ya viene el sol

Spring is fast approaching here in España. I have received my first sunburn from madre Sol, though that is not saying much due to my pastiness. But she is strong, for sure, and has brought out joie de vivre (wrong language, I know) that was a bit dampened during the colder times.
On this glorious afternoon, I took a run around previously unexplored domains in my neighborhood. That is, unexplored by me. Funky findings from previous runs include Parque Berlin, which has its own section of the Berlin Wall, fountains, dogs, and lots of “puta policia” graffiti; a nifty Mexican church with agave cacti growing out front (I have a strange obsession with agave, to which my Californian cousins can attest); and a little carousel decorated with Hercules characters that’s pretty much in the middle of the sidewalk.
This time I found another parque on my map, off of Pintor Ribera, and decided to meander that ways. The weather was a balmy 20 degrees centigrade. The streets were rather quiet as it was siesta time. I ran under the highway and found a little park inhabited by a few women and children, an old man quietly pissing on a tree, and evergreens. Oh, and much to my surprise, parrots! I for one was quite excited. Even with Us3 blasting as my soundtrack (I may or may not love empowering 90s straight edge hip hop), I could hear a shrill screeching distinct from any paloma (dove) I’ve seen/heard around here. And it definitely wasn’t that wack-tastic birdie that I hear sometimes while returning home at night that clearly has an intrinsic clock de mierda. Sure enough, green parrots of some sort cocked their wee heads from the tree above to acknowledge my acknowledgement. I wasn’t really under the impression that parrots lived here but I will do further research and file a full report at a later date.
So there were parrots. And then I ran up the most picturesque street I may have ever been on. Vivid blues and reds and yellows, plants of all sorts adorning the patios, those characteristically Spanish roofs…just glorious. I contracted whiplash from trying to soak in everything while jogging. This is really Spain! I thought.
I returned back to mah’ hood and people were flooding the cafés on Calle Costa Rica. Kids played in the courtyard of my apartment. Ahh, primavera. Hopefully my winter coat days…gonzo.