La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
My Thursday blog post was so slow to appear on blogger and therefore to be seen by the masses that I never got inspired to post something Friday. Since I dislike my email filling up with notifications, I follow blogs by listing them in my Blog Reader (from before I moved my blog from Google Blogspot to WordPress). I think that’s how many of us keep track of blogs and it sure has been unreliable. I’m finally going to see if following everything using my WordPress reader is any better. As a dear friend of mine always says, “Ah, well. Never mind.”
I got into a funk yesterday that I finally came out of after 7 p.m. I did a workout and stretched (to the music of Graceland yet again) and was completely better. Let that be a lesson to me! One would think maybe I’d just exercise earlier in the day.
The heat is back with a passion. When I look at the forecast for the next 10 days, it’s more of the same. Temperatures hovering near and above 40˚C/104˚F with plenty of sunshine. A note to my friends on this side of the Atlantic who are suffering in the heat: We may not have the beach in Córdoba, but we at least have air-conditioning everywhere. Come on over. During our drive last week, we passed a number of huge solar farms. I hope we’re making good use of those resources.
The Kid Brother phoned (video) last night which was about 3:30 p.m. his time. He’s clearly feeling sorry for himself and is bored because he has no money to spend. He ran out again this month after the first week. He admitted this time that he did buy “things” for himself with the cash, but he didn’t tell me what the things were. We chatted a bit about nothing and then SG and I got back to our dinner. I have to write to his office to see how they can help, and if they can find out what he’s spending on. At least he took his card and went grocery shopping. So, as he put it, the kitchen is full.
My mother would have been 99 on Thursday. San Geraldo and I often talk about how old our family members would be. His mother and my father would have both turned 100 this year. It finally makes sense to me that someone is truly gone when I realize they wouldn’t likely still be living even if they had survived whatever took them. My father and SG’s parents were both “taken” younger than expected. Then I think about my maternal grandparents who lived long lives and would be 138 and 132 this year. Even my favorite Aunt Lilly would be 108. So, OK, no use pining over her anymore. Still, I do. And my sister, Dale. As Paul Simon wrote (and sang with Art Farfunkel) in the original The Boxer, “I am older than I once was and younger than I’ll be.”
Ah, well. Never mind. The photo at top shows Segovia’s 15th-century Palace of the Count of Cheste at left and the 13th-century house that eventually became home to the Marquis and Marquess of Lazoya at right. Open some new doors in Segovia with me and tell me you like how I smell (Wednesday’s post).
Mi post del jueves tardó tanto en aparecer en Blogger y, por lo tanto, en ser vista por la gente, que nunca me inspiré para publicar algo el viernes. Como no me gusta que mi correo electrónico se llene de notificaciones, sigo los blogs agregándolos a mi Lector de Blogs (de antes de que migrara mi blog de Google Blogspot a WordPress). Creo que así es como muchos de nosotros seguimos los blogs y, la verdad, ha sido poco fiable. A veces, otros blogs aparecen en mi página al menos 24 horas después de haber sido publicados. Finalmente voy a comprobar si seguir todo con mi lector de WordPress es mejor. Como siempre dice un buen amigo mío: «Bueno, da igual».
Ayer me sentí fatal, pero por fin salí después de las 7 de la tarde. Hice ejercicio y estiré (otra vez con la música de Graceland) y me sentí mucho mejor. ¡Que me sirva de lección! Uno pensaría que debería hacer ejercicio más temprano.
El calor ha vuelto con fuerza. Cuando miro el pronóstico para los próximos 10 días, es más de lo mismo. Temperaturas rondando y por encima de los 40˚C/104˚F con mucho sol. Un mensaje para mis amigos de este lado del Atlántico que están sufriendo el calor: Puede que no tengamos playa en Córdoba, pero al menos tenemos aire acondicionado en todas partes. ¡Vengan! Durante nuestro viaje la semana pasada, pasamos por varias enormes granjas solares. Espero que estemos haciendo buen uso de esos recursos.
El Hermanito llamó (videollamada) anoche, que eran sobre las 15:30 en Brooklyn. Claramente se está compadeciendo de sí mismo y está aburrido porque no tiene dinero para gastar. Se le acabó de nuevo este mes después de la primera semana. Esta vez admitió que sí compró “cosas” con el dinero, pero no me dijo qué eran. Charlamos un rato de nada y luego SG y yo volvimos a nuestra cena. Tengo que escribir a su oficina para ver cómo pueden ayudarle y si pueden averiguar en qué gasta su dinero. Al menos usó su tarjeta en el supermercado. Así que, como él dijo, la cocina está llena.
Mi madre habría cumplido 99 años el jueves. San Geraldo y yo solemos hablar de la edad que tendrían nuestros familiares. Su madre y mi padre habrían cumplido 100 este año. Por fin entiendo que alguien se ha ido de verdad cuando me doy cuenta de que probablemente no seguiría vivo aunque hubiera sobrevivido a lo que se lo llevó. Mi padre y los padres de SG fallecieron antes de lo esperado. Luego pienso en mis abuelos maternos, que vivieron muchos años y tendrían 138 y 132 años este año. Incluso mi tía favorita, Lilly, tendría 108. Bueno, ya no tiene sentido lamentarse por ella. Aun así, lo hago. Y por mi hermana, Dale. Como escribió Paul Simon (y cantó con Art Farfunkel) en la versión original de The Boxer (el boxeador), “soy mayor de lo que fui y más joven de lo que seré.”
