A Little Bit of Heaven

Today, I did a soft reserve of our moving date from Valencia to Lugo province, up in Galicia in the northwest of Spain. Yes, I still have a few tests, and another little procedure slated for April 7th, but I am feeling optimistic the results will be good – or, at least going in the right direction. Jeff says we can always come back for whatever I need. So, I set the move for April 16. Cutting it too close? Fingers crossed. Eeek!

The movers are happy to have a customer and will pack us up. They had given me the estimate way back in January, in the midst of a bunch of health stuff. Since then, they’ve emailed me regularly asking when I might be ready to go. But things have been too up in the air. However, yet another Dr appointment and test results today, has me feeling like it’s all possible. We are really going to be able to do this thing.

In Spain, moving is a bit different. They have an ala carte menu of things from which you can choose. When they told me they could pack us up for the giant cost of €350, I said ‘Where do I sign?’ One less thing to stress out about. And one less possibility of straining a back or having an actual heart attack in the process. Let someone else worry about it. Of course, the move up there is a bit more money.

So, now I turn my sights to other things. Dreaming of my new dream garden. Drawing new designs. And planning remodelling projects. Who knows, I might even own a clothes dryer. Dare to dream. But first things first. I really want a dog. We had a Golden Retriever for years and we loved him, losing him to cancer in 2014 broke our hearts. So I reached out to a breeder in Burgos who breeds Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers, and quick as a wink – we’re getting on their waiting list for a puppy. They’re lovely dogs, with wonderful dispositions. As most retrievers are.

And, they’re the perfect dogs for an outdoors lifestyle. The farm will allow the puppy lots of space to run and explore. And there are plenty of walks to nearby villages to wear them out during leash training. A long walk on a leafy path with this little guy, on a cloudy day, as the leaves are turning this fall – doesn’t that sound lovely? I can teach him to fetch buck eye chestnuts that are every where! Including the grove on our land.

I was dreaming of all this when I read in the local Lugo news, a story about the opening day of trout fishing season in Galicia yesterday. 37,000 licenses have been given out. Oh, how I wish we were up there right now for that. Looking at the photos it made me salivate. I got up and dug through the closet in el Compartimento. Jeff laughed as I unscrewed the top of the metal cylinder that holds the precious cargo that is my fly rod. Unrolling it from its canvas blanket.

‘Soon we’ll be together, again.’ I whispered, as I petted her. ‘Have no fear. The time is coming.’

As part of the top priority items I brought back to Valencia in December 2019, was a new pair of hip waders and river booties. They’re both still in the plastic. Not much call for hip waders in lockdown. But today, I opened them up and tried them on. In honour of the occasion, I’m taking a virtual fly fishing seminar, and some 1:1 classes with a coach back in the US to brush up on my technique. You can check them out here.

Our life in Spain is about to change dramatically. From the Mediterranean experience, to green mountains, fields, and the Atlantic. The view from our window will never be the same. Jeff is looking forward to air that feels like Seattle. For me, spending the day with my new pup, my fly rod, and Jeff on the river sounds like heaven. And after the year that we’ve had, I figure we’re entitled to just a little bit of heaven.