Spanish views from a small town

Yesterday afternoon I received a text from my cousin's daughter. He's doing a bit better, but is still in critical condition. Let's hope he can pull through. Contagion was going down throughout Spain these past couple of weeks (except in our locality), but now the numbers are starting to go skyward. Some are looking toward Germany, where schools and non-priority businesses are set to close as of tomorrow. Just in case Santiago closes again, I went to do some Christmas shopping yesterday morning and today. I had completely forgotten about it. And I have no idea what to buy the two people I love most in my life. What they need that is affordable, they already have. (What they need that has to wait for the lottery talk would be a couple of new cars, and stuff like that. And the lottery is just that: talk.) I did find a couple of things, though. If I had remembered last month, perhaps something would have been bought online. But this year, I try to buy more locally. I bought so...

Trying to avoid falling into the commercialism Christmas has turned into, I've almost forgotten to buy presents. At least I remembered one or two I had to buy on internet, but I've put off traipsing through the stores so long, I'm almost out of time. Especially for my daughter, who will be home a couple of days before Christmas. And she's got a certain power to home in on hidden shopping bags.  It is so difficult to buy for only three or four people, that I can only pity those who buy for all their family, extended and close, and for many of their friends. It is exhausting trying to find something for someone that they will like and use, and not give them something they already have. In these days of plenty all essential needs are covered. And non-essential. It's a little redundant to give someone who likes making desserts, for example, a cookbook. That person will probably already have most of those recipes in one of the cookbooks on their shelf. Someone who lik...