La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
I walked to the hardware store Tuesday evening to pick up some bits and bobs. I could live in a hardware store (not work in one, live in one). It’s rare here to find hardware stores where you can browse. Most have a counter at front where you have to ask for things. No fun at all. Our hardware store, however, is fun. It’s an 11-minute walk from home and you’re free to roam. Owned by two friendly (and handsome) brothers, that makes it even more fun.
On my return I passed home and headed to the pharmacy, a few minutes in the other direction. It began to drizzle at the end of my walk and during the few minutes I spent inside the pharmacy it absolutely poured. The sun came out just before I exited and I saw a stunning rainbow with just a hint of a second glowing over the Palace of the Merced.
Earlier that day, San Geraldo and I ran errands and then had lunch outside on the Plaza de las Tendillas, the weather wavered between sunshine and rain. Between downpours, I got a shot of the Gran Capitan (general and statesman Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, on the horse) in the center of the plaza and the new flower beds.
Nearer to home is a tree I love and it’s currently covered with fragrant blossoms. It looks and smells like a mock orange, but I had no idea they could grow that large. NOTE: It turns out it’s a Japanese mock orange.
While I had the terrace door open Wednesday morning, Dudo went out to explore. I can’t wait until we have (next month) the terrace enclosed so the cats can enjoy the view and the fresh air all the time
El martes por la noche fui a la ferretería a comprar algunas cosas. Podría vivir en una ferretería (no trabajar en una, vivir en una). Aquí es raro encontrar ferreterías donde se pueda curiosear. La mayoría tiene un mostrador en la entrada donde hay que pedir las cosas. Nada divertido. Nuestra ferretería, sin embargo, sí es divertida. Está a 11 minutos a pie de casa y uno puede recorrerla libremente. Es propiedad de dos hermanos amables (y guapos), lo que la hace aún más divertida.
Al volver, pasé por casa y me dirigí a la farmacia, unos minutos más adelante. Empezó a lloviznar al final de mi paseo y, durante los pocos minutos que pasé dentro de la farmacia, llovió a cántaros. El sol salió justo antes de salir y vi un arcoíris impresionante con un destello de luz sobre el Palacio de la Merced.
Ese mismo día, San Geraldo y yo hicimos recados y luego almorzamos en la Plaza de las Tendillas. El tiempo oscilaba entre sol y lluvia. Entre aguaceros, tomé una foto del Gran Capitán (el general y estadista Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, a caballo) en el centro de la plaza y los nuevos parterres.
Cerca de casa hay un árbol que me encanta y ahora mismo está cubierto de flores fragantes. Parece y huele como un philadelphus, pero no tenía ni idea de que pudieran crecer tanto.
Mientras tenía la puerta de la terraza abierta el miércoles por la mañana, Dudo salió a explorar. ¡Qué ganas tengo de que (el mes que viene) tengamos la terraza cerrada para que los gatos puedan disfrutar de la vista y del aire fresco todo el tiempo!
• Moose tiene un edredón limpio hoy. (No durará mucho).
• ¿Philadelphus coronarius? Los nuestros siempre fueron arbustos.
• Adorable. Y quitarán esos horribles paneles de vidrio, lo que nos permitirá ver mejor. Los vencejos (nombre científico: Apus apus) están planeando. Cada vez que uno se abalanza, los felinos corren hacia adentro.
Click the thumbnails to enlarge.
Haz clic en las miniaturas para ampliar.
Oh Moose is SO cuddly looking!!
The Mock Orange around here, and there are not many like there used to be, have different foliage. This is a beauty!
Yes indeed, the cats will love their new terrace very soon.
Jim:
Moose has become so unbelievably cuddly. It turns out it’s a Japanese Mock Orange!
Oh Moose, Moose, Moose! We can never have too much of you. It just ain’t possible!
Raybeard:
Moose gets sweeter and more cuddly with each passing day. And he lets you know when he feels ignored.
Your cats are adorable.
BTW, that is a Mexican Orange, Choisya ternata. They’re the evergreen ones (and related to Skimmia and to Sichuan peppers), whereas Philadephus (related to Hydrangea) are deciduous and have heart-shaped leaves. And, no – I have never seen one grow that big either! Jx
PS Did you find the pot of gold?
Jon:
Not Mexican Orange. I did a lot of research and have come to the conclusion it’s Japanese Mock Orange. I’m beginning to believe that pot of gold story is a big fat lie!
That is truly one of the best rainbows I’ve ever seen. Just magnificent. And the sky behind it- so dramatic!
Men do love hardware stores. I suppose there are women who love them too but in reality, it is mostly men. I suppose my equivalent would be a kitchenware store. There is one here that I enjoy browsing in.
