La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
IF YOU’RE NOT FROM THE United States (which I must admit we were at one time), you might not be familiar with the television references in yesterday’s and today’s titles. They’re lyrics from the theme songs of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” an exceptional, although at times cloyingly sweet, children’s program that aired from 1968 to 1976, and again from 1979 to 2001. Tom Hanks starred in a film in 2019 called “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” about the host, Fred Rogers, who it turns out was apparently as kind, decent, and generous as his character on the show. I’ve included the songs (from the opening and closing of the show) at the end of this post, so you’ll understand.
Keeping with the theme, here are more photos of our neighborhood beginning with a mosaic in the courtyard of a nearby house. These photos are from my walk today. I went out on this gloriously clear and sunny (as you can see) 75F/24C-degree afternoon for a one-hour walk. I returned home 2-1/2 hours later, which is why I’m so late with this post. The orange-blossom and jasmine photos are scratch-n-sniff. (Would I lie to you?)
Obviously, I’ve been in a much better mood today. It helps to be forced out of the house early to stay out of Isabel’s way while she cleans. It also helps to return home to an emaculate apartment just before Isabel leaves. This morning was especially pleasant because we had coffee at the café where our friend Tynan works. So we sat on the terrace across from the beach and got to visit with Tynan, too.
Who knows what mood tomorrow will bring. But today has been good. Besides, tomorrow brings an English session with Jesica. Oh, yeah, I shopped a bit today, too, and I have some exciting things to share in the coming days (well exciting for me).
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SI NO ES DE LOS Estados Unidos (que debo admitir que lo fuimos en un momento), es posible que no esté familiarizado con las referencias televisivas en el título de ayer y de hoy. Son letras del tema principal de “Mister Rogers’s Neighborhood” [El Barrio de Sr. Rogers], un programa infantil excepcional, aunque a veces empalagoso, que se emitió de 1968 a 1976, y nuevamente de 1979 a 2001. Tom Hanks protagonizó una película llamada “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” [Un Hermoso Día en el Vecindario] en 2019, sobre el presentador, Fred Rogers, quien resultó ser aparentemente tan amable, decente, y generoso como su personaje en el programa. He incluido las canciones (de la apertura y cierre del programa) al final de esta entrada, para que lo comprendan. Lo siento. No puedo encontrar la canción en español.
Siguiendo con el tema, aquí hay más fotos de nuestro vecindario comenzando con un mosaico en el patio de una casa cercana. Estas fotos son de mi paseo de hoy. Salí en esta tarde gloriosamente clara y soleada (como puede ver) de 24C/75F grados para una caminata de una hora. Regresé a casa 2 horas y media más tarde, por eso llegué tan tarde con esta publicación. Las fotos de azahar y jazmín son de rascar y oler. (¿Te mentiría?)
Obviamente, hoy he estado de mucho mejor humor. Es útil que nos obliguen a salir temprano de la casa para mantenerse fuera del camino de Isabel mientras limpia. También ayuda volver a casa a un apartamento impecable justo antes de que Isabel se vaya. Esta mañana fue especialmente agradable porque tomamos un café en el café donde trabaja nuestro amigo Tynan. Así que nos sentamos en la terraza frente a la playa y también pudimos visitar a Tynan.
Quién sabe qué estado de ánimo traerá el mañana. Pero hoy ha sido bueno. Además, mañana trae una sesión de inglés con Jesica. Oh, sí, también compré un poco hoy, y tengo algunas cosas interesantes para compartir en los próximos días (muy emocionantes para mí).
Cruzar la calle.
Frente a nuestra estación de tren.
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Greetings from Spain, friend.
Brisa Cósmica:
Greetings from the south! I’m supposed to be following your blog, but I haven’t been receiving notifications. Will try again today. I LOVE the Spanish and English (and, unlike my Spanish, both your Spanish and English are perfect)!
Today is a great day for Dennis and me – we got our first shot! Little Belize has really stepped up and is doing a fantastic job with the rollout. The Department of Health sent an Outreach Team of 9 people to our tiny village (pop. 230 on a good day) to vaccinate all 19 of us who are over 60. And they will come back in 2 months for our second shots. We got the AstaZeneca shot.
Great photos today and I am glad you feel better. The mural is a treat. I like the varied scales of the featured subjects.
Wilma:
Yay to the first shot. It’s a complicated process and even moreso living where you do. I’m being patient but I will be much happier once we’re vaccinated. Yesterday was a great day and I woke up today with no pain from the sciatica. That happens, but it hasn’t happened for several weeks, so I nice gift.
The scratch’n’sniff worked for me! Lovely. We’re off to the retirement manse for the weekend. It’s like a bi to tri monthly vacation 🙂 Lots of sun here. Yay!
Deedles:
Have a great weekend. Do the staff travel with you or do you keep staff at both estates? Enjoy the sunshine and the family!
Your photo of the orange tree reminds me of one of my most intoxicating olfactory and visual experiences was driving through a Southern California orange grove after a rainfall (when the day before the scene had been filled with smog-bound pollution). The scent was so utterly delicious and the clear blue sky was framed by the ocean to the west and the mountains to the east; it made me think of how amazingly beautiful CA must have been for early settlers. I was 19 and on a college break–my first visit to CA to see a friend. Had a lot of great moments on that trip–San Diego, Santa Monica, driving up PCH through Big Sur and up into San Francisco in a Triumph TR-4 with the top down. But that day of clear blue SO CAL skies and the scent of orange blossom is a special memory.
