He's a young man who lives up in the hills, his hair is badly matted, although he is reasonably clean...at least he doesn't smell bad. He walks everywhere in bare feet and comes down into the town from time to time, for food, for work, to use the internet....
He is reportedly a young German man, with some English skills who came here in the past to go climbing. Since then he decided that life is too busy and crazy, too noisy, and cash-mad...and so he came here where the winters are less harsh and took to the hills.
Sounds tempting sometimes doesn't it?
Then again I think it might get lonely.
I came across him in the hills the other day in one of those door-in-the-hill places where the locals used to store I don't know what, everything from farming implements to wine and oil to arms and prisoners given what has gone on here in the past....
Now there is a hermit sitting in them keeping warm and dry.
I was kind of startled when I saw him...I had been past this particular doorway a week or so before, right after a strong rain...I had seen his footprints in the mud....no one else is barefoot and I had smelt a faint odour of wood smoke, but still I was surprised when I saw him there...the door was a little ajar, but there was no noise or smell...it was a warm beautiful day, so I peered in...I'm a little nosy about those rooms in the hills, and there he was sitting on the ground shirtless.
I had twin responses to it all, a mixture of concern that most women would have around a questionable man in a remote location, and curiosity...should I talk to him?
Instead I called the dog and walked on. I still am not sure if it was the right thing to do....but for now....it was.
On another note....my man seems to be improving, eldest to some extent.
On a third different note I brought the camera into BCN today because there were a few things I wanted to take pictures of to post but between the late bus and the cloudy weather, that didn't happen, so instead, you get an blow by blow of a painting I have been working on. After Nomad started up her art blog Poena I debated doing the same but decided that no, I would continue to use my doodles as blog fodder....I am not sure if this piece is finished or not...I blue tacked it up onto the wall to look at for a couple of days....here goes....
At this point I liked it, but knew it had a fair way to go, so I let it sit for a while and thought about what might work....so this is what I did last night....
Still thinking about it.
I overheard this today too, it was a child speaking...."I always thought of Mark Twain as a political type of person, didn't he invent communism or something?"
Adult, "No, that was Karl Marx"
Not too hard to confuse, huh?
10 comments:
Perhaps the hermit is doing what's best for him - escaping - but I'd be wary.
Love your art work. Not sure what it reveals about your mind but whatever it is, I like it. Next time you're in TO, I'd love to see some of it.
Love love love your painting! Greetings from Budapest this time. Think I should change my google name to Joanne (rarely in ) PL
What an interesting story about the hermit. Some at church, might consider my girls hermits as they don't wear shoes. Actually, the 13 year old started wearing shoes a couple months ago. The 10 year old still isn't. I do require them to be taken in the vehicle if not on their feet. A couple of years ago, we didn't have snow in January, so they would run in to church without shoes. One particular day, we had an inch of snow while we were in there. The girls wanted me to pull the van up, I laughed and said "sad to be you". Then there brother locked them out for a minute.
You painting is very interesting and I love the colours. It is fascinating the way you start, and keep adding to it.
Sometimes I would just like to sell it all and live simple. Man what a feeling that might be. I has crossed my mind, but I don't think the family would like it. That and we live on an acreage and can't see any neighbours. So maybe in some way we have a bit of the hermit thing going on...in a materialistic sort of way.
I think you know a different German hermit to my two. One of whom cycles into Barcelona regularly, looking like a pirate, and has a magnificent sex life. The other lives in a limestone cave, suffers terribly from the cold, and survives by stealing vegetables from gardens in the village, which presented him with a guitar on arrival and will presumably end up killing him. I wonder whether some Germans confuse mysticism with living in a hole.
Actually, those door-in-the-hill places probably were once homes. In the past poor families used to live in these kind of cave homes, and in some places in Spain they still do. Now, there are even trendy ones, and cave tourism. It's not for me though, I need a little more liveliness around me.
That's a nice painting you've done there. Looks like you find enough peace to work on your art without having to take to the hills. :)
glad your family is feeling better...and I would have been totally freaked out had I come across the hermit in the hills. But I admire his thinking...so many times, I want to just chuck it all and live in the woods or on an island somewhere....still sounds good.
Love considering the idea of Mark Twain being "a communist or something".
Deep down, he sure was a political animal, but I've never imagined considering his writing in that particular political context.
I suspect there could be some truth in that supposed mistaken presumption.
One woman alone in the hills should NOT approach hermits, no matter what.
Just DON'T!
Why stick your head in the lion's mouth - the Latvian version is the "lonely wolf's throat" - and it seems frighteningly accurate here.
Beth: I am rather cautious of him...well enough brought up for that....curious though too. Thanks about the art. I'm not sure what it reveals about my mind either. How alarming.
JnotinPL: Budapest! Is it very different? Do you have time to look around at all???? Thanks to you too...
Dawn: Shoes? Not a problem here. Hair? My children look like nobody loves them. Seriously. We're talking dreads...OMG what a battle that is.
Sidar: It would be nice to have so much room....I would like to be a semi-hermit some day...as in, live simply in a remote place, but with my computer and a roof, and food and and and. Not quite that simply
Trevor...what an astounding site you have...it is certainly comprehensive....I loved the phrase, "confuse mysticism with living in a hole."
Theresa: That's an interesting possibility, though many are quite small, then again....
Beth: I was a little surprised to come across him...and yes, the tranquility has it's appeal.
GM: The lonely wolf's throat analogy is probably the most accurate. And yes, I had never looked at Twain from a communist perspective...wonder what McCarthur thought?
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