Lazy gardening

The garden was totally nonproductive this summer. Horrible weather.

But so what. Throw the base of green onions in some water, even without roots, and they’re off and running in a couple days.

Here they are in dirt, between “recycled” bok choy in the foreground and a broccoli stem in the background (we’ll see). We may get a few green peppers, but meanwhile the only garden success are the very hot peppers on the left, called infierno negro (black hell) where they’re sold (they go from green to black to red), and otherwise known as puta parió, which sort of translates as “son of a whore.”

Not sure why they even grow them; generally anything spicier than black pepper is anathema to the Uruguayan palate.

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.

First serious woodstove cranking of the season

I got back from the beach thinking it was probably the last time I’d be walking barefoot in the sand for a while. Though I’ve lit a couple fires, this was the first serious one, and the majority of the population of our house approved.

To tree or not to tree

Really. Please. Make up your mind.

The premiere national obsession, rendered locally in waning autumn light

A small park a few blocks from our home springs to life with warm weather: anticipation of the World Cup? In 2010 they worshiped Diego Forlán (amusing to see pudgy little kids with #10 Celeste jerseys). Some time back I checked and Luis Suárez, from Uruguay, playing for Liverpool, had individually scored more goals than the next ten TEAMS in the league.

Uruguay takes on Costa Rica on Saturday, June 14. I’m anticipating as much the next episode of Game of Thrones (so thrilled that little puke is finally dead!).

Maceta

I wanted to take a picture to show off our new flowerpot, hand-painted by Syd Blackwell, but someone else insisted on being part of the action.

(Note what looks like an eye in the grass. I didn’t plan that.)

The beginning of a place to park

Though draining water runs down the middle of our street, it has deep ditches on either side, and limited width. Not a good place to park. But if people pull into our driveway in a car, they block us in, and if more than one car, one blocks the other.

So the last couple days have been busy, and the hill is no more. Now to try to get something to grow out there besides the one bush we transplanted from the back yard.

Pink

pink wall with pink wildflowers, Atlántida

Nothing special today, but I found it interesting how wildflowers perfectly echoed the color of this wall. The color suits wildflowers nicely … and the wall? That’s up for debate.

Getting it done without heavy-duty, specialized tools

pliers

I watched, fascinated, in the local ferretería (hardware store) as Fabian manufactured an extension cord for a woman. Previously he had manufactured a 17-meter ethernet cable for me, unplugging the store’s computer to test it, and it shouldn’t be a surprise to see an extension cord made to order, as opposed to bought off the shelf, given the number of possible outlet and plug combinations in Uruguay.

What did surprise me was the tool Fabian used: a pair of scissors, to split the end of the lamp cord and then strip it for the connections. For many years, I’ve relied on linesman’s pliers and dedicated wire stripper (green, above). Early on in Uruguay, I watched an electrician and subsequently bought what he had (cheap yellow and black pliers), realizing they’re much more practical for household use: lighter and pocketable.

But I’ve never quite mastered the art of stripping wires using the pliers’ built-in cutter, which is how it’s done here (in Mexico as well). Perhaps I will have better luck with the scissors.

While others complain about high prices and lack of consumer choices here, I remain fascinated with how people get things done without the exact tool I thought they would need.

Elbow grease

Cleaning baldosa floor tiles

When the others left for the States, I launched into cleaning the casita (little house), where my son lives, which was appallingly dirty. He was housebound for four months while his shattered ankle healed, and hadn’t quite lost the habit of doing nothing, and going nowhere.

The unglazed tiles in the foreground will come clean, but it’s a hands-and-knees scrub brush job. The second two rows have been scrubbed but not mopped, the next three have one coat of some sort of treatment, and the remaining have two coats.

Much work, but rewarding to see the place look half-decent, at least a little.