As for Fred Rogers, my children watched him when they were very young. While adults might have found the show cloying at times, I think it is good to remind ourselves how few decent male role models there were for young children at the time–ones who spoke gently to kiddies about their feelings, about who they might trust and how they should treat others. Not the usual macho banter of the day. Too many fathers didn’t take the time to talk to their children about these things. They were too busy fulfilling the prophecy of Harry Chapin’s song, “Cat’s in the Cradle.” Old men who are now sorry that they weren’t around for their kids and these days live with regret and limited relationships. I doubt Fred Rogers had much to regret when he died.
Mary:
I sometimes watched Mr. Rogers with Chuck. But I was an angst-ridden teenager, so the sweetness, innocence, and kindness wasn’t something I could stomach. I learned to appreciate him as years passed. And when I learned that he was as decent in real life as he was on TV, I had a new appreciation for him.
Right after we arrived in San Diego from southern Connecticut in early spring ’93, we went for a drive into the mountains and passed miles and miles of orange groves. We had the windows open in the car and were overwhelmed with that incredible fragrance. We pulled over for a while just to take it in. Intoxicating is right!
You had me with the opening picture! Yet another greeting card ready picture. Anf the two below the beach are pretty too. With jasmine and orange, that must smell heavenly. My mother has three things in her yard when they bloom I love. The Gardena, the Lilac and the roses.
Maddie:
The jasmine and orange fragrance around town IS heaven. We planted about a dozen citrus trees in the back garden of our hotel. We would sit outside some evenings and just absorb the fragrance. Much of the city smelled like that in spring.
Looks like a glorious day indeed.
Imagining how beautiful those blossoms must smell.
Jim:
It is SO sweet here.
I used to do murals and mosaics and I really think that is more like painted tile mural ? I used to do Kitchen and Bathrooms. My favorite was Chess Boards plus the pieces.
Beautiful Orange tree. I think @Mary is right about Mr. Rogers.
So happy you are feeling better ! I have had a rough 3 weeks under Doctors care and too many pills.
cheers
Parsnip:
Yes, definitely a painted tile mural. Mr. Rogers was unusual and exceptional. Hope you feel better!
We’d love to be your neighbors. Walt Whitman wrote about a sprig of orange blossoms sent to him by a friend by train, what a wonderful scent.
David:
The fragrance of citrus flowers is unbeatable. Sevilla’s streets were line with orange trees (I think there were 1,400). The entire city was bathed in that fragrance in spring. It changed one’s entire attitude.
Looks like it’s Springing along the paseo.
And thanks for the Kelly. Girl can saaaang.
Bob:
I liked finding a cool version of the song. A gaggle of kids are swimming across the street right now, although the temp has dropped 10 degrees between yesterday and today. Still, 65, clear, and sunny isn’t bad.
This video at the bottom brought back memories. Mister Rogers was on when Brian was a baby (he was born in 1995) and although you’re right about the cloying sweetness, it was one of the shows that calmed him down when he was nuts. It was a lot better than the purple dinosaur who shall not be named.
Carole:
I watched Mr. Rogers with Chucky. I was at the wrong age to appreciate that kind of sweetness. In later years, I did. He was exceptional.
Yes, he was a kind soul.
there should be more people like mister rogers in the world.
I want to pick an orange off that tree and eat it right there!
better weather means a better mood for me (and you).
anne marie:
There SHOULD be more people like Mr. Rogers! But you do NOT want to eat an orange from one of those trees. They’re bitter oranges (also known as Seville oranges) used for making, among other things, orange marmalade. In Sevilla, it was big business harvesting the oranges from the 1,400 trees around the city. I used to love seeing the tourists grab an orange off the tree and take a big bite. BITTER!
My children didn’t like Sesame Street, so it was Fred Rogers all the way for us. I’ve never heard anyone accuse him of being anything other than kind and gentle. He was a seminary graduate and didn’t like the state of children’s television, so he set out to change it. Your photos make me wish I were there.
Love,
Janie
Janie:
It’s glorious here right now and, with few visitors this year, easy to enjoy. Mr. Rogers was a wonder. The world needs more like him.
I wish the orange blossom and jasmine photos truly were scratch ‘n sniff — what a wonderful scent that would be!
Debra:
You mean the scratch-n-sniff didn’t work?!? I’m so sorry. Just close your eyes and believe. (I’ll even sprinkle some fairy dust on you.)
At the end of the show, Mr. Rogers puts his overcoat back on, says good-bye, and walks out the door. But…it’s his house, isn’t it? I mean, when someone has guests over the house, and it’s time to say goodbye, it’s the guests that are supposed to leave, not the host! Or maybe he’s not the host but the guest, and it’s not his house after all. There’s some other house in the neighborhood that he’s lives in. Except we see him leave his shoes at the house. And the sweater was right there in the closet waiting for him to put on.
I’m going to be thinking about this all night long.
Kirk:
Oh dear god, Kirk! I had never thought about that, and it’s something I usually would have thought about. I’m going to try and put it out of my mind. Maybe he was going grocery shopping or out for happy hour!
75 degrees and sunny! That sounds like HEAVEN! Beautiful photos too, all so colorful. I miss citrus trees. 🙁
Steve:
Yesterday truly was heaven. I remember moving to San Diego in ’93 and being surrounding by blooming citrus trees. It must have been wonderful to grow up with that! Do you suppose you can figure out a way to grow one (or 7) in your garden?
such lovely skies; nothing like we got here.
Urspo:
We’ve have a string of our usual clear and bright-blue–sky days. There are some clouds again to make it more interesting, but not enough to block out the sun or the blue.