Dry season is coming to an end

There has been a lot of lightning at night for over a week now, with the odd thunderclap to remind us the rain is coming. The parched grass and palms will welcome every bit of that rain! Two nights ago, rain fell for awhile, but too little to make any real difference yet. Rain in the 'interior' is quite unlike rain in the northwest of North America. There it can rain for days on end with variations from drizzle to buckets pouring from an open sky. Here, it reminds me of Hawaii - light tepid rain for an hour or two, followed by sunshine. However, in Panama City and the higher elevations where the rain forest reigns, we noted the aforementioned bucketfuls. The rain bounces four inches off the pavement and although it is humid and warm, you get soaked within seconds!

We look forward to seeing our front garden appear once the rain sets in. Matt will be back from his visit to Florida, and back on the hunt for plants, trees, and the necessary decorations to make the gardens beautiful. He tells us there is a need to be highly selective here on the coast. Not only is this Panama with its likes and dislikes of certain plants, but the salty sea air adds another dimension to be considered when selecting plantings. Lately, we have sat in our front 'wasteland' for an hour or so before dinner, enjoying a cold drink, waving to the workers as they leave the development and chatting to anyone who happens by. I mean to request a permanent seating area out there from Matt.

This past week, we have met three more couples in various stages of moving to Panama. Jeff and Matt from New York plan to build on lot 13 next to our friends Don and Connie. A delightful pair, they were very taken with our wee Mitzi, and told us they own four dachshunds. Hopefully they will start building this year. The day after meeting them, a couple knocked at our door telling us they were looking for Don. We entertained them for a short while and showed our home. Bill and Audrey from Arizona are deciding whether this is the location they want, and are looking about the country at alternatives. Later again in  the week, we met up with Gordon and Katri from Nelson. BC who were renting for 9 days while on their third or fourth trip to Panama. Another interesting couple, they anticipate coming to Panama and maybe Costa Pedasi. Katri has a long-standing business in Nelson which could be the same kind of albatross that Chris had in Mission. We wish all of them luck!

On the personal front, Cagney is getting livelier and starting to think about chasing Mitzi, who would love the attention. She is like a crazy cat, racing around the house, up and down furniture and practically climbing walls. We have to lock her out of our bedroom at night now or spend a sleepless night! The litany of missing parts to the house remains: no electricity (still borrowing), water pump mostly non-operational, patio door handle not replaced, fallen vent on the ground. Otherwise, we are enjoying this slow life...Chris says he gets bored with no garden to potter in. I am busy: still knitting, sewing, reading, monitoring the online business, blogging, walking, helping to form the Homeowner Association, schmoozing with neighbours, and whatever else takes my fancy!