Spanish views from a small town

Yesterday, we went to the cemeteries, but it wasn't like any other year. The first one we went to, we went around the church, visiting distant cousins and great uncles, then, we went directly to where my grandmother, aunt, and uncle were. There we went around that section, and then we left without wandering any more. The rain was a mist at that point. At the second one, there was a burial in the newer section, with very few people, just the allowed. We avoided them and visited one of my grandfathers, then we left, having crossed paths with only one person we knew. The rain made it easier to leave, as it started raining more heavily at that moment, and the flowers were all drooped over, drops glistening on their petals. From there we went to our own parish, where we spent a little more time, visiting my parents, other cousins and grandparents, and neighbors. Here, we saw one neighbor, and a few others to say hello to, but we didn't stop and chat. The rain was undecided, whether ...

Going to buy the bread this morning (our baker doesn't deliver on Sundays), I stopped by a gas station to put some in my husband's car. On a plot of land next to the station, a large yellow and blue tent was set up. The circus is in town.  A circus. During the second wave of a pandemic. With a curfew. But, yes, the circus must go on.  I didn't see many people around, but showtime was not yet near. Will they even make enough money to break even? I assume attendance must be halved, like at other public shows and buildings. Will anyone even feel like going? We went to the circus two times, I think, a long time ago, when our daughter was little. I remember one of the shows, the better one, was quite expensive for the three of us. Back then, there were fierce animals, still, like tigers. But a new law some years ago prohibited using animals in shows like the circus. I really have nothing against training animals to perform, but I do believe in treating them well, and I suppose n...

Today was a strange Saturday. This morning, I made the last bouquest for the cemetery, and then distributed everything. The rain and fog made the day feel closed in. There were some people, though not as many as other years. This year, it seems many have staggered cleaning, and taking flowers to the cemeteries, over various days, rather than wait for the last two to crowd the place.  While there are beautiful bouquets that are worthy of prizes, and whose creators can be considered artists, there are also a greater number of made-at-home arrangements. The day before, when I went to buy some, there were many fewer flowers to choose from than other years. Many florists stopped taking orders at the beginning of the month. Others aren't hiring as many people as other years, and are doing fewer orders. It seems the virus has also hit the flower production, since there are fewer flowers. But prices don't seem to have risen, either, which means there isn't as much demand as other y...

Hearing yesterday that Santiago might be closed because of the rise of contagion there, I decided to go to a pet store to buy the kitty litter I use (a very large bag that has a very good quality-price ratio), and in the meantime, buy some flowers to arrange bouquets for the cemeteries. Despite the high infection rate, the Praza de Abastos, the marketplace, was not empty. There were plenty of people shopping for their meat, fish, and green groceries. There were also lines at one of the florists there. But she was charging three euros for each rose, so I left and went in search of a couple of other florists I remembered.  It turned out that one had closed and the stall had been converted into something touristy and closed at the moment, and the other had retired. That left a green grocer selling chrysanthemum plants, and another florist that had recently opened. Roses there were at a decent (!) two euros each, and the plant was cheaper than cut mums. However, today I still returned ...

It is definitely getting cooler now. Today I had to wear jeans, my normal winter clothing, and put aside my lightweight pants. I also had to wear a t-shirt with a shirt over it, because it was quite chilly. The leaves on the vineyard are almost all yellow, and starting to tumble to the ground. Now, there's more light at the back of the house, under the arbor. The fruit has gone, except a few, recalcitrant grapes, and the feijoas that are falling to the ground. Fall has definitely installed itself. It's time to start thinking about the flowers for All Saint's Day, and All Soul's Day. Every year, I order some arrangements to take to the cemeteries, and make some others myself. Every year, I keep forgetting until the middle of October to put in my order with the local florist. This year, I am too late. He told me he wasn't taking any more orders because he's not hiring helpers this year, thanks to the virus. Unfortunately, my husband told me that other florists are...

Today is All Saints' Day, tomorrow All Souls' Day. It's the day of taking flowers to the cemetery, and visiting those who have gone. The week before is also the week of cleaning and scrubbing, getting ready for the visits. The day before is the day of rearranging schedules to be able to get everything done. Monday I bought some roses and white chrysanthemums to make a floral arrangement to put in the niche where my parents are. Cemeteries here are the opposite of how we live. In rural Spain most people live in individual houses. When they die, they move to apartment block cemeteries. Each apartment house, or panteón , has between three and five flats, or niches. Sometimes two people share an apartment, but mostly they are singly occupied. This is because there are no rolling fields or hills upon which to keep spreading a cemetery like in the U.S. I remember visiting Forest Hills Cemetery near our house in Boston, and that was full of winding avenues and trees, like a very...

Since the middle of the nineteenth century an October tradition has been established on the stages of Spain. That very Spanish play, Don Juan Tenorio , is produced all over the country on the last days of the month, just before All Saints' Day. It is a story with a dark ending perfect for Halloween. Many know what a donjuan is, but few have ever read the play by José Zorilla or the older version from Spain's Golden Age, El Burlador de Sevilla , by Tirso de Molina. I had to read the drama by Tirso de Molina in high school Spanish class. I still remember parts of it, especially the ending. Unfortunately, in Spain it's not taught in schools. (None of the Golden Age writers are touched; the total opposite of Shakespeare in the U.S.) At any rate, Don Juan is a gentleman who makes a bet with another gentleman to see who kills the most people in battle, and who seduces the most women. At the end of the year, they get together and Don Juan is the winner. Don Juan goes on to up ...