My Latest Adventure

Yay! No exercise today. I am enjoying the pilates workouts, but it is very nice to know I don’t have to do it today, Sunday, my day of rest. So different from other days…:)

Yesterday we spent the afternoon at CHOX for a chocolate-making class. We learned all about the process from the owners Nina and Baris. We even got to make a half pound of chocolate creations to take home!

Nina and Baris are the current owners. They took over the business from Debra (“the chocolate lady”), who brought her business here from California. Nina is from West Africa. She tells the story of having a passion to learn the process so that she could make treats for Baris, her new husband, the chocolate lover from Turkey. What a lovely couple. They worked with Debra until they had perfected their skills and now are flourishing.

Baris then took over and showed us all the mechanical steps to producing the chocolate for the form ready for molding.

The dried pod from the tree and the beans from inside which have been roasted in an oven:

This video shows Jerry taking his turn at the grinder (a Champion juicer).

The above images show the nibs after grinding; the melanger with sugar and other ingredients added; and the cocoa butter, which is produced separately with a baking soda process.

The melanger runs for 36 hours to assure that the product is silky smooth. The cocoa butter is used to make white chocolate and also as a skin moisturizer. (edit on 1/14: I’ve been using it nightly and love it).

Next, we moved to the room next door where we melted, tempered, molded and decorated our chocolate. We were able to choose the chocolate strength we liked best: 80% 70% 60%, coffee or milk. Dan, Jerry and I chose 70%, Kathy went with the coffee, and Nancy chose the 80 (I think). We could choose from the following toppings: cashews, hazelnuts, pecans, coffee beans, dried coconut, dried orange, candied ginger and caramel.

Absolutely heavenly. I have NEVER tasted better chocolate. We paid $46 for this 3-hour class. Baris said that he would sell a single bar like this for $10 at his table at the Tuesday Market, so I think it was a great deal.

When I got home, since we are leaving for the beach on Monday, I had to take an inventory of my refrigerator and make a clean-out-the-refrigerator soup, which I will freeze. Garlic, onions, carrots, celery, cabbage, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, tomatoes, garbanzo beans, oregano, basil, mint and celery tops. Turned out to be very good – topped with basil pesto. I added the remainder of the jar to the pot. I don’t have to think about dinner next week.

Tomorrow we are off to Las Lajas!!

Kathy and Dan finally made it to Boquete. They missed their connecting flight from Panama City to David, so they had to stay overnight in Panama City on Wednesday, and they arrived in David on Thursday morning. Not the best situation because one has to get up so early to catch that flight, but that’s traveling for you.

We had a lovely dinner here on Thursday night. Jerry and Linda graciously offered their home. Jerry invited Betty and Kathy, so we were a full party. I made Fettuccine Mio Amore, which is a recipe I learned about from The Lincoln Highway. I would have to say it was just “okay.” I didn’t have the smoked bacon, which apparently is essential, but it was definitely palatable. I should have known better. The meat is not good in Boquete. So, I’ll try it again when back home. Dan was surprised there was no Nueske’s here. LOL.

Today we are going to go to CHOX for a chocolate-making class. Looking forward to that. When I told Jolene about this, she sent me this photo. It’s one of my favorites. The right is a photo of a CHOX gift I brought back for her one year. The left side is Jolene and me sharing a piece of my mom’s wedding cake. I think it is such a sweet photo.

I met with Kathie yesterday. We reviewed the final pages of the book. Now that I have ink for the printer (thanks, Kathy), I’m going to reprint the entire book and start again from the beginning to complete the second draft. Kathie is such a great editor. She pulls the things out of my brain that really need to be on the page. She lets me know when a scene is incomplete. She wants more. This next time through, I’m going to have my photos in front of me so that I can relate a more complete picture.

Dan and I talked some yesterday about El Portugues, the trail we are doing in May. I learned that El Portuguese has three options: Central, Coastal and Litoral. I’m opting for the Coastal, both for the views and the ease of walking, as well as the fact that it was the favorite of the authors I am following. The one “downside” is that some of it is actually on beaches, and, of course, walking on a beach is harder than walking on ground or pavement. We’ll see.

