Category: Uncategorized

I had such a full day, that it felt like two: coffee, meditation, meeting with Dan and financial planner, meeting with Kathie for my lastest 20 pages, primal movements, editing those pages, finishing up and submitting the next 20, practicing calligraphy, having a very satisfying dinner and now working on the blog. Whew! These are times that I really miss my glass of wine. I’ll have to settle for tea.

I’m pushing myself a little bit because I want to have the second draft of the book finished before I go home on the 1st. Looks like that is going to happen. Once I get that out of the way, I will feel free to play full time. I’m meeting up Barbara, Barb and Debra on the next two Wednesdays. Wednesdays have turned out to be “our day,” The 20th we are going to hike and then have lunch at the new Israeli restaurant. The 27th we are going to Pascal’s farm.

From the 21st to the 25th I’m going to Las Lajas with the gang. Herta might have to miss because she has a sick cat. Hope she can make it. It will be nice to have everyone together.

So, I’m pretty much hold up here until I finish this second draft.

This past Wednesday I went to Barbara and Murray’s for lunch with Barb and Stefan and Pascal and Debra. Stefan made a dish called flammkuchen, Murray made his famous pizza, Debra made a salad, and I made Jose Andre’s wrinkled potatoes with salsa verde.

It was a fun afternoon. I felt like I was in a TV production with Stefan and Murray in the kitchen. They were both nervous about stepping on each others’ toes, but I didn’t see any fights breaking out. Stefan got a bit upset when he discovered that the outdoor pizza oven was too hot to bake the flammkuchen properly. We all found it fabulous.

So, what is flammkuchen? Basically, it’s a French-German-Swiss pizza. It originated in the Alsace region of France, which borders Germany and Switzerland. The dough is super thin, and it contains no yeast. Here are a few photos of Stefan’s creations.

More images of the day:

March 17: I finally made time to finish this posting. It’s two days after the party, but I didn’t want to finish until I figured out how to edit videos. I think I got it. So a few “action” scenes from our great day at Barbara and Murray’s.

I am also exceedingly happy to report that his morning I finished the second draft of the book. The next step is formatting, and then after Kathie finishes editing my last two submissions, we will begin the marketing process. Hallelujah!!

Now I am free to play. Tomorrow I have my last appointment with the dentist for the crown. Barbara and I are going to get together either before or after that. I may even start making a few cards. I haven’t had time for that since I’ve been here.

The water has been turned off here since 3/11. Luckily, I’m the only one in the house right now, so the tank reservoir is still supplying tap water. However, I’ve been conserving – no showering or doing laundry. So far, so good.

Jerry just sent me this photo from Vietnam:

I texted Linda a few days ago and asked if she was having fun. She did not respond. I am judging from this photo that she is likely extremely overwhelmed. Hope I’m wrong.

How lucky am I to have a husband like Dan? He has been FaceTiming me to show me all the cleaning he has been doing. He was especially happy with his clean refrigerator. I asked him if he shared this joy with his guy friends. He said that he did, and they told him he was gay. That’s fine with me – in more ways than one. It is such a joy to come home to a clean house.

Dan hung in there and skied the Birkie again this year, but he was certainly disappointed with the conditions. Instead of skiing the hills and valleys of the Birkie course, the skiers were relegated to a 10K loop (on machine-made snow) that they repeated three times. Looking forward to 2025. When I was explaining to my taxi driver today that they had to make snow with a machine, he was incredulous. I wish I could have recorded his reaction. It was hilarious. He was also shocked when I told him that I spend four months here without my husband.

Wow! I started this entry over a week ago. Not much has been happening. I was feeling under the weather for a couple of days, so didn’t do much at all. I am also dealing with this crown replacement. I was in the chair for over two hours on Monday, and the dentist couldn’t complete the job because of inflammation and bleeding from all her digging around. So, she put on the temporary crown, which I later felt had two sharp points on it that commenced to tear up my tongue. I tried filing it down with a nail file and jabbed myself in the gum. I then tried covering it with chewing gum. Not great. I managed to file it down somewhat, and my tongue is now starting to get used to it, so it’s not so painful. I go back tomorrow to get the impression done. It’s a hassle, but a crown here is only $500, so I want to finish it while I’m here. Always something.

