First I had to drag out stuff in space-saver bags under the
bed to see if anything that we used for Alaska still fit, before ordering what
we need for Antarctica. (I’ve gained weight) Wow, I can tell you it was hard to
get in the mood to try on fleece and long underwear in this tropical paradise.
LOL However, I finally got it done and there are a few things that will work
for the Antarctica trip. I suspect it will be equally difficult to try them on in the Arizona heat as well.
It took a few tries to get the clips replaced on the
blackout curtains in our bedroom, but when the guys came they were done in
about 5 minutes flat! Only about 3 were broken, but they replaced them all. Thanks Sharon!
The other thing that I need to do in the States is to visit
a doctor to get a years’ worth of the 2 meds I can’t get here in Panama. It
took numerous phone calls to Express Scripts to get the proper expat over-rides
for the 2 meds. It was messed up beyond belief last year and we are doing
everything possible to make sure it is done properly. We were told “exactly”
what to do last time and we and the doctor did exactly as we were told and then
were told it was all done wrong. So, this year I have had numerous chats on their online secure mail and have made lots of phone calls
and have received a ton of wrong info and calls to the wrong people because of the
bad information and then finally I found
someone that seemed to understand what we need. They need 72 hours to process
which works out to be 9 working days. ***update. I called to see if the over-ride
was done and approved and I was told that it once again had been done wrong. The
guy filled it out correctly but didn’t do the last step of sending it to the
committee for approval. I was told again to wait the 72 hours (9 days in their
world). I said we don’t have time for that as we want it all in place and
correct before we arrive in the States. Finally, the person on the phone got a
supervisor to expedite the process. I was told to call back the next day to
make sure it was approved. I was told it was. So, fingers crossed that all goes
smoothly this time!
We have gotten a tiny bit of rain here, so the wet season
should be here soon. It kind of cools things down and of course greens
everything up as well as a bit of cloud cover. Most of us that live here year
round prefer the green season to the dry/windy season. ***update. We got a nice
rain today! Yeah!!! It has cleared all the smoke from the air and it's "cooler" out. (the burning in the dry season leaves quite a smoky haze)
My latest interesting thing at the supermarket was
buying a box of quart sized Ziplock bags
and a jar of jam was taped to it. Hmmmm.
We had 2 group dinners out this month. The first one was at Restaurante
El Meson Suizo, a local Swiss place that was pretty good. Only 4 of us went to
that one. One couple had company in and another weren’t fond of the food there
and opted out. So, it was just Adam and Mary and us. We enjoyed the food and their company. The next
group dinner was at Cholo’s Mexican Food (cook is from Mexico) and we had 12 of
us for that one. We won’t have another one until early June as we are gone 2
weeks in May and another couple won’t be back from their Mediterranean cruise
until early June. Have a great trip Jim
& Jennifer!
Swiss restaurant
A couple of days in a row we saw 30 plus Eastern Kingbirds
migrating through on our usual trail. Greg saw some parrots from our balcony
and they turned out to be Scarlet-fronted Parakeets which aren’t usually
anywhere near this area. A local bird expert confirmed the sighting and said
they have started to spread out and even have a small group of them in the
city. Our bird count is now at 315 different types of birds! (only about 1/3 of
the birds in Panama)
We leave on the 6th for Phoenix and look forward
to spending time with Scott & Sonya and grandkids and my BFF Mary!
Here are a few photos from this month:
Brown-throated Parakeet
Brown-throated Parakeets
Brown-throated Parakeets
Barred Antshrike - male
Barred Antshrike - male
Barred Antshrike - male
Barred Antshrike - male
Barred Antshrike - female
Red-legged Honeycreeper - male
You need to look carefully, but there is a Common Pauraque
young Red-crowned Woodpecker
Red-breasted Grosbeak - male
Great Kiskadee
Lance-tailed Manakin - male
Lance-tailed Manakin - female
Tennessee Warbler - breeding male
Streaked Saltator
Yellow-green Vireo
Yellow-green Vireo
Eastern Kingbird
Eastern Kingbird
Eastern Kingbird
Eastern Kingbird
Squirrel Cuckoo
Sapphire-throated Hummingbird - female
Streaked Flycatcher
Blue-crowned Motmot
Panama Flycatcher
Rufous-capped Warbler
Baltimore Oriole - female
Blue-black Grassquit
Panama Flycatcher
immature Clay-colored Thrush
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Fork-tailed Flycatcher
cats in the neighborhood
Brown Vine snake
lizard checking out the Motmot nest
Cicada
iguana high in a tree
termite trail
I have added another album to Picasa and it also seems they have corrected the issue with being able to view the photos in the album.
Until next time.......
P.S. I rushed this out just for you Jim...lol
