still with the winds....

Sure sign of spring. We are on, what, day 9 or 10 of these crazy mountain winds. And they most certainly are coming from Maroma because despite the bright, intense afternoon sunshine, I am bundle up with a sweater, contemplating whether to actually use the hood feature. As I went on about the last post and previous, I believe the current meteorological event is causing everyone to act peculiarly. And now it appears, the dogs have been affected. Case #1, yesterday on the goat track, it was a lovely day, and thus the path was full of walkers and even a couple guys on all-terrain motorbikes. Mr. Beebs, despite his deep Spanish roots, has never paid motos any attention. Until yesterday, when he bolted after them, keeping pace mind you, barking like mad. Now this is a scene I have seen played out many a time in the village; chasing motos is one of the local dogs favorite activities. But just never our dog. Case #2, also on the goat track yesterday, the precious Boo decided to follow Mr. Beebs into the filled-to-the-brim irrigation channel. Despite the fact she is part Labrador, the pB has never showed any signs of fondness to water (except for the time she voluntarily jumped in the shower with me because she was afraid of the feria fireworks). Perhaps as a result of her recent need to be bathed frequently, she has overcome this because had a grand old time yesterday. Now if I could just train her to jump in the water after she has rolled around in caca, my life would be much simpler. :-) My birthday party at Casa Paco was really good fun....lots and lots of tapas and bottles of wine, but mylifeinspain managed to be hangover-free Saturday morning (I think my secret was the giant mug of mint tea I had when I got home). Finally sorted out just about all the details for Big Jim and my upcoming (2 weeks!) trip to Germany. All hotels are now booked and confirmed. I am just waiting for confirmation on the airline tickets from Munich to Brussels. The flight is booked, but the company requires a copy of the purchaser's passport be faxed before they issue the e-tickets, I suppose all in the name of security. So I found one of the few remaining fax machines left in the village this morning (most have been knocked out in electrical storms), and sorted that out. Just waiting now for confirmation of receipt. And then my travel agent duties are done for awhile. On the subject of travel, I may be going on a short overnight trip with M.A. later this week. She has been itching to get out of the village and suggested to me Friday night we go to Priego de Cordoba for a couple days. This ancient town is situated between Granada and Cordoba and is known for its baroque architecture. M.A. has been there several times and has always raved about it. So if the weather is good, we'll be off Wednesday and Thursday. C. has already agreed to look after the pets, and the timing is good because today I just finished a book project I have been working on since October. Off now to work on the garden. Garden mishap #3: I lost several of my seed pots because they blew over in the wind. Lesson learned: move seed pots inside or at least to more protected area of the terrace when the wind kicks up. So simple, even a beginner like me should have been smarter. Ah well, asi es la vida. hasta pronto, mylifeinspain p.s. My mother came home from the hospital Friday and is doing really well. :-)