I’ve had a couple of lovely get-togethers. Saturday night Jerry and Linda made dinner for Betty and me. I even got Linda to smile a little for a photo.

Jerry loves entertaining…and baking. This is his banana cream pie. It was great!

Jerry and Linda leave tomorrow for Vietnam. Linda finally said she was going to try to enjoy it. Yay! She came down this afternoon to say goodbye and told me how much she enjoyed having me as a tenant. That was so sweet. We even shared a hug.

This afternoon, I was SO happy to have lunch with Adrianna, Charlie, Jon and Rosa. It’s the first and last time I will see them this year. I have rented from Jon in years past, and I met Adrianna and Charlie when they were Jon’s neighbors. I also rented from Adrianna and Charlie one year. They have a home in Charleston and spend more time there now because they have a young granddaughter they spend a lot of time watching. Rosa is Jon’s caretaker.

The lunch was wonderful. As well as numerous appetizers, Adrianna prepared a polenta and salad.

It was an interesting conversation. Both guys have transgender young adults in their families and were confused how to deal with it. When I suggested that they just love them, they were concerned that this attitude would encourage them to continue with a choice that might be a mistake. Tough times for these old guys.

Dan and I have been talking a lot recently, planning our upcoming Camino in May. I think we have most things booked. I’ve also been spending a lot of time on writing. I’m quite sure the second draft will be finished before I leave here. That’s the goal. Then it’s on to marketing.

Tomorrow…back to the dentist!

Today was one of my very favorite calligraphy days ever. I love making things and giving them as gifts. It is sort of the same way I feel when I’m knitting something for someone. I think about the joy of that exchange. Sharing gifts, especially those I have created.

The project today was finishing up this set of nametags that I made for the staff at Las Lajas. One day, during my last visit there in January, as I was sitting at a table in the restaurant/bar, Doris, one of the wait staff, stopped and chatted with me as I wrote. I told her that I was going to make them all nametags, and she provided me with the names.

What made it even more rewarding was the fact that I had to make my own gold ink. I thought I had a bottle here, and I do, but it’s empty. I took the plunge and mixed watercolor from a tube along with water to make it runny enough to flow. Another first: I “loaded the nib” with a paintbrush, instead of dipping it into the ink. It took just a little getting used to. Unfortunately, I have no idea of the wearability of this paint. In any event, the nametags will be covered with plastic.

Barbara and I are planning a trip there from March 17-19. I’m looking forward to sharing them.

I was listening to Julia Louis Dreyfus’ podcast today. She was interviewing Fran Lebowitz. One thing that made me happy was hearing Leibowitz say, “If someone says they love the process of writing, they are probably not very good writers.” I don’t have to force trying to love it. I also have a nice little break from the “deadline” feeling. Kathie is off next Friday, so I have two weeks to produce the next 20 pages. Love these breaks. That’s when I can do calligraphy.

I’m also happy that the auction is finished, and my watercolor paper is here, Soon, I’m going to start making cards again.

I’ve been having issues logging in to WordPress. I wasn’t getting the verification code, but it came through today, albeit taking a while.

Yesterday, I walked to the dentist to have the work started on the new crown. After the nearly four-mile walk, I discovered there was no electricity at the clinic. The loss of power was blamed on the wind. It is ferocious, as it usually is this time of year. Happily, it was at my back for most of my walk. The dentist and I waited an hour, but it never came back on, so I made an appointment for Monday. After that visit, I walked back into town, did a little shopping and took the bus home. The walk into town is now much better that I have poles – thanks Barb! And the bus ride home is also enjoyable. My only issue with this walk is that it takes so much time.

