in the shadow of the tower

The communication tower that looms in my backyard brings me daily joy.

Its best gift is a respectable internet speed. Most of the internet service in the area is glacial. When I lived in Villa Obregón, I could not watch Netflix. There simply was not enough juice in the pipe. Moving to the house with no name was like moving to Oregon. Relatively.

And then there is the romance. After all, who can claim to have their own personal Eiffel Tower in the back yard?

But life is not all croissants and bad French coffee. Into life a little rain must fall. Or, in this case, metal shavings. Small shards of metal that would be more at home on a battlefield than in a courtyard.

For about a week, workmen have been busy maintaining the tower. I usually do not notice them, even though they have a bird's eye view of my activities in the patio -- both clothed and unclothed.

Barco used to be my snitch. He would bark frantically whenever he saw or heard them. I suspect he always wanted to join them because their work looked more fun than whatever the two of us were doing.

But this week I did not need him to alert me to their presence. They are drilling. It appears new lines are being attached to the numerous dishes and antennae arrayed on the tower.

On noral maintenance days, the workers are a source of litter. They drop all types of detritis. Plastic stays. Tape. Plastic bags. And all of it drifts into the neighbors' yards. Including mine. It is just one of the prices for convenience and romance.

The garbage this week has been a bit more irritating. Those metal shards at the top of the essay. They may look like a Picasso paper sculpture, but they are quite sharp. And what the eye cannot detect, the feet will. Antonio, the guy who maintains my pool, was here yesterday. He took a handful of the stuff out of the bottom of the pool.

Mexico is a self-help country. So, I will police the courtyard and the upper terrace for these weapons of mild destruction.

Having cleared the minefield for now, I am going to sit back with a steaming plate of huevos a la mexicana and enjoy the start of my day. May you be so fortunate.