Author: doug

Carnicería

I have an ongoing joke at the local carnicería (butcher shop). They ask me how much I want, and I reply 454 grams, una libra (one pound). Like every other country in the world except for Liberia, Myanmar, and one other, Uruguay uses the metric system—mostly).

Butcher, Carnicería Progresso, Atlántida, Canelones, Uruguay
Alvero reacts with dismay at widely missing the mark with bacon (though one time he hit 500 exactly)

We then asked if they had lamb. Siempre. Always. Who knew?

Sawing half a lamb, Carnicría Progresso, Estación Atlántida, Canelones, Uruguay
He brought out an entire frozen lamb carcass, cut the length in half with the band saw, then cut off the hindquarter we wanted. The band saw blade is within easy reach of the customer.

I grew up using, and still use, dangerous power tools. But band saws terrify me a little bit, ever since 8th grade (age 13) shop class, when the teacher demonstrated the capabilities of a band saw by cutting through a piece of 2×4 like it was butter, and probably at the same time encouraging us to imagine that 2×4 was some part of our body.

But hey, that was in the United States. It’s probably not too late to sue for psychological trauma, mental distress ….

Balloons

In the corner of my eye I spotted a couple of balloons blowing through our unobstructed front yard.

Damn, I thought, that would have made a perfect random blog image. Too late!

Later that day:

balloon-1

I spot a balloon in the back yard. Behind one of our two maybe-next-year-yielding avocado trees, snuggled next to an aloe vera plant, on the other side of which a bedraggled horseradish plant from Syd and Gundy, and comfrey, with its amazing healing properties.

balloon-2

The next day, I spot two more, tied together, in the corner. And one inside the barbacoa. Its door had been open all day.

All went back over the wall to the neighbor’s girls.

The strangest volunteer

It has been a strange summer, and horrible for gardening.Nonetheless, things I didn’t plant emerge, like this tomato plant

growing out of a hole in the lid to a plumbing junction box.

It’s right below an outdoor shower, so I watered it for a few minutes today. I put the fireplace tool holder to support it several weeks ago,  since it had grown beyond its ability to support itself.