THE “BOOCH” IS READY!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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