Thingamabobs and Whatchamacallits

When is a Panama Hat not a Panama Hat?  When it is made in Ecuador!!!  On a visit to Panama a few years ago, it was interesting to learn the history of the true Panama Hat - called The Pinta'o, or The Pintado.   Construction workers building the Panama Canal wore the hats, though, as their wide brims protected them from the harsh hot sun. Apparently in 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt inspected the construction of the canal dressed in a white linen suit topped off with one of the Ecuadorian hats; with all the reporters sharing photos of the event, the hat was nicknamed the Panama Hat, which has stuck until this day!  The pinta’o originated in the province of Coclé southwest of Panama City, where the hats are still made today. Hat artisans in the town of La Pintada demonstrated how these handmade hats are created, and described the local natural fibers and grasses used in the process. The pinta'o  is defined by intricate dark patterns that are woven throug...

Today, August 15th, at 7:45 pm the temperature is still 100F, and hard to think about cool weather gardening.  In August and September the Hurricane Season really ramps up, hopefully providing some rain and gradual cooling, but by October it will  be too late to start all the wonderful fall vegetables!  So, it is time to start the three "P"s - preparing, planning, and planting.   Step #1 (Preparing) for me is always to clean out the little greenhouse and inspect it for damage, and organize the surrounding area on the porch.  Cleaning involves removal of any dirt daubers' nests on the porch walls, remove all the snails clinging on for dear life to the outside of the greenhouse, sweeping up all the leaves that have blown in, sorting through the miscellaneous flower pots and containers that accumulate every year, and general "housekeeping" jobs.  Who knows how it gets in such a mess when there is no activity for several months!!   The reason the...