Author: Nancy

How many of us actually do a google search on their own website? I really haven’t in quite some time, but it certainly pays to do so on a regular basis.

I have to thank my brother-in-law, Keith, for making us aware that our site may have been hacked! Yes, we were freaking out! It looked OK on our end, but when I did a google search on our site, there was a line that said “this site may be hacked” message. I am fairly good with a computer but when it comes to code, that is way over my head. I clicked the links that said “what to do when you see this message” and “remove this message from your site”. It took me to Google Search Console, who showed me that some hacker had added a page to my site, one that neither of us had created. I tried looking for this page under control panel in order to delete it to no avail. Apparently it is way more involved to get rid of.

I started my troubleshooting with my hosting company, Bluehost. I can’t say enough nice things about them, and their hosting prices are very low as well. I spent time on an online chat with a technician yesterday who scanned my files, found the suspicious files, sent me a .txt file with the names of the files and where they are located. So I went through them one by one with the technician. I did not know what suspicious code looked like, but he schooled me on it. I edited each file individually, resaved the file, and finally, the final scan showed we were clean. (Sigh of Relief!). I have been paying for Jetpack personal which is a plug in for WordPress that advanced security and backup tools, but apparently this was not enough. I will be upgrading my security tools for sure.

I submitted a reconsideration request to Google after I got the final OK that everything was clean, and this morning the site is back to normal. I got an email from Google Search Console stating that the actions had been adjusted. So I logged into my account and lo and behold, all is well in Google-land!

I am sorry if any of you have been affected, and rest assured I will be on top of this!

Thanks, Nancy

As the days turn into weeks and quite possibly months, it is easy to let this very restrictive Panamanian lockdown get the better of you.

The nationwide lockdown went into effect on March 25, but more restrictive measures were said to be needed since many people were not heeding the restrictions. Since April 1 we have been on a very restrictive lockdown with different designated shopping days for men and women and a 2-hour time limit to shop for essentials on your designated days.

I consider myself lucky that I have a #8 (last digit of my passport), which means I can leave the house at 7:30 AM and must return by 9:30 AM. I am really not an early bird, but I have adjusted to this schedule. I say that I am lucky because the senior crowd (age 60+), all have the same time, 11 AM – 1 PM, regardless of the last digit of your passport. There are so many that fit into this category living in Boquete. The stores can be quite busy during this time. I have heard reports of long lines and stores that are a bit too full for my comfort. Craig falls into this category but he stays away from the larger grocery stores and uses his time to pick up our Amazon packages at MBE, pick up our vegetable order, and stops at the smaller Dorado stores to pick up any loose ends.

There are also businesses who are doing deliveries to your house which also has been a godsend. I placed an online order from Price Smart, which is basically the Latin American version of Sam’s Club. Tomorrow they are supposed to deliver my order. Hopefully I get everything I was looking for. I would drive to Price Smart myself if there wasn’t such a short window for shopping. Price Smart is in David (about 35 minute drive). By the time you drive there, do the shopping, wait in line, then drive back, I don’t want to take any chances being out past my designated time. Also some local restaurants have been delivering as well as Dos Hombres, who has really good frozen prepared meals.

I’ve developed a routine to help me cope and keep up my spirits. That’s not to say I don’t have bad days. We’re all human and it’s OK to not be OK sometimes. I try to include 30-45 minutes of exercise every morning. Doing power walking videos from YouTube has been a Godsend to me. Craig has been doing the “walk-walk-walk” videos with on lots of days also. I’ve been spending more time practicing my Spanish, and video chatting with our family in the US as well as reading my Kindle and social networking.

I have also tweaked a great healthy banana bread recipe using honey instead of sugar and olive oil instead of butter. I wish I had applesauce instead but I have not been able to find it. Adding chopped walnuts and sometimes a little cocoa when I need a chocolate fix. The crazy thing is I have not gained weight, in fact I have lost a little. It is a ray of sunshine peaking through the clouds.

The alcohol ban which started on March 17 was supposed to tentatively last until April 7, but it is still in place. There has been mention that they are talking about lifting this slowly in the near future. After our stash ran out, it was strange, I really missed it, but now I find myself not really thinking about it too much. Yes of course when the ban is lifted, this household will be very happy! Craig is really looking forward to an icy cold Balboa Ice.

Since housekeepers and gardeners haven’t been able to work, I’ve been unenthusiastically keeping up with the house cleaning and weed pulling. We have a rather large yard here that our regular gardener takes care of. Believe it or not he cuts the entire lawn with a gas trimmer in a very expeditious manner.  The last time the lawn was cut was mid-March. So, it is very necessary at this point especially since we are now in the beginnings of the rainy season. We are waiting for these restrictions to be lifted, hopefully soon.

