This is Panama though, and, although the furniture company that is delivering our couch actually called today to confirm delivery for Tuesday (amazing and impressive, I know!), it could be anytime Tuesday. No problem. We will hang out at the house and find things to do! It is the delivery of a mattress or two that concerns me. That delivery was to have occurred this past Saturday along with the beautiful beds Cruz de la Cruze (the furniture maker) made for us. He made many pieces of furniture, by the way. And he is opening up a storefront soon. I have posted in the past pictures of the store where he currently owns and builds furniture. He says it is too dusty and noisy being on the road in an open facility. I enjoy seeing the pigs in the back of his store though.
But alas, here is how the mattress story goes....
Last Friday, Ray and I went to MultiBank. We decided to wait for the manager to speak with her in person about some new banking news we had recently heard about at the CASA meeting (she was on the phone). CASA is the Coronado Area Social Activities group, and there are usually monthly social meetings. We wanted to ask the nice manager lady about the $250/annual fee for keeping an account there. She says 80% of her customers are foreigners. We gave her our Cedula numbers to put into our account. She is thinking that perhaps we will not have to pay the fee if we show we have resident and ID card and that we are permanent residents here. Meanwhile, next door I noticed, and I commented to Ray, that finally, the new Sleep Center store has opened. But that is not where we bought our mattresses. We bought them from the Sleep Center store near the Novey store in another plaza. We were told in November by a nice young lady employee “we are moving at end of year”. We were told in February by the same nice young lady “we aren’t moving, we aren’t even going to be the same store, that store is different than us”. We were then told on March 20th when we ordered and paid for our beds, we could (and would) have beds delivered on Saturday, April 11th--important to note this day is part of the weekend of the Summit of the Americas. The delivery date is written on our receipt.
After speaking with the manager at the bank, we then drive to the Novey shopping center where our mattress store is to confirm delivery of our mattresses tomorrow. First though, we have to shop at Novey. Then, we see the mattress store is gone! There is a padlock and chained door! But wait, there is a note “we have moved to Machetazo plaza”!!! We decide to leave our car in this shopping center and walk back (too much of pain to drive back, because the interior is now crowded with people and cars that have a four day weekend---due to this Summit thing going on in the city). We get to the mattress store with a sign on that door that says “return at one” It is now 12:15, and so we head to Machetazo Cafe for lunch. PACKED. We head to KFC. PACKED. We go to Leonardo’s for yummy, hot, garlicky and gooey ham and cheese bread and drinks. Hot in there. Did I say there were throngs of people shopping everywhere? We walk back to the store. It is now open. We are asked and told the following:
“Do you have your receipt? OH! Obama is in city (along with 33 other Heads of States). We can’t deliver your mattresses tomorrow!” And this is being said in mostly Spanish and a little English thrown in there. We were stupid and left the receipt at the house. Thank goodness Ray had the foresight to confirm our delivery!
Saturday Ray drives to the mattress store (since he has not received that call) and is told by an English speaking woman (we were doing "pretty well" with the Spanish speaking man) that "because of the Summit, the store is backed up on the deliveries and those who bought mattresses from our store....." I do not want to write the rest, because I do not care. I just hope to have mattresses before House Hunters International comes to Panama and films! Woo hoo! Oh yeah, that is happening soon! Four and a half days of that is happening really soon! Oh my! Okay, this I touched on just a little in my post in February. We spent an eight hour day when at the lake house with our daughter filming our "back story" of how we decided to move to Panama. In two or so weeks, the crew will return and film us "searching for our dream home" in Panama. More on that much later. I am tired thinking about what thirty two hours plus will be like to film, and I am nervous they will make me cry again. (Again, more later...maybe). The cameraman, Mike, told me in February "you think eight hours is a long day.....wait until Panama". I hope Mike can return though. The crew was fabulous.
So perhaps I would like mattresses to sleep on in my new house soon? We are fortunate we will have Casa Cuarenta for the entire month, so no worries there. We have been offered mattresses, and we have been offered the use of friend's homes, if we did not have this house to continue living in But if you know us, we like all of our ducks in a row, and we like to have all things in place and orderly. Oh yeah, this is Panama. Being on time, following along with what has been written down or what has been told, and even doing right by the customer sometimes does not always go according to plan.
And after not having electricity yesterday for most of the morning hours (which has happened only one other time in this house, and we were not even home for the day while the power was out), I realized again (and again) that complaining is more tiresome and draining. It is easy to do though, especially when I was trying to get showered, dressed and ready to participate in the Open House MC and Skye had tirelessly organized for Woody's House of Hope. Many areas in Panama are without water due to the lack of a rainy season last year. There are shortages and cutbacks in power, because of the dry rivers. There are bigger things out there going on in this country and the world (apparently like that Summit of the Americas!). These two undelivered mattresses will not make or break my world, and I do realize this Friday frustration pales in comparison to the bigger things in life. I am grateful and so fortunate to spend everyday here and with Ray in this thing we call retirement.
A sneak peak at furniture and wood work. More house pictures to follow...soon.
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| Here are our appliances being delivered in a pickup truck! |
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| Checking in at the gate. |
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| Unloading. All was good except the washing machine had to be returned to the store. Dirty. |
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| One bed. |
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| Can be your bed, if you want to come visit (we will have a mattress and boxspring, I promise!) |
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| My closet (I don't know where Ray's closet will be (Just kidding) |
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