A couple of oldies but goodies from Zentangle. I had to make something to send Michael for his birthday. Although the gold ones lack the traditional shading of Zentangle, I love the gold on black.

And, of course, there is always my favorite pastime:

Still no feedback from Ash.

I’ve started listening to Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson. This is yet another excellent example of how we are all products of our conditioning. To say his was bizarre and brutal is an understatement. His father was Trump x3.

This is why this house is called The Rainbow House. I’d give this a score of 6/10. Hope to get a 10/10 before I leave. Stay tuned.

And one of my very favorite Boquete treats – a jalapeño asiago bagel from Morton’s Bakery. I rode into the Tuesday Market this morning with Jerry just to pick some of these up. I bought four: one for me this morning and some extras for Dan and Kathy. Not sure if they will be able to toast it. If they can’t, I guess I’ll just have to keep them. Oh…just remembered, Dan can’t have cheese. Too bad.

With St. Dalfour’s Mango Maracuya preserves. O-M-G!!

So excited that Kathy and Dan arrive tomorrow. Plans are already being made. I may meet them tomorrow night in town. I’m riding in with Jerry and maybe Linda so that Jerry can go to drumming with other friends. Linda and I will just hang out while they’re drumming and then meet them for dinner later. Dan and Kathy might join us.

I need to buy a few ingredients for a dinner I plan to make here on Thursday. It’s Fettuccine Mio Amore. It is a recipe I heard about while listening to The Lincoln Highway while I was on the Camino. I’ve been wanting to make it. So Thursday it is!

I spent a lovely New Year’s Eve with my hosts, Jerry and Linda, as well as my friend, Betty. I prepared a simple dinner with a hummus appetizer and a pasta primavera, which I took upstairs to their place. It was good, and the conversation was enjoyable.

I spent the rest of the evening finishing my binge of Dead to Me. I was so impressed by this series. Dark comedy is one of my favorite genres, and this one did not disappoint. The casting, story line and acting were genius. I had previously not paid much attention to Christina Applegate, but her performance (unfortunately her last due to advanced MS) was stellar. I have seen few productions with as many tears, wine drinking and F bombs. It would be interesting to see if the F word was ever counted.

Gotta love the Internet:

So, I think watching these episodes on my computer so late at night is contributing to my sleep issues. Too stimulating, and it’s the whole “blue light” thing. No more of that.

I’ve discovered pilates as an alternative to walking down the hill. I am alternating a one-hour full-body workout with a 30-minute HIIT program. The YouTube series is Move with Nicole.

https://www.youtube.com/@MoveWithNicole

I was always a bit nervous about pilates. I thought it was going to be too hard, but Nicole’s videos are nice and slow. She does a good job of explaining all of the moves and designing the movements so that I don’t feel overwhelmed with any one exercise. The routines are definitely not easy but very doable. I’m able to follow along and keep up. There is plenty of room for improvement. It’s a nice alternative to stressing my knees walking down the hill.

I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions, but I have thought of two goals I would like to accomplish this year.

(1) I would like to take the DELE exam for intermediate Spanish. DELE stands for Diplomas de Español como Lengua Extranjera (Diploma of Spanish as a Second Language). As soon as Kathy gets here with the ink for my printer, I’m going to print some sample exams and see how I do. The exams are offered through El Instituto de Cervantes, and I will have to go to Chicago to take the exam. This will be a perfect opportunity to visit Mike and Yoly again.

(2) I would like to try for the Certificate of Proficiency in calligraphy. I am now eligible to take the exam because I have been a member of IAMPETH, the international calligraphy organization, for three years. Again, I’m looking for practice exams to see if I can meet the requirements.

I sent Ash a text the other day and told him that, by my calculations, I still have two lessons remaining with him. I asked if I could just forward some of my daily practices to him and have him critique them. I don’t need a Zoom meeting with him. He agreed to do so. The feedback will help.

Latest Jerry treat: Chocolate-Coconut Cookies. They were gone before my tea was ready.

I am declaring a victory over Ambien. My sleep is not perfect, but it’s pretty darned good, and during this process I have learned that nobody’s sleep is perfect; that’s the way it is.

