Panamanian Lawn Mowers

People tend to make use of what they have so if your yard needs a trim, what is the easiest way to accomplish this?

Seen in the southern part of the city, goats trimming alongside the road in a residential neighborhood.

Seen in the southern part of the city, goats trimming alongside the road in a residential neighborhood.

A frequent sight in more rural areas, cows by the road.

A frequent sight in more rural areas, cows by the road.

What?! I'm doing my work, so why are you stopping to look at me?

What?! I’m doing my work, so why are you stopping to look at me?

Another common sight, horses by the side of the road. When you aren't using them for transportation, let them trim the grass. These weren't even tied.

Another common sight, horses by the side of the road. When you aren’t using them for transportation, let them trim the grass. These weren’t even tied.

This calf lives down the road from us. When he's not working on the soccer field, he's working along side the road.

This calf lives down the road from us. When he’s not working on the soccer field, he’s working along side the road.

This is a very common sight, man with machete. When the grass gets very high, this is how it is cut down. There is a vacant lot two doors down from us, and this guy was trimming it this morning.

This is a very common sight, man with machete. When the grass gets very high, this is how it is cut down. There is a vacant lot two doors down from us, and this guy was trimming it this morning.

this is our yard man's equipment. He works with a weed eater and a rake, and carries them and his helper with his motorcycle. Weed eaters seem to be the most common yard maintenance tool. I 've only seen a USA style lawn mower once here. I certainly don't miss the sound of the big lawn mowers and leaf blowers that were so common in Florida.

this is our yard man’s equipment. He works with a weed eater and a rake, and carries them and his helper with his motorcycle. Weed eaters seem to be the most common yard maintenance tool. I ‘ve only seen a USA style lawn mower once here. I certainly don’t miss the sound of the big lawn mowers and leaf blowers that were so common in Florida.

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Delicate

Weekly Photo Challenge: Delicate

I have some photos of delicate things, but they also remind us of how delicate their existence is, and how important it is for us humans to be aware of our impact on them.

A little praying mantis on the wall

A little praying mantis on the wall

Praying mantis are useful insects for any gardener, so we were happy to see they live in this area.

Just a beautiful little butterfly in the plants.

Just a beautiful little butterfly in the plants.

a bit of a spider's web with dew, taken in the early morning light with my macro lens.

a bit of a spider’s web with dew, taken in the early morning light with my macro lens.

A butterfly so delicate it has a torn wing

A butterfly so delicate it has a torn wing

the underside of a very tiny spider, so small it's hard to see the detail with the naked eye. This was taken with my macro lens.

the underside of a very tiny spider, so small it’s hard to see the detail with the naked eye. This was taken with my macro lens.

A spider's web covered with dew in the woods, caught in the first rays of the morning sunlight

A spider’s web covered with dew in the woods, caught in the first rays of the morning sunlight

I think this is the tiniest bee I've ever seen. It was on an equally tiny, delicate twig of grass.  This was taken with my macro lens.  I think the bee was less than 1/8 inch long.

I think this is the tiniest bee I’ve ever seen. It was on an equally tiny, delicate twig of grass. This was taken with my macro lens. I think the bee was less than 1/8 inch long.

Our relationship with insects is delicate. We often do not realize the damage we do when we use chemicals or alter their living environment. Bees are especially critical because without their pollination, we would be without the vast majority of our fruits and vegetables. Here on our house we have a hive of very tiny black bees. Some of my neighbors are afraid of them and don’t understand why I don’t get rid of them, but they are not aggressive and haven’t been a problem.  I spotted some of them working on this squash blossom nearby.

Tiny black bees in a squash blossom. These bees are not much more than 1/4 inch long.

Tiny black bees in a squash blossom. These bees are not much more than 1/4 inch long.

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Cee’s Fun Photo Challenge: Reds and Greens

Cee’s Fun Photo Challenge: Reds and Greens

These two photos were actually taken by Joel, my husband. Our neighbor’s flowers next to our fence caught his eye in the afternoon sun.

A very pretty ginger

A very pretty ginger

A red bougainvillea against the afternoon sun

A red bougainvillea against the afternoon sun

The photos have not been edited in any way, but are just as he took them. Thanks Joel for some really nice photos!

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Another Lizard Encounter

We came home from the store about noon to find this lizard in the driveway. He walked off into the grass when he saw us but was nice enough to stick around so I could get a few photos.

lizard 1

He’s probably about a foot long, and able to run and jump easily. He was calm enough to stay in the grass for a while even though there were a couple humans near him. I think he might be a Central American Whiptail lizard. That is the closest match I could find by searching on Google, so if anyone knows more please let me know.

lizard 2

lizard 3

We seem to be going into the dry season, so I wonder if we are going to see other interesting critters that we haven’t been seeing before.

