of blue plastic double-pointed needles. I was in heaven. I would cast on 25 stitches, knit up all the yarn and then pull it apart and do it all over again.

Love that little face.

Tomorrow is the second fermentation for my next batch of kombucha. I’m trying to decide on a flavor. The last batch with papaya and passion fruit was so good. I think I might make one gallon of that and the other with pineapple and papaya. The pineapple should be interesting because it ferments really quickly. That’s why I usually don’t buy it. I’ve been burned a couple of times. But this will be a fun experiment.

I am so happy that I found kombucha just in time for the Surgeon General’s warning.

I also made yogurt today. After our Caminantes de Sábado (Saturday walkers) hike this morning (6 miles), I walked into town for a pedicure/manicure. I planned to buy milk and fruit and take a taxi home. Well, I got through the first part, but the taxi home part never happened. It is the last weekend of the Féria (Flower and Coffee Festival), and the town center was packed. There was not a taxi or bus to be had. I stopped at the bus stop, and when I asked which bus went past my place, the gentleman pointed to an empty parking spot. That means the bus will come, empty out and then sit there until it is full again. I didn’t feel like doing that. So, I ended up trekking up the mile and a half with the gallon of milk and fruit. So, for the day, I ended up with a little over nine miles, which I felt was good training. Now, I just have to do that all one more time, and that will be a day on the Camino. Fun, right Jolene?

I have had waves of joy come over me today after reading Dan’s email:

I’m sitting here, writing, windows open, curtains softly blowing….ahhh.

I’m preparing a piece, for my graduation from the Dreaming in Script Calligraphy class, which is not due for another month, so I’m taking my time. This final project has to be an exemplar of both majuscule (uppercasel) and miniscule (lowercase) letters as well as the numbers. Plus, and this is a big plus, it has to be done in Sumi (or Sumi-style) ink on 130-pound hotpressed paper (aka expensive). I just received a packet of 12 sheets of Arches paper, which means I have 24 opportunities to get it right, or as right as it can be. I have been VERY pleasantly surprised that one of the predictions of my teacher, David, came true. He said something like, “Trust me, you will come to love it. He’s very credible, and didn’t disappoint on this occasion.” The Sumi is very thick. It’s made from the soot of burning pinewood. So, it is hard to produce the fine hairlines, which make calligraphy look so beautiful. But I think it has gotten to the point of finesse, I just have to get the feel for this particulr ink, paper and pen. I think they will be with me for a long time. As I told David, “It feels professional.”

I started to watch Black Doves. Not for me. A bit too Action. I love Keira Knightly, but the splashing of blood has become almost comical. I got a few recommendations from friends at the Knitting Group yesterday: Saving Mr. Banks, Six triple Eight and Night Agent.

I think I’m going to organize a movie night here. Holly and Todd said they were in, so I’ll ask a couple of the others as well. Natalie has enough furniture here to have company, so we’ll see. I think Todd might be able to suggest a new series. He watches everything, like my sisters and friend, Mary. So I think that might be happening. I was going to do a TV night with Betty, but the driving here is too treacherous, so we decided not to do that.

Tonight I think I’m just going to read. I’m almost finished with Conversations with God. It’s my second time through, but I have discovered that I learn something new every time I read these spiritual books. I’m enjoying seeing Eckhart and Oprah together again. They are like little angels playing together here on Earth.

Hearing Eckhart had colon cancer made me skeptical of a post I saw yesterday. This guy sounded so credible to me until the very end where he talks about cancer being impossible if you’re vibrating correctly. ???

https://www.facebook.com/reel/912921014282999

I cracked open my latest brew of kombucha last night. I flavored it with papaya and passion fruit (maracuya). This will be my choice for the duration here. I doubt I will ever be able to replicate this flavor at home.

I was wondering if the passion fruit flavor would come through. It did indeed. Kombucha has definitely replaced my wine habit, hands down. I love when I open a new bottle, and it bubbles over like champagne. It feels so alive. I also love the feeling I experience when I reach for a drink of a second glass, and I don’t feel intoxicated. Instead I am pleasantly satisfied.

I am also so grateful that Natalie has an Instant Pot. Yesterday I made a delicious soup with giant white beans. It took less than an hour, and the beans were perfectly creamy. Also, thanks to the Instant Pot, I am also able to keep fresh yogurt on hand. It is SO much better than store bought.

