Armed and Dangerous

My arm is way better. I can pull a suitcase, carry groceries, and walk the dogs on their leashes. Pulling my hair back is still slightly out of my reach! But I am hopeful. My doctor, an orthopedist, who is referred to here as a traumatologist, told me early on that my arm would never be the same as when I was younger and that I would have to ask for help to put a lightbulb in the ceiling. The timing of multiple visitors here prevented me from being able to fully take advantage of the physical therapy sessions he prescribed. When I told him all my travel plans, he said that it would be bad for my arm, but good for my soul. OMG, what a charming European thing to say! At my last visit, he reassured me that it was not too late for me to improve my range of motion. I hope to report further progress soon!

I say dangerous because I’m back on the road and I received several traffic tickets. I think they are actually from before the broken arm, but I’m quite beside myself. Traffic cameras are ubiquitous…it’s not fair! I think I’m going to contact a “gestor” here – a person who is not an attorney but who deals with administrative bureaucracy on behalf of a client. Their fees are reasonable. I definitely need help. The certified letters I received are all in Catalan, and although I can carry on simple conversations, the legal/bureaucratic language is beyond me.

The drought is still happening here in Catalunya. We have the sea, but there’s been so little rain that pretty severe restrictions are being enforced. The reservoir that serves a big chunk of Catalunya was at 16% of its capacity, but since receiving some rain recently, is up to 17%.

The town that was flooded when the reservoir was created is now fully visible.

Emergency restrictions have been implemented in over 200 municipalities, including Barcelona.  The maximum amount of water allowed per person per day was reduced to 200 liters. Watering your garden with water from the mains is prohibited and you can no longer wash your car or top off your pool. In agriculture, irrigation was reduced by 80%, and livestock water use was cut in half. Water use for industrial and urban purposes was reduced by 25%. For recreational activities water use is prohibited, with some exceptions. Irrigation of public or private gardens will be allowed only if groundwater or recycled water is used. Public pools may be partially replenished if the water used is offset by water conservation measures. Trees will only be irrigated with residual waters to guarantee their survival.

Below on the left is the swimming pool at the apartment complex above me. It looks like poop water! I’m not sure why ours still looks so good, but I’m not complaining!