Grist for the Mill (news, in other words)

Winter Coat

Little yappy dogs in pastel knitted sweaters; whip-thin trembling galgos wearing the dog-equivalent of down vests; stocky pugs in hoodies,…

Big Thief

Sitting in the café, I joked: Understanding what’s going on is overrated but I was whistling in the wind.  I…

Pubs, Winter 2022 Edition

The beach house has a terrible name, half pun, half innuendo — hearing it, you can’t help but roll your…

Homeplace (Revisited)

Oh, Georgia. I moved to you when I was six, in the middle of an ice storm. The first place…

Slices of Life

Madrid is back. It was a long summer, meteorologically speaking: the searing, life-changing heat of August, which gives teeth to…

Elemental: August

The first August, we’d just gotten here. Besides, for most of that month, we were sealed inside an air-conditioned building…

In the Barrio (July)

If we’re lucky — and in July we’re often lucky — no matter how hot it gets during the day,…