I have learned that most sleep issues are the result of anxiety. I guess I’m no exception. I thought there was just something wrong with my brain, a postmenopausal glitch – not true. The truth is that I was afraid that I couldn’t sleep without Ambien. That has proved to be false.

I have learned that the whole “sleep hygiene” theory needs to be modified. We should NOT be going to bed at exactly the same time every night. Perhaps our body is not ready to sleep yet. We cannot force our brains to shut down. We should not go to bed until we feel sleepy. That’s the most accurate gauge of readiness for sleep.

I have learned that tracking devices are not very accurate at monitoring sleep. One night, I went to bed, fell asleep, and immediately woke again (my pattern). I would bet A LOT of money that I did not fall asleep again until after 2 a.m. The following morning, my Fitbit showed that I was sleeping before that time. When I researched these devices further. This is what I found:

“…when it comes to sleep, movement and heart rate are not always so helpful in determining sleep. If we are reading in bed quietly for a long period of time, for instance, your device may think you’re asleep. And when it comes to measuring sleep stages, your wearable device is ineffective.“

“Fitbit was inaccurate when measuring things like sleep stages and sleep onset latency, or the time it takes you to fall asleep once in bed.

Alan Schwartz, M.D., director of John Hopkins Sleep Disorders Center at Bayview Medical Center, notes that sleep trackers ‘don’t measure sleep directly.’ Because they are not measuring brain waves, there is no way for a sleep tracker to tell you what sleep phase you are in, for example.”

So, I’ve told myself, as I have with many other old beliefs regarding my behavior, I don’t have to do anything, just let it be.

I had a very pleasant Christmas here. No stress, just heavenly peace. I enjoyed a Christmas Eve breakfast with “most of the gang” at Mike’s Global Grill. Their lox and bagel with capers is fabulous. Then Christmas day evening I joined Jerry and Linda for dinner at a new restaurant called Christopher’s. It did not disappoint.

I continue to enjoy my walks into town; however, I have had to cut back. My knees are not happy. It is just too steep to do it every day.

I do enjoy the images on my way in. I am always impressed by the vegetation as well as the habitation of some of the locals. I’ll continue to do the walk two or three times a week.

As a substitute, I’ve begun doing a pilate’s workout from a YouTube video. Yikes!! It really works the abdominal muscles. It doesn’t feel that hard while doing it, but the next day I certainly feel it.

I’m okay with this schedule to assure that I’m in shape for our walk in May. Dan and I started talking about it yesterday. He will begin in France in April and then meet me in Portugal mid-May. I’ll only be doing about 200 miles over a two-week span. I don’t want to be gone too much during the planting season. I’m going to try to get everything planted before I leave.

I’ve been re-reading The Poisonwood Bible. I read it a very long time ago. I remembered loving it, but the details were forgotten. I did not remember the political part of it, which, of course, is the basis of the book. It sent me to Wikipedia to learn more about the Congo and the colonization by the Belgians. The novel talks about the hands of the Congolese children being chopped off if their father’s did not meet their rubber quota.

The photograph was taken by Alice Seeley Harris, the man’s name is Nsala. Here is part of her account (from the book “Don’t Call Me Lady: The Journey of Lady Alice Seeley Harris”): He hadn’t made his rubber quota for the day so the Belgian-appointed overseers had cut off his daughter’s hand and foot. Her name was Boali. She was five years old. Then they killed her. But they weren’t finished. Then they killed his wife too.

Truly amazing how cruel humans can be to one another.

I’ve also been occupied with watching a number of interviews of Elon Musk. I am very intrigued by this man. I haven’t read Walter Isaacson’s biography of him yet, but the interviews reveal a very complex personality. I was impressed yesterday when he was asked by Lex Fridman how he would recommend Israel respond to the attack by Hamas. He said, “With conspicuous kindness.” This really surprised me. He then went on to elaborate on how this is the only reasonable solution; it’s how karma works.

I actually started watching these videos to become more informed on the future of AI, and that has been revelatory as well. One issue I have heard addressed more than once is the fear of job loss. The answer seems to be that we are moving toward an end of “work for pay.” Everyone will be given enough money to live on. This sounds so bizarre. Yet, he explains that it is already being done in Finland.

