What happens while I´m making other plans

Yes indeedy, blogsters, I am falling down on the job.

The Blog Job, that is. I´m working hard on other things, so I use up all my writing juju early in the day. There´s not enough left for a decent blog. Sorry. I will do better in the future.

Soon after I wrote about the hole in the back yard, the sky turned gray and started to rain. We decided to wait til things dried out before spelunking commences. And since then it´s rained or snowed every day. We put an old door over the hole, so nobody falls in, (and nothing can come crawling out, either). It´s like having an unopened package under the Christmas tree. One that probably has just dirt in it.

The week abounded. We made a steak-and-kidney pie. (I ate the steak and pie part, and gave my bits of kidney to Paddy and Tim.) I made chicken tikka masala, which was delicious but kept me up most of the night. I went to Palencia with Gary and Elyn, as their Residencia cards arrived and we needed to celebrate that. Whilst in the city we went down into the crypt of the cathedral, where people have been worshiping things since the Dawn O Time. I love how some churches around here are layer-cakes of human devotion, with the Mannerist and Gothic and Romanesque layers one atop the other... and always with a well or spring down in the basement, down there where the power and glory really got started.

Things are happening that do not involve movements of the earth.
I am editing a rather large book manuscript, and am actually being paid to do so. It´s good to do a big toothsome project that is not Camino-related.

This morning we brought home from Mass a man named David, a smiling South Korean who is also a Presbyterian pastor. We gave him coffee and biscuits and an apple. And he blessed us and our house and animals, and promised to pray for us on the trail. (I think we are getting the better end of that deal.) Now we are listening to violin music by Roderigo, the guy who wrote "Concierto de Aranjuez." Pad´s making leftovers for lunch, making a list, giving the critters double rations.

´Cause this afternoon we´re stepping out. I found a killer deal online for the Parador Hostal San Marcos in Leon, one of the world´s great hotels -- a place I ordinarily could not afford to stay in. It´s a 15th century palace turned into deluxe lodgings, with views up the river and over the cloisters, yadda yadda, but mostly it´s got... Canal Plus sports TV in the rooms. Which means, starting at midnight... The Steelers playing in the Superbowl! Wooohooo! We´re warning the hotel people to put us in a room far away from the other guests, as we don´t want to wake everybody up at 3 a.m. with our screaming and waving of Terrible Towels. (my sister Beth sent me a Terrible Towel, a traditional aid to Pittsburgh grandstand cheering. Murphy the Cat is trying to make it his own, but that ain´t happening.)

Anyway, for the Big Even we are bringing along the leftover champagne that didn´t arrive in time for New Year´s Eve. We fully intend to have something to celebrate!