This one has a dollop of St. Dalfour Four Fruits. All of their preserves are lovely. I made a mistake with my last batch of yogurt. I forgot to allow the milk to cool to 115 degrees before adding the starter. The final product was grainy milk. Gag. Dan would have used it. Mine went down the toilet. Sorry God.

I went for a rainy Palo Alto walk yesterday morning with Barbara and Debra. Now that Barbara has her wheels back, we’ll be seeing more of each other. She wants to learn how to make kombucha. Barbara was also a wine lover but quit almost a year ago, so she’s interested in trying this.

Here are a few shots from our walk. We met Barb at La Casita for coffee. She was driving her kitted-out golf cart. I would love one of these. Barb’s is the only one I’ve seen. Steffen did all the custom work on it to make it legal for the streets. She said that more are becoming available now that someone has created a business doing this.

Today is another rainy windy day. Yesterday, I watched as Martin and his helpers cut down bamboo across from my house. Today the wind is blowing it over.

The bamboo can really get out of control here. It reminds me of a lesson from my Hola Spanish class. The teacher, Brenda Romaniello, compared learning Spanish to the growth of bamboo. It starts out very slowly and then it suddenly shoots up, sometimes growing four feet per day!

Everyone is hunkering down this week. It is the week of the Boquete Flower and Coffee Fair. The traffic in town is overwhelming. So, locals stay home or leave town. Barb and Steffen left this morning for Pedasi on the southern coast. I don’t expect much other activity. Trivia and Tuesday Market are both cancelled because of the fair.

I will spend the next couple of days learning some new Zentangle patterns and build up my card supply.

A few weeks ago, I thought that I “should” write an ode to kombucha. Right now, I’m at my desk, practicing calligraphy, and again admiring my kombucha for coming into my life. I thought again about the ode. Then I thought of what it might be like to use AI to give me the technical information and how-to’s and I would just have the experience of the “writing of an ode.”

So, I asked AI, “How does one write an ode?” Perplexity answered as follows:

“Writing an ode is a creative and expressive endeavor that celebrates a person, object, event, or idea. Here’s a structured approach to crafting an ode:

Understanding the Ode

An ode is a lyrical poem dedicated to praising or celebrating its subject. It often conveys strong emotions and can be directed toward something absent, such as a beloved person or cherished object. Odes have their roots in ancient Greece and come in various forms, primarily categorized into three types:

• Pindaric Ode: Traditionally consists of three stanzas with a formal structure.
• Horatian Ode: Features one or more stanzas that follow the same structure.
• Irregular Ode: Lacks a specific pattern, allowing for more freedom in expression.

Steps to Write an Ode

1. Choose Your Subject:
   • Select something you are passionate about—this could be a person, an object, or even an abstract concept (e.g., love, nature) 13.
2. Decide on the Structure:
   • Determine which type of ode you want to write (Pindaric, Horatian, or Irregular). Consider how many stanzas you will include and how they will be structured 34.
3. Create a Title:
   • A typical title format is “Ode to [Subject]” or “An Ode to [Subject]” 24.
4. Generate Content:
   • Write down a list of praises for your subject. Include both broad themes and specific details that evoke strong feelings 4. Use vivid adjectives and verbs to bring your subject to life.
5. Incorporate Poetic Devices:
   • Utilize similes, metaphors, and hyperbole to enhance your expression. Repetition can also be effective in emphasizing key themes 34.
6. Write the Ode:
   • Begin composing your ode based on your notes and structure. Focus on creating a rhythmic flow—while rhyme is common in odes, it is not mandatory, especially in irregular odes 16.
7. Revise and Refine:
   • After drafting your ode, take some time away from it before revisiting for edits. Ensure that the language flows smoothly and captures the essence of your feelings toward the subject 34.
8. Finalize Your Work:
   • Once satisfied with your ode, give it a final read-through for any adjustments before considering it complete.

By following these steps, you can create an ode that not only honors its subject but also showcases your unique voice as a poet.”

Very interesting. I wonder if we all have a “unique voice as a poet.” This is recorded here as reference in case I decide to continue. My brain started shutting down at “Pindaric Ode.” But it made me think back to my 20’s to 50’s when I used to become interested in a topic and wonder where I could take a class. Then there was always the getting there and home (the city bus was my only option for many years) and having to do it at night after work. Ugh! So tiring. Look how lucky we are now to have technology. The answers are available instantly. I cannot imagine…nor do I care to imagine…what my life would be like without YouTube, Teachable, podcasts, Netflix. I have enjoyed so many more fun experiences since they all came along.

