It is an overcast, slightly rainy, kind of a grey day.  Not so much like a Panama rainy day, which  usually affords a  more vigorous downpour and a display of lightening with accompanying thunder.  It's more like an Oregon coast rainy day, just drizzly and dreary

Thought I might like to look back some day and remember how we passed a stay-at-home day here in Tierra Oscura.  So here goes:  We get up early and put on the pot to heat water for coffee.  It is still dark so we go out on the deck to watch the sky lighten and listen to the morning sounds.  Lots of birds.  Howler monkeys behind the house, lately coming closer.  Two troops of them.  I suppose they are calling back and forth to establish their territories
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We both check our computers to see if we have any interesting news from home.  (Not often enough!) and I feed Turbo who is most appreciative and affectionate!  Soon after that I feed Lester who is also appreciative and affectionate but indicates his pleasure verbally rather than by  touching my hand with a cold wet nose.

About 7:30 the short wave radio fires up announcing that Bocas Net will begin its morning announcements in 15 minutes.  When it does begin, various home owners and cruisers in the area call in to indicate they are listening.  Lester does that for us as I am radio shy!  "Ben 64", he says. (That is the call signal for this address.) I guess I could say that.  But I'd rather not.  Anyway, what follows are announcements about items for sale, trade, or wanted to buy, community events, and the weather report, etc.  So far as I can tell the weather report is pretty much the same every day.  40-50% chance of rain and thunder showers.  Apparently the usual for this time of year and so the report is accurate and probably could be delivered by recording. But this Bocas Net event is a highlight of our day and makes us feel a part of the community even though we are all pretty isolated.

Lester is a three meals per day kind of guy so it isn't too long after breakfast and breakfast cleanup that it is time to do lunch and lunch cleanup.  I usually read in the afternoon, check the computer again for any messages and then get started on dinner and dinner cleanup. (I usually cook with wine, and by that I mean, with a glass of wine in my hand while cooking.It is my reward for being a good girl all day)    Lester will spend the afternoon on computer games.  Occasionally we play a game of  Cribbage. Today I vacuumed and cleaned the humming bird feeder and refilled it.  I keep a wary eye on the solar power indicator on the wall here.  If there is plenty of power I will plug in the heater in the linen closet to prevent mildew there.  If not, I will skip that day.  Decisions, decisions!

I put together a jigsaw puzzle on the coffee table.  Spent some time on it each day for about a week
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After dinner we may play another card game, spend some time relaxing on the deck enjoying the evening sounds (Like the whoop, whoop of the frogs) before Lester goes back to his computer as do I.  But he plays games while I look for something on NetFlix before going to bed.  And that is a typical day at home. ( I am really looking forward to going to town tomorrow!!!)

Apologies due to the floating restaurant in Bocas!  In previous post I said that the food was not that great.  I should have said that breakfast was not that great.  But lunch!  Now there is a real winner.  We arrived in town later yesterday so ordered the beer batter fish and chips and, I want to tell you,  that was awesome.  Can't wait to go back!

Lester came down with some kind of flu bug about a week ago and was sick for most of 4 days.  Fever, aches and pains, he slept through most of it and finally came out on the other side about Tuesday.  Wednesday turned out to be a really gorgeous day.  Hardly a cloud in the sky and the water was as smooth as glass all the way into Bocas town and almost that smooth on the way back.  Finding a dock that is open and the business is willing to let you tie up is a bit of a problem.  But at the far end of town is a big boat that is a floating restaurant and has a dock we can use while in town.  Of course, they expect you to eat there as well, which is too bad as the food was not that great. Probably the quality of food offered there  is the reason for the abundance of docking space.  That's my guess anyway.We spent several hours in town.  Had lunch, shopped for groceries.  It was good to get out after so many days at home.

Yesterday we hit the water again, this time making a trip to visit our former neighbors from when we house sat here 2 years ago.  Carl and Mary live on the next bay, Dolphin Bay.  This house is on Almirante Bay.  There are small islands and mangrove mazes everywhere you go.  Easy to get lost here although we remembered some of the routes from the last time we were here (and were often lost back then!) While we were sitting out on their wrap around deck the howler monkeys arrived in the tree tops at the back.  So entertaining to watch them.  Such nice people! Carl and Mary, that is.  I suppose the monkeys are nice too though.

One note of interest, before I forget to mention it, is the short wave radio(single side band, Les calls it) that we have in the house.  Many of the people in the area have one and it is the major means of communication here.  Every morning about 8:00 they make announcements and share  bits of news and  advice.  Throughout the day people contact each other on this radio.  Jan and Brent (home owners here) are Ben 64.

We saw a dolphin out in front of the house this morning. Loved that.  Am watching for a sloth!