Perfect Weather for Gardening

We're gently moving into the rainy season. Days are mostly beautiful until 3:00 or 4:00, when we have rain--some days a little; some days a lot. (I finally understand why Cesar and Edwin start work at 7:00 or 7:30.) We've been busy rooting new plants, from existing and thriving plants, in small plastic bags that are sold everywhere for that very purpose. Cesar has completed a ramp up the back hill and a cement sidewalk to the orchid house, has almost completed the big staircase up the same hill adjacent to the mirador, and has cemented rocks along the edges of the pathways which will contain gravel. (The cost of cement has almost doubled in the last six months, so plans had to be changed accordingly.) Steve and family have taken a two-week trip to Cuba, planned long before their tortuous move to Chorcha, but he promised to begin the waterfall and fish pool soon after their return.

Prices of property and construction are steadily rising in Boquete. A .6 acre lot a little ways up and across our road is advertised at $239,000. Five years ago we paid $65,000 for our 1.25 acre spread on a river. More remote locations up in the hills sell for less, but it's still a staggering increase. Acquaintances who currently are building were quoted prices roughly double what we paid, due largely to the increase costs of building materials and gasoline. The latter is a major concern because of the necessity of making the 28 mile trip to David for most major building supplies.

Boquete is coming of age, however. We're steadily getting more services, the latest being a pet grooming salon, "Best in Show." Manned by Roberto, an enthusiastic stylist, it features nail grinding and fancy skin treatments in addition to the regular shampooing and clipping. Chyna and Trudy and have been once and are due to return tomorrow. They don't need clipping, of course, so we got the full treatment, including treatment for a skin fungus that we didn't recognize, for $9 each. They smelled like flowers for about four days. Doc and Charly's cocker, Gustavo, was prettified for $11.

Randy and Maryellen stayed with us for a week, so the guest quarters are fully broken in now. Not only did I have two more mouths to feed at noon every day, but we managed to put on two dinner parties during their stay. One was just for the seven of us (including Doc, Charly, and Ramon), but the second, for Ramon's birthday, was for thirteen. Fortunately, Maryellen is energetic and helpful.

The day after Randy and Maryellen left to return to their sailboat in Bocas del Toro, our neighbors arrived, with two children in tow, from Daytona Beach, so we've been busy helping them with all sorts of information and guidance. In the meantime, there have been ongoing efforts to buy and install a generator, add some gutters, have more furniture made, etc.

Speaking of furniture, we needed something for storage in the garage and engaged Dario, who had done excellent work for Steve as well as all the cabinets at Ramon's house, to construct a long, low cabinet for storage of tools, fertilizer, etc. He came by, measured, took money for supplies, and said he would return with the piece in a month. Five weeks later he showed up with a gorgeous six-foot long cabinet : beautifully stained, paneled doors, fancy hardware, trim. We were so stunned that we didn't know what to do or say and therefore stood by while he moved it (with the help of three other men) into the garage. After looking at it for a few days, we conceded that it didn't belong there and, again with massive manpower, relocated it to the greatroom. It's stunning there--just the size for that big room. It looks like a piece of very, very expensive store bought furniture, for which we paid $700. (We went to David and bought stainless steel shelves for the garage.)

There are ongoing wildlife adventures. Trudy caught a rabbit in the backyard and brought it into the house, and both Chyna and Trudy manage to catch a bird from time to time. There clearly are snakes in the big rocks out back (we've found snakeskins four and five feet long), and I worry that the dogs are going to encounter them sooner or later. They nose around the rocks constantly in search of lizards. I saw a coatimundi bound out of the orchid house at dusk one afternoon, and we hear lots of mammal-like sounds down toward the river. Paul and Jenny at Paradise Gardens have two new ocelot kittens, two new howler monkey infants, and lots of baby coatis that have been orphaned. They nurture them back to health, rehabilitate them, and return them to the wild.

Yahoo and Maisie (Paul and Jenny's first howler) are now happily ensconced at Steve and Michelle's place in Chorcha where, although they have a fancy monkey house, they run free most of the time. They have attracted the attentions of a male howler from the jungle, who visits them regularly, and, although Michelle reports that they're very friendly with him, they haven't seen fit to leave home and join the troop yet.

I have an obligatory trip to David tomorrow for a visit with Fatima, our lawyer, and to buy landscaping fabric for the paths in the back that will be covered with gravel. So it's off to bed.