One Depressed Puppy

It seems dogs get seasonal depression too.  We had the first rains of the season this week, autumn hit us quite suddenly, and my puppy's been beside herself.  She sat looking out at the rainy patio for the better part of the day and was even reluctant to go for a walk when it was sprinkling!  Apparently Angelines wouldn't be the only one to be traumatized by a move to Portland. ;) 

Today it cleared up and we got sun for the first time in three days--she was lounging like a lizard in the patio all morning, happy as a clam. :)

...too many animal analogies in that last sentence, sorry.

En Español

Sois pocos, pero para los que me leen en castellano, aquí os dejo el link a un artículo interesante de El País reflexionándose sobre la "mala prensa" que está recibiendo España úlimamente.  Hace mención específica de las fotografías publicadas en el New York Times de las que hablaba yo en el anterior post.  

A ver qué opináis.

Discouraged

With each tiny step we take forward it seems we've got to take at least two giant ones back!  The bar is nearly finished, but to actually open it turns out there's all manner of paperwork to be filled out, signed, filed and most importantly, paid for (surprise, surprise).  Spanish bureaucracy is notoriously heinous, but in the midst of this kind of financial crisis, it seems to be magnified.  In a matter of days, I think we've had to shell out another 2,000 euros just to pay for papers.  Papers from our architect, papers from the city's architect, papers from the mayor, papers from...  It's disheartening to say the least.  

When we're just this close to opening, every little impediment is that more bothersome.  Everything's painted, the lamps are hung, the doors are in place the bathrooms are finished.  There's very little more that needs to be done before we could conceivably open, and yet there's a nasty swamp of paperwork to wade through.  It's incredibly frustrating.

All of this personal drama is accompanied by news reports of rising unemployment, rising taxes, social services cut-backs and an angry populace.  Anyone who pays attention to the news might think we're on the brink of a civil war!  Last night the people took to the streets in protest outside the congress building in Madrid protesting what they say is a democracy that's been "hijacked by incompetent politicians". They were supposedly non-violent protesters, but the media did catch several well-aimed kicks at police officers guarding the parliament buildings.

But it seems the actual protests aren't what worry the government so much as the image of Spain that's being presented to the rest of the world.  I'm not sure if these photos in the New York Times made such a splash in the States; but they are all anyone's been talking about here for the past three days.  Apparently the concern is that they portray an inaccurate and exaggerated picture of the gravity of the financial crisis here in Spain.  I disagree.  Yes, some of the pictures are particularly dramatic; and they certainly don't show Spain or Spaniards at their best; nonetheless, anyone here who's been paying attention to the news would find it hard to really say they're an inaccurate account of the country's current situation.

I suppose the real concern is that these bleak, black and white photos will only worsen things for Spain's struggling economy.  Tourism is probably the only sector that hasn't been too badly damaged by the crisis.  In fact, I believe that tourism increased when Europeans who usually vacation in Greece decided to avoid the uproars in Athens and chose the Costa del Sol over other holiday destinations.  Unfortunately, it seems that these photos could change that.

I'm not advocating censorship, by a long shot, but it is true that there's no way to control the effects of a publication such as this one.  Undoubtedly, the photographer wanted to shed light on the dire situation that many Spaniards find themselves in and criticize the government's radical cut-backs and tax hikes which are only worsening things for the average worker (or unemployed person as is the case here...).  And it is true that their publication has caused a stir among politicians, but I doubt the real result of any of this will be much more than to deter prospective vacationers.

My Kiwi...

My brother-in-law works at the school, a sort of concierge/handyman.  He also lives at the school.  There is a small apartment on the premises that allows him to also be a sort of watchman; he's on-call 24hrs a day.  One of the benefits to this job is that he and his family get the leftovers from the cafeteria.  For most Americans that sounds like something to avoid at all costs, but I can assure you that the cafeteria food at CEIP Manuel Siurot is excellent.  It's all cooked on site, no catering and very little (if any) pre-prepared goods.  The cafeteria is also certified organic which means that they buy all their produce from organic growers (usually fairly local).  The yogurts and dairy products (as well as meat, I think) are also certified organic.  It almost sounds like something you could find in Portland, OR!. ;)

A few nights ago Angelines dropped by her brother's home for a visit and was sent home with a bag full of produce that was about to go bad from the school's kitchen.  We've eaten all the pears, are working on the carrots, peppers and tomatoes, and tonight when I peeled a kiwi for dessert, this is what I found on the label: a link to "meet the grower" at natureandmore.com.  Click the link to read about organic kiwi growing methods in Chile's central valley (that's apparently where my fruit is from!).

