What next?

Bruised, sore, tired. This rib is cramping my style. I can't sleep. My computer is toast, that is a long entry by itself.

Timon

Timon showed up yesterday to complete trimming trees. He wanted to know if I wanted the banana tree cut down. What banana tree? That is a spectacular traveler palm. Somebody posted on my facebook wall something to the effect of “Never give a machete to a gringo, nor a chainsaw to an Indian.”

Computer

I tried to call my bank but my microphone wouldn't work. I checked online and saw an entry to remove a software component. That was the beginning of the end. By the time I realized that it was going to remove a huge number of dependencies and tried to kill it the damage was done. Reboot, no menu system, no networking. Ahh, shit.

Taxes

Tax day. Late coming documents. Impossible to revise my tax return in the allotted time period. No way to mail a check for estimated payments from Panama. I contacted my sister and once again interrupted her overly busy schedule and she went to the bank, got a check issued and mailed my extension.

Eladio

Eladio called again. He still had not finished the dock and he still wanted me to pay him anyway. I told him for the umpteenth time that I would pay as soon as the job was done, I had already paid far more than I should have as progress payments. The contract had called for a down payment and the balance on completion. Get a clue.

Another phone call, this time from the district attorney. What the the hell? He was in the ANAM building and I had to go there right away. Leaving an unsupervised over ardent worker with a 30” Husqvarna I headed to town, regretting what lay behind and what laid ahead. I got to the office and met with the district attorney and an interpreter. Oh gawd. I should have brought my own. Let's see how this goes.

Eladio sat on a chair looking victorious. Apparently he had already won them over. I told my tale. I printed off the contract and another document that had been signed last week. I told my tale. Body language was clear enough. I was in the clear, both intermediaries were sympathetic to my tale. An hour and a half later Eladio was told to finish the dock, then he would get paid. He looked forlorn. Fifteen minutes later, on the street I ran into him again and he asked for money yet again.

As I write Timon crosses Bahia Honda in a cayuco, commuting to my house, that is, my gardener is paddling in a dugout canoe on the expanse of water that separates my island from Isla Bastimentos. The dogs bark and run down to the dock. Should I bother to put some pants on? Nahh.

Coffee. Damn another empty propane tank. I pull the one off the fridge. Thanks again, Gabrielle, it is wonderful coffee. I don't want to schlep another two tanks up here with my ribs in their current condition. I know I am going to gain quite a bit in the next six weeks. I can gain and lose weight in a hurry. Being sedentary is the path to quick gain.

I reflect on wonderful email I received yesterday, full of tears of sorrow and joy from a guest who was extremely grateful for her short time here and very sorry to leave but promised to return. I was quite touched.

Who am I? What is my purpose? I am keeping out of trouble. I had an extremely hard time getting over one of my guests, far too personal to blog and fell into a multi-week funk, devoid of any joy of life. Never fall in love with a tourist. Relationship-wise, that ship has sailed. Time to move on? . Now where is my next ship? What is my next destination? May is near upon us. This is the most wonderful of months, dry and sunny. Hot in town but wonderful on the water. Unfortunately May is also about the quietest month. As the weather in Europe and the U.S. becomes pleasant the visitors drop off. Fishing in an empty pond. Too much catch and release. Damn, as wonderful as this house is, it is also a ball and chain.

I'm rambling. I stopped to show Timon how to cut down a tree so that it wouldn't fall on my stairs. Felling a tree is not that difficult. I'm not up to it today, but I have done my share.

Damn these ribs. Damn getting old. I'm tired. But that will pass. It will take weeks until I can sleep fitfully. I wonder how many ribs I have not broken in my life. Not a lot.