I have been off line several days, it all started when I bought a new stove. The connection between buying a stove and lossing internet connectivity is a Rube Goldberg experience.

I bought the stove at Casa Gala in Terronal Plaza in David. It is a nice Italian model, good lines, great shiny body and really hot burners, five of them. Mayra and I negotiated and had the price reduced and delivery included. Because of my trip to Penonome last week I needed to postpone my delivery until last Thursday; they deliver to Boquete on Thursdays.

On Thursday 16 June I waited for Casa Gala, they never arrived, they never called. At 1:30pm we called and were assured the stove was on the truck, the truck was on the road and the stove would be delivered. At 5pm with no stove in the house we called again, the stove was in the truck, the truck was on the road, but the truck was in David, broken. We were assured a 10am delivery on Friday.

Ten AM Friday, no stove, another call; the stove is in the truck, the truck is on the road and the road is in Boquete. Later that afternoon the truck arrived, the stove arrived, the delivery people installed the stove and things were looking pretty good.

Then the lights went out. In backing out to get back on the road the truck tore down the electrical line to my house. We took pictures, we called Casa Gala, we called Union Fenosa. Casa Gala said get an estimate for repair, the driver moaned they will make me pay for the repair and Union Fenosa said, too late for today, we will come tomorrow. We ended up tying the power line up to trees until they showed up. To their credit they arrived at 9 pm that night but the driver did not find the downed line because we tied it up and never considered calling us. They came again Saturday.

I knew that there was no way Union Fenosa would reconnect the power until the entire pedestal was repaired. Who would accept liability for power lines tied to trees with rope? Apparently Union Fenosa did. They reconnected everything, they said call us when you fix the pedestal and were off to the next disaster.

Only then, after they left, did we discover that the surge from the reconnection of the power line burned out the Internet connection. They failed to shut the breakers when they did the reconnection.

Rube Goldberg is alive and well in Panama and we are waiting to see if Casa Gala really pays for the repairs or if we will need Sam Spade and Perry Mason to resolve the entire matter.