So, my final week. Many people would be happy for just a week in this paradise, and I’m feeling a bit melancholy. I enjoyed my last visit to the Tuesday Market.,” I’m listening more closely to the birds: “Your Kids are Here!,” “The Helicopter Bird,” Ha! He started up just as I typed that! Hearing the roosters crowing, the dogs barking, the occasional gunshot. That’s my Boquete.
I’m going on a hike tomorrow with the Panama Pals (Debra, Barbara, and Barb). Then we are going to a new Israeli restaurant for lunch. I’m looking forward to that. I was hoping I could make it to that restaurant before I left. I told Debra a while ago to find out what wine is Barb’s favorite. Barb lent me a pair of hiking poles, so I wanted to say thank you. They were a godsend. Lesson learned: Make the effort to pack mine. So, Debra was a very good detective and told me that she overheard a conversation between Pascal and Barb. They were waxing lovingly about something called Pastis. I found it locally, at El Dorado, and Kathy Rutz, who lives upstairs from there, picked it up for me. I thought it was a wine, but I have since learned that it is an aperitif. I learned this from Louise while at Las Lajas. She was in the wine business. I’m going to see if I can buy it at home. I love a good aperitif. I just realized (thanks AI) that it is not apertif, as I had been saying it. Learn something new every day.
I forgot how much joy I experience while making cards. I haven’t been able to spend much time on them because of the writing. Maybe next year. I have an emergency order for Mickey. She wants a birthday card for her sister, Lulu. I think I might get that done before I leave here. I just discovered that I have some decent watercolor paper here – maybe – we’ll see. Today, I finished off a couple of thank-you cards and made envelopes. Just using the Disappearing Purple Elmer’s Glue was a blast. It reminded me of Cordelia and Marie. I’ve already set up a couple of dates with Sara to take them when I get home. I also want to make one more visit to town to buy a little surprise for them.
I enjoyed listening to this podcast today. I love her back story as well as her insights. I especially loved what she said about habits: that we need to choose those habits that serve us. She’s beautiful inside and out.