I met Barbara at the market on Tuesday morning to shop for our Wednesday lunch with Debra and Barb. This is my favorite place to buy kale. The huge bunch in this photo is only $3.

Tuesday night Trivia was fun, as always. Linda panicked at the outset because Brandy, the gamemaster, announced that the water was out, so the bathrooms were closed, and we would have to go outside. Linda pushed her glass of water away and said she didn’t think she could make it all night because she had bladder issues. I promised her I would go outside with her and shield her from public view. I don’t think that went over very well, and we were all happy when the announcement was made that the bathrooms had opened.

Stopping for an ice cream at Gelato after Trivia has now become a tradition. Linda doesn’t like the trend because she is worried about Jerry’s health, but he insists he is doing it for me. Works for me!

And she even made a joke at the shop. When it came time to pay, she said that since it was my idea, I could pay for them all. Then she smiled and said she was kidding. This is a rare and lovely surprise.

Wednesday morning, Barbara picked me up at 9 am, and we went to Barb and Debra’s where we begin the Alto Lino loop. It’s about 5-1/2 miles. It was a beautiful, sunny, perfect day with just a bit of bajareque. After the walk, we had lunch at Debra’s. I made puttanesca and a salad. The bus in the photo is one that has been out of commission for awhile, and everyone is happy to see it back.

Dan and I have been fine-tuning our Camino plans. He sent me two videos, one of each route option. One option is the Coastal route; the other is the Central. My vote, hands down, is for the Coastal. As the name suggests, it is mostly along the ocean. The Central, also as the name implies, is more urban. I wanted to include the video here, but for some reason, I can’t embed the YouTube URL, but a search on YouTube for “Joseph Rasmussen” will bring it up. The video is called Camino de Santiago | Portuguese Coastal Route & Spiritual Variant – 350km. I’m looking forward to this walk. I’ve decided to accept whatever Dan plans, and if a given day is too much for me, I’ll take a taxi. That’s the plan anyhow. If there is no taxi… I guess we’ll have to see what happens.

Jerry just made a delivery – plum tart.

And the latest calligraphy. I sent it to Ash. We’ll see if he responds. I didn’t mark my errors. I’m guessing he’ll do that for me. I can see the capital D and the capital C are wonky.

I spent a good part of my day today making nametags for the staff at Las Lajas. I want to gift those when Barbara and I go there on March 17-19. My last hoorah.

After the journey to pick up my credit cards, I am home safe and sound. Before I left home, I received three other texts/calls from community members who became aware of my lost cards and wanted to help. One person, Geovanna, from the drumming group, said her friend, Rita, found the cards. I’m not sure how, but Geovanna said she remembered me from past times. That surprised me because I think we only met once at drumming a couple of years ago. In any event, she called to tell me my cards were at La Casa de Paz. I already knew that due to the initial call from the library. Geovanna offered directions. She was very concerned when I said I planned to walk there, but I assured her I was fine. She offered to call me a cab and act as a translator if needed. Amazing.

Okay break here…going out to dinner for Nancy and Kathy’s BD.

Okay, I’m back. So, I’ll finish the first story and then continue with dinner.

So…I set out on my walk to La Casa de Paz. I walked past Alto Dorado and Gago, as instructed by Geovanna. I then turned left, as instructed. I was told to go to the end of the road, and there I would find La Casa de Paz. The road looked questionable at first glance. It was a narrow, gravel road that did not look important enough to have a Casa de Paz. I stopped immediately at the gate of an elderly couple working outside in their garden and asked them if La Casa de Paz was at the end of this road. No. They told me it was on the other side of the highway, a left after Alto Dorado. Apparently, Geovanna gave me directions coming from the south.

I crossed the highway and headed back in the direction from which I came. As I approached Alto Dorado, Nancy and Kathy pulled up. Nancy was dropping Kathy off (this is where she lives). I asked them if they knew where Casa de Paz was located. Nancy thought she did. So she and I took the left, meandered a bit, but with the help of some local construction workers, we were pointed in the right direction.

