This and That

I was feeling kinda down this morning when the morning rains cancelled a third work day in a row. But then a song that I wrote for my sons Alden and Dawson popped into my head. A few minutes later, I was gifted some delicious sweet corn, right from the field and felt better directly. Maybe the song will work for you, too.

The chorus needs some 'splainin. Framagrassit is my familiy's version of "thingamabob" or "whatchamacallit". Huppy Duppy is a game the boys and I played when they were little. It involved jumping on the bed and catching a ball in mid-air, while shouting "Huppy-Duppy" before a tummy landing.

Here is the YouTube link :                         Huppy Duppy Song


An excellent Water Committee meeting in Pueblo Nuevo. We reviewed all the functions and duties and rules. Then I trained them in basic accounting and exactly how to use the excellent new ledgers that Global Brigades provided.

I’ve never seen a spider like this. About 1 ½ “ across and very flat. I figure it is doing its part to keep my insect population down. Turns out, it's not a spider, but a "tailless whip scorpion" - completely harmless. And yes, they do eat bugs and such.

Continuing progress on rehabilitating and upgrading the Pueblo Nuevo water system with my pals. Today, we cleaned out the “toma” water intake at the spring. It was loaded with leaves, dirt and rocks – some pretty big. Then we installed the home-made air release valves along the water line at the high points. I took GPS readings and produced an altitude profile chart as well as a detailed map of the system. And we enjoyed a jungle lunch of Benino’s fried chicken. Ligorio says it is not as good as KFC, which we sampled a few weeks back. I think he’s just being polite.

As you can see from the map, we can taxi out a dirt road to very near the source and so only have to walk the 5 km line in one direction. Not looking forward to marching 9 km out and another 9 back on the Ipeti line. Again, NO mosquitoes for most of the trip. UNTIL we came to the river. Then they attacked. I had warning from the troops and got my DEET on. Just a few bites, but the buzzing noise really “bugs” me.

Survey of all the new bathroom units (composting toilet, shower and sink) in Ipeti completed. Lots of details left to finish and many up and running. Fortunately, 60 Global Brigades volunteers will be here to help in 2 weeks.

More color and crafts from the lady artists in Ipeti. Even the clotheslines are gorgeous. I will be consolidating all these crafts and skirts and molas and taking orders in September. Promise.

Why do all the hills here in Panama look like they have Mohawks ?? Because land parcels are not surveyed in straight lines, but described by the ridges and valleys. Then, folks put up fences along the property lines and the posts sprouted and became “living fences”. The result – Mohawk hills.

The Spiral Ginger, the kind that grows in my yard and has those gorgeous blooms, is well named. The leaves really do grow in spirals.

Facts of the teak flowers. They produce thousands of tiny seeds, with rain down on the ground. I learned that most all wild teak trees bloom. But, in the teak plantations, they only bloom around the edges. Even if interior trees bloom, the seeds have no chance of sprouting due to the density of the trees and the canopy.