I always felt Thomas and I were a match in spirit, though our language kept us from expressing ourselves fully. He, Panamanian biologist, living humbly, sweetly in El Valle de Anton Panama, as father, protector and steward. Me, Gringa – crazy about plants and all things ‘good’.
To approach his farm, you take the long asphalt [...]
I have been told that Panamanians are leery and rarely invite people into their homes. Distrust is endemic. During the high winds our mandarina tree blew over and left a huge gap in the focal point behind the pond garden. We also have the exposed chain-link fence and are trying to coax our little plants [...]
During the laborious construction of the roof structure for the vegetable garden, we realized that our plants will have a better built home than some people around here…. I guess we can’t get too guilt ridden about it, but it puts things in perspective for sure. Finally, this weekend we completed the structure and can [...]
Maximo has dug by hand 20 inch depth of soil by a 4′ wide by 37′-0″ length. He is amazing, this is incredibly hard work. The original idea was that we were going to dig in 8-10″ of river rocks, sand and big chunks of old concrete to create a drain-tile effect under the garden [...]
Today I went with my neighbor, who is an avid birder, bird watching. She lent me a pair of binoculars and gave me tips on how to see the birds through them. Panama is reported to have 972 species of birds, more than Costa Rica. In just a few minutes outside our door, we [...]
Today I started seedlings for the soon-to-be vegetable garden. One idea in coming to Panama Zone 12, is that we imagined we could grow much of our own food. After seeing movies such as The Future of Food, you can never know just exactly what is in or behind the food today. The only [...]
One evening, after the moon had risen, the crewmen sat around the campfire drinking rum and telling boisterous stories. After a few drinks, Jeronimo bragged that he had the power to transform himself into a jaguar. The men grumbled and whispered to each other, goading him to prove his boasts and become a wild cat [...]