La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.dsfsdfsdafs
Every sunny day, most days here, a spectrum of colors appears somewhere in our apartment. Yesterday I noticed it on the carpet as I walked through the living room. The colors went beautifully with the spectrum of colors on my healing foot so I, of course, took a picture.
The desert roses have been in bloom for exactly one year now, and they’re about to burst into a major display. A nearby euphorbia is also doing its springtime show. It’s desperately in need of repotting, but I’m afraid of it. I set aside solid styrofoam packing material. San Geraldo read about that being a good way to handle thorny plants when repotting. I’ll leave it to him. One of our two orchids is finally in bloom. It sits inside in front of our bedroom window but I placed it on a table on the terrace for yesterday’s photo.
We went to Elena and Tynan’s for Sunday lunch. She’s a phenomenal cook and makes it look so easy. I told her we’d be happy with her traditional pork roast and roast potatoes. I’m not a huge fan of potatoes, but Elena’s roast potatoes are unbelievable. She has the touch. Isa, Elena’s “kid sister” (one year younger) made lemon merengue pie that was delicious.
While we sat chatting at the table, I heard something crack and suddenly I was falling backwards and slightly left. There was nothing I could do. I was aware of where my bandaged foot was going and didn’t want it to hit anything on my way down. The wooden chair, part of a charming old dining room set, had broken apart under my weight. One leg and arm (not mine) simply cracked. My 79 kilos (174 pounds) was finally too much for the aging wood. I lay on my back in a very narrow space, amazingly not having hit my head nor crashed into anything around me.
We were all stunned for a moment. I had no idea how to get up from that narrow space without using my left leg and bandaged foot. Finally, I had San Geraldo hold out his arms for me to grab while Alexander (Tynan and Elena’s 23-year-old son) helped me from behind. Everyone waited to see what damage had been done. We were all surprised and hugely relieved that, except for the poor chair, all was well.
Tynan texted this morning worried the hurt would appear later. It has not. And my foot is doing great as well. I’ve been finding exercises and stretches I can still do at home and I think I’ll go sit out in the sun on the Paseo for a bit now. To celebrate my survival.
Cada día soleado, que es la mayoría de los días aquí, aparece un espectro de colores en algún lugar de nuestro apartamento. Ayer lo noté en la alfombra mientras caminaba por la sala. Los colores combinaban maravillosamente con el espectro de colores de mi pie en curación, así que, por supuesto, hice una fotografía.
Las rosas del desierto han estado en flor durante exactamente un año y están a punto de estallar en una gran exhibición. Una euforbia cercana también hace su espectáculo de primavera. Necesita desesperadamente un trasplante, pero le tengo miedo. Dejé a un lado material de embalaje sólido de espuma de poliestireno. San Geraldo había leído que esa era una buena forma de manejar las plantas espinosas al trasplantarlas. Se lo dejo a él. Una de nuestras dos orquídeas finalmente ha florecido. Se encuentra dentro, frente a la ventana de nuestro dormitorio, pero lo coloqué sobre una mesa en la terraza para la foto de ayer.
Fuimos a casa de Elena y Tynan a almorzar el domingo. Es una cocinera fenomenal y hace que todo parezca muy fácil. Le dije que estaríamos contentos con su tradicional asado de cerdo y patatas asadas. No soy muy fan de las patatas, pero las patatas asadas de Elena son increíbles. Ella tiene el toque. Isa, la “hermana pequeña” de Elena (un año menor) hizo una tarta de merengue de limón que estaba deliciosa.
Mientras estábamos sentados charlando en la mesa, escuché un crujido y de repente caí hacia atrás y ligeramente hacia la izquierda. No había nada que pudiera hacer. Sabía hacia dónde iba mi pie vendado y no quería golpear nada al bajar. La silla de madera, que formaba parte de un antiguo y encantador juego de comedor, se había roto bajo mi peso. Una pierna y un brazo (no los míos) simplemente se rompieron. Mis 79 kilos (174 libras) finalmente fueron demasiado para la madera envejecida. Me acosté boca arriba en un espacio muy estrecho, sorprendentemente no me había golpeado la cabeza ni chocado contra nada a mi alrededor.
Todos quedamos atónitos por un momento. No tenía idea de cómo levantarme de ese espacio estrecho sin usar mi pierna izquierda y mi pie vendado. Finalmente, hice que San Geraldo me extendiera los brazos para que los agarrara mientras Alexander (el hijo de 23 años de Tynan y Elena) me ayudaba desde atrás. Todos esperaron para ver qué daño se había causado. Todos quedamos sorprendidos y enormemente aliviados de que, a excepción de la pobre silla, todo estuviera bien.
Tynan me escribió esta mañana preocupado de que el dolor apareciera más tarde. No tiene. Y mi pie también está muy bien. He estado encontrando ejercicios y estiramientos que todavía puedo hacer en casa y creo que ahora iré a sentarme un rato al sol en el Paseo. Para celebrar mi supervivencia.
• Esto es lo que me saludó esta mañana. “Que te jodan el pie. ¿Dónde están las delicias?”
Click the thumbnails to enlarge.
Haz clic en las miniaturas para ampliar.
