We've been wondering what to do with Christmas and getting the house ready. I'm not really one for plastic Santas, light up reindeer and such. In Canada there's a lot to work with. Generally you just wander into your backyard, snip off a few pine branches and frozen berries and you're good to go. Not so much in Panama.
Which is why when I happened upon these pine branches lying by the side of the road this morning I screeched to a halt jumped out and piled the back of our Subaru full. Pine needles in Panama are like palm trees in Canada. Rare. Mind you, they're a little different than I'm used to. Each needle is about 12 inches long. But the smell? It's takes me back to summer camp. As a teenager when I was a summer camp counsellor for many endless summers there was a pine forest that we had to walk through to get to the Great Hall for meals, the smell of that forest has always been one of my very favourite summer memories. The floor was thick with fallen pine needles and in the heat and humidity of a Canadian summer they gave off the most wonderful scent of hot, dry pine. (The stuff that Fire Fighters nightmares are made of, I'm sure).
Our big collection of found Panama Pine, despite it's appearance of a steady diet of uber growth hormone, has just the exact same scent. It's a real Christmas blessing.
3 comments:
Wow! Can't wait to see how you use them. Your place is going to smell like Christmas!
Talk to you soon!
Kim
We are a Cdn couple with a 3 year old daughter interested in moving to Panama. We've been there 5 times in 2008 and we bought a house in Coronado. We arrive on Dec 16 for one month. If we make the move permanent, we'll buy a place in the Canal zone. If you would like to have a visit, we'd love to meet you. Our place in Coronado has 3 bedrooms and a pool. Our daughter (Eliana) would love to have some play dates with English speaking children. We live in Barrie and we can hardly wait to escape this early winter. We'll be checking email while we are there so please email sue.nickason@rogers.com. I love your blog. It has inspired me! Sue
You truly sound like a southerner...'Up in our backyards in Canada we just wander out and chop down a pine tree, pick a few berries, shoot the bear, then wander back into the igloo after kicking off our snowshoes...'
I think the sun has gotten to you, Mara. Too many pina coladas and coconuts!
Love to you all and a very Merry Christmas - from the land of ice, snow and bus strikes! :)
pat
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