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Changing Seasons

The weekly Photo Challenge: Changing Seasons

Changing Seasons? We are in Panama. There are no seasons. Well OK yes, in  a way there are. We are going in to summer when there is less rain, and maybe more wind, so I am told. But, there is no guarantee of anything. Sometimes the dry season isn’t very dry. Sometimes it is. Either way though the length of days will remain the same, and the temperatures will fluctuate slightly more but still average out to just about the same as well.

How do we know there is a season? LIGHTS! Parties. Fireworks. Decorations. Shopping. It’s HOLIDAY SEASON! Mother’s Day was Saturday and this is a HUGE holiday here. Friday evening the streets were jammed with shoppers and there was no space in any parking lots. It seemed like the whole city was out buying gifts for mothers. Saturday was a national holiday. Even the corner fruit market was closed.

Saturday was a big family get together day. The neighbors across the street had their parents, the kids, the grandkids and extended family for a BBQ and much laughing and fun well into the evening. The people on the corner are Colombian, and they celebrated a Colombian holiday –  Day of Candles with an evening of fireworks, lights, candles and fun both Friday and Saturday night. They are the ones who surprised us with treats which prompted my recent post The Kindness of Strangers.

Then, of course, it’s almost Christmas. There are every bit as many decorations, lights, and festivity as I remember in the US. Since this is supposed to be a picture post, I suppose I should post some pictures!

Our Colombian neighbors with lights, candles, fireworks, and many friends and family celebrating their Day of Candles.

Our Colombian neighbors with lights, candles, fireworks, and many friends and family celebrating their Day of Candles.

A store  has Rudolf hanging out on the roof!

A store has Rudolf hanging out on the roof!

We may not have snow here, but that hasn't stopped the Nissan dealership from having a big holiday snowman out front. (Yes, we have McDonalds here, and KFC, Pizza Hut, TGI Fridays,  Domino's Pizza, and more. One day I will have to post about  how the US is taking over Panama with fast food)

We may not have snow here, but that hasn’t stopped the Nissan dealership from having a big holiday snowman out front. (Yes, we have McDonalds here, and KFC, Pizza Hut, TGI Fridays, Domino’s Pizza, and more. One day I will have to post about how the US is taking over Panama with fast food)

Our neighborhood has many houses decorated with cheerful Christmas lights, and others can bee seen all over town.

Our neighborhood has many houses decorated with cheerful Christmas lights, and others can bee seen all over town.

Feliz Navidad! Here in Panama, it is the season to have fun and celebrate.

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A Word a Week Photo Challenge – Blue

I can do this one! Here in Panama, we also have lots of blue. So, since this PHOTO CHALLENGE landed in my mailbox, I figured why not.

I was going to post these photos anyway, so this is a perfect opportunity to share a couple of my favorites. We went to Las Lajas a couple days ago, my favorite beach. It is so beautiful there!

All that beach, all that beauty untouched, hardly even another soul around. It truly is a paradise.Las Lajas Blue 1 Las Lajas Blue 2

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The Kindness of Strangers

It surprises me how kind and giving the people are here. It happens every day. Strangers on the street help me find things, sometimes taking a fair amount of time to personally walk me to the location and speak to someone else on my behalf. Our neighbor took a morning to help us fix our car and refused anything in return. When I told my teacher about it, she asked – “don’t people do this in your country?” No, they do not. Of course people are helpful when asked, and someone who has been a friend and neighbor for years will stop his work and help you with your car but in general, it’s different. People here help you like they have been friends and neighbors for years, even when they have known you for only moments.

We made friends with a man in the tennis group. He took us to the best store to buy a bicycle, and yesterday he enlisted another friend of his to come with us to Pedregal to find the best fish seller. Then he took us to his house to meet his family.

Our friend at the fruit and vegetable market picks out the best pineapples for us, and tosses in a few free bananas every time we visit.

A stranger at the bus terminal walked me to the bus I needed and handed me off to the bus assistant to be sure I got where I needed to go.

I can site example after example, but last night was one of the most touching. It was Friday night, the night before Mother’s Day, a very big and important day in Panama. The neighbors had friends over and they were celebrating with fireworks in the street. We don’t know these people, but we have said hello a few times as we pass by their house. Last night after the fireworks they come over with a plate of sweets for us, and to wish us happy mother’s day.

