A Flower Grows in Astorga.

#atreegrowsinbrooklyn #parallels #recurringsymbol #rose #astorga

Balcony Gardening May

Balcony Gardening in Northern Spain is an impossibility at worst and a challenge at best. Cruel and unexpected frosts and snow can suddenly freeze any uncovered plants and damage tender new growth that might emerge after the frigid winter. Most people in the north don't make any great effort to grow greenery on their balconies, leaving the streets somewhat hostile looking in comparison to their southern neighbours.

It's already May and I persist stubbornly. If I can't get the plants and flowers to grow now, there won't be any for us to enjoy the short summer.
Soaked sweet pea seeds from last year and a few new ones I purchased to plant the following day.

Only a few have raised their heads two weeks later. The temperatures are just too variable with some serious cold weather in between.

A stick of a hydrangea has survived the winter, seems to like its new glazed pot and is leafing out beautifully.

The chrysanthemum became spindly and so I tied it with twine. It's from All Saint's Day two years ago, sometimes gets infested with black aphids and seems like it's going to die and then is like the Resurrection Lily and reappears all over again.

La Capuchina

Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus) are rewarding to grow. They take little care, prefer poor soil, make good cut flowers and the leaves and flowers are edible. Native to Central and South America. This was my first year growing them in the large cobalt blue terra cotta climbing rose pots. In August I thought they were dying out for the oncoming winter and tore a number of them out and was so sorry later because the couple I left leafed a second time and flowered beautifully, cascading down from the lower balconies.

La capuchina, taco de reina, espuela de galán, flor de la sangre, llagas de Cristo, marañuela, mastuerzo de Indias o pelón, es una planta ornamental originaria de América que se cultiva en parques y jardines. En las zonas de costa en España se ha asilvestrado.

Es una planta anual, lampiña, suculenta y extendida. Existen numerosas variedades con flores rojas, anaranjadas o amarillas.

El término tropaeolum deriva del griego Τροπαιον, o pequeño trofeo, debido a la disposición de sus hojas y flores. En algunas zonas se la denomina capucha de monje, expresando la forma de sus flores. Los jesuitas introdujeron la planta a Europa en el siglo XVI, dando constancia de su utilización culinaria, tanto de sus hojas como de sus flores. Se denominaba mastuerzo de las Indias, berro del Perú o de los jesuitas. El botánico Dodoens la cultivó en su jardín en 1600. En los altiplanos de Bolivia y en el área andina en general, existe la especie Tropaeolum tuberosum, que tiene unos tubérculos del tamaño de una castaña, unas flores de bello color carmesí, cuya altura no sobrepasa los 50 cm. Estos tubérculos tienen un sabor áspero muy acentuado y un sabor que recuerda al de la capuchina. En estos países es un alimento bastante consumido.

Las Flores en Tu Balcón

Astorganos are so very critical. Critical of themselves and critical of others. I'm convinced it's in their DNA. You can usually tell that you're doing something well, for example, if you don't hear something negative being said.  It's so true it's laughable, like a joke I heard last night at a benefit.

So, it was quite normal that I didn't immediately think lovely thoughts nor respond with a "thank you" when I heard a two elderly Spanish women assessing our place.  Or maybe they were speaking of the one for sale next door (any buyers?) I heard something about the balconies, perhaps our balconies, and they were saying "look at that, and look there, at those," and so on...

Camouflaged in my pink floral dress, I quietly kept dead-heading the geraniums, pinks, reds and whites. It's our garden, all that can fit and grow on four very small, approximately 5 by 2 foot wide and long balconies, looking for worms, noting a few white flies, and making my own critical assessment when they looked up, and we three knew we were unable to avoid a greeting of some sorts. So, I gave a little wave with my hand. The one resumed her commentary, "We are looking at your flowers. They are so noticeable, so nice."

Well, that made me stop and straighten up. "We really need to paint the facade," I answered, talking as natively as posible, starting up a humble and recognizable banter.

When the tiles and grout were being repaired in spring.

It was over in seconds, a short, but such pleasant exchange. When they said good-bye and I closed the balcony doors, I had to stop and smile at their admiration.
It feels so good. Yes, it does.  To do something well, and to hear it said. Maybe this is even more true in a foreign country. Makes you think.

Antique shop window/Escaparate en una tienda de antigüedades en Grants Pass, Oregon

Balconies in Boñar

Covered balconies, or balcones are called galerias in Spain. What about covering two of our four balconies like on these flats in Boñar? The old rod iron designs are so intricate and classic. 

¿Qué tal sería cubrir dos de nuestros cuatro balcones tal como estos en Boñar? ¡El viejo diseño de forja es tan intrincado y tan clásico! 

Balcón Abierto

Astorga, our Spanish home finally thaws and blooms after a long cold winter. A summer's celebration shouts from balconies all around.

Astorga, nuestro hogar español, finalmente se deshiela y florece después de un largo y frío invierno. Una celebración de verano grita desde los balcones por todas partes

Mama Tinia's geraniums nestled next to our rosemary, lavender and cyclamen sway to the deep rich strands of cello from son Álvaro's practice session yesterday in the our kitchen.

Los geranios de Mamá Tinia, ubicados al lado de nuestros romero, lavanda y ciclamen, vibran con los profundos y ricos acordes de la sesión de práctica de violoncello del hijo Álvaro ayer en nuestra cocina.

Warm colors in León make the most of a sunny exposure.

Los colores cálidos en León sacan el máximo provecho de una exposición soleada.

The hanging houses of Cuenca (La Mancha) weren't the only thing to catch our eye this day on our way home from a wedding in Alicante. 

Las casas colgadas de Cuenca (La Mancha) no fueron la única cosa en atrapar nuestra atención este día en nuestro camino a casa desde una boda en Alicante.

A glamorous balcony in Madrid waved a solemn good-bye to our Ryan who visited us the month of July and to Sara, who headed back to California after her six month stay, but a cheery hello to Risa who has now come for a month.

Un glamoroso balcón en Madrid hizo un solemne gesto de adiós a nuestro Ryan que nos visitó el mes de julio con Sara que regresó a California después de su estancia de seis meses, pero fue un alegre saludo a Risa quien ha llegado para un mes.

Haciéndolo Oficial

We're off to SF to the Spanish Consulate to register our marriage and validate my degrees and teaching certificate for Spain. A stack of documentation to be presented and completed.

Salimos para SF al Consulado de España a registrar nuestro matrimonio y convalidar mis títulos y certificado de enseñanza para que sea todo válido también en España. Una montonera de documentación que hay que presentar y completar.