Nothing much new this week, except I got to walk further than I have previously been allowed (reasonably close to home with dogs).  Now, we’re allowed to go one kilometer from home, but I went closer to 4.  If the cops stop me, I’ll plead ignorance.  I listen to podcasts while I walk, mostly “This American Life.”  If I don’t have something playing, my mind starts to wander and that isn’t good right now.  At the house, I keep it under control with my word games and jigsaw puzzles.

I ordered a guitar from Amazon.  I bought one a year or two before I retired, but I never found time to try to re-learn how to play.  I figure I have time now and I think it will make me feel like I’m accomplishing something, if I actually do it.  Maybe before I leave I can record something for you.  Ha!

I said in an earlier post that I was doing my hair and make-up every other day.  Well…that didn’t last.  Besides becoming lazier as this goes on, I’m also becoming more accustomed to seeing myself without makeup.  At one point in my life I wouldn’t have gone to the 7/11 without makeup.  My how times have changed.  Fuck it.

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Besides the obvious need for attention to my hair, my toes are in dire shape.  I took extreme measures last night and gave them a bath in olive oil, due to a lack of anything else!  It helped, but they smelled oddly and were very slippery for a while.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There’s a bench near the top of my hill on a promontory with a splendid view.

When I walk the dogs sometimes we stop and sit and I just look out at the vista.  Today I was thinking about Elizabeth Taylor.  She was here in 1959 making a movie of the Tennessee Williams’ play “Suddenly Last Summer” with Montgomery Clift and Katherine Hepburn.  It is probably the most exciting, news-making thing that has ever happened here.  Shortly after I arrived in 2018,  when I was at Begur’s City Hall finalizing my resident’s visa, I was told I wasn’t the only American to come to Begur.  No, they had Elizabeth Taylor!  I don’t know how long the filming lasted, but it made a big impression on the town.  In the camera shop in town, there are photos on display that the owner (I think deceased now) took of Liz and the crew while they were here.

I was thinking of her and how it must have looked to her then – the view she had was the same as I have everyday.  So we have that in common!  Plus I also loved Richard Burton!  I wish she were still alive.  I’d write to her.

 

 

I’ve finally had a few beautiful days and the energy to do a yoga class at home.  My yoga studio in Houston is holding online classes, but 11:00 a.m. in Houston is 6:00 p.m. here, and I’m at happy hour then, so that doesn’t work.  They sent me a video made by one of my instructors so I can follow it at any time.

Pro’s to doing yoga at home are that you don’t have to rush to make it by a particular time before they lock the door.  You don’t have to remember to put your mat in the car.  The con’s are that you may have to battle your dog for use of your yoga mat/blanket.

Tomorrow we’re all allowed to start walking outside!  Until now you could only walk a pet and only reasonably close to your home.  I’m lucky I have pets.  There have been jokes on the Internet about people in Spain borrowing other people’s pets so they can go outside, and others of people walking their goldfish or chickens.  Spain’s CoronaVirus confinement measures, which have been in place since March 14, are among the strictest in the world.

The walking privilege, however, is going to be regulated:  children and parents can walk between 12:00 noon and 7:00 p.m.; elderly (70 or over) can walk from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.; the rest of us can walk from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.  For once I wish I was 70!!  And who walks for exercise at 11:00 p.m.?  I guess if you eat dinner at 10:00 p.m.  Last night I took the dogs out for their last walk before bed at about 10:30 p.m.  I was in my nightgown and robe.  My neighbor was outside grilling dinner for the family!  We’re so different.

I have to say I feel like I’m missing something.  I’m keeping my mind active with word games and puzzles, language learning, writing this blog, and a little work for the hospital when I have it.  And I’m keeping my body active (to some extent) with yoga and walking (though not as far as I’d like to walk up to now).  I have all the food and booze that I require and I’ve enjoyed making some new recipes (perhaps an upcoming post).  I have almost daily WhatsApp or FaceTime calls with friends and intermittent face-to-face conversations with my neighbors.  It all adds up, but I feel like something is missing.  I guess I just need to look a little harder.

Last year when I was here I felt challenged to adapt and assimilate.  I spent a couple of months alone in the winter.   I’m adapting to the alone-ness, but it’s different.  This challenge is on a different level.  I know I’ll be fine, but the uncertainty is a little unnerving.

Chins up!!  At least the weather is finally spring-like and perfect!! Yeah!

Addendum:  This is an addendum to my post of November 2018.

Can you believe it?  I had another freaking flat tire today when I ventured out to take my trash to the recycling.  The garbage men were there emptying the bins.  One of them noticed my tire was flat.  It was pretty flat.  I can’t believe I hadn’t felt it when I was driving.  Then, they changed it for me!  One of them jokingly made a gesture of showing his muscles and said “see, men come in handy sometimes!”  to which I said “YES!  sometimes!”  That was sooo nice of them and they certainly didn’t have to do it.  I made them each take 5 euros and said to please have a couple of beers.  Thank God.  Now I just have to get a new tire.  They told me car repair shops are essential, so, I’ll need to do that.