Time to do laundry.

So, yesterday was my day of holiday celebrations with friends. I had lunch at Betty’s. We all brought a dish to pass. My beans sucked (too woody – won’t buy again), but everything else was great. It was a nice visit.

I had to take dessert to-go. The pumpkin pie with fresh whipped cream was delish. I still have a brownie to enjoy.

I had a half-hour break between parties and then joined Jerry and Linda upstairs. Nice getting to know them a little better. And they agreed to let me pay my upcoming rents with PayPal. This is nice because the lines are always long at the ATMs, and each transaction requires a $6 fee.

Linda was not upset about the popcorn seeds I spilled in the driveway. Whew!!

As I was winding down last night, reading, I noticed legs crawling up over the top of my book. I did my get-it-off-me freakout and when I looked at the floor I noticed it was not a spider, as I thought, but a cockroach!!! So much for spraying. Not much we can do about it. I’m going to get the paste again. Not sure where I’ll put it.

I slept 8 hours the past two nights. The sleep scores on my Fitbit are just showing “Fair” because I’m restless, but I think as my brain gains more confidence, it will improve. Tonight I can use the anti-snore device.

Again, I realize it has only been a week or so of upping and downing with my sleep, but last night I slept eight hours (without Ambien), and I feel great this morning.

I met Natalie Kelly for breakfast yesterday morning. We planned to meet at the Boquete Sandwich Shop at 9:30. I arrived a bit early and discovered that they were closed until 12/31. I sat on the steps and sent a text to Natalie, but, for some reason, my phone would not send the message. I figured she would show up eventually. After waiting a bit, I stood up and was planning to go into the Tigo store next door to the restaurant to ask if they could figure out what was wrong with my phone. I heard my name called. Apparently Natalie had been waiting about as long as I, but on the other side of the restaurant and couldn’t see me because of the bushes. So…we went to Sugar ‘N Spice instead. Always great.

Natalie and her husband, Mike, are from Chicago. They moved here a couple of years ago. We met during the volunteer training for Boquete Health and Hospice. I love our conversations.. Natalie has a lovely, intelligent, positive energy about her.

After breakfast I went to the library and picked up a couple of books: Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now by Maya Angelou and The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.

I finished Angelou’s book last night. It is a collection of bits of wisdom and then a surprising account of her experience in a bar one night. She was sitting alone at the bar (emphasis on alone) drank five martinis and then commenced to sit down at a table with five journalists where she lamented the fact that she was a single woman at 41, and made a complete fool of herself. In hindsight she reflected, “I sat and looked at each man for a long time, and then I began a performance which now, more than twenty years later, can still cause me to seriously consider changing my name and my country of residence. “

May Angelou?!?! I was so shocked by this revelation, but I was also grateful for her candor and transparency. Becoming is a challenge for all of us.

I read the Kingsolver book many years ago. I can’t remember the entire story, but I do remember how much I loved it.

I just finished The Story of a Goat by Indian author Perumal Murugan. It’s a book written in the genre similar to Charlotte’s Web. Not sure what that is called, but Murugan anthropormorphyzes the goats in order to tell the story of the struggles of the goatherds of India: the government tyranny, drought, famine. I realize that the political story is an important one, but I found his sharing of the goat’s thoughts and behaviors to be very sweet and touching. Poonachi is the main goat in the story. She eventually meets Poovan. This is one of my favorite excerpts:

“…But it was only because they had travelled that she had got to explore the forest and spend at least a few happy days with Poovan. The moonlit tableau of the wild boars cavorting in the pond was etched in her mind. Every time she closed her eyes, the scene would unfold. What a miracle, she thought to herself. The two kisses planted by Poovan lingered on her mouth. She thought about it all the time, and her happiness playing with Poovan. She imagined him flying through the air and leaping over her. There were so many moments she could recall with pleasure. Why then did the mind always blow up and despair over sad events? Each time she thought of the happy times, her mind would be filled with joy. To everyone’s surprise, she would jump and run around in the pasture. “