So, today I am thinking about the people here. Anytime you pass someone, there is always a smile and greeting. Anytime I talk to someone, there is always patience for my limited Spanish and help offered if needed, help given with a smile and no apparent thought to the time it may take. There is a different sense of community here, a much more open attitude and I like it a lot. I know we are very much in the honeymoon phase of this journey so I wonder how I will feel in a year. From here though, I can’t imagine feeling much differently about smiling, friendly people.

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We’re Off to See the Sunset

There were fabulous clouds all afternoon so we thought it might be an interesting sunset.

First, we noticed this towards the south.135

Quick! Grab the cameras and lets go up the hill where we can see more of the sky! The neighbors dogs like to tag along if we go walking.107

We actually ended up driving to a field nearby where we could see the whole sky with minimal utility wires in the way. There may be more spectacular sunsets but we were happy with this one. Any pretty sky is a great ending to a good day.132

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The Lizard Encounter, and whatever else is on my desk at the moment

We went to the tennis court yesterday morning and it was in use, so we came back in the afternoon. This turned out to be a lucky thing. When we arrived, there was this huge iguana in the road just before the parking area!

I know, I know, this is nothing new around here but for us, it was really cool. My neighbors say there is a season of the year when iguanas are more likely to be out and about and apparently this isn’t it because I haven’t seen any. So, we were very excited to see this impressive beast!0571

Who would have thought that iguanas can climb trees? When you look at the claws on him though, I guess they have the equipment for it. I actually have a video too! when we saw him in the road I quietly got out of the road and walked towards him. When I got too close he went off towards the trees, and then up a tree! Link to Video  I know I need to learn to walk and video more smoothly. Sorry if I gave you a moment of motion sickness, but I’m glad I caught this with my camera.

So, now we have an iguana up in the tree.060

He climbed a bit higher until he reached a more horizontal branch, and then he tried to hide on the back side of that. (see the picture in the header of this post)  My husband came and stood on the other side of the tree which made the iguana move away from him, and right into perfect camera range for me!

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After this, we decided that we had bothered the poor iguana enough for one day and headed off to play some tennis.  I’m sure we’ll get more used to seeing these large lizards at some point but for now, we think this is totally cool.

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Lets see what else is on my desk at the moment.

This beautiful tree is also near the tennis court. Actually there are a number of them in the area. The bark is fantastic!075a

The hummingbirds are still entertaining us daily with their antics around the feeder.  I caught a photo of this pretty one in the tree.011a

Yesterday we had some fabulous clouds and I got some shots of the birds in front of a great sky scene.042

There will be more on that later because it turned into a beautiful sunset.

This little bird visited our yard and perched in the fence for a while. I hadn’t seen this one before.085a

That’s enough for one post. What a good day!

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Lets Go Hunt for Bananas!

Actually, we didn’t set out to hunt for bananas, but when we go walking in the forest who knows what will happen.

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We set out into the beautiful forest

Those trees are tall!

Those trees are tall!

A butterfly! Of course I couldn’t resist taking a few pictures, and then switched to my macro lens for this one. This butterfly was wonderfully cooperative and sat quietly while I took photos.

beautiful butterfly

beautiful butterfly

Since I had my macro lens, why not photograph these tiny flowers?091

These little seeds are interesting too!

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OK, OK, I’m coming! Wait for me.

We climbed up a small hill and found this spot with all these crazy vines hanging down from the trees.107

Then, farther along, bananas! What a beautiful spot. Nothing says tropical jungle to me like bananas growing wild in the forest.132

Look, bananas! This tree fell over with its stalk of bananas just waiting to be picked up. We must take them home and try them.129

So, we set off for home, down the other part of the hill, bananas in hand.136

This was last week. We set the bananas aside to get a little riper and then we tried them. They are short, plump, slightly pink, and very delicious! We decided that these are better bananas than we get from the produce vendors around town. What a nice surprise.

So, thinking about how we love to grow things that look beautiful and also produce food, what’s better than bananas! Yesterday, we set out for the banana spot again in search of pups, and sure enough there were many. Most of the pups were just growing out of fallen banana tree trunks, sitting on the ground rather than actually growing in it so it was very easy to get pups. We freed three of them in minutes with only a pocket knife.

We set off for home with our baby trees, and we even found some more bananas as well!

We set off for home with our baby trees, and we even found some more bananas as well!

One of them is more than a baby, probably more like an adolescent but it was also sitting on top of the ground and easy to get.070

Here is our new garden spot with the new bananas. I also put in a few pineapple tops, and soon I will have some tomato plants ready to set out. Nothing says tropical jungle garden like beautiful banana trees!

The photo at the top of the page was also taken near the banana spot. I think that twisted tree is so interesting.

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