We finally found the building. Nancy turned to pull into the parking lot, and the right front of her car went right into a ditch. I was going to go inside to ask for help, but I couldn’t open the door. We were in that deep. Nancy was trying to go in reverse, to no avail. The grinding of her tires brought a gentleman outside. He stood and assessed the situation for a bit and then, almost like magic, three other men showed up. Two of them got into the back seat behind the driver’s side. Another put what looked like a railroad tie under the right front tire and then Nancy was able to gain traction and pull her car out of the ditch.

This is the second ditch dive I’ve experienced. The first time was with Adrianna two years ago when we didn’t see the massive hole in front of Otto’s restaurant and mistook it for an empty parking spot. In both of these instances, I have been amazed by the quick response of the locals. Both times, we were out of the ditch in less than five minutes.

Once out of the ditch, I told Nancy she could leave, and I would get a taxi home. We were pressed for time because we were all going to dinner to celebrate Nancy and Kathy’s birthdays. I went inside to collect my credit card packet. At the door, as I entered, sat an elderly woman. She reminded me of the elderly women who sit outside the bathrooms to collect money in exchange for toilet paper. Once inside, I was given my cards but was asked to wait in order to complete the process. The elderly woman, now inside, was eating crackers from a cellophane packet. She insisted I share them with her, which I did. They were stale. The remainder of the process turned out to be my examining the packet to make sure everything was there and then having my photo taken with the agent. Very official.

I got home with just enough time to shower and dress for the birthday dinner at The Rock, which was fabulous. I was so happy that the entire gang was there. Maybe things are getting back to normal.

Counter Clockwise: Beth (in black top looking very regal), Mayra, Herta, Linda, Jerry, me, Kathy, Nancy and Betty.

Although it was Kathy’s birthday, she was the gift giver. She shared her paper art skills with us and made these lovely calendars for everyone.

I just got a call from the Boquete Library. They said they received a call from the police department saying that they have my packet of credit cards, which also included my library card. The police asked the library to track me down and let me know that they are leaving my cards at the courthouse. I didn’t even discover yet that the packet was missing. Not sure where I dropped it, but it happened either ON the bus last night, or before I got into the taxi. This is what happened:

The road I live on is basically shaped like a horseshoe. The base of the shoe is on the highway and then it leans back about 45 degrees. So it goes uphill on both sides with the peak at the top. The loop is about 10 miles. I live on the right side of the shoe, about two miles up. Picture the bus at the base of the horseshoe. The driver can choose to go left or right and then up either side. I asked once how they decide and was told that it depends on who is on the bus. Last night after dinner, I told my friends I was going to take a taxi because I didn’t want anyone trying to drive up my road in the dark. It is extremely steep, narrow and dangerous.

So, after dinner, I walked over to the taxi stand. There were none there, so I continued on to the bus stop. My bus was there, full and ready to go, so I got on. I was immediately dismayed when the driver turned left. It was quickly getting dark. I knew by taking this route, it was going to take a lot longer, and I would not be able to see my stop when it came up. It is hard enough to see in broad daylight. I asked the driver to stop and let me out.

He pulled over, and when I started to move to get off the bus, my boots (which I was carrying) and my money belt with phone fell to the floor. The guys on the bus picked everything up for me. I felt like a crazy, discombobulated old woman: boots, poles, phone, money, all out of control. I clutched everything haphazardly as I walked back to the taxi stand just a short distance away. There was a taxi there, and once in the taxi, I put “everything” back in order. What I didn’t realize is that the little rubber-band-bound packet with my credit cards and things was not there. So, now I have to get myself to the courthouse to pick it up. Not bad. It’s not too far away. It will be my walk tomorrow.

