Hello all. I'm "Don Tio" Jim. My wife, Soledad, and I are two suburban Bostonians working hard to take the big plunge and leave it all behind for the hinterlands of Panama.
And no, it does not have a thing to do whoever might win the US Presidential Elections.
Why Panama? Well, Soledad is from there. She was born and raised in the small, subsistence ranching/gathering village that we love so much. I met her 5 hours away in Panama City in 1990 when I was stationed there at Naval Station Panama Canal - Rodman when I was 19-years-old.
Soledad at the corral.
Why a cowboy? It would not have been my first choice, honestly. I am very interested in permaculture and organic gardening. Everyone there raises cattle, though, including her family. For the past few years we have supported the ranching financially in order to allow her older brother Modesto to make some money and live there in the village where he grew up, rather than moving to a larger town or city to seek work as a laborer.
When are we going? Soon... Within a year, we hope. I may be going before she does as she makes a lot more money than I do here and she may stay here for a bit to send some money as I build a house, diversify our business down there, etc... I speak Spanish, so that's not a problem. We have been visiting twice a year and we just returned from our most recent trip on Wednesday.
Some nieces and nephews.
Why "Don Tio?" Soledad is literally related, by blood or marriage, to probably 80% of the people in the village and the surrounding area. The local people call me Don (an honorific) Jim. The local kids all call me Don Tio (uncle) as I really am just an uncle to just about all of them.
What do I plan to write about on Steemit? Being a Yankee abroad, sustainable living, permaculture, ranching, gardening and whatever else strikes my fancy. I hope you come along for the ride!
I verify this is from Jim, with whom I have been buds for years. Confirmed via Facebook message to me.
Thanks a lot, George.
Ambitious plan! I hope you have Internet connectivity there, unless you're trying to get away from the Internet ;)
Welcome to Steemit!
Yeah. There's a ton to do. We don't have internet access yet, but I'm told it's do-able with a satellite dish. There is actually a Canadian with a really nice place, big orchard, maybe a mile up the hill from the village. I ran into him at a big hoedown this spring and he said he has it. It'll probably be slow, but...
Good :) So long as you can get through...
Actually, the Internet - particularly reasonably high-speed Internet - is a real game-changer for the outback. Pre-Internet, all you had were the countryside and physical books; it was easy to become isolated.
Not any more.
Ironically, urbanization is still increasing. Not that it's deplorable, as it keeps outback land cheap. ;)
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Great intro. Here's to looking forward to your changes in life and hopefully in running a ranch in Panama. Very exciting!
Welcome to Steemit Jim:)
Thank you much.
Welcome to Steemit
@dontio
Welcome. Nice to meet. Up voted and up voting my blogs will be appreciated.
Go to my blog that teach you how get more up votes:
https://steemit.com/newbie/@hanamana/dummies-guide-to-attracting-more-up-votes-for-newbies
Hello Jim, welcome to Steemit :-)
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