November has arrived, and with it, the magic of Christmas. Although Christmas celebrations started early in my country, I decided to officially kick things off today and stretch them out until January 8.
To start this epic mission, I made myself a strong, hot cup of coffee in the coffee maker, not just for me, but also for my sister-in-law. She is my right-hand woman when it comes to decorating. Today was the day to take out all the Christmas lights—old and new—to illuminate the garden and porch.
This is a job I love, but I always need help with it. I'm hopeless when it comes to electrical connections! I know nothing about electricity, and besides, heights are not my thing. Luckily, my sister-in-law is good at both and is always the perfect helper.
What we don't agree on is the temperature of our coffee. I like it piping hot, while she only drinks it once it has cooled down a bit. So, I drink mine first, we gather our strength, and then she has hers. That's our routine for getting things done.
While we were working, I discovered that two of the light fixtures were damaged. I have to go out and buy new ones so that the front of my apartment is perfectly lit, but the excitement doesn't stop!
This year I am especially happy because I was able to fulfill a long-held dream: to have beautiful trinitarias in my garden. I love this flower, also known as bougainvillea, veranera, or Santa Rita in other countries, because it is always in bloom. And yes, although it loves the sun and is beautiful, it can have more thorns than a lemon tree!
I bought my trinitarias a year ago, when the idea of having a garden seemed impossible because of the limited space I have in my apartment. There was only one corner with hard soil, where construction debris used to be dumped.
One day I got motivated and decided I was going to fight that soil. With my son's help, we reused the space. We took out bag after bag of debris. The soil that remained was still extremely hard, so I decided to buy the plants already a good size at a nursery. I needed them to come with their own fertile soil so that, despite the terrain, they wouldn't die on me.
And that's how one of them began to grow strong. Some time later, when both were already quite tall, I placed a support structure made of rebar behind them. This allowed me to join their branches and form a beautiful arch that fills me with happiness when I see it today. Another dream come true!
I hope to see them grow more and fill with branches. And yes, starting this Christmas, my trinitarias are officially part of the Christmas decorations.
When we finished the work outside, my sister-in-law and I sat down to contemplate the lights. I was so excited and full of joy. We enjoyed a delicious coffee while we saw that the first part of the day's goals had been accomplished. Now all that's left is to decorate the inside of the house!