Your darling boys will be so happy with the new terrace arrangement. They will be able to watch Cat TV every day in peace and safety.
As to your mock orange there- I guess they grow ’em big in Spain!
Senora Luna
Señora Luna:
A moment later and the rainbow was gone. What perfect timing. I also love kitchenware stores, and I have no idea why since I hardly use anything they sell. I think I just like the aesthetics of things. I would have a really beautifully furnished and organized kitchen filled with things that are never used. But, oh, hardware stores!
Oh boy .. supervised or not those cats would make me nervous on that balcony. But the pictures of the architecture are beautiful as always. I too like exploring old time hardware stores. We have one here called Ace Hardware. I usually go to them over Lowe’s or Home Depot. I can find everything and the staff is usually so much more friendly.
Mistress Borghese:
Ace Hardware in Hillcrest in San Diego was an absolute trip. I used to spend hours in there.
Ooooh, handsome hardware dealers! “Excuse me, I need my screws tightened…or maybe loosened…”
That is not a Philadelphus. According to my plant ID app, it’s a Pittosporum. But you’re kind of right because it’s also known as a “Japanese mock orange.”
The image of your cats running from the terrifying swallows gave me a good laugh.
Steve:
Or maybe just a screw or two. And, yes, thanks for your research. I, too, figured out that it was a Japanese Mock Orange. I’m going to share that info on the next blog post. Our cats can be such cowards. We had a cat in California that was fascinated by hummingbirds until one buzzed right in his face at our hotel. From then on, he wouldn’t make eye contact and if one got too close, he’d slither on his belly all around the patio until he got back inside.
How beautiful, the flowers, the scenery, a little paradise.
Laurent:
What a city!
Hardware stores have always been art supply stores for me. Wire, wood offcuts , screening, spray paint, no wonder your artist heart loves them.
Boud:
I think you’re right about that!
I actually gasped aloud when I saw that rainbow. Stunning, indeed.
The best hardware stores have old wooden floors and smell like a hardware store (if that makes sense).
Kelly:
I did the same! I loved those old hardware stores, the floors, the smells. Some were more like junk shops.
I’m suddenly in the mood for an orange creamsicle and a bag of Skittles. Beautiful photos, Scoot.
Deedles:
I loved creamsicles when I was a kid. And I love that you know them by the same name I do.
That rainbow is beautiful. As always, I love your photos!
Michael:
Thanks so much. I do spend a lot of time on them. Yesterday I took 165 photos and whittled down to just 25.
Wow, that’s a lot of photos! I think you have a knack for capturing the image. When I taught, and we were studying the Great Depression, I would spend some time on Dorothea Lange, who photographed images from the Dust Bowl. She was a talent.
Michael:
Dorothea Lange was amazing.
I was lucky enough to see a double rainbow after a violent rainstorm on the prairies a few years ago. It was huge, with one inside the other! Of course, guess who doesn’t have a camera.
Oh Moose, you’re so adorable and you KNOW it!!
I can hardly wait to see your glassed-in balcony too and I’m not even a cat…. LOL!
Tundra Bunny:
The first double rainbow I ever saw was in rural South Dakota when we were doing a kind of “trip to bountiful” drive with SG’s grandparents. They were telling stories and we were exploring their childhood farms and the one-room school house where his grandmother taught when we were hit by a major downpour. Moments later the sun shone and a perfect double rainbow appeared, beginning in the fields of one of the family farms. Pure magic. The next one we saw was 7 years later, the day his grandmother died.
I often don’t know exactly what hardware I want, until I see it and run my hands over it.
David:
Exactly. That’s why we hate these stores that stop you at the counter.
Oh, that gorgeous tree! And I didn’t know Córdoba was named for a person. Live and learn!
Debra:
Nope. The person was named for Córdoba. He was Gonzalo Fernández of Córdoba. There’s no consensus on how the province got its name. Maybe Roman origin, maybe Semitic, maybe for the ancient name of the Guadalquivir river, maybe named after a Numidian general who died in battle in the 3rd century.
D’oh! More complicated than I thought!
Debra:
The origins of the names are often uncertain. But many are evolutions from known Arabic names.
I feel like that at the Auto store. Just went yesterday to replace my brake lights and blinkers. I wanted to look 😂
-Adam
NEKORANDOM.COM
Adam:
I do the same in auto supply stores and I’m not even into those things!
Great view of the city you have there–though maybe not if you’re a cat.
Kirk:
The cats love it. Once the terrace is redone, they’ll be able to sit on the table and watch the world.
It’s a cat’s life. 🙂
Walt the Fourth:
In this house, it is.