Sometimes I wonder at the trade-offs of organic vs. local produce.  Spain is certainly capable of producing kiwis for example... Is all the energy and fuel used to bring that fruit to Spain off-set by the grower's sustainable production policies?  I'm all for supporting efforts for organic growing and sustainable agriculture, but where's the line?

Being an enlightened consumer isn't easy.

A Proud Moment

Last week we began painting in the new pub and this week we're still at it.  They say too many cooks spoil the stew, and it seems the same is true of too many people giving opinions about paint colors!  We've had more than one heated discussion about the virtues of beige versus cream, or grey versus green or yellow. And we've even had to make a trip back to the paint shop to fix colors that didn't end up the way we'd imagined.  But, we've also had spontaneous outbursts of enthusiasm for the bronze/metallic ceiling and the pearl waves above the bar.  I've always enjoyed painting, but it's especially good to feel useful in all of this; good to be getting my hands dirty (or painty, as the case may be).  

At last all the colors have been chosen and I think by tomorrow we'll be finished inside.  Once painting is finished we'll put up the doors.  The plumber installed the toilets yesterday, we're still waiting on the sinks; and the glass for the windows and doors.  Then it's onto things like bar stools, tables and lamps...  After tomorrow, the only thing left to paint will be the exterior walls--a steel grey.  I wish I could post pictures for you all to appreciate the process with me, but I'm afraid internet publicity is strictly forbidden until we've opened for business.  We wouldn't want to ruin the surprise. ;)

Yesterday we also got a much awaited shipment in the mail--the lamps to hang above the bar.  In the end we found a deal on the internet and for 54 euros each (not bad...if you overlook the 21% VAT added to the total purchase!) we bought five of the most beautiful lamps imaginable.  They are Aladdin-style, gold beauties.  With each lamp comes a little plastic bag containing a pair of gloves so as not to leave fingerprints during installations! (ooh-la-la!)  

Angelines was beside herself with joy when we opened the boxes to have a look at our purchase.  The internet photos just don't do justice.  She could hardly contain herself and I was overcome with happiness and pride as I watched her face light up like a kid's at Christmas.  She's worked so hard for this moment.  She's spent so long saving and planning and with all the commotion of the construction it seems neither of us has really been able to step back and realize that when all this is over, she'll finally have her pub--her OWN place.  This is big.  Staring at our reflections in the lamp's golden curves I realized what this means to her and I think that if she doesn't cry when we finally open, I just might.

Bela the Water Dog!

Last week Angelines didn't open on Sunday.  It had been a long weekend of festivities for the Virgen de los Llanos, all of which centered around the calle Real leaving A. with an empty pub and too much time alone to drive herself crazy thinking about the economy and the slow progress of the new place.  So Sunday we decided it wasn't worth opening and instead we took the afternoon and headed to El Chorro.  Neither of us swam, but my little dog was in heaven!  

Since she discovered the joys of swimming on our trip to Granada, I've been wanting to take her someplace to let her swim.  We were going to go to the beach, but in the end didn't get up the motivation to get packed and out of the house in the morning.  El Chorro is a reservoir only about 30 minutes from home.  We spent about an hour wandering around and throwing sticks and pine cones into the lake for Bela who happily retrieved them...although she rarely brings them back to you and when she does, prefers playing tug-of-war to letting go!  Oh well, good thing I have no aspirations of hunting with my little lab.  :)

Enjoy!

The Big Surprise

Angelines had her fortieth birthday the Monday of our mini vacation to Granada.  She thought she got out of a big celebration since we were out of town.  She couldn't have been more wrong.  All her friends and family conspired to surprise her this past Tuesday with a big party.   Everything was in order: chilled beers in the refrigerators, food on the table, cake prepared, gifts wrapped, guests gathered together waiting... Only one thing was missing--the birthday girl!

