Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about how fewer and fewer things we see on the Internet are real. Even if you take AI out of the equation, there’s still an endless stream of influencer types making us feel stupid, ugly, and poor.

I recently started to wonder if I’m part of the problem. I tend to only show the highlight reels of my life. The untracked Jackson Hole powder runs, bottles of amazing wine under the Spanish sun, hobnobbing with my favorite novelists, etc.

So, here’s a taste of the other side:

I’ve never seen this much nonstop rain since my youth in Oregon. Thank goodness the city of Granada is protected by the Sierras because I swear the rest of Spain is going to get washed into the ocean.

The perfect antidote to bad weather? Ramen and Japanese G&Ts. Well, not really perfect, but we do what we can.

Irritainment

If there’s one thing that the Spanish absolutely don’t care about, it’s roof leaks. I’ve had water pouring into my kitchen for so long that the sound of the drip is getting downright meditative. And our flat isn’t the only victim. When the skies open up, the country rolls out its endless supply of towels, buckets, and mops. Our gym. The mall. Even the Barcelona airport gets in on the action. When asked, the locals aways have the same answer: Don’t worry. It doesn’t rain all that much here.

I figured that when the stairwell in our building started to collapse, our HOA would finally spring into action. Oh, how wrong I was. This is going to be the cover art for my wife’s forthcoming coffee table book Las Filtraciones de España.

The Unusual

Last week we were trapped in our building by a protest led by farm workers. There was a pack of tractors driving around the city, blaring horns and blocking traffic. In the rain that won’t stop, of course. Still not sure what they want. There are a lot of protests here. Hard to keep up.

Feeling Stressed

People tend to refer to people like me as expats. It’s a glamorous word that suggests a life spent with your feet in the sand and a coconut shell full of rum in your hand. In truth, though, I’m just an immigrant like so many others.

It’s an endlessly complicated, uncomfortable, and precarious way to live. You never know when the law will change and your adopted country will want rid of you. Or what will happen to you if you check box #436 instead of #435 on your form AX-484832/345 (to be presented in triplicate, unstapled, with a 28mm silver paper clip. 31mm or colored clips will result in your application being rejected!!!!)

Yesterday’s activity involved DIY fingerprinting for a criminal background check that’s necessary for our residency renewal. Six cards, twenty ink-stained fingers, and several hours of our lives we’ll never get back. Hopefully, the FBI will find our prints legible enough to process. If not, it’s back to the drawing board.

Despite the occasional frustration, though, we still feel incredibly privileged to be able to live here. Splitting time between southern Spain and Jackson Hole ain’t bad.

But seriously. Is a little sun too much to ask?

I’m nostalgic when it comes to holiday traditions. On the rare occasion when we find ourselves alone on Thanksgiving, we still dive into our repertoire of favorite recipes and cook all day as if we’re feeding an army. And then the realization hits: How will we deal with all the leftovers?

As for the bird, we have that well under control. Turkey cheese chowder is a recipe from my youth that I still can’t get enough of—particularly with the snow already coming down in buckets. It also freezes well so I generally have containers stashed in the freezer for when my wife announces that it’s my turn to cook.

Turkey Cheese Chowder

1 cup finely grated carrots
1/4 cup chopped onion
4 TBS butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk*
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup (or more) diced, cooked turkey or chicken
1 TBS dry white wine
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup grated sharp cheddar

In a pot, cook the carrots and onion in the melted butter until tender but not brown. Blend in the flour and cook two minutes. Add the milk and chicken stock, stirring constantly until it’s thickened and bubbly. Stir in the turkey/chicken, wine, celery seed, and Worcestershire. Heat through, then add the cheese and stir until melted. Thin with chicken stock if you think it’s too thick and add salt to taste. Garnish with chopped chive or thinly sliced tops of green onions.

*This recipe easily doubles. When I’m planning to freeze it, I skip the milk. Once you’ve thawed the soup base and you’re reheating it, add the milk and serve when it’s hot.