Brundageba

RODNY DIRECT 

I can not laud Rodny enough for the work he does for our community here and especially for those who do not speak Spanish.  Rodny Direct provided the same heroic response for us here when a neighbor and his wife were beaten and robbed in a home invasion.  Rodny's handling of the entire situation was beyond the call of duty and we will forever be enormously grateful.   I might add...the  spouse of our neighbor is a lady who is totally fluent in Spanish, a Panamanian. She was unable to function. I might also add, he went the extra mile as my neighbors who needed help were NOT his clients, we were. Our neighbors immediately subscribed to his service !   When you have a crisis, a cool calm head and a person directing the first-responders is GOLD.  He knows exactly who to call and how to deal with the situation.  ( any situation......have a car break down in the middle of nowhere?...Rodny will get you a tow truck.  City street light out in front of your house?...Rodny can get that reported and attended to) 

Bill and I consider Rodny Direct an essential necessity here.   

Alison

Somehow we have to mentally deal with this mind boggling tipsy turvy world that's evolving.  Wonder if it strikes us as more horrendous because we are old farts who grew up in the way-back time they now call "mid century modern"........Tune it out, turn on the music and raise hummingbirds.

Alison

I have them all around the outside of the house as well..  Cheap and very useful.   You can get strips but as well small individuals that come in a set of 3 or so.  They last a long time. 

We have been here 13 years.  We LOVE it here.....everything about it.  By the various modes of confinement and mandates Panama is keeping its rate of transmission at an almost even level.... RT 1 ( a bit over) .   Health care in this country is not that of the USA therefore management has to be more strict in order to offer care to the sick when needed.  As it is, hotels are now being used.  Draconian?  From a nurse's  POV I'd say they are doing a pretty good job holding back the virus 

Infrastructure....always a problem and worse in certain areas. 

Alison

2 hours ago, Marcelyn said:

I’m seeing empty grocery shelves.  Wondering if food delivery  to Boquete is becoming a problem, or maybe limited number of stocking employees.

BUY lots of dried beans/rice.  

5 hours ago, Marcelyn said:

Last Tuesday (April 21st) Bud arrived at GAGO approximately 11:15 am to buy groceries. Couldn’t get into store parking area because three rows of vehicles completely filled the lot. He could not even get off the roadway to wait for space. Since seniors of 60 plus years have one time slot of 11AM to 1PM, what are they supposed to do?

What is wrong with this scheduling picture? Wait, I know.....all these customers had a “permit” !! So my question is: How do I get my permit to do what I want to do?

Ideas requested.

MY IDEA???? Drive right on by.  I don't even blink.  It's an " I just don't buy it today moment"...then I go home and take a vitamin pill.  (yup)

Alison

Time saver...no shopping no cooking...just swallow.   Take a nap...

 It was my hunch that we'd be having a tough time keeping folks doing the deal after a month.   Well...I sort of assume everything is plastered with COVID.   I scoot in and scoot out (mask well applied.)  Looks like for us here in Alto Boquete the fat lady is just starting to sing, (more cases).    Bill makes me a grocery list  where the items we need are arranged.  It's totally cool as he knows where everything is.....he makes me a flight plan.  I have to resist my "natural browsing instinct".  Helps.  I think those of us in the upper age group will have to be doing this for some time to come.  Upside is I don't have to worry about wearing lipstick anymore or getting that face lift.

A Nurse's Audit today :    

Apply  your mask over the entire nose and mouth.  Seal all sides well.  Having your nose exposed is worse than no mask at all.    Your nose would inhaling  (on occasion ) that matter that might have been deposited  to the anterior portion of the mask.  This is the reason that masks are ONLY effective if used correctly.  I observed exposed noses quite a bit today on ladies day out of our cage.    You would NEVER see that done in a hospital 

Alison , the nurse

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/08/well/live/coronavirus-face-mask-mistakes.html

Here's a good article with pics. 

I saw a LOT of cars outside MIDAS yesterday.  Just a theory I have...but I suspect the "pass" is for Ag workers out in fields that need to plant and harvest the country's produce.  I seriously doubt it's for yard work.  But I'll have to say...I am impressed by his ingenuity.   (something I'd do when I was young and full of mischief...now I'm just old and full of sh**)  

Yes Erin...I'm impressed.  I mean I handed a doorman at the bank a $ gift for his family and he would not take it...."against the rules he said with a sorta sad look after he asked his boss through the window of the bank...".    Everybody is so sweet and you know they are suffering big time.  

Reason I asked is ...well everybody wants to work.  Nobody is working.  I used to write my own excuse notes in school so my mind goes to that....

1 hour ago, JohnF13 said:

"hall pass" s

Does anybody out there know if there IS in fact this hall pass?  I have not seen that...maybe I missed it

Bill and I are taking credit on yard care.  Two Ngobe families.  Sort of a form of Cooperativa.  We loan...they return service down the road when they are free.

Sad......very sad.   Our hearts break for Oso. 

All I can say is Javier and Magaly are very special people.  They have very little (...money a/o time for themselves...) personally.  They dedicate their lives to dogs who need help.  They are amazingly empathetic people.   We all need to support them one way or another.  

God bless you J & M!

We are so happy for this dog.  How cute and sweet !

1 hour ago, Marcelyn said:

What is current condition of Anita?

Yes......please let us know

Dear Dog Camp...You have our support.   We hope Anita gets well and finds a happy home real soon.  Thank you and the person that found her for such compassion and dedication.

Alison, Bill and Flossy ( who was once a street dog too) 

Few days go by when we do not think of our  friend Dru.  Value your days......and spread kindness and joy.   Dru was that kinda guy.

Alison

32 minutes ago, Jim and Judi said:

I agree with you Alison. I just wish you could say something supportive of the potential victim. Something like "I would like a fair trial for the accuser. I want her to be treated as I would want myself to be treated...fairly. "

Yes for sure and do not for a minute think I do not believe as you do.  One thing however, it is very important to understand when people get angry they tend to tilt facts.  The motive in how this testimony was presented  was to strongly encourage readers to see it their way.....the local authorities as well the public.   Insinuation and assumption in many of these statements presented here are not first hand observations of what may or may not have gone on behind closed doors.  Nobody knows what really occurred except Dr Handt and the girls.  It is the job of the legal powers that be to discover the truth.

Doctor Allen Handt was a man who dedicated himself to helping.  He wanted children to succeed.  He wanted Ngobe women to be treated as equals in society and have a chance.  He was aware that the education system in Panama severely lacks quality and he dedicated hours to volunteer teaching.  I believe some of these testimonial observations do lead one to a foregone conclusion that Dr Handt was in 100% pedophilia - mode.  I do not believe that was the case from my own observation working with him at the mission.  I would like a fair trial for this man who is being accused.   I want him to be treated as I would want myself to be treated...fairly.  Whatever the truth is; that is what should prevail.  Let us not read in between the lines when we really do not know what was there. 

Alison Brundage

Horqueta eruption.  Before, first blasts and the ash fallout..........think about it.  Yah I know Horqueta is not really a volcano....but you get the drift.

Good job you guys!  And all your plastic  flower pots are intact these days?  ( smile)

Beautiful dog.

Alison

Just FYI .   Activated charcoal will permanently stain material.  We use it in the E.R. for poisoning and patients sometimes would spit it out everywhere. .  Some of my  uniforms and as well the divider curtains had permanent grey spots on them as a result .  

How cool is that?.........................!

Tough when the noise is close, loud and constant.  Just having a safe little place to crawl into along with her favorite cuddle toys and blanket  seems to be the best along with music.  Bottom line it seems it just has to be endured until it's over.