So, yesterday turned out to be a great day. I say “turned out” because it started out a bit hectic. I thought I was going to have the whole day to write and get my pages in by the end of the day, which is my deadline. I usually don’t put it off this long, but the auction has been challenging. The challenges continued Wednesday morning, so I had to push off my writing. But it turned out okay. I finished writing and submitted my pages by four o’clock, just enough time to get geared up and walk into town to meet friends for drumming and dinner, well at least dinner; drumming was over by five o’clock, which is when I arrived.

The walk in was fabulous. Not only did I feel great for having finished the writing, but there was a slight mist (bajareque) in the air, which makes for the best rainbows.

And, of course, dinner at the Fish House was fabulous. I had one of my favorites: coconut shrimp.

And here are just a couple of photos from Tuesday Market.

Okay, auction settled…so far, writing done, had a lovely chat with Kathleen and Diane on Zoom this morning. So now I can play. I still don’t have my 100-lb. paper. I order some from Amazon, so I can’t work on making cards yet. However, there is always calligraphy. 🙂

I hiked the Colebra(?) trail today with Sally Zigmund. Beautiful day. A bit muddy from last night’s rain, but overall a short, sweet hike.

I was surprised at one point to hear howler monkeys. I’ve never heard them before in Panama.

Life of the Ngöbe, laundry day at the river:

After our hike, Sally dropped me off at the dentist’s office. I lost a crown. I thought I might just have it cemented back on as I did another time while here about six years ago when it fell off. The dentist said she could do that but told me that the remaining tooth doesn’t have enough integrity to hang onto the cement for long. So, I’m going to get a new crown. I’m relatively happy that it happened here. It’s much less expensive to replace than at home. Not sure what the price is now in the US, but here it will be $500. Always somethin’.

The auction is officially over. It was supposed to have ended on Friday at 9 pm, and it did, but when I set that end time in the software, it took MY time zone, which EST! Didn’t go over well with those feverishly bidding at 8 pm CST, thinking they had another hour and having the auction shut down mid bet. It didn’t go over very well. I was shocked when I saw my winning bid notifications coming via email. I had to get into the program and figure out how to reverse that and re-open the auction, which I did. I then sent a group email and said that I had extended it through 9 pm on Sunday. That seemed to appease most people. It also allowed another $1000 to accrue in bids. I’ve been called devious. Who knows? In any event, I’m happy it’s over. Now I just need to do the wrap-up.

I’m feeling just a bit of pressure with my writing. I have two more days to submit my next 20 pages. I’ve promised myself to devote what remains of my days on Tues and Wednesday to finish. It’s a rewrite, so it shouldn’t be too hard, but I definitely am not drawn to this like I am to calligraphy or making cards. I’m looking forward to the arrival of some paper I ordered. I need 100-lb paper, and it’s not available in Boquete. So, I bit the bullet and ordered it from Amazon. It’s going to be expensive to have it delivered here because of the weight, but I REALLY need it.

We had a Zoom call yesterday night to celebrate Mickey’s 93rd birthday. The family was together at Ann’s for dinner. Denise, Randy and I joined via Zoom. Dan bought a cake from Ann Luty, our favorite baker. I’m waiting for the photos showing Mickey enjoying it. I know she will. It looked very chocolatey.

I just finished listening to the book Battle for Your Brain by Nita Farahany. She talks about how brain technology is being used to improve our lives, but she also sounds a cautionary note about our rights to privacy in regard to thought. I especially liked the chapter on what is being called Life 2.0, how we are merging with technology. Nothing new. Ray Kurzweil has been talking about it for years, but I like her citing of specific examples where it is actually being used. She gave an example of how it is being used to treat intractable depression. Electrodes are used to stimulate the part of a person’s brain that shows up as irregular on an fMRI. She tells the story of a 31-year-old woman who had the treatment done, and she said she cried out in joy when the area was initially stimulated. A year later she is still completely fine and happy – joyful.

