A Farmer’s Leather Pouch

Snapshot of a leather bag used by our countryside campesinos to carry their stuff to and from the working fields. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

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Urban Cow

Deep inside our countryside, the campesino has a very close relationship with domestic animals.  No matter how humble his origins, the Panamanian campesino owns a dozen chicken who sleep in the low limbs of trees around the house, two or three pigs, a dog, a cat, a horse, a proud crowing rooster and a cow.  Without these domestic animals our campesino would not be a happy man.

The cow is one of his most prized possessions.  It’s the source of milk for the family and all the dairy products made with this warm white liquid; (butter and white pressed cheese).  The cows are so close to the family, they aren’t even tied up when they are in the process of being milked.  I know this sounds like a cliché, but to our humble campesino, a cow is the bread and butter of the household.

It was no surprise to find a cow during my recent foray into the premises of Mi Pueblito.  Its presence was mandatory, if the true traditions of our countryside were going to be correctly exposed to the thousands of incoming tourists at Mi Pueblito.  Please find an urban cow as I saw it at this tourist attraction in Panama City, Panama.  Here we go.

Snapshot of a cow within the premises of Mi Pueblito in Panama City, Panama. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Wall Street might have its famous bull, but we also have a beloved urban cow in Panama. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of an urban cow in the courtyard of Mi Pueblito. It's the center of attention of tourists visiting the site. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

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A Farmers’ Market at San Miguelito

Farmers’ markets are markets, usually held out-of-doors, in public spaces, where farmers can sell produce to the public, bypassing the middleman which sometimes takes the bigger slice of the pie.

Farmers’ market produce is renowned for being locally grown  and very fresh. People argue farmers’ markets allow farmers to pick produce at the peak of flavor, preserve the nutritional content of fresh produce, and since locally grown produce does not travel as far to get to your table, the difference in mileage saves fossil fuels.

Farmers’ markets are a traditional way of selling agricultural and home manufactured products. A weekly market day is a part of normal life in villages and town squares throughout the world. A good way for a traveler to sample local foods and learn about local culture is to attend market day, especially when it coincides with a festival, such as the fiestas in many towns in Latin America. In France  and other European countries, there are street markets, as well as covered marketplaces, where farmers and purveyors sell. Farmers’ markets are starting to appear online.

Whenever we can, we buy at a farmers’ market located not far away from our house at San Miguelito.  The prices are extremely cheap and the quality of the products are tops.  In Panama these food stands are called “ferias libres”. Many stands sell government subsidized products to ease the pain of the people who are having a hard time stretching their scrimpy incomes.

For example, you can buy high quality long-grain rice at thirty cents a pound.  The price tag at the supermarkets is approximately forty cents a pound.  The difference in price represents a walloping twenty-five percent.  Other subsidized products are sardines, lentils, red beans and canned tuna, just to name a few.

Starting today, I will start posting photographs of a picturesque roadside market at San Miguelito displaying popular food of the Panamanian diet.  The whole gallery of photographs will take about a week.  As an introduction to the topic, below is our first picture of a farmers’ market in this neck of the woods.  Here we go.  (Please click photo to enlarge it.)

General view of a farmers' market located at San Miguelito in Panama City, Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Joke: Clever Diagnosis

A young doctor was to take up his new position in a small community hospital in a town.

The retiring older doctor suggested the young one to accompany him on his rounds for a couple of weeks to understand the finer points of practice in a small community and at the same time for him to meet a few patients.

At the first visit to a farmers house the farmer’s wife complained, “I’ve been a little sick to my stomach.”

The senior doctor thought for a moment or two and said, ‘Well I think you’ve probably been eating too much of bananas , try to cut back on the amount you’ve been eating and see if that helps.”

As they left the young doctor was absolutely surprised and asked his senior , “You didn’t even examine that woman. How’d you make your diagnosis so quickly?”

—“I didn’t have to. I dropped my stethoscope on the floor by mistake and when I bent over to pick it up guess what I saw in the trash bin – at least half dozen banana peels. That was what was probably making her sick.”

—“Oh” the younger doctor said, “Pretty clever, maybe I’ll try that at our next house visit.”

The next day they did another house visit. Both spent several minutes talking with a young pretty lady who was complaining of lack of energy and tiredness for the past few days for no real reason. She said ” Doc, I’m feeling terribly run down lately, I don’t know why. “

The older doctor said “Oh, I am sure there is good reason but for someone as youthful as you this cannot be a serious reason.”

The young doctor on this responded, “I think sir there is, she is probably been doing too much work for the church, perhaps she cut back a bit and sleep a little more and see if that helps”. The girl went slightly red and said nothing and just nodded.

As they left, the senior doc surprised at this said, “Your diagnosis is probably correct, but how did you arrive at it? “

“Well, just like you did at the last house, I also dropped my stethoscope and when I bent down to pick it up, guess what I saw”

—“What did you see?”

—“I noticed the preacher under the bed!”

Source:  Miss Cellania

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Joke: Is the Mule for Sale?

An old hillbilly farmer had a wife who nagged him unmercifully. From morning ~til night she was always complaining about something.  The only time he got any relief was when he was out plowing with his old mule. He tried to plow a lot.