And of course, indulging in a little nap on occasion is nice. I think my introvert nature has helped me adapt a bit. My extrovert side really does miss the friends that I’ve made, visiting our local watering holes, going to the gym, and especially our weekly hikes to all the beautiful places that we are surrounded by.

This has become our new “normal” and look forward to better days ahead.

Footnote…

Just announced – end of the Dry Law! Controlled sales will start Friday, May 8!

With everything going on in the world today, it’s not easy task to keep yourself from going stir crazy or falling into a depression. Most of us have never seen the likes of this situation we find ourselves in. People infected with Coronavirus worldwide are now over a million, and deaths over 50,000. In Panamá alone, there are almost 1,500 known cases and death toll is at 37, with 10 recovered cases.

We are going with the flow and following the strict guidelines the government has set to keep us safe. We are in total quarantine indefinitely. There is a prohibition on alcohol, so if you didn’t stock up before hand, you are out of luck for who knows how long. The days and times that we can go out for essentials have become more restricted then ever because of people who have not been heeding the quarantine. Women are allowed out during their specific 2 hour window on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; men on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. No one can go out on Sunday. Exceptions apply to holders of permission letters (salvoconductos) or if you have an emergency situation. If you have a dog, you can only take it out close to your house.

Presidente Nito has launched a Solidarity Plan which includes the distribution of vouchers, food bags, medicines and tanks of gas to at least a million people, including informal workers, lottery sellers, residents of vulnerable areas and those affected by the economic impact of the pandemic. The amount of the electricity bill will be reduced 50% to those whose consumption does not exceed 300 kilowatts. Service will not be cut nor that of water or internet to those who cannot pay their bills in the next three months. Banks will not execute the mortgages of those affected by the pandemic. The use of the government ID (cedula) as a debit card is currently being finalized in the registers of supermarkets and shops.

The U.S. Embassy in Panamá is currently collecting names of people who wish to repatriate back to the United States. There were two flights scheduled this week that have been cancelled, but they are exploring other options for evacuation flights. Craig and I had not considered this. We feel safe and believe that the government is doing a good job. And God forbid we get sick, I’m not sure if our international insurance plan will cover us in the U.S. if one of us contracts the virus.

I’ve been taking this opportunity for self-reflection and self-improvement. Craig and I have been doing Power Walking Aerobics on our terrace almost daily. We are spending more time on our Spanish. We’ve been trying to eat healthier. I feel like a homesteader, freezing all kinds of fruits and vegetables for my Smoothies. Group chats with friends and family help keep us up to date and lift each other’s spirits. Spending time with your family feels more precious somehow rather than mundane. We are all going through this fearful time together. We need each other, kindness is so important.

I’d like to share this poem with you written by Kitty O’Meara, a retired Irish American teacher, that I feel is so relevant today…

And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently.

And the people healed. And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal.

And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed.

 ¡Quédate en casa! We will all get through this together!

In this season of Easter, we have been missing the ability to attend Sunday services. But Father Michael has solved that problem. He will be recording his services which will stream live on Facebook. We thank him for helping us to keep things as normal as possible and to find inner peace.

To our family and friends, we love and miss you all! I hope that God keeps you save and allows your mind to be peaceful.

Coronavirus has entered our new home in Panamá, currently with 36 cases confirmed as of this writing. As a perspective, Panamá is roughly the size of South Carolina. Tocumen Airport in Panama City is a very busy international hub. It was only a matter of time. A state of emergency was decreed by Presidente Nito a few days ago. And, according to Newsroompanama.com, “Panama’s government has allocated $70 million to fight coronavirus as 9 more confirmed cases brought the total to 36 by 4 pm on Friday, March 13.  Flights to and from Europe, now the epicenter of the pandemic according to the World Health Organization, have been suspended.”

With schools closed for the foreseeable future, as well as a ban on all public gatherings, it will definitely have a financial impact on the many small businesses and restaurants who do business in our small mountain tourist town. Many events, including the Tuesday Market, volunteer gatherings, the Beaches Jazz & Blues Festival, and the David International Fair have been cancelled. In the province of Chiriquí where we live, there has yet to be a confirmed case. The Mayor of Boquete is asking the President to block the entrance to Boquete at the Caldera checkpoint, of foreign tourists, principally those coming from countries with cases of COVID-19. We will have to show proof that we are residents of the district to pass through. We will see how this plays out. Hopefully these measures will help prevent the spread.

