The little courtyard is paved with stones and scraps of ceramic tiles. It’s surrounded by camellia, hydrangea, iris, rose and greens-gone-wild. And the little sanctuary had been neglected by students that cared more about the evening aperitivo social hour than weeds in cracks.

The afternoon was dry and warm and I was in a nesting mood. I’d look for some garden gloves. When doing my shopping for the day, I went up the street to a small shop selling every sort of sundry. I asked the woman for a pair of work gloves. She dug under heaps of products and plastic bags and pulled out a pair of cheap, printed gloves: 2 Euro. Perfect.

Satisfaction. Back at my casa, I cleared the weeds growing around the edges and between the pavers, and the courtyard became more welcoming again. (I spent more time weeding that patio than in my own yard in Burien this year!)

The next morning shone bright with sun coming into the courtyard. An ideal spot for a chair, a journal, a cup of caffé.