The Power of Water.......and Storage....

As spoiled Americans we tend to take for granted many of the things that we have.....things like hot water and water pressure.  Since we've moved to Panama that luxury has been missing from our daily lives.  We have cool water....sometimes.....but other times it just stops with no warning. We've been in the shower all soaped up and suddenly, no water.  In the middle of washing dishes or clothes.....and no water.  I've actually grown to like the cool showers unlike Clyde, who moans, groans and squeals every time he gets into the shower. 

Soon after we arrived we purchased an on-demand hot water heater.  It hangs outside the kitchen and is supposed to come on when we need hot water.  Since the water heater is triggered by water pressure and we don't have enough, we may get a trickle of hot water and then it turns cold.  We also bought a refrigerator with an automatic ice maker that will not work due to lack of water pressure.  The solution was to put in a pressure tank and pump. 

After getting permission from the landlady and the owner of the development Clyde went ahead with the process of getting this installed.  There are three parts in order to make this operation work.  First is a huge blue water tank that sits outside on our cement patio so we will not run out of water.  Then there is a pressure tank and water pump that gives us plenty of pressure.  It took two men most of the day yesterday to install this system and did cost us some money, but NOW we have lots of hot water and water pressure.  Clyde is happy to be able to take hot showers, we're both happy to have ice and I have enough pressure to rinse my hair out and wash clothes easily.  And on the advice of the installers, Clyde built a box that he can lock to put around the pump to keep it out of sight so it doesn't disappear.  The down side is that this will add to our monthly electric bill which I'm concerned about since I'm the frugal one.  And I didn't come here to indulge ourselves in expensive luxuries like those that we had back in the states.  But Clyde is sure that this will not add too much to our monthly expenses. And should we move out of this house we can take it with us.  He also built a box to hide the propane tank for the hot water heater.  He will paint them both to match the house tomorrow.

Propane Tank Hidden

Ready to Painted

Our Water Tank and

Hidden Pressure Tank and Pump

Also the storage shed

All ready to be painted Mañana

And Clyde has been working diligently building a cabinet for the kitchen to give us more storage space.  The kitchen in this house is tiny and has only two cabinets.  He had been waiting for his tools to arrive from the US so he could do these projects around the house.  He wanted to make it out of teak but was unable to find some, so he used pine and stained it to match the other cabinets already in the kitchen.  I'm happy with the look of it and the extra storage it provides.  It was nice to be able to empty the rest of our "kitchen" boxes that we brought with us.  His next projects include a desk for the guest room, and a large desk for both of us to use. (We found teak today!)  The living room in the house is large we will use part of it for an office. This is where this double desk will sit so we can each have our own space and own computer.  Or I will have the option to go into the guest room and write when I need to get away.  I will also be able to use the extra desk for craft projects, painting or sewing too.

More Storage

New Kitchen Cabinets

And the third bedroom in this house was opened up and turned into a den.  I was able to turn the den into a gym.  It's right across from the kitchen, next to the living room so it can't be missed.  I have an old bowflex machine, some free weights, a balance ball and the P90-X System that I haven't tackled yet.  We're also looking at buying some sort of cardio machine, maybe a spin bike since that's something I enjoy and it's a great workout.  Since this is the first week I've seriously lifted weights in a while my muscles are sore.  But the good news is that neither of us has gained any weight during our exercise hiatus, in fact we've lost a few pounds. 

Someone posted on facebook that she was glad that today is Thursday.  I looked at Clyde and asked "this is Thursday?"  I guess that officially makes us retirees.......we have no idea what day of the week it is.....and really don't care!  In fact our only care in the world each day is.......what are we going to do today?  If anything.....maybe we'll take a siesta, or maybe let everything wait since there's always......manana.