Phewww.

I’m running on empty tonight, so let’s see if I can keep it short. (I know, I promise it every time, but at least I try. That’s gotta count for something. Hah)

Up at what feels like the crack of dawn this morning. Have ourselves a date at the consulate to get our passports, and then linea recta over to the DMV, ‘cause there appears to be a snafu with our permanent licenses. It got sent to the wrong address for some reason and then got sent back…really annoying.

So, after depositing the dogs in the house, big brother and I head out towards town and then the freeway to make it in time to make our appointment. Luckily, it takes only a short time, so there’s enough to get to the DMV before closing. Long lines there, always reminds me of a theme park with the zigzag you have to follow just to get to your destination…of course there’s no thrilling ride at the end.

As it turns out, the dude behind the thick glass says he can’t do anything since the darn things are in transit, or some such, so either it is going to be delivered again by mail…hopefully correctly this time…and otherwise we’ll have to return next month to pick it up there. Bureaucracy. Aaargh.

I’m blatantly reminded of a stand up comedian who had this really awesome narrative about why those guys are seated behind bulletproof glass. Seriously, with all the hoops they’re making ya jump through, a nice little machine gun would be the perfect solution to get rid of some frustration. Hah.

But anyways, since we’re out already, we head back to the town closest to our home, and visit a Chinese bazaar. I’m in need for some sweatpants…the old ones are sliding down my butt…and tops. Next, we visit one of Spain’s biggest department stores, hoping that we’ll finally be able to get sneakers for big brother. Getting size 14 shoes is like looking for gold around here.

Though it’s a tight fit, we do finally manage to get a pair, and rapidly hurry on home, where the dogs are getting more than a little impatient to be released out into the yard.
It is at least an hour after their usual release time and the orchestra of barking is deafening when they storm from the patio and out into the still slightly clouded day.

Rather than bother with the edit, big brother and I both spend some time going over messages and such, and though I do attempt to work some on the scene I mentioned yesterday, distractions don’t allow for more than a couple of paragraphs, while big brother heads out to get sand and cement.

My writing plans foiled we head on out to resume the wall. While little sister works on the section beside the tower, and big brother does the stairs, little brother has moved down to the courtyard gate to expand on the short section that leads to the opening. Instead, he is pulling it out to the fence that leads to the backyard. His part is coming along quite nicely, I’ll admit. Makes me look back…rather fondly, I might add…when we were still doing the “simple” foundation work. Hah.

I’m working on a particularly difficult spot. There’s nothing more complicated and frustrating than building the end of a wall with natural rocks. Most of the time, you have to find irregular stones with at least two straight sides, and always with an accurate angle. I’ve been working on it for two days now and I’m only up to three or four feet in height. Bugger!

Still, I only need to add two or three more layers before it’s done, so with that in mind we finish up for the day (the stairs are up another beautiful step, too) and head into the house to eat a quick snack.
Laundry is thankfully only a minor chore today, which is good, considering that today’s activities, piled on top of yesterday’s jog make walking practically impossible, hah. There’s nothing like sore muscles to let you know that you’re busy.

Regretfully the bureaucratic bull isn’t over yet, Monday and Tuesday I need to take the younger sibs to town so they can finally become residents as well, so the remainder of the evening is spent filling out the necessary form and taking care that everything possible is taken care of before the actual ordeal.

With my eyes at half-stock…I swear, right now I could sleep standing up. It was a long day…I finally head up to my cabin to feed the dogs and finish up the evening. I think this is the first time in my life I’m looking forward to Sunday. We plan on a semi-rest day again, then, and maybe a nice relaxing walk up in the mountains. We’ll see.