The Cat boys, orchid and desert rose brightened a return to work Monday for me. And I might add, I adore the big pottery bowl hanging on the brick wall. Is that perhaps from the favorite potter shop that has all that swell pottery in town that you have featured?
Mistress Borghese:
I found that Moroccan platter at an annual street fair here in town. Not the same quality as from the shop which specializes in Spanish creations, but I do love it.
Oh my, falling off of our perch could be dangerous at our age. Pretty flowers, and I don’t know what you do with the thorny things.
David:
There were so many things that could have gone wrong during that fall. All of our thorny things need repotting. Argh!
Boud here. When I used to have crown of thorns plants, I’d throw a towel over the foliage and thorns before embarking on repotting. SG will have his own approach, I expect.
So you’re the trasher of furniture now? Like a rock star..
Boud:
That works great for the light-weight crown of thorns. Our euphorbias are now enormous. The one pictured is over 5 feet tall. It will require about a dozen bath towels PLUS those styrofoam things to manage. We dread it. The thorns go through several layers of towels. Tynan and Elena were NOT happy when I through the TV off the balcony.
I thought we discussed no more accidents!
Sheesh, what a sight that must have been but glad there was no further damage.
And The Boys; I’ve missed them!
Bob:
I’m being very careful. How much less can I do than just sit? Moose just had treat #2 and is sitting at my office door yowling. I think he wants me to take a nap.
No surprise that you came out of your fall unscathed. You are in good shape/174 lbs! and this is where all that ‘work’ comes in handy. Keep it up!
Loving that Desert Rose…..I will keep searching here in the ‘tundra’ for one.
Jim:
I’m trying, but I sure don’t feel like I’m in good shape right now. The desert roses like heat and sun, non-stop. Ours have been in heaven.
What a close call with that chair! Glad you’re okay!
Debra:
That really was an amazing bit of good fortune.
Oh god. That feeling when you KNOW you’re falling and yet have no idea how to mitigate the situation. It’s like for that microsecond, we have fallen into gravity’s power, helpless to fight it. And then the landing- what have I done to myself? How did that happen? It’s awful. I’m really glad that the chair took all of the damage.
Love the desert rose. Now the euphorbia? I’ve never ever seen one of those and I would not allow it in my house. No, no, no. I had too many cactus needles removed from my body as a child. Just the sight of it gives me shivers.
Your cats leave no doubt about what they want, do they?
And finally- thank you for that John Sebastian song. Oh, how I loved him! I watched every second of the video.
Ms. Moon
MsMaryMoon:
It’s funny how those falls are often the same experience. Slow-motion, imagining the damage about to be done. I have been lucky! I can’t believe I didn’t get stabbed by the broken pieces of chair. There are so many different kinds of euphorbia and most people just say cactus (although they’re not). They can be so dramatic. The thorns are deadly. And they have a toxic milky sap (latex). This particular one likes to attack Isabel as she walks by, which is also why I want to repot it and straighten it. I love John Sebastian. Saw him perform in Central Park in the early 70s. Ahhhhhhh.
I’m SO glad there was no damage from the fall (other than to the chair). Now I can laugh and it won’t be inappropriate laughter.
Those are wicked looking thorns on that plant! 🙀
Kelly:
It was a scary fall. No one even snickered. Yeah, those thorns are deadly. I’ve test them (unintentionally) a number of times. But the plant is so cool.
Good grief. Is your nickname “Lucky”? Jx
PS that’s a very happy desert rose!
Jon:
I can sometimes be a walking disaster area. But I’ve never been a danger to myself while just sitting. I can’t believe how happy these desert roses are. We found the perfect spot for them… and I treat them for scale every week!
Oh, my! Glad you didn’t get another injury. I’m sure your supervisors (Dudo and Moose) make sure you do your stretches. 🙂
Michelle D:
Dudo and Moose stare at me when I do my stretches. They think I’m strange. It’s funny how “another” is often used to describe my injuries!
Oh, wow, a chair is SUPPOSED to withstand a person’ weight. That’s what it’s there for.
Forgive the cats. They know not what they do.
The last comment was me, Kirk.
Kirk:
I think the chair outlived its warranty.
Wow! That was scary! I hope you still haven’t had extra injuries show up. The colors of your foot would match the colors I have on my feet after one of the dogs gives me a good stomping when they’re in a hurry to get out the door.
Love,
Janie
janiejunebug:
Ow. Those big dogs could do some damage! It’s already Tuesday and no aches or injuries have appeared. I’m fine.
That was a close one. Maybe the rainbow on your foot brought you good luck, saved you from further damage. BTW, don’t forget to look for a pot of gold at the end of the rainbows in your apartment.
Shirley:
Oh, our pot of gold days are over. We never knew how to hold onto them once we found them.
Yikes! Glad you survived. 🙂
Walt the Fourth:
That could have been deadly!
I’m sorry Scoot, but as I was experiencing a flashback from your story, when I read how your 174 pounds was too much for the aging wood, my inner 12-year-old boy came out and yelled “Poor SG!” Well, somebody had to go there. Why is it always me?
I’m glad you had loved ones there to help you up. Must be nice. I love the flora and fauna.
Deedles:
Yeah, while we’re on the subject of aging wood…
rainbbows