The plan had been that while out on our walk with Bela I would bring her by the party location with the excuse that I wanted to show her a pretty door that would look good for our house (yes, a lame excuse, but the only thing any of us could come up with!).  Guests were arriving at eight and I was to wait for a signal from Nuria to head over with Angelines.  At about seven, A insists on taking the dog for a walk.  I try to stall, complaining that it's still too hot and we should shower and then go, but to no avail--the dog must be walked now or I can walk her myself later!

I now have two options: go for a long walk and end up as planned at the party, or go for a short walk so we can both shower first and then come up with some other reason to leave the house.  Of course this second option is quite risky because once Angelines has showered it's hard to get her out of the house on a week night.  Most likely she'll collapse on the couch in her PJ's!  

After several frantic text messages I decide for a short walk and shower.  A's in a sour mood and arriving hot, sweaty and dirty to her surprise party won't make things any better.  We turn home and I'm wracking my brains to come up with a reason we MUST go out again--an "urgent" meeting for San Pancracio.  It's at eight o'clock, I say, we have to hurry.  A's response: "I'm not going!"  I trying arguing that it's urgent we have to go... no use.  "What's so urgent about it?," she asks. ... I come up with something about crowning a Virgin in Valverde and we're invited to represent the brotherhood, blah, blah, blah.  She's not impressed and refuses to go.

Now what?!  People are arriving at the party.  Nearly everyone's there, I know because I've been on the phone with Nuria to find out a little more about this "emergency meeting".  In the meantime A has begun watering the patio and isn't really anywhere near getting in the shower.  "Don't make us wait too long," is all Nuria says to me along with, "come up with something to get her out of the house!"

I take over watering the patio and finish in a hurry.  I am virtually shoving her into the shower when the phone rings.  It's Antonio: "Before the "meeting" come by the house to look at some lamps I found online that I think will look good in the new bar.  I tried to send the webpages to you...but it didn't work".  This is a good excuse.  She'll buy this, I'm nearly positive.  As we're climbing into the shower I explain that before the meeting we need to stop by Antonio's place. "Fine," she says, "But I'm NOT going to the meeting!" ;)

I shower as quickly as possible and get dressed in a hurry.  I'm doing my best to hurry A along, but she's not to be rushed.  Finally we get in the car (she refuses to walk) and I throw out my lines about a nice door I want to show her.  At this point she's exasperated and wondering what my problem is, but she follows my directions toward the "door" I want to show her.

When we get to the place I hop out of the car.  "I'm not getting out of the car!"  She proclaims.  "Look at this door!  Isn't it pretty?  Come here."  When she sees me stroking the door and realizes I'm not going anywhere until she gets out of the car, she does, though very reluctantly.  "Yeah, it's nice," she says, glancing at the door and turning around to get back in the car.  At this point I'm frantic.  I shove the doors open and shout at her to come back.  The guests inside are taken by surprise and it's a minute before the lights go on: "Sorpresa!!! Cumpleaños feliz..."

Angelines is definitely surprised.  She is finally able to snap out of her mood and enjoy the evening.  And I can finally relax, too!  What a lot of work it was to surprise this girl!!!  And it's a good thing she had her head busy with the last-minute logistics for the bar because I'm sure with all my bad lying she would have found us out otherwise.

This was the photo we scanned to have put on the cake. 

I took a bunch of old pictures from her mom and siblings and scanned them all.  A friend put them all together and made a great video for her birthday.  She was very touched, though embarrassed by more than one of the pictures. ;)  A few choice 80's photos were priceless...and then there were a couple as a little girl that were pretty adorable and equally embarrassing for her. hehehe.

We had a great time in the end and Angelines felt pretty bad for having been such a huge pain in the butt prior to the festivities...  ;) 

The cake was delicious...just ask Nicolas!  This photo  might come back to haunt him on his 40th B -day!

La Ofrenda

I'm just going to post a few pictures of the procession Friday evening.  This was the flower offering to the Virgen de los Llanos (our patron Virgin).  Each of the brotherhoods in town, the different ones for Semana Santa and of course our own Hermandad de San Pancracio offer flowers to the Virgin along with individual townspeople and many children.  

La ofrenda de San Pancracio 

Outside the church after leaving flowers. 

View of Christ and the Virgin (right) from outside the church.

Un año más...

