No Shoehorns
This has been crystallizing for a while and I finally honed it to this kernel: "If you have to use a shoehorn, maybe it's not the right shoe." Think about it. This applies to much of life. No. I'm...
Luigi’s Garden
There's a farm field along the canal, across from the Zibido Cemetery, that has piled up a rank-smelling mound of rotting straw and organic matter. Luigi sees it as prime compost for his garden and...
Twins Arrive, Fans Riot
Boy! My two cousins come into town and a riot ensues! Connie and Gerry arrived yesterday morning, crashed out for a nap then wandered the town for a while. I met them in the evening at their...
Canal Flea-Market Purchases
The original plan was to head to Firenze for the day (!), but I caught a short, quick cold Friday night and couldn't dare think of hopping on the train this morning. (I could hardly get out of bed!)...
Antiques Along the Grand Canal
On the last Sunday of the month, one can browse Antiques and Flea-Market-Finds for as far as the eye can see (2 kilometers), on both sides of the Naviglio Grande, the Grand Canal. (This canal...
Just Park It!
"My car fits. Doesn't that make it a parking space?" "It looks like a parking space." "Oh. You mean this is a sidewalk?" "If I park here in the road, when I come out I can just put the car in gear...
Luigi Gathers Wood
Running parallel to the Naviglio Pavese canal, between the bike path and the highway, is a drainage ditch overgrown by a tangle of brush and trees in every state of growth or death. Luigi knows...
Buttons and a Handshake
Journal Entry - 10 Aprile 2010 Really, I've kept my world very small. There are some that would rush to assure me otherwise, but when I honestly scan the content and structure of my life, my...
75 Degrees of Perfection
THIS is the time to be in Milano. The temperature is warm enough (75 degrees) to be comfortable in light linen and cotton, and enjoyable having the windows open to fresh air, but not so warm that...
Ushering Ants
The first order of business this morning was to usher