When it rains around here is it doesn’t mess around.  I’m told that near the end of the rainy season, it rains harder and harder, usually beginning around 3 or 4 in the afternoon.  Now, at 4:20, I’m watching conversations across the streets, and refusals to cross.  The entire street is covered, a flowing stream that wasn’t there an hour before, and it isn’t even raining now.  This is just the run off…. which seems like a good segway into the rest of this day.
Thinking I was soooo smart and lucky yesterday to have discovered a vacancy on the other side of the pension, we switched rooms.  Mr. McSmartycok started his strut at God knows what hour, went on for ten minutes or so, and then stopped just long enough for you to start drifting off again, then broaaaawk…  If I had my slingshot I’d probably be eating chicken tonight.
So that was the morning.  Dreary eyed and a little grumpy I asked as kindly as I was able if there were any rooms left back where I was the night before, and of course the answer was no.  Great.  ok.  Moving on.

After breakfast we went and got a new battery for the car, 125 buks US yeeesh, but a good battery from a reliable source I know, thus ending any question of that being a problem in the future.  Carrying it back the 6 or so blocks on my shoulder was fun.
A quick rinse in the shower, and we were off up the hill to Boquete in a taxi, until I discovered I forgot the keys for the car in the hotel room.  I blame lack of sleep.
Great.  Fine.  Change my day…
Back to the hotel, lug the battery some more, and try again tomorrow.  We’ll just check e-mails, then go shopping.  That’s when I found out about the water leak at home.  I’d drained the hot water tank and turned off (or so I thought) the main to the house before I left.  Apparently, the main wasn’t all the way off, the hot water tank filled again, and the pressure relief valve failed (this is the part that pisses me off) spilling water all over the basement.  It would have been much much worse if I didn’t have the best neighbors on the planet who sounded the alarm and promptly began to remedy the situation, and then Cass’ folks pitched in to help with judgement calls and clean up.
What a day.   It took about an hour and an ice-cream cone from across the way to pull me out of the funk and get me laughing again.
Then we were off shopping for a few odds and ends.  Meh.  It’s only carpet.  Sooo good to have people watching your back.  Thanks soooo much you guys.  I owe you big-time.