Schemes & Plots

There´s lots to look forward to here. It´s not very Zen to look forward to things, but I can´t help it. It´s January. Not a whole lot of "here and now" is here right now!

Tomorrow is the big Moratinos Cleanup in the plaza. We are very behind on this particular item... it´s usually done just after Christmas, but the weather´s been bad, and Pin, the guy with the chainsaw, has been on holiday, and Leandra, the lady who makes the best tortilla, asked them to wait til next week... Anyway, the notice went up two days ago, a handwritten and officially-stamped declaration that the plane trees and flower garden remains will be duly trimmed and hauled away "Lunes tarde." Which means anytime after noon on Monday, just listen for the church bell. The traditional "merienda" will follow. (A merienda is a snack, but last year this consisted of a roast lamb, paella, tortilla, garlic soup, and a big cake.) After eating everyone will be given their bills for 2007: water, sewage, and use of the municipal drive-over crop-weighing truck scale.

We don´t use the scale, so Estebanito told us 40 Euros oughtta cover us. (The city water comes from a big Artesian well by the Plaza Mayor. The sewage is a relatively new system of pipes they put in seven years ago, when they finally paved the streets. Everyone´s sewage goes into a malodorous common ditch just outside town, toward St. Martin...both our dogs have taken swims in it! I don´t know what happens to the sewage after that, but I think it makes its languid way to the Rio Templarios eventually.)

No word on just when all this commences, or where to bring the food. We are making the tortilla today... a two-inch thick omelette of sliced potatoes, onions, roasted red peppers, and eggs. Paddy´s got it mastered! We will bring that, and a bottle of good brandy. The men are bringing samples of this year´s home-brew, and we have nothing like that to share. (And this way, we know there´s a non-poisonous option available, should we want to partake.)

So. Tuesday or Wednesday we meet Jefe José Castro down in Palencia. We are picking out the tiles for the bathrooms, and maybe meeting his wife... she´s from Texas, USA. I think he´d like to use her translation ability to make sure we all are on the same page. I know I´d like to! And I would like to have another woman along for tile-choosing. I know this seems very girly-girl of me, but hey. We have to live with these tiles for a very long time, and if I left it to Paddy he might just point at the first thing he saw and say ´that´s fine.´ Evidence of that kind of decision-making lives on in lime-green loos the world over.

And farther out into the future (August) I am plotting something most fun: a custom-built guitar for in our house, and a very good guitarist to play it for an Open House party. Both of them are flamencos, and both are from Madison, Wisconsin!
It is all very up in the air, so I won´t go into details. But it is very fun to think forward thoughts.