How Did I Get to This!?

 Panama Farm Life October 3, 2024

We live in tumultuous and stressful times on our planet.  Nasty politics, war, famine, disease... same ole', same ole' just a different century, and complicated with technology and media blasting out fake news.  But, this is the century I live in. The way I stay grounded, positive and sane is to focus on what is in front of me an a day to day basis.  And that is our farm...

The morning is dark with cloud cover.  My eyelids flutter.  My pillow is... wet!  Lilly has struck again!  Lately our 5 month old Jack Russell thinks our bed pillows are the perfect place to take a piss!  Thankful it was the pillow and not my face.  I roll out of bed as Codi marks 5:30a...tap, tap, tap.  He trots out the front door eager to start his farm survey. I prepare the coffee and view whisps of clouds drifting along the valley floor gathering ground moisture as they go. The overnight drizzle was relentless.  And the morning cloud cover promises even more. Thunder rumbles in the distance.

In this month of October, typically the rainiest month of the season, the ground is saturated and everything feels damp...from the bedsheets (discounting Lilly) to our bones.   So far, the month is living up to expectations.  A tropical wave recently went through throwing down volumes of water.  Two new rainwater catchment tanks of almost 2500 gallons each filled within one week sourced off of the roof of our house.  Generally the farm can handle this  onslaught.  However, this rainy season overall has swept away much of our topsoil leaving the red clay pan exposed.  The horses can do nothing else but stand in their stalls looking out to the downpour and munching hay to pass the time.

Our general contractor, a quiet spoken gent from the U.K. whose business has been in the mountains of Panama for over 20 years, began implementing drainage ditches around the property to quell the damage.  We can hold on until dry season begins and permanent solutions will then be installed.  And a few truckloads of new topsoil will need to be rototilled into the pastures.  2 months more of rain and counting...

This past week, two mares left our farm for their home location happily pregnant from the inseminations of our farm resident and equine vet, Amanda.  Hechichera ('bewitched' in Spanish), Amanda's horse, dislikes changes to her herd members.  With each new rotation of mares comes a night of screaming into the darkness looking for her now missing friend. Yah...this does compromise our sleep.  Then a new mare appears and Hechiera is sedated with the comforting presence in the next stall.  Night time peace reigns once again.

Amanda's 5 month old baby, Pilar, often watches from her bouncy chair as her mom deftly handles 1000 pound mares through the insemination process...while they are in heat.  Cranky, fidgety, uncooperative are words that come to mind. The mares, not Amanda.  

The success of Amanda's insemination program is leading to an embryo transplant business that is big money here in Panama.  Healthy trail riding mares become the carriers of embryos started and cultivated from expensive pedigree mares whose income production would be compromised with the 10 month gestation.  Generally the expensive stock consists of thoroughbreds that have proven track records from around the world and purebreds highly prized for their abilities in the show ring or at rodeos.  Horses are a big part of Panamanian culture and life and constant competitions and appearances keep these mares earning money. 

Construction on the new villa drags on.  This morning I am gifted with a WhatsApp voice message that the ordered applicances can be delivered the next day as the kitchen cabinets will soon follow. I roll my eyes and mentally repeat the 'I will believe it when I see it' mantra. Nothing in Panama goes according to plan, timeline or budget.  Nothing.  

The final completion date has been moved several times. And so the available rental date has been moved several times as well.  At this point, I add another 60 days to the start date of a lease. As a unique family compound, finding the best renter will take some time. Our offering is atypical.  Solar power, water purification, security gates, farm-wide internet, a green house, compost pile, hay storage and horse boarding are not generally available as a package. We are looking for a specific type of  renter. Somebody(s) that understands a farm. Someone that will modify habits to conserve energy and other resources and perhaps roll up sleeves and break a sweat.   Someone that can laugh at Porky grunting at their front door, dogs barking, horses screaming, weed wackers whining, chain saws buzzing, and a partridge in a pear tree. Make that a flock of green parrots that fly across the farm twice daily shrieking and chattering...loudly. I will mention the hornets, cane toads, snakes, scorpions and stinging caterpillars in a future post.  Yup, someone that understands.  Maybe will be a person from the same haystack as the needle.

Gary says the three top things to be aware of in life currently is the copious rain and crappy roads here in Panama, and the politicians in the U.S.   Oh, I could add much more to that!  

(Names and some details described in this blog are not included in the Facebook post to comply with privacy requests)