Betty was not very happy with me yesterday. She messaged me last week to meet her at the bottom of El Salto (my road) at 1:00 pm yesterday afternoon, and we would go to Bulk Organics. I had it in my head that I was supposed to meet her at the bottom of Volcancito (her road). Wrong. She was trying to find me and was calling and texting me, but because my phone wasn’t working, I just waited. I was a bit concerned because Betty is never late. I thought something must have happened to her. Then at about 1:20 she came by…not smiling. I reviewed our texts and saw that I had confirmed it, but erroneously said Volcancito. Betty didn’t pay much attention because she assumed I had it right. Looking back farther in the thread, I saw that she did, indeed, say El Salto. Then, to top it off, they didn’t have what she wanted at Bulk Organics. Not a good day for Betty, but today, as we gather at her place for a holiday lunch, I will console her with the fact that her memory is better than mine.

So, today is a party day. Lunch with the gang at Betty’s and then dinner here with my landlords, Jerry and Linda. My contribution for Betty’s is vrasta fasolakia (Greek green beans with mint and fennel). Jerry asked me to bring wine. Sure!

When I don’t wake up to the sound of birds singing, I know things are rough outside. This was last night. It’s better this morning, but still windy. I can hear the furniture on the deck above me banging around.

These are the kind of days that blow me off the road.

Speaking of waking up… I went to bed last night about 10:30. I was very sleepy after putting in a lot of walking during the day, and I had a good sleep drive built up with the short sleep (5h36m) the night before. Last night was heaven. I could feel myself falling asleep in a very short time. I imagined I could keep it going while writing calligraphy in my mind. Lovely.

I was asleep almost eight hours and felt great when I woke up. I feel like I’m on the right track. I won’t be walking today, but I have begun a pilate’s workout, so that will help. I also spent time before bed listening to a number of short videos by reviewers of Romisewski’s re:Sleep (formerly called Sleepyhead). I find it amazing, especially Romiszewski herself. She is an angel. I highly recommend it.

Reviews

I don’t feel totally out of the woods yet. I am hugely relieved to be off the Ambien. I think it has been about a week. That alone has been encouraging. I have been tempted to take it, but I haven’t given in. I’m going to withhold any judgment until I have continued as is for one more week. I think the most important change for me is to wait to go to bed until I am very sleepy. I will no longer go to bed “by the clock.” If I continue to have issues, I will invest in the program. Quality sleep is important.

Jolene’s bubbles are growing on me. I bought a shot glass yesterday in order to get a cleaner edge. Not sure what I will do with them yet, but they are fun. I think I want to brighten them up a bit.

I made this stew last night. It’s garlic, onions, celery, carrots, lentils, kale, curry powder, and cumin powder. When I tasted it, I wanted something else. At home I might add some sort of flavored vinegar. Last night I added to my bowl a spoonful of St. Dalfour’s Mango Maracuya preserves. Yes!

I’ve modified my schedule so that I’m writing in the morning when I am more alert, and I do the calligraphy later. This was last night’s whim:

It’s actually two of her poems put together. Still waiting to hear from Ash about my ovals. 🙂

I call this one Marcel the Spider:

As I was sitting on the bus, returning home after my dental appointment and a bit of grocery shopping, I felt the wave of joy I often experience while spending time in a completely different culture. The young, Panamanian woman sitting next to me is nursing her infant. Looking out the window I see dogs criss-crossing the streets and chickens walking about freely. The Ngöbe women in their beautifully colored, clean and starched dresses are walking through the streets with their many children in tow.

The driver made four, out-of-the way stops during this trip. First, he stopped at a little house off the road, and a young, teenage girl came running out of the house to greet him. I could only assume that he was her father, as he gently brushed her hair back from her forehead and patted her head. They also looked remarkably alike. Stop two was to retrieve a huge bag of oranges from an old guy coming down a dirt road. Next, he stopped at a house, went up the steps, disappeared for a bit and then returned to the bus. His house?? No idea. The next stop was to accept. through the driver’s window, a large, rolled bundle of leaves. Not sure if they were banana leaves or not. My next assumption was that he was collecting these items for a Christmas celebration. I’m imaging an animal of some sort being wrapped in those leaves and roasted with the oranges. Just a guess.

