You should really be here! Your mood would improve, or at least prove unremarkable. Your diet would be healthier, and exercise is inevitable. For a person like me, with Type 2 tendencies that threaten increasingly higher doses of medication, this is good.

I find we are spending the morning shopping. Then during the heat of the day I am in the kitchen. In weather that has ranged from 90 to 102 degrees the kitchen is the coolest place to be. The terrace off the kitchen is shielded from the sun and brings a flow of cool air in through the windows. The two industrial range hoods remove the rest of the hot air. Although, when their noise finally gets to me I find myself cooking bare footed and shirtless while wearing swimming trunks.

My cooking supplies are minimal. Olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, and Vinegar Jerez. The fruits and vegetables we found at Plaza Larga up in the Albiacin are on a whole different level. The oranges and lemons deliver streams of juice with even a gentle squeeze. At home we are mostly buying pulp. The big ugly tomatoes from the market are addictive. It is no wonder many Spaniards eat them for breakfast, crushed on toast with olive oil and garlic.

Going out for dinner, while always satisfyingly delicious, tends to inspire me to cook at home. I am trying to perfect my own version of Gazpacho. The big ugly tomatoes got me closer. Donna suggests the addition of feta cheese. We spontaneously agreed that adding some Manzanilla wine might provide the missing note. Tonight we’ll try both!

Tomorrow night we’ll try one of the celebrated restaurants in our neighborhood. The choices are many, and since most diners are eating al fresco we can check out their plates before sitting down to order. Restaurant reviews are helpful, but highly subjective. Seeing and catching a whiff of the food is always a more reliable guide.

Oh, you should really be here!