After I wrote the post below, I had another flat tire in June 2019.  That was an ordeal.  They didn’t have my tire in stock anywhere in town and it took two days to get one, all while I had guests in Barcelona waiting for me.  

November 2018:

The second day in Spain in my new car, I hit a curb on a curve going faster than I should have on a dark, narrow and winding road, and punctured the tire.  It entailed an expensive cab ride home from town and a trip to the repair shop the next day.  Peugeot, the lessor of my car, will reimburse me for the tire, but I must return the original tire when I return the car.  I’m storing the tire in the storage closet at my apartments.

Last week, in Barcelona, multiple people on the street, drivers, and motorcycle drivers let me know that I had a flat tire.  I called Peugeot and the guy they sent to change the tire told me the tire had been deliberately slashed by a knife.  He said that it is common that a motorcyclist will puncture your tire with a knife and then indicate that he will help you if you follow him.  I was too busy negotiating traffic to pay attention to what he was trying to say, so fortunately, I avoided being robbed!  The tire store where I replaced the tire confirmed that is what happened.

I am starting a collection of tires in my storage closet!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hate to whine, but the weather recently has been a low blow.  There have only been a handful of days with sun over the past month.  The forecast for the next 10 days is more of the same.  Only two days of partial sun and temps in the 50s.  Temps in the 50s with sunshine is glorious!  Temps in the 50s with rain is dreadful.

And then, the electricity went out on Tuesday.  All day.  I felt like I had done something to offend the gods.  I’ve been chill and calm for all these weeks, but without wifi throughout a full day of constant rain… it was beyond the pale!

I am so glad I have my dogs Cassie and Cam with me.  They are a comfort and a pain and a constant.  I would definitely feel lonelier without them.

Last time I was in Spain, I was traveling so much I had to leave the dogs many times.  I found a place near me, Elena’s Guardaria Canina.  Elena is a Saint.  She runs the establishment, slightly outside of Begur.  There are huge outdoor enclosures where the dogs are segregated by size and temperament.  She boards, grooms, and trains dogs.  She also has a couple of horses.  She is a radiant soul and she cares for the animals as if they were her own.  She would send videos of the dogs to me while I was away to let me know how they were doing.  In the evening, they went indoors where they were kept in kennels heated by a central fireplace.  Elena spoke to the dogs in Catalan, so I guess they’re sort of trilingual now.  They spent a lot of time there.

In the spring, an American friend from my Catalan class offered to keep my dogs for half the price.  He lives in Begur permanently and brought with him from the US six dogs, two cats, and a bird.  I thought maybe the bird was a parrot or a mynah bird or something “pet-like,” but it was a pigeon named Chiquitita.  He has a big yard with plenty of room for them to run and play with the other dogs.  Cassie and Cam loved it there.  I was really lucky to have had two such great dog keepers!

Now it’s just the three of us.  An added perk this time though is that the “Hitler” of the apartment complex who wouldn’t let me walk the dogs on the grass, isn’t here.  And, after the wild boar infestation last spring, they’ve reinforced the fence, so the dogs actually get to nose around a little on their own.  Oh happy day!

This couple of months has been SO different from my last time here when I had 30 visitors in 40 weeks.  I was constantly picking up, dropping off, and traveling somewhere.  In between, I was plotting distances and routes and making reservations at AirBnbs, restaurants, and tourist destinations.  This trip absolutely couldn’t be more different.  I still love Spain, but within a much smaller radius!

And my toothpaste exploded!

 

 

This is another post that I was working on pre-confinement.

Off my balcony I can see the snow-capped Pyrenees, above.  France is just on the other side.  They are BREATHTAKING.  SPECTACULAR!  I say breathtaking because they literally take my breath away.

I read a book in graduate school, which is one of my favorite books, called “La Casa Verde” by Mario Vargas Llosa, an author who was later elected president of Peru.  It takes place in the Peruvian jungle and the jungle itself is one of the primary characters.  I feel that way about the mountains.  They aren’t just part of the landscape, they’re a participant, they play a role in life.    That is one of the the main things I miss when I’m living in Houston.  I love the sea too, but it doesn’t reach inside and grab me like the mountains do.  I like both!!

 

Everyone is wondering what life will be like as sanctions are lifted and when we’re free again.  We all know it will be different.

For one thing, I think we’ve all learned that we have too much stuff.  And I, like the rest of us, am learning to ration.  I ration my food and my supplies to last as long as possible.  In the past, if I bought produce and it went bad, I threw it out and bought more.  Now, I’m googling how to keep lettuce fresh longer, etc.  I’m using less toilet paper, less detergent, less everything.  I can get by with a lot less.  I do hope this is a lesson that carries on.

Also like everyone, I’ve been watching lots of  series and movies, primarily murder mysteries.  It occurred to me I might turn into Emily Byrne, an FBI agent in the Prime Video show “Absentia.”   She’s an FBI agent who disappears and is declared dead in absentia.  Six years later, she is found and she chases her abductors for two seasons all the while having horrific flashbacks and violent outbursts.  That’s what can happen if you’re locked up too long!  One thing that puzzles me is when Netflix sends me an email of things I might enjoy.    They suggested “Mortal Kombat” was a top pick for me.  Don’t they know what I watch??

