Things happen when items get shipped, especially when they’re shipped internationally. Most of the things that have been shipped to me in Panama have arrived in good shape – but one box apparently went through hell.

This particular box weighed about 36 pounds, and it arrived squashed, with several small holes, and bound in yards of sloppily applied packing tape (obviously applied en route). One item inside was even partially poking out of one of the holes!

I dreaded to see what shape the contents were in, and my fears were well-founded. The lower handle of my mother’s pressure cooker was broken off a couple of inches from the base. That really hurt – I treasured that thing, because it’s older than I am, and mashing the potatoes that had been cooked in it was one of the first jobs I had while very young and helping my mother prepare meals.

Actually, it’s probably still useable, as long as I can get enough leverage to twist the upper and lower handles apart to open the lid. However, I seriously doubt if it can be repaired successfully, due to the necessary pressure applied when opening the lid.

Broken pressure cooker.

The other two items that arrived in less than ideal shape were the T-shaped stand I display my ceiling fan pulls on, and my acrylic pen stand. The crossbar was almost completely separated from the vertical post on the T-shaped stand, and the top section of the pen stand was snapped off. Fortunately, I was able to repair the T-stand with some white glue, and put the pen stand back together almost seamlessly with superglue.

Stand for my ceiling fan pulls (back) and pen stand.

Although the broken vintage pressure cooker made me a little sad, I comforted myself by buying a multi-cooker (Instant Pot) to replace it. Out with the old and in with the new, right? This cooker provides the functions of several appliances in one – pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, and others. I’ve used it several times already, and think I’ll like it really well. Bonus – it takes up a lot less counter space than all the other individual appliances!

I’ll keep the old cooker, just in case the electricity goes out and I get a craving for stew. I can cook it on the gas stove in the dark. LOL!

Did I mention that there are all sorts of things going on in Boquete? One of those things is the Full Moon Drum Circle that takes place at one of the restaurants downtown. I went to the drum circle tonight with my friend Tim, just to observe and see what’s what.

When I was in Los Angeles some years ago, a friend and I were strolling along the boardwalk at Venice Beach around sunset, when we heard some drumming off in the distance. We saw a bonfire on the beach, and that’s where the sound was coming from, so we went to investigate. It was a drum circle, and was so cool – even more so, because it was a surprise to discover it.

Ever since then, I’ve thought I’d like to attend another one, and was delighted when I heard about the one in Boquete. Being a little shy, I didn’t want to go alone, so going with Tim was perfect (he’s a little shy in new situations, too, so that worked out for both of us).

Anyone can join in the drum circle, and they have some spare drums, tambourines, maracas, and other percussion instruments to loan to those who don’t have their own. One lady even brought a big metal skillet and beat on it with a drumstick! Another lady played a washboard. Anything goes here, and I just might join in down the road.

A few of the drummers are really good – the two people closest to the camera in the video below were fabulous! The drums were mesmerizing. Here’s a little taste of what went on for two hours:

A new supermarket opened a couple of weeks ago, a few miles south of Boquete. It’s owned by the same people that own the Alto Dorado building where I’m living now. This one is called Dorado Plus, and it’s much bigger and nicer than the store here – plus, it has ample parking. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Front of the store. They’re having a grand opening today (the M/S stands for “mini-super”).

There are several large gated American-style communities near there, and they’re really happy to have a well-stocked store closer to them. In fact, when I move next month, it will be about as close to me as going to the stores in downtown Boquete, so I’ll likely do most of my shopping at the new Dorado Plus and avoid Boquete’s torn-up roads. I’ll still buy fresh fruits and vegetables at the farmer’s market, though.

They’re having a grand opening celebration today with free samples, gift bag drawings, a bounce house for the kids, and fireworks. There will eventually be a hardware store and restaurant in the building, so they will do very well.

They have pretty much anything that’s available at an American-style supermarket, including American brand names – but you’ll pay a price for those! I don’t know how much a can of Hormel chili is in the US, but here it’s $4.85! There are other local versions of many familiar brands, at much lower prices, and so far the quality has been comparable.

Grocery aisles.

They also have a really big selection of wines and liquors in the store – we’re not used to buying liquor at the grocery stores in Oklahoma (not yet, anyway)! Food items are exempt from sales tax, but there is a 10% tax on liquor and wine, and a 7% tax on non-food items like cleaning supplies.

Wine and spirits section.

I found everything on my list today and it was a pleasant shopping trip, even though it was pretty crowded due to the grand opening activities. I’ll be back, for sure!

I’m finally getting back to making things from polymer clay, now that I’m sort of settled for awhile. I don’t have my jewelry findings here yet (I’ll bring them back when I go back to the US in November), but I have a lot of pen hardware and my pen press, so I can make pens and keyrings. That’s fine for now – I only had eight pens made up, and I usually have at least 20.

My first pen and keyring made in Panama

I still don’t have my Renaissance Wax here, so I’m just sanding and buffing the items for now. When I eventually retrieve my wax, I can apply it at that time.

Not long before I left, I saw a lady who posted on Facebook that she was selling a bunch of her canes. She offered to fill a USPS small flat-rate box and send it for $10. Well, postage for that size box is over $7, so it was almost like getting the canes for free. Of course, I jumped on that deal!

The box arrived in pretty rough shape, and was held together with a big rubber band. Some of the canes got squashed, but at least 80% of them were usable. There were lots of different flower canes, as well as butterflies, dragonflies, and bees. I used a couple of her rose canes and a butterfly cane for this pen and keyring (the leaf cane is mine).

It feels good to get back into production, even on a limited basis. Slowly but surely, I’ll be fully functional again one day!