“What do you know about Siena?”
A question like that is pretty normal in Italy, when uttered by a visitor. “How far’s Rome?” “Could we go to Venice and back in a day?” Questions we’ve heard and answered typically end up taking us on an unsuspected day trip. Just a “little” outing. We always enjoy the possibility of further exploration. So once a question is asked, we go into gear, planning and heading out on the new adventure. (more…)
It was some sort of modern day eco party that was pretty spectacular. Evidently thousands were invited unbeknownst to us. There was more than enough room for everyone to either sit down or flit around—their choice. Drinks were plentiful and unlimited while there also seemed to be an endless supply of goodies to eat. No fights broke out as the day of drinking wore on. (more…)
Making a commitment to someone you love may seem easy. No big deal. But, as we all know, living out that commitment is something else entirely. Here’s a brief sketch of our trail of ad hoc commitments—some of it may sound familiar, particular, or perhaps even peculiar. (more…)
We had a plan. But things in Italy often times don’t go according to plan.
The idea was fairly straightforward: Grab a panino, sandwich then catch the 5:30 movie. Then after the movie, we planned to get a primo, first course dish, such as pasta just before making the rounds to all of Florence’s great museums since it was “Art Tuesday,” from 7-11 pm. The three of us were excited and couldn’t wait to see how the evening would unfold! (more…)
My Italian lawnmower and I have a long and rich history together. But, I have to admit that I was ready to part ways when it’s tattered grass-catcher-bag snagged the top of the sprinkler head, shearing it off and subsequently chopping it into hundreds of tiny unrecognizable pieces scattered across the lawn. I was really angry with my favorite little IBEA push-mower and was forced to take a “time-out” to cool down a little. (more…)
As you know from an earlier post, I’ve had my share of problems with Italian flyswatters. If you didn’t already read it, you might want to check out the April story called “Fly Me to the Moon—Please,” as a suggested prerequisite to this follow-up story. Since many of you felt my pain in trying to use the wimpy traditional Italian swatters, I thought it was only fair to share some good news as well. Our luck in the domain of flies took a turn for the better on Tuesday morning when we went to Molin del Piano. Let me explain. (more…)
Fear is an ugly emotion!
In fact, you could say that it’s perhaps the most insidious of all human emotions. It would surely win hands down in an old-fashioned repulsive emotions contest, if there ever was such a thing. You may even recall the famous quote from our revered President, FDR who said, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” He made that comment in his inaugural address some 80 years ago, but we still don’t quite understand. Maybe it’s time to reconsider. (more…)
Like a well choreographed dance routine, we simultaneously slipped the straps over our shoulders. Inside each brown nylon cocoon was a collapsible chair. Then we each wiggled our free hand into the black straps of the silver trekking poles, grasping the round cork ends. (more…)
Don’t get me wrong. I like cats as much as the next guy. But I have to say that this stray hanging around the house is causing me to seriously reconsider my position. I’ve temporarily named him Cat-astrophy, and here’s why. (more…)
What’s going on here? Is this some kind of a prank? Well . . . if so, it’s not very funny!
It all started this afternoon when I was sanding the kitchen window sill getting ready to repaint. I decided to get fancy about it and vacuum at the same time to eliminate all of the dust from the electric sander. It’s easy. Just hold the hose of the vacuum cleaner about an inch from the edge of the sander and all of that dust is miraculously sniffed away. No problem. (more…)
Uncommon promise 