I didn’t do much this week – I’ve been fighting an upper respiratory infection (the kind I usually get once a year), and I only did what was necessary. Thank goodness there’s a grocery store downstairs – that saved me a trip into town for groceries.

I got some decongestant and antibiotics, and made some of the good old home-remedy cough syrup with honey, lemon juice, and whiskey. I’m feeling a lot better today. I still take spells of coughing, but not nearly as much as before.

I did do some things – I found a long-term rental and put a deposit on it. I’ll move in on October 15. It doesn’t have stairs – I’m excited about that! Photos and details upcoming, as it gets closer to the move-in date.

My friend Tim took me out to lunch yesterday at Malu, the little cafe where I had the lovely salad awhile back. I had a bowl of homemade lentil soup (yummy!) and a grilled cheese sandwich (so-so) with french fries.

After lunch, I went shopping for veggies at the farmer’s market. I got a bag of roma tomatoes (probably close to two pounds) for $1, along with a couple of cucumbers and green peppers. I hadn’t had a pineapple for a couple of weeks, so that was definitely on the list, too.

Looking forward to feeling even better by tomorrow. They’re having a real Southern treat for lunch tomorrow at the BCP – barbecue brisket and chicken, potato salad, coleslaw, peach cobbler with ice cream, and sweet tea. The lady who owns the restaurant there is from Arkansas, and she’s a wonderful cook!

Southern feast!

They suggested making reservations, so I made one for myself, Tim, and his friend Bill. I seriously doubt anyone will go away hungry!

Another Friday night in the big town, as OKC meteorologist and local legend (also former brother-in-law) Gary England was fond of saying. A really good guitar player, Edgar Vargas, was performing at the BCP this evening, so in spite of the rain, I ventured out for a bit of entertainment.

Poster

He has some kind of talent on that guitar! He played several songs I didn’t recognize, then he broke out into “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and “Hotel California.” That one really got the crowd going, and inspired some couples to hit the dance floor. Here’s a sample of his talent:

About mid-afternoon, it started raining. No surprise – that’s when it usually rains, at least for a little while. This storm was a little heavier than usual, with several flashes of lightning and a bit of gusty winds. The power went out three or four times during the storm – mostly just for a minute or two, but once it stayed off for 10 minutes or so. No biggie – I just chilled out on the couch, listened to the rain, and enjoyed the breeze.

Here are a couple of views from my bedroom, on the street side of my apartment:

Looking directly across the street

looking to the left, toward town. I love it that the clouds are lower than the mountains!

Online, I saw a used office chair similar to the one I had in my old office. The guy selling it was in the hills north of downtown Boquete (I live just south of downtown). So this morning I set out through the road construction in town (actually, it’s more like DEstruction, right now), and headed north on one of the loop roads.

I had never gone out of town in the car I just bought, so I was a little fearful of the steepness and curves on one of the outer loops. Actually, the road turned out to be really nice and not too steep. There were lots of curves, though, and people did tend to come around them pretty fast.

Entrance gate

Since there are no street addresses around here, the guy sent me a photo of his entrance gate to guide me. When I got to his neighborhood (Alto Lino), I started looking for the design on the metal gate. Well, I didn’t see it on the first pass and kept on driving a mile or two more, until it looked like I was about to head out of the neighborhood.

I stopped at a restaurant and showed them the photo. The girl knew whose house it was, and told me it was back where I had come from. I kept a sharp eye out this time, and found it. He had both sides of the gate open this morning, and it was a little difficult to see from the road.

My new comfy chair

So the expedition was a success! He loaded up the car for me and I headed back to town with my prize. Getting it up the stairs was quite an effort – it’s kind of heavy. I backed up the stairs, one step at a time, grabbed the chair on either side of the back, and hauled it up gradually. Once I got it up the stairs, it was easy to roll it down the tiled hallway and into my apartment. There was an office chair in here already, but it was extremely uncomfortable. My back has hurt for two days. This one is MUCH better!

I also got a 6-foot folding table today to use as my clay work station. There’s a lady in town who goes to PriceSmart (a membership store like Sam’s Club or Costco) in David every Wednesday and shops for people. She charges $10 over the cost of the items she picks up. Nice service – saved me a trip to David and the confusion of trying to find the store, not to mention the cost of membership. Well worth the $10, and she even carried it up the stairs for me!