Personally, we have been on pins and needles over our upcoming 15 night repositioning cruise leaving the port of Colon to Lisbon, Portugal in mid April. Due to the escalation of the virus, it is highly unlikely that this will happen. Taking it day by day.

So if you were to be cooped up anywhere in the world, why not Boquete, Panamá? Could be in worse places for sure.

Craig and I are doing some dog sitting in Valle Escondido this week. It got us out of our routine for a bit. I forgot how much I missed having a dog, and Skylar, a golden retriever, has been a pleasure to watch.

I sure have been getting my exercise walking around this little slice of heaven, with its hilly terrain and beautiful vistas. It’s accessibility to town is also a bonus. The temperature is also a lot cooler than our place in Alto, which is great for sleeping with the windows open.

Internet

Another thing we’ve been working on was switching internet providers. Up until now, the only thing available to us was satellite internet with Cable Onda. If we’re lucky, we get 8 mb download and 1 mb upload at a cost of around $62/month. That is just internet, no TV. Over the past month or so, we’ve seen a new provider running lines in our neighborhood, Cable & Wireless Panamá. We went into the local office last week and signed up. We had a good experience at the Boquete office. The young lady who helped us spoke pretty good English, and along with our limited español, we were able to accomplish setting this up! The plan we signed up for is $58/month + tax for 150 mb download, basic TV cable service and phone. Big win!

Now we had to wait for a call for installation. That was interesting. We had an appointment on a Monday morning slot, we waited until 2 PM, and no one showed up. No phone call from them either. I called them using the English option (which is was impressed with), and was told someone would get back to us.

Long story short, with lots of phone calls later, and another appointment set for Thursday, we got a call on Wednesday saying they were at our house, really? Since we’re dog sitting, we had to rush over there to meet them. There was a little bit of a language barrier, but we understood their position that lots of the trees on our rental property needed to be topped in order to accommodate running the line to our house which is set back a way from the street. As well as a large tree of our adjacent neighbor had to be topped. Since this a rental, having to deal with these obstacles and additional expense wasn’t going to work for us. We just have to live with our 8 MB internet. It was a lot of time running in circles.

In my next post I hope to discuss the Corona Virus situation in Panamá.

Living in the tropics, I expected to see spiders, scorpions and snakes. However, when you see them wandering inside your home, it is a very uneasy feeling. We’ve heeded a lot of advice since landing here, in particular regarding pest control. I keep glue traps in stock and place them along the edges of walls in all of our rooms, especially near doorways and by our bed. I’ve scattered moth balls around the perimeter of the terrace where it meets the canyon, as well as outside our doors and windows. I spray lavender essential oil in and around our bedding every night. (Legend has it that scorpions do not like lavender)! And it also smells good.

We had an unexpected guest the other night. Craig is a light sleeper and was awoken to the sound of something moving on the floor. It was about 4 in the morning when Craig shot up out of bed, took out his phone flashlight, and shined it on the floor by his side of the bed. This hand-sized spider was half caught in a glue trap and was moving the trap while trying to get loose.

Being half in a daze and not knowing exactly what to do, we ascertained that he wasn’t going anywhere. He had stopped moving and looked stuck, or was he? We decided to go back to bed and deal with it in daylight. Neither of us could really sleep well after that, but a few hours later, he was still there stuck in the same location. If I had my had on straight I would have got a bowl to cover everything with and pushed it outside onto the terrace and out into the canyon, but that’s not what happened. Craig got out his tape measure to see if he could ascertain its size. Señor Spider did not like this one bit and suddenly became unglued from his frozen position and ran inside the trap, then out the other side. He was making a run for it! I was screaming, Craig was tap dancing. I got out the can of bug spray and squirted it. I didn’t want to chance it being some sort of tropical Panamanian death spider. We saved the evidence in a baggie to find out what kind of spider it was.

After that, we felt it necessary to have an exterminator come in. We were very uneasy about the situation. A friend gave us a referral for an exterminator and we made an appointment. We were assured that this was not a poisonous spider. The variety is called “Tegenaria Domestica”. They eat bugs. A very large female who was just trying to make a living in our bedroom. The exterminator sprayed non toxic solution throughout the inside of our home as well as the outside perimeter. This will become part of a regular routine.

Some important tips we received were not to have a lot of clutter around, and to maintain a clean home, which we do. Also trimming back any bushes and not having junk stacked against the house where these critters like to hide. One thing we need to consider is weather stripping around the doorway as you can see a little daylight peeking through. In Panamanian construction, we have seen very little weather stripping. In the newer North American style homes that are being built in the gated communities they are more prevalent.

Never a dull moment in paradise…