Larry just invited me to dinner Friday night at 5:00 pm. I am going to Betty’s at 1:00 pm for our holiday celebration lunch with “the gang.” So, looks like a fun Friday in store. Too bad Gloria isn’t here yet. She’s not arriving until, I think, mid-January. Gloria’s a trooper. She’s about 75 and last year had to return to the states due to a heart condition. She eventually had surgery, went to her Maine home to recuperate, and now she’s planning her trip back here.

So, the sleep thing… This was last night:

I stayed up watching videos (Severance – very strange) and went to bed at midnight. Even though I only got 5h36m of sleep, I actually felt better when I got up, than I did the day before, with much more sleep. So, I’m working on building my sleep drive. Right now I would definitely love a nap, but I’m going to continue with my day. I bought chamomile tea today at the grocery store.

I bought a shot glass today at La Reyna. I plan to use this to experiment with Jolene’s bubbles/balloons. No luck yet on finding an Instapot. I’m going to message a woman on FB Marketplace here. She’s a bit of a haul for me, but perhaps she comes into Boquete on occasion.

Yesterday’s lunch at Barbara and Murray’s was fun. It was great seeing Debra again. Sounds like she’s going to give it another go here. Her partner, Pascal, is in the process of developing his property with cabins. Not sure. It sounds complicated. I’ve never been to their place, which is, by all reports, fabulous. But it is very remote and hard to access. Not in my plans. Well, and I haven’t been invited… there is that.

A couple of friends reading the blog correctly questioned my use of hot chocolate. I guess I was in denial, but, yes, chocolate has caffeine, not as much as coffee, but for me, right now, not a good idea.

So, I remembered drinking golden milk a number of years ago, and I made this last night.

It’s milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, cardamom and vanilla. It was very good, but didn’t make any difference with my sleep.

This is what last night looked like:

Although the cumulative time showed that I slept a bit over 7 hours, I wouldn’t call it good sleep. As Romiszewski suggests, I’m going to stay up much later in order to increase my sleep drive.

I remember as a kid, my mom making me go to bed at 7:30. She said I needed more sleep than other people. Maybe not true any longer. My plan now is to stay up until midnight. I’m going to spend the late hours watching videos. I have a number of titles on my to-watch list, so I’ll do it then. I don’t need to be sharp during those times, just awake. I was so tempted to take the Ambien last night, but I promised myself I would give this at least two weeks. I think this is just one week. I also am spending time just passively listening to Romiszewski during my day. I like to have her voice of encouragement in my head.

I’m trying something new with watercolors. Jolene sent me this Reel from Instagram, and I told her I would give it a try. I can’t embed an Instagram link, but this URL will take you there.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cjv4XTUJe_H/

I have obviously not mastered it yet. I’m going to try to find a shot glass or something similar with a rounded lip. To make mine, I used the lid from a spice jar, but it didn’t work very well.

Yesterday, as I was looking for watercolor paper, I came across a number of pages of my early attempts at calligraphy. It’s good to look back on occasion.

Today:

I’m going to Barbara and Murray’s this afternoon for lunch. Debra and Pascual will be joining us. I made a puttanesca.

I recently finished reading Walking Through Walls by Phillip Smith. It’s a memoir in which Smith tells the story of growing up with his father, Lew Smith, who was a popular psychic healer. I’ve never really been convinced by people who call themselves psychic or mediums. Many of them just seem to be stage performers, and I’m always amazed how they continue babbling on when their “recipient” is shaking their head and not connecting. But this book is creating curiosity. As we read the book, we see Smith (the author) go from resistant, skeptical teenager, to a respectful adult. He shares firsthand accounts of witnessing his father’s skill.

After reading the book, I started researching this skill, which is now being called energy healing. I tried a series of Reiki sessions in 2015, when I was going through a transition. The therapist actually fell asleep a couple of times during our sessions. I wasn’t convinced, and I never felt any change in my system. But some of the videos I’ve been watching lately are starting to make me question this. Stay tuned.