One day, when he was out plowing, his wife brought him lunch in the field. He drove the old mule into the shade, sat down on a stump, and began to eat his lunch. Immediately, his wife began nagging him again.

Complain, nag, complain, nag—it just went on and on. All of a sudden, the old mule lashed out with both hind feet, caught her smack in the back of the head. Killed her dead on the spot.

At the funeral several days later, the minister noticed something rather odd. When a woman mourner would approach the old farmer, he would listen for a minute, then nod his head in agreement; but when a man mourner approached him, he would listen for a minute, then shake his head in disagreement. This was so consistent, the minister decided to ask the old farmer about it.

So after the funeral, the minister spoke to the old farmer, and asked him why he nodded his head and agreed with the women, but always shook his head and disagreed with all the men.

The old farmer said, “Well, the women would come up and say something about how nice my wife looked, or how pretty her dress was, so I’d nodded my head in agreement.”

—“And what about the men?” the minister asked.

—“They wanted to know if the mule was for sale,” responded the grieving farmer.

Good Day! 

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Joke: Equality

Two farmers were discussing politics and the first one says: “I believe in a share and share alike policy. One where we are all equal.”

—“Well” replied the other farmer “I’m not sure about that. What you mean is that if you have two horses you’d give me one?”

—“Of course” says the first.

The second farmer continued: “And if you had two cars, you’d give me one of them too?“

—“Absolutely”

–-“So” says the second farmer, “if you had two pigs then you’d give me one of them?”

—“Ah, now hang on a minute” says the first, “you know I’ve got two pigs!”

And that my friends, was the end of the political argument.  Good Day. 

Source:  Bits & Pieces

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Joke: Multitasking

A farmer stopped by the local mechanic shop to have his truck fixed. They couldn’t do it while he waited, so he said he didn’t live far and would just walk home.

On the way home, he stopped at the hardware store and bought a bucket and a gallon of paint. He then stopped by the feed store and picked up a couple of chickens and a goose. However, struggling outside the store he now had a problem: how to carry his entire load of purchases home.

While he was scratching his head he was approached by a little old lady who told him she was lost. She asked, “Can you tell me how to get to 1603 Mockingbird Lane?”

The farmer said, “Well, as a matter of fact my farm is very close to that house and I would walk you there but I can’t carry this lot,” he replied. The old lady suggested, “Why don’t you put the can of paint in the bucket, carry the bucket in one hand, put a chicken under each arm and carry the goose in your other hand?”

“Why thank you very much,” he said, and proceeded to walk toward the lady’s house.

On the way he said, “Let’s take my short cut and go down this alley. We’ll be there in no time.” The little old lady looked him over cautiously and then said, “I am a lonely widow without a husband to defend me. How do I know that when we get in the alley you won’t hold me up against the wall, pull up my skirt, and have your way with me?”

The farmer said, “Holy smokes, lady! I’m carrying a bucket, a gallon of paint, two chickens and a goose. How in the world could I possibly hold you up against the wall and do that?”

The old lady replied, “Set the goose down, cover him with the bucket, put the paint on top of the bucket and I’ll hold the chickens.”

Who said elder people couldn’t multitask?  Good Day.

Source:  Old Horsetail Snake

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Story: The Farmer’s Donkey

One fine day a farmer’s donkey fell into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out when to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered anyway. And it was going to be too much work to try to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement, he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that fell on top of the donkey, he would shake it off and take a step. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off.

You see, life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred. Forgive.
2. Free your mind from worries. Most never happen.
3. Live simply and appreciate what you have.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

Now…  Enough of this Cinderella story. The donkey later came back and bit the farmer who tried to bury him. The gash from the bite got infected and the farmer eventually died in agony from septic shock.

Moral from today’s story:  When you do something wrong, and try to cover your butt, it always comes back to bite you.

You have two choices: Smile and close this page, or pass this along to someone who might enjoy the fun.  Good Day.

Source:  Old Horsetail Snake

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Joke: Raffling a Dead Mule

A man who moved out from the city is plowing his field and gets his tractor stuck in the wet ground.  A farmer driving by stops his truck and walks to the fence to call over the city feller. “You need a mule to plow such wet ground,” he says.

—“Where can I buy one?” he is asked.

—“Well, I just happened to have one for 100 dollars,” the farmer says.

—“I’ll take him,” says the other man as he counts out the money.

—“I can’t bring him over today. I don’t work on Sunday. Tomorrow OK?”

—“Sure.”

The next day the truck pulls up and the old farmer gets out. He says, “Sorry, bad news. I went out after breakfast and the mule was dead.”

The city feller says just give me my money back then.

—“Can’t, spent it already!”

—“Well… unload the mule then.”

—“What ya gonna do with him?”
—“Raffle him off!”

—“Naw, ya cant raffle off a dead mule!”

—“Just watch me us! City fellers know a few tricks.”

One month goes by and the city feller and farmer run into each other at the barber shop.

—“What did ya do with that dead mule?”

—“Raffled him off, sold 100 tickets at two dollars each and made 198 dollars profit.”

—“Didn’t anyone complain?”

“Just one guy so I gave him his two dollars back!”

Source:  Bits & Pieces

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