Michael: The Cow Goes Moo

Yellow tailed blackbird
Soars over the horizon
Like a feathered sun.

Monday, November 14, 2016

Neither Kimme nor I were raised on farms. We were both taught the basics of farm animals like most city kids, kind of the “See and Say” way. A cow looks like this and says, Moo”. And now that we’re surrounded by cows that for the most part seems pretty accurate.

Usually, when see cows they’re either laying down, eating or walking to find a place to eat. They don’t really moo that often and generally seem pretty content with their lot in life here.

However, once in a great while, last night for instance, instead of just your ordinary casual moo, we heard a cow repeatedly give out a screeching moo, as if it were in distress. We honestly didn’t know what the problem could be; was it birthing? Hurt? In despair? We had no way of knowing and wouldn’t know how to assist even if we could figure out what the distress moo meant.

I am curious though. Not enough to be come a cowtographer or anything. But I am going to ask around. Just don’t let anyone tell you that all a cow says is “moo”.

Michael: Animaling

Red Breasted Blackbird
Hollows out a ripe lemon
Like a woodpecker

Monday, November 14, 2016

Last weekend during the holidays here, we were told there were 200 people out on the Volcan Baru Trail. Yesterday, despite perfect weather, we didn’t see a soul.

We did see remnants of the lost 200 though. But I will say the trash problem created by hikers here does seem to be getting better. So the Panamanian authorities, or perhaps just the culture in general, is getting the word out and people are becoming more aware of the “pack it in pack it out” ethic.

And that would be a very wonderful benefit of living here as the Volcan Baru trail is just one wild ride no matter how many times we’ve done it. What a blessing it would be to do it without sighting empty plastic bottles, cans and snack wrappers.

One of the great pleasures of that trail is its variety of terrain and how one can approach overcoming the obstacles the terrain presents. You can just walk it but that takes away a great deal of the fun. Far better to put on some gloves and animaul it; jog, crawl, pull, slide, scoot… whatever it takes and whatever the trail calls for. It’s a blast.

Michael: The Bright Side

The afternoon rain
Provides the background rhythm
To our mountain lives.

Saturday, November 12, 2016

Since Trump’s victory I’ve been in a bit of a funk, but then I watched Michael Moore and Bernie Sanders on CNN and I realized there may be a silver lining to the dismal storm that’s headed our way.

My political awakening occurred during the Watergate years. Since then I’ve been waiting for the Democratic party to meet me on the Social Democratic side of the left. It’s been a very long wait.

But very shortly the Dems are going to choose a new DNC chairperson and Bernie’s backing Keith Ellison; a progressive Muslim from Minnesota. Wow, what a great way to react to the ugliness of Trump’s campaign rhetoric. If he’s elected, that will be a very good first indicator that the Dems are moving in the right direction and will bring back all those disillusioned Democrats and Independents that sat on their hands this election.

Michael: Truthiness

Solitary steer
Lowers its head and wonders
What the hell is that?

Friday, November 11, 2016

Boy, did Colbert hit the nail on the head when he introduced ‘truthiness’ into our lexicon.

And because that concept seems to be gaining strength with each passing year, it’s hard to see how the cultural divide that just slapped us in the face will heal in the near future. I mean if someone as supposedly as intelligent as Newt Gingrich can flat out deny that the homicide rate has been in decline for years because it doesn’t feel like the truth, what hope do we have finding a common core of accepted information from which to assess our disagreements and by what objective standard do we use to substantiate the progress or shortcomings of our policies and institutions?

When I was a philosophy major some 40 years ago before the net took over the world, there was an ongoing debate between those who believed that there is objective truth in the world and those that subscribed to a philosophy of relativism - basically, that truth has changed and will change depending on the philosophical constructs that pertains to the era we are living through.

My sympathies, more so now than ever, is to believe that truth exists and  we should work to discover it. That way we can at least work from a common starting point. We may not all agree on where the truth should take us. But we can agree on certain core truths and objective measures.

But now I’m beginning to believe that we’re all falling into our own realms of reality, and the net, that vast engine of information, only seems to be exacerbating the space between our spheres.

What does that mean or how do we tackle this dilemma? Damned, I wish I was smart enough to at least begin to frame an answer to that.

Michael: Rental Cars

The long days of rain
Have come to a quiet end
With just a few tears.

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Since we sold our car nearly two years ago and moved here, the only time we’ve driven is on a couple of trips back to the states. We haven’t driven a car in Panama since we vacationed here three years ago. Technically, that’s not going to change, but next month we are going to rent a car just over the border in Costa Rica. I’m not thrilled about it, but there doesn’t seem to be much of an alternative if we want to do the Cerro de la Muerte race next month.

One good thing about renting a car in Costa Rica is it does seem to be pretty cheap. The Alamo Rental at the border crossing at Paso Canoa charges about $13 a day for a midsize automatic. It’s a little cheaper if you go smaller and manual, but Kimme doesn’t drive a stick.

There are two types of insurance that are also necessary; Third Party Liability, which cost $12 a day and a Collision Damage Waiver, which is covered by some Visas, but not ours. That’ll set us back another $13 a day. So for a Friday through Sunday trip we’re talking about $80 before taxes. If you compare that to the cost of the buses and taxis back and forth between  the hotel, the packet pick up and the event, and all the hassle that entails, renting a car for a few days stacks up as a bargain.

Michael:Travel Advisory

Kisses of raindrops
Haphazardly touch the face
That faces the sky.

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

We’ve learned that whenever you’re traveling here to a place called a ‘lodge’ it’s a very good idea to ask if the roads to the lodge are drive-able.

In the states we take it for granted that resting places can be accessed by car. That presumption is a mistake here. Even if a map indicates a ‘road’ that would require only a short drive, some ‘roads’ can be extremely rough and steep and therefore virtually impossible to travel on without a 4 wheel drive and high clearance vehicle.

Calling ahead could save you from a long walk, a broken car or a lot of other possible problems and concerns.

Michael: It's Great to be Here for the Next 4 Years.

Summer tanager
With its siren red feathers
Surprises the eyes.

Monday, November 9, 2016

Many people, probably jokingly, threatened to move from the States if Trump became president. At least we got a jump on the gun and have our overseas hideaway already secured for the next 4 years.

I wouldn’t put it as simply as David Duke quipped this morning - “Our people won Trump the election.” In such a complex landscape as the U.S. there are a lot of both clear and murky factors that effect the results, but Duke’s assertion represents one of the uglier truths of this election; there is a large stream of racism, misogynism, homophobia, and xenophobia running through a large core of the populous. As Woody Allen would say, “I hope I’m not leaving anything out.”

This is not a proud day to be an American. Hell, even many Trump supporters weren’t proud enough of their choice to openly reveal themselves. That’s why so many of the polls were off.

On the bright side the people did reject both a Bush and a Clinton in this election cycle. Hopefully we’re done with our flirtation with oligarchies for the foreseeable future.

If only…This was one of the few times when I’ve donated to a political campaign - Bernie’s. I’m sure I’m not the only dejected ‘democrat’ this morning ruing the party’s decision to go with Clinton. But hopefully we’ll all get through the next 4 years, and then we can only hope Elizabeth Warren, or someone like her, will step up to reignite the progressive flame and move the U.S. forward again.

Until then we’ll sit tight and enjoy our tax break overseas.