Feliz Halloween and Happy Día de Todos Los Santos

I still haven't spoken with the Dowager Duchess. It's the pits. I'm so grateful to Linda for phoning her (and getting through) yesterday. I've tried again and again today and I go right to voice mail. This could mean, I suppose: a) There's just too much communication traffic between here and there; b) The Duchess is on the phone; c) The Duchess forgot to turn the phone back on; or d) The Duchess didn't charge the phone before the storm. I did speak again with my brother last night to let him know Linda had gotten through to the Duchess and she was fine. Sure hope the power gets turned back on soon! There'll be no trick-or-treating in those buildings tonight. Twenty-four floors of darkness.

OSCAR IS OUR HALF-SPANISH/HALF-U.S.AMERICAN NEIGHBOR WHO LIVES A FEW BLOCKS AWAY.
AT BREAKFAST THIS MORNING, HE WAS DRESSED AS A PENGUIN.

ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS LOOK AT OSCAR AND HE SMILES.  I TRIED TO GET HIM
TO CAST ONE IN MY DIRECTION, BUT HE WOULDN'T TAKE HIS EYES OFF VANESSA.
UNDERSTANDABLE.

Halloween is not huge business here in Sevilla. But they're trying. There are parties around town. Some kids are in costume. I'm sure there'll be a collection of costumed, drunk college students (non-Spaniards), just like last year. One good thing is that El Sanedrín is hosting a concert again starting around midnight and Teré is the featured performer. Last year was the first time I had ever heard her sing. We were just becoming friends at the time. She's amazing (in every way). Her voice is as sweet (and powerful) as her personality. So, San Geraldo has promised to take either one very long siesta this afternoon or two short ones. Anything to ensure he's wide awake to take in the show. I can't wait (which I learned shouldn't be translated literally into Spanish). When I once said to Teré "I can't wait" ("No puedo esperar"), she asked me to explain the expression because in Spanish it means exactly that: I couldn't wait and I therefore wasn't going to.

SAN GERALDO MADE PLUM COBBLER YESTERDAY.
NOT TOO SWEET, SLIGHTLY TART, AND TOTALLY DELICIOUS. JUST LIKE HIM.

The temperature this morning while we had breakfast outside was 13C/55F. Today has only gotten up to 20C/68F. Downright nippy! It's a good thing a beautiful lap blanket arrived from my blogging friend YONKS. I won it one day because I visited her fascinating blog and commented during the giveaway. The blanket is beautiful. Dudo loves it. So I think I might have a battle on my hands. I've got to protect it from cat hair — and claws! Oh yeah, and then there's San Geraldo to contend with. I probably should just give it up now. I can already picture San Geraldo sitting in his comfy chair in the living room, covered in the new blanket, with Dudo on his lap.

"HMMM.  SOFT."

Tomorrow is Dia de Todos Los Santos (All Saint's Day), a national holiday, which means all the stores will again be closed. San Geraldo did his grocery shopping. I'm going to go out and see if I can find some traditional delicacies of Dia de Todos Los Santos. Roasted chestnuts are common and I know exactly where to find them. But I'm not a fan. There are other wonderful-sounding sweets that I hope to be able to share with you (maybe another scratch-n-sniff blog post). I'm very curious to try Huesos de Santo (Saint's Bones). Sounds delicious, doesn't it?