I was upset for a few minutes today when I read an article that was again pushing the “fear button” on the AI machine. I get it. We need to remain vigilant and informed, but the article provided zero assistance in how we might do that. This was my favorite line: “…it is becoming harder to mitigate unless people really start to think about reducing what they post online.” It sounds like he is blaming the victim. How about passing legislation that will prevent this from happening? From what I understand there are zero controls on AI right now. It’s the social media giants that need to take responsibility and not “use” humans to make more money. It seems to me that they would still be gazzilionaires from the money we would be willing to pay them to do things that we agree to and are not tricked into by capitalizing on our weaknesses. Okay, I’m done. And I’m going to read Vivek Murthy’s book, The Lonliness Epidemic.

Dinner last night for Holly’s birthday was divine. The restaurant was Nomad. It has apparently been here for years, and I never heard about it. Kathy, it’s right next to the Oasis where you and Dan stayed once. You’ve probably eaten there. I should have done a video. The ambience was truly heavenly: lush gardens, stone pathways, babbling brooks, lotus flowers, fireplaces, rock walls. And it made Holly very happy. She’s the one in the green.

Still watching Shrinking. I texted Dan and told him not to watch it. I don’t think he could handle it. He would cry too much. It even got me at one point, and I’m kind of a tough case…at least compared to him. This was one of my favorite lines today from Harrison Ford: “Babies are assholes.”

I was awake at 3:30 this morning, so I almost begged off, but I decided to join my neighborhood group for a hike. I’m happy I did. They said that they hike every Saturday morning at 7:30, rain or shine. We walked the Palo Alto loop, which is about 5.5 miles on back roads, some slight inclines, but mostly easy. Maybe Barbara can join us when her busy social life slows down a bit. It was a beautiful day. The rain has finally let up.

I finished watching Bad Sisters, and now I’m moving on to Shrinking. Let’s see if I can stay awake until at least 9 pm. Looking forward to a good night’s sleep.

I spent the afternoon at a lovely New Year’s day party at Betty’s. It was nice seeing Jude and Cheryl and Larry and Cathy. They all lived near me when I rented the Glass Cottage a couple of years ago. Also met some new people.

And then I came home to this sweet exchange on the Dreaming in Script calligraphy platform:

Hey you guys!

I’m sure you would have been seeing the dedication with which Christing Kunert is going through her ES practice! It is hugely inspiring to all of us here, and I thought of making this Nameplate for her as a token of my appreciation. 🙂 

Christine, believe me when I say, it’s not often at all when a Dreamer goes through the programme with such zeal and sincerity as you, much less the second time around! Not in my experience at least, which is ~4 years now. 😀

Thank you for being such an amazing motivator to pick up our pens and work a little harder on refining our scripts with each day of consistent practice! It has been fabulous getting to know you here! <3

—Sneha. (student mentor)

Beautiful! Hear, hear! Thank you for all of your hard work this year! Your script has made such incredible progress in the months you have been with us and I hope that you will continue to push yourself and your study for years to come. 🙂 

—David (DIS owner)

My response: Aww…you guys… :). What a nice surprise for New Year’s day. Thank you very much. As I have said before (and as Casey Stengel taught me), it’s only work if you’d rather be doing something else. There is nothing else that I would rather be doing (at least the majority of the time). Calligraphy in general, and this class in particular, have been such a gift. Thanks Sneha, David and Tony for always being so dedicated as well. Your feedback and interest go such a long, long way for me. I feel this is essential for a good, continued, guided practice. I couldn’t do it independently. 

I’m in the final strech for the graduation process. I just received my new pen and nibs, so I submitted a redo of my final “trained script.” It’s not a huge difference to the casual observer, but I sure liked it a lot better, even though there were a couple of ink blobs.

I retook the quiz and still got three wrong, which gives me a 94%. Not sure, but I think I need 95%. I’m waiting to hear from David. There as a bit of a snag. When David sent the email that I could retake the quiz, I couldn’t get it to work. I kept clicking on an answer, and nothing would happen. When I tried it the last time, it worked, but I hadn’t paid attention to the fact that there were two correct answers, and I only selected the one I was experimenting with. I explained to David what happened, and he said he would reset it again, since I got it right the first time, but when I finally took the quiz this morning, I intentionally answered the first question wrong because I felt like I was cheating.

So, we’ll see where I go from here. Happy New Year!!

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.