Bueno, da igual. La foto de arriba muestra a la izquierda el Palacio del Conde de Cheste, del siglo XV, y a la derecha la casa del siglo XIII que posteriormente fue residencia del Marqués y la Marquesa de Lazoya. Acompáñame a descubrir nuevos rincones de Segovia y dime si te gusta mi aroma (publicación del miércoles).
Thinking about the age of my parents, I remember when I realized I had lived more years without my dad than I had with him. He died just weeks after his 72 birthday. I was 33. And again several years later, I noted that I had surpassed the age at which he died. His birth was 114 years ago. My mother lived until the age of 90. Next month is the 117th anniversary of her birth. I’ve been the family elder for quite a long time. Sometimes, that feels a bit sobering. Mary
Mary:
I, too, have lived more years without my father than with him and a couple of lifetimes more than my sister it seems. I never think about my position in the family since I have such a huge extended family. I prefer that. SG thinks about his position often.
My paternal grandparents were married 100 years ago this summer, my parents would have been 99 this year. My grandfathers died in their early 70s, the rest lived long lives, a couple of them longer than they would have wished.
David:
When my grandfather was in his mid-80s, my mother hosted a party. He came in from the balcony (16 floors up) and told me he was tempted to throw himself off. He lived to be 93 but got past that desire. He was proud to have lived so long.
I got a chuckle from your photo spread – I have been in “Capcha” hell trying to get into several websites, and kept looking for the banner “Select everything that is a door” on your spread.
It’s… odd… to think of people in “What age would they be today?”. My father would have been 108, my mother 102 this year. Both have been gone a long time; 26 and 51 years respectively. …and I often wonder what they would make of the world today.
I have the WordPress home site bookmarked. Been on Blogger since I started, and am thinking about an alternative to get off the Google ether. All it takes is… time…
Rade:
Oh captcha can drive me crazy. I haven’t hit one for a long while. My sister died in 1981 at the age of 29 and I often wonder what she would make of the world now. The car door unlocks just by touching it? You talk to your watch? It’s just like Dick Trach! You have a telephone in your pocket and you can pay for dinner with it? You can talk to your house and tell it what to do?!? Imagine!
The song that came to mind as soon as I saw the photos was:
“Open a new window
Open a new door
Travel a new highway
That’s never been tried before
Before you find you’re a dull fellow
Punching the same clock
Walking the same tight rope
As everyone on the block!
Rade’s “Capcha hell” comment made me laugh out loud, too!
My mother will be 91 in November (fingers crossed) – if her parents, my Nana and Grandad had lived they would be 122. They saw a lot of change in their lifetimes. My Grandad remembers as a teeny child being taken to see Harry Houdini doing one of his escapology stunts. By the time my Nana died in 1999, the world’s children were in the midst of the “Pokemon craze”. Different worlds. Jx
Jon:
Oh, yes. The song comes to mind every time, but I used it here once and thought I shouldn’t do so again. However, it was years ago, so I suppose I can. I remember my grandfather laughing in the early ’80s at my aunt’s refrigerator that gave ice and water in the door. He said, the ice man doesn’t come anymore.
My maternal grandfather would be 138 now too. He saw one of the first automobiles on the road and the moon landing. I feel he was like a bridge between one world and another to me. I would like to be that for my grandchildren.
If there is a better song than The Boxer I would truly like to know it.
Ms. Moon
Mary Moon:
Paul Simon’s lyrics so often hit at the heart of things. You clearly are that bridge and so much more for your lucky grandchildren.
I have an artist friend who lives in the countryside in France. For the past year or two he has been painting doorways from his village and surrounding area. That’s what these pictures reminded me of. Not sure why I didn’t make the association with your previous pics of doors.
Triple digits! We don’t usually get those until August.
ellen abbott:
Yeah, we don’t usually get triple digits until August either! No end in sight.
Mom would be 89; gone 19 years.
My sister would be 70; gone 11 years.
My father would be 94; gone 2 years.
My paternal grandmother would be 120; gone 40 years.
Strange to think of that. Makes me miss them all the more.
Bob:
Sorry to make the day harder. It amazes me that it’s been 2 years since your father died. And 11 since your sister. 45 years since my sister died. Hard to get my head around that. Sending you love.
The whole aging process is something that I frequently have to put out of my mind. To be honest, it scares me a tiny bit. I wish I believed in an afterlife as that would give me a reason to look forward to passing on to the next thing. My dad was born in 1926. He would have been 100 years old this December. I absolutely love “The Boxer.”
Michael:
I still don’t really grasp the reality of my age. But I’m not one to give a thought to what comes next. If nothing, then I’ve got nothing to consider. I, too, love The Boxer. Paul Simon is one of my favorite poets.
Both of my parents would be well over a hundred and both died when I was a kid, so it seems like they’ve been gone for eons.
Do all cities in Spain have such beautiful doors? Love these.
Kelly:
I didn’t know you had lost both your parents when you were young. Sorry to learn that.
No, all cities do not have such beautiful doors. I was always frustrated in Fuengirola because most of it was built in late 20th century. But the old cities sure do. Segovia’s were even more elaborate than what I’m used to seeing.