A Break In The Clouds

All the Christmas cookie deliveries have been made. Jeff is happy to have the surfaces of the kitchen back. And all over Melide we spread Christmas cheer. It might have seemed strange to the ladies in the cafe bakery that we brought them cookies but they were all smiles. Jeff got cream-filled croissants with his beverage as a thank you. And then we hit Palas de Rei. To the Centro de Saud (health center) and the Concello (town hall). Smiles all around.

My favorite in Palas was the lady at the parafarmacia. It’s where our Amazon packages from Suer are delivered after they send us a notice lying that we weren’t home. So we see her a couple of times a week. She knows us well.

Fergus helped on some of the deliveries. I even brought cookies to the people who called the police on my food truck. She frowned but took them. And gave me a chilly ‘bueno’. Honestly, I was surprised she phoned the police after Jeff helped her get her giant bull back in her field and repaired her fence when the 2000lb beast was running and dangerously bucking in the road. The lady weighs maybe 100lbs. She couldn’t have done it without him. Oh well.

That neighbor can’t dampen my spirits today because we won the El Gordo! The Fat-man. The Christmas lottery in Spain. Ok, maybe only €40. But still. Money is money.

A Christmas Miracle

We are home today. Jeff got the Covid/flu shots yesterday. He was up all night very sick with a high fever. Which meant Fergus, LuLu and I were up with him. We’re his pack, after all. This morning Fergus is asleep next to me on the sofa. I am wrapped in my chenille robe and a duvet. Fighting a cold and watching as Jeff emerges from his aching vaccine induced sickness. We need to be well to go to church and spend Christmas lunch with friends in Santiago. This will pass.

And then it happened. The dam has broken. Our permissions for things are starting to come through! The solar panels have been approved by the Patrimonio for the preservation of the Camino De Santiago!!! Alleluia! And it came through in the name of our business. Right here. That means they know about our business. And will be reviewing our other project docs, too! We might just have cabins to rent next year. And, I might get the Patrimonio to get the police off my back for the food truck!! Now, it goes to the Concello for approval. I hope the Christmas cookies I just delivered to the town hall leaves a favorable impression!

We were supposed to get our water treatment plant installed the last two weeks of November. It kept us from traveling to Malaga to have Thanksgiving with friends there. But it didn’t happen. Then, this morning I heard from the guy. He will be here in January to get it done. He has all the supplies. ‘Very sorry for the delay.’

First Things First

I barely know how to feel. Its been so long since we have heard good news about the business paperwork and the Patrimonio or turismo. But now its happening. And in the correct order, really. The solar array will be in before the Cabins. So we can do infrastructure first. Bake the cake before applying the frosting- so to speak. And the water treatment infrastructure will be completed, too.

The Best For Last

The last cookies to be delivered were to our neighbor, Marie Carmen. She has had a rough stretch lately. Her husband’s health nurse was there helping and she answered the door. Marie Carmen came when called. It was three in the afternoon but Marie Carmen was still in her robe. Not like her, at all. She looks like she aged ten years in a month. But she brightened when she saw me and Fergus. Petting him and smiling. Then, I gave her the Christmas package of cookies.

As I was talking to our contractor this morning, this photo cane thru in WhatsApp. From Marie Carmen. She is dealing with a lot from the situation with her son. I don’t know how she is coping. But I wanted her to know how much we love her and value her friendship. And her taking a moment to send this to me means so much. It’s a gloomy, rainy week here in Galicia. Weirdly warm as humid air coming up from the Azores brings waves of rain. But todays was a bright sunny day, as far as I’m concerned. Because this business is actually happening. And, even without all that we have a wonderful community that includes Marie Carmen.