I have to be careful. I’ve been accused of being “an amateur who believes in pop science.” But I can’t help but be excited by the possibilities of how technology can improve our lives. It has already served me in so many ways, and I don’t like to default to fear and skepticism. I agree we must be vigilant and not allow ourselves to become slaves to the technology, which is obviously happening to many, many people. But I believe that we can become more aware of our CHOICE in how we use our devices. As we move forward, we need to align the technology with our values. I trust that people like Farahany are sensitive to the ethics and will steer us in the right direction.

So, I decided to give Ash one more try, not because I feel an intense need to connect with him, but because he still owes me two classes. I asked him quite a while back if he would just give me feedback on my practice sheets in lieu of lessons, and he said he would do that. About a month ago, I sent him three or four practice sheets and heard nothing back. Two days ago, I tried again, and he sent me this. So, for anyone who thinks my work is so perfect, here’s the reality. Green marks are “good,” red needs work:

I told him that I would continue to repeat this page. I start my new classes with David Grimes on 4/1, so then I will be getting feedback from that group.

It was nice to get back to making cards again. Unfortunately, I do not have the proper card stock here, and it is not available in Boquete, so I had to order some from Amazon. In the meantime, I’m using a lighter paper, but it’s better than nothing.

I went for a hike yesterday with Barb, Barbara and Debra. We walked about 7 miles and then had lunch at Debra’s. She made a very green (mostly chard) quiche and a salad. Barb lent me a pair of hiking poles. I’m going to go back to walking down the hill and adding on some distance in town. I find that I cannot not walk. I don’t feel well if I skip it. I’m hoping my knees tolerate the hill. I’m going to stick to just every other day instead of every day. On the alternate days I’m doing the Primal Movements, which I like quite a lot.

I made the possible mistake of buying a bathroom scale. I’m five pounds over my happy weight. But what is more concerning (and I already knew this from a recent assessment), my body fat is 31.9%. For my height, this is on the border of “heavy.” I know, Kathy would be saying, “Oh, don’t worry about it!,” but, of course, I do. Not worry exactly, but I like to know that I am as healthy as possible, so I’m going to work on this. It’s just a calories thing. I’ve been eating indiscriminately, and Jerry doesn’t help. He loves baking and sharing. And I certainly don’t want to be rude.

The writing is going well. Kathie is back to work, even though Michael is still in the hospital. He’s improving, but some days he’s still confused. He thinks Kathie is his sister, instead of his wife. She’s doing well, all things considered. Unfortunately, the guy who hit Michael, is 75 years old, has a limited insurance policy and no other assets. So, they are pretty much on their own. Kathie has been very frustrated with the service they have received from Froedtert. She said that Michael was in the hospital for almost two weeks, and they still have not seen a doctor (only PA’s and NP’s) or a social worker. She’s trying to get him transferred to Waukesha Memorial. I have my next visit with her tomorrow morning. I’m hoping things will be finished before I go home.

I was happy to receive my “care package” from Michele and Kathy the other day: hairbands, stencils, moisturizer. calligraphy guidelines and more.

I should have had the card stock included. Oh well.

The auction is over tomorrow at 9 pm CST. I’m hoping there will be a surge before then. It’s a bit over 8K right now, but 10 would be even better.

https://new.biddingowl.com/LCUUCAUCTION2024

Yesterday, I watched Miss Americana, the documentary about Taylor Swift. I admit that I knew very little about her before watching this. Michele recommended it, so I thought I’d give it a watch. At first, I was quite underwhelmed. I didn’t appreciate anything unique or impressive about her as a child performer. Her voice was just so-so. Seemed like she was being pushed by doting parents. Then, as she matured as an artist and had the issue of the sexual assault to deal with, she transformed. About halfway through the film, I could see the attraction. She went through a period of emotional struggle after the court case, but rose from the ashes. I actually had goosebumps at one point when I felt the fearlessness of her personality come through. She’s definitely a force to be reckoned with. I look forward to seeing where she takes this. She is a great example of someone who is using their celebrity for the good of humankind.