I don’t know when I’ll be able to return US, which is a little frightening.  So, I’m just taking one day at a time and appreciating small accomplishments.  Today I took a month’s worth of garbage to the recycling center – a car full.  Whoo hoo!  When I came back I saw a small (about one foot) snake near my parking spot.  Yikes!  Big day.

Also this week I was suddenly, momentarily overwhelmed with gratitude.  I have great friends.  I have the best possible children, who are happy.   I have passion about where I am.   Luckiest of all, I’m healthy.

Stay well!

Because there’s so little new to report for Week 4, I’m adding this post that I was writing prior to the state of emergency.

China & Center is a strange name for a store, no? Actually, in Catalan it’s “Xina & Center” – the “X” is pronounced like “ch.” We have a giant, Walmart-sized store with that name.  Presumably, all of the contents of the store are imported from China.  Most of them are of extremely poor quality, but if you don’t need something to last, or you have minimal requirements, this is your go-to place.

The China & Center totally cracks my ass.  There are so many strange things, including a huge assortment of weird ready-made costumes, including bull head caps.

The list of inferior quality products could go on and on.  I bought my mini-Christmas tree there, which was pathetic, but I really didn’t care.  I bought a package of 10 ornaments.  Five of them broke when I removed them from the packaging.  That’s what I’m talking about.

I needed a step stool. I bought one that was wrapped in plastic, so I couldn’t open it to see what it really looked like.  I thought it would serve my purpose, but it is THE WORST step stool imaginable.  It has only one step and it’s about 8 inches from the ground.  I should have taken it back.  That’s a roll of paper towels in the background, not TP –  I have plenty of both.

Then, there’s the truly bizarre.  Last summer I saw a bathing suit in a preteen size that had, as you can see below, a top that had a unicorn on one boob, appealing to young girls, and the words “good luck” on the other appealing to well, you know…

On one of my recent trips I found this shaver for BABIES!  BABIES!  I have no words. Note:  “Children of professional hair styling tools” – my high school English teacher would have croaked!

There were also several giant paella pans together with a giant fork.  I think they were for real.

At this point in my confinement, I’d love nothing more than to go to China & Center!!

Week 4 and nothing much has changed.

Ironically, I told people when I left the U.S. in February that these three months in Spain would “FLY BY”!! Well…not so much.

I am spending an inordinate amount of time in “my spot” on the couch.  How many things can I keep on the coffee table, i.e., within reach?

I’ve started doing online jigsaw puzzles.  I’m featuring Gaudi’s works, as if anyone is interested…

My biggest problem currently is trash.  I have no trash pickup here since I’m outside of town and no one really lives here – it’s a weekend spot for most of the owners of the apartments.  Normally, I have to take the trash to town to one of the recycling stations, but I’ve been afraid to drive to town because I don’t think it’s “essential” and I really don’t want to be fined!  Needless to say, I have a LOT of trash.  I may have to make two trips in my car to dispose of it all.  YUCK!

I don’t know if any US cellular providers are doing this, but my Spanish phone says “Quédate en casa” (stay home) at the top of my screen.  Really?

There may not be much new to say as weeks go on … but I have a couple of ideas…

I think my post for Week 2 may have been a little dark and seemed like I was feeling sorry for myself.  Of course I’m a little lonely, bored, and anxious, but who isn’t?  I am very fortunate to be surrounded by a glorious sea, sky, and soon-to-be flowering springtime, and all of you with whom I talk and chat online!

Shame on me!  I  was only thinking of myself.  I am actually worried about those with fewer resources.  What is this uncertainty like for them?  How are they coping?  It’s difficult to think about.

I’m going to try to focus on the positive.  I’d like to help in some way, but I’m not sure what that would be considering I’m in the high risk category.  So far, I’ve only given some money to Doctors Without Borders and to my kids who will be having a hard time without paychecks.

The good news here, at least to date, is that there are NO cases of COVID-19 in my municipality and only one in the next town.  Map of Catalunya:

I’ve been safely tucked in here for 21 days with no human contact to speak of.  My neighbor and I sit on the lawn six or more feet apart every day that the sun is out and discuss all manner of things – he practicing his English, and me practicing my Spanish.  He volunteered to buy groceries for me!  What an angel he was to do that!  I am blessed to have some fabulous and kind neighbors.   Aren’t they cute (photo from Christmas 2018) ?

I’m happy to report that I’m upgrading my personal hygiene habits and I’ve begun fixing my hair and wearing make-up….every OTHER day.  It’s better than nothing and it makes me feel better.  My real worry is my feet.  I haven’t done my own toenails in YEARS!  Since I can’t get to a salon (as if!  none nearby), I had to cut them myself and take off the pealing polish.  I can’t wait for a fresh toe job!!

I enjoy writing these posts, but I’m not sure how long I’ll have something to say.  We’ll see… take care everyone!