Last night for the third year in a row, I made the pilgrimage to Corcoya and the Virgen de la Fuensanta.  It was a windy night and the moon didn't rise until we were on about kilometer 9 of 12, but it was a great walk all the same.  We had our flashlights, reflective vests and plenty of water (and beer!).  Angelines didn't walk this year because her knee's been bothering her. :(  But she did meet us in town to bring us back in the car.

The walkers at the entrance to town.

As in past years we walked into town and straight to the church to visit the Virgin.  However, we arrived after the church had been locked so we were met with a note on the church door indicating the address in town where we could find the keys.  After retrieving the keys, we unlocked the door, turned on the lights and went inside.  No sooner had my friend Nuria, knelt at a pew than the alarm went off with deafening shrieks!  I think the alarm system is new...  We were told to go find the hermano mayor who had the code to deactivate it, but he had "just gone to bed" and couldn't be bothered to get up.  He shouted the code from his second-story bedroom window and we had another go at entering the church.  This time we were there for about 2 min. before the alarm went off again!  No luck.  It's unnerving to be in a sanctuary with a wailing alarm where normally a whisper seems blasphemously loud.  My friends lit their candles in a hurry and we headed home.

This weekend are the celebrations for La Roda's patrona, the Virgen de los Llanos.  More than one person in town has commented that I've come home just in time for the fiestas! :)

A Last Look

This is a bit of a back-blog.  

I forgot to post this picture with my post about leaving home.  My doodles on the picture are kind of hard to see, but the circle furthest to the left are the Sierra Buttes where my sister and my cousin and I went hiking at the beginning of summer.  The arrow is more or less my parents' house, and the circle to the right is Beckworth Peak.  Despite all the smoke from the Chips fire, I got a pretty clear picture of mi casa from the air.  

One last look at the Sierra Valley before heading home to the land of olivos.

Casa Rural

Thursday Angelines, Bela and I came home from a mini vacation to a casa rural in Granada.  After two months of separation, those four days of relaxing, one-on-one time were just what we all needed!

This little escape was A's idea.  About two weeks before I came home when we were skyping one morning she asked if I wanted to go away somewhere when I got back.  My reaction: Duh!!!  I immediately started looking for places near to home that would allow dogs--this was to be a true family vacation.  We ended up finding a perfect little house in the Sierra Arana north of Granada and just outside the town center of Cogollos Vega.  It was a beautiful place and being up on the hillside we had great views out over the plains.

Despite the current drought, there were a lot of natural springs all over the mountain and our whole place was set up with sprinklers and a drip system.  We had a great lawn bordered by beautiful marigolds; ivy, moss, fig trees and grape vines.  They even had quite a substantial vegetable garden that we were allowed to raid. ;)

I believe there was internet available, but I left my computer at home because I wanted to really be present ...and in the end I even forgot my book!  Angelines and I spent the days cooking, eating, playing cards or parchis, walking the dog and swimming in the pool.  It was perfect.

Bela was also very happy with our vacation.  She had our attention nearly 100% of the time, got long walks, had a few playmates around and even got to swim with us in the pool (later we got in trouble for that...).  There was another young dog that belonged to the family that owned the houses and ended up being Belita's best friend.  She wouldn't leave us alone!  She came on all our walks with us and spent the better part of each day playing with Bela on our lawn.  But my puppy made a few human friends as well.  The family's eleven-year-old son fell in love with Bela and spent hours playing football with her.  The poor dog was beat and this kid just wouldn't let up!  It was cute at first, but got a little tiresome after the first hour...  He would even stay out there playing with the dog while A and I were eating lunch!  GO HOME!

Our mini vacation flew by, but at least we've come back to real life feeling a bit more refreshed.  Things with the bar are moving along.  There was a hang-up with the tiles for the floors, but they've got the new shipment in now and the builders will be here Monday to finish that.  I think this week we'll start painting and Tuesday we want to make a trip to Malaga to look for lamps and tables, etc.  Now most of what's left to do are the little details...the fun stuff. ;)  I'll post pictures as soon as we're finished.

A few more pictures for your visual enjoyment:

Walking the dog

It almost looks like I took this picture back in Portola!

We found a fountain on our walk and Bela thought it looked like she might be able to swim...

Sunset over la vega