Speaking of which, I just finished listening to Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson. I was happy that I had the experience of this book. Isaacson does a great job of giving us the facts about Elon’s personality. He includes extensive interviews with family, friends and intimate partners. Like Swift, I believe that Musk really wants to do something good for humanity. Unlike Swift, he has a very strong ego. He’s more concerned with competing with Bezos than saving humanity. I wish Musk would meet a good spiritual teacher somewhere along the way to give him a bit more information. He is very good at citing the first principles of the physical side of reality but seems less knowledgeable about the first principles of the spiritual side of things. He believes that he has to take humans to Mars in order to preserve human consciousness. What he doesn’t realize is that consciousness is not something that humans HAVE. We are just the latest permutation of the evolution of consciousness. If humans are wiped out here on Earth, consciousness will find some other way to manifest. It would be a beautiful thing if Musk focused more on making life better on Earth instead of messing up another planet. Okay, that’s my two cents’ worth…for now.

I love these photos that Sara posted recently on Facebook. She said, “If this doesn’t sum up my two children, I don’t know what does. Each of them has and maintains their own large tub of kinetic sand. One is order. One is chaos.”

Okay, that’s it for today. Time to move on to Spanish lessons. I just printed sample exams for the DELE (Diplomas de Español como Lengua Extranjera – Diploma of Spanish as a foreign language).

It’s been a while since I posted, but now the auction has launched, so I can relax and put my attention on other things.

https://new.biddingowl.com/LCUUCAUCTION2024

I have found a new calligraphy home. It’s called Dreaming in Script. I considered this site a while back when I wanted to take a class (pre-Ash), but the Engrosser’s Script class is offered only once a year in April. Now it is perfect timing for me. I’m going to enroll in the April 1 class, but I have to take an Intro to Calligraphy as a prerequisite. David Grimes is the teacher. I love his story. He went to school for graphic design and worked for companies like Lamborghini, but he didn’t like all the screen time. So, he started with lettering and ended up with Engrosser’s Script being his favorite. His father didn’t encourage the transition, but he didn’t try to stop him. After he studied for a while, he was offered the contract to write the certificates for the Academy Awards/Oscars. Not bad. His script is beautiful, and he seems to be a beautiful soul. Not sure if this will work, but I’ll try to post his Intro to Calligraphy video. Didn’t work, but this one is posted on YouTube, so you can at least get a sense of him.

A person from the Copperplate Script for All Facebook group friended me on Messenger, and we have been corresponding for a while. Her name is Rey Predicala. She never posts anything on the group page, but this morning she did, indeed, send me a sample of her work. I asked why she never posts her work, and she said she was “too rusty.”

Maybe a bit rusty, but not as bad as she made it sound. She is also very helpful and has given me some good pointers. She knows a lot about David Grimes classes from talking to others. So, she has been very encouraging. It’s not an inexpensive venture at $600 (for one year), but I believe it is a “you-get-what-you-pay-for” venture.

Ash told me that he would be “happy” to send me feedback on my work instead of the last two hours of class he owes me, but I haven’t heard from him in over a month. On January 6th he said, “What I forgot to tell you is you can practice basis these videos for some time and send me your work again and with comments / critiques which you saw as a change. You are always welcome to send me your work to check. No problem!” I sent him copies of my work on January 9, 13 and 15th. Not a peep. Oh, well. I guess that’s just part of my calligraphy journey.

I FINALLY went to Trivia on Tuesday. Jerry was also interested in playing, so he, Linda and I went. It’s such a fun night out. Let’s see how many questions I can remember. I’ll put the answers at the end.

What is the capital of India?

What function does the diaphragm serve?

What popular plant has strains called White Widow and Blue Dream?

When this popular Parisian writer died, the brothels in France were closed down so that the employees could attend the funeral.

What does Nova Scotia mean in English?

Caesar proclaimed “vino, vidi, vici!” What does it mean?

Betty came over Thursday night for dinner and to watch Lessons in Chemistry. I’m enjoying it just as much, if not more than, the book. This is another example of how neurodivergent people don’t play silly emotional games when getting to know each other. Great acting. Beautiful costumes, cars and set designs from the ’50s.

Yesterday Barbara picked me up at 8:30 and we went to Debra’s new apartment. She is renting a super-cute upstairs casita from another Barb and her husband, Stefan. We walked a 7-mile loop in Palo Alto, where Deb’s place is. We stopped in town to pick up a baguette and then had lunch at Deb’s. She made a beautiful salad with roasted sweet potatoes and fresh greens from Pascal’s farm. Pascal is Deb’s “partner.” He has a farm up in the hills somewhere. The house is tiny, and his brother and girlfriend are visiting, so Debra decided to find another place to live. Barb offered her the upstairs casita. It’s working out great for both of them. Sounds like it may become a long-term thing. Deb, Barbara and I have also been toying with the idea of renting a house when I come next year. As much as I love the place I’m in, I’m just feeling a little bit trapped by the hill.

Barb came up to join us after her PT appointment for her knee. Barb is a “wild child.” She goes out dancing three to four times a week. She was very happy to have lunch with us yesterday, said she doesn’t do it enough, and so proclaimed that we will plan to have a potluck one day next week. I’m in!

Here are the answers:

What is the capital of India? New Delhi.

What function does the diaphragm serve? Respiration/breathing.

What popular plant has strains called White Widow and Blue Dream? Marijuana.

When this popular Parisian writer died, the brothels in France were closed down so that the employees could attend the funeral. Victor Hugo.

What does Nova Scotia mean in English? New Scotland.

Caesar proclaimed “vino, vidi, vici!” What does it mean? “I came, I saw, I conquered!”

Can’t believe I’ve been here for two months already. I’ve been so busy with the book, the auction, studying Spanish and calligraphy that I have spent zero time on making cards, one of my favorite things. So, the 31st is the end of taking in donations for the auction, and then it’s all pretty much automated until the very end when I do the wrap-up. Then I’ll have more play time.

Barb is planning an outing for us for Feb. 19-22 in the Mount Totumas Cloud Forest. Should be fun.

https://www.mounttotumas.com

I did go out for lunch last week with Barb and Sally. We were going to go to Patrón de Shwarma, but they were closed. Instead, we went to Taco Rudo’s across the street. It was excellent!

On Friday, I was supposed to go to the other Israeli restaurant, Baras, with Betty. Unfortunately, Betty was in an accident with a motorcycle, and she was unable to drive her car. Instead, she came here, and I made dinner, which I took upstairs. I made a chicken-mushroom risotto and a broccoli-cauliflower side dish. Jerry made an excellent apple pie, which I had for breakfast the next morning. Thanks Jerry! This morning he brought me a couple of cinnamon raisin buns, which I had for this morning’s breakfast. I know, not very healthy, but what the heck!

I’ve started a new workout program called Tapp Brothers Primal Movements.

Programs

I like it for a number of reasons. One is that it is a structured, long-term program that begins at a very basic level. Even at this beginner level, I can feel changes the next day, so I know something is happening. Also, it’s nice and slow. The movements are all about control. I didn’t realize that primal movement was a new movement in the physical training industry. I just sort of happened upon this. The other thing I love is that it is only 30 minutes a day, which is very doable for me. If it gets too much longer than that, I make excuses. AND, I don’t have to go anywhere.

Still trying to get some feedback on my calligraphy. Ash said he would do it, but he is MIA. I just emailed another calligraphy site called INKEMETHIS Calligraphy and Engraving. They have lots of teachers and classes. I asked if there is someone who can just give feedback. I’m on a FB group, and I post my practice there, but the comments are not really helpful. So, we’ll see. Looks like I also need help with spelling. 🙂