Do I smell spring?

Like Mo…when it’s cold outside, I usually hunker down inside near something warm. Sometimes it happens to be a laptop.

Unlike Mo…I try to get out and see the sights. Sometimes the sights happen to be the inside of a roadside drain pipe down at the end of our lane. The road is Route 21, and a major thoroughfare for traffic between Colonia and Carmelo and beyond. I don’t know why I like it so much…perhaps it’s the thrill of being so …close to death, or perhaps it’s because I found a mouse down there once and I’m fairly certain there are more. It provides for a more balanced diet…and 9 out of 10 doctors recommend it.

The “beasts” that Mo worried about are the horses that share the property with us, and even Keika (Mo’s mom) has warmed up to their presence.

(Photo credit: Crestone Witsell)

I tried to be tough around them, but really…I’m a 14-lb feather duster. They saw right through that, and completely ignore me.

Since Friday there has been a hint of warmth in the air. The bees are out sucking nectar out of the dandelion flowers. The lily whites are past their bloom, so does this all mean that spring will come soon?

While the mini-male handler (MMH) was still here (he left last Tuesday…something about wanting to thaw out up north before he had to go back to college), the family used to frequent a roadside carrito for dinners at least twice a week. One of the specialties at El Puma is the hamburgesa completa. Maria Elena and Eduardo would cook up a hamburger that truly rivaled all others. Hamburger is a given, but then you have ham, cheese, egg, lettuce and tomato. Eduardo puts bacon on ours as well. On top of that…your choice of mushrooms, green olives, red bell pepper, spicy green pepper, peas, corn, and a mixture of pickled vegetables. Condiments include mayonnaise, mayonnaise with parsley, ketchup, mustard, and something called picantino…. Oh, and then the hamburger buns.

Yesterday the handlers stopped in for a torta frita, which is really El Puma’s specialty, because it was too early for the bigger deal. 

A torta frita is one of those things that you probably best not eat daily. It’s a plate-sized disc of specially prepared dough that is deep fried until it becomes golden brown and develops blisters as big as a baby's cheek. You can put sugar on top, or any sort of homemade jam bought from the Sunday market. The handlers have tried both honey and dulce de leche on theirs and ….from the sounds, seem to have enjoyed them this way. Eat this with coffee or tea (or mate)…and it’s a perfect way to end an afternoon.

My point for digressing on food….Three reasons:

1. I really like food.
2. Eduardo (at El Puma) mentioned that spring would be heralded by the Santa Rosa winds (an equivalent might be the Santa Ana winds in California). It’s not uncommon for gusts to be 85-90 kph, and I suppose if you’re in a little carrito, there is reason to worry. But I best take note of this fact because I suspect lots of things are flying around during this time, and I personally don’t want to be one of them.
3. When the handlers come in with food from El Puma, it's a fine time to go check out the wrappers in the trash can. There is always a little food grease left behind worth rubbing against.

I’m sure the handlers will continue to frequent El Puma, just not as much since mini is gone. But I suspect the conversations with Maria Elena and Eduardo are as worthy of the outing as the food itself is. For me, it’s the wrappers…