After Enlightenment There's The Laundry

Sung to the tune of Dock of the Bay: Sittin' with my mornin' brew, must be somethin' I can say say-eh to you.

One consequence of the Great Flood Of 07 is that our six month old clothes washer no longer agitates or spins. I no longer agitate or spin either, at least not without the aid of substances fermented or distilled, but in the case of the washer this consequence can be construed as bad. (Construed is a good word. If you didn't know its meaning you'd have to make one up. "Although jack was a bachelor, he construed whenever he got the chance.") The reason the washer was deprived of its action verbs was its proximity to the flood itself. You see, our washer/dryer, a stacker, sits outside at the back of the house where the flood build up was deepest. "Qutside!" you're all saying incredulously, or perhaps outcredulously, "outside?" Well just slow down, hold your horses and I'll explain. (Hold your horses? Who says that anymore. Man I'm old. What do people say now, hold your hybrids?) It's not that uncommon here to find washer/dryers on patios where there is a roof overhead...like ours. It's an indoors space saver. Of course it's also not uncommon here to see women beating clothes on rocks in a stream, a post flood suggestion I made to Woowoo Charly that prompted a look that took me awhile to decipher, but eventually translated as "it's amazing you've lived THIS long." All this is a "not to worry" we hope as we do have a warranty.

And to pursue the repair the warranty provides, we traveled to the "Do It Right" center in Daveed to talk to our man Tino, the store's "facilitator". This is a title we believe because it is printed on his uniform badge and is a Spanish word the meaning of which we were somehow able to deduce. Tino says no problem, he'll get the repairman all set up and call to tell us when he will be arriving in Boquete. I mention this mundane detail only to give another insight into Panamanian culture that we, at that moment, totally forgot. Panamanians do not call back. Not lawyers, not contractors and especially not service people. You must call them. Don't know why, it just is. Ask anyone.

So, that's what I'll be doing today, calling Tino. And, oh yeah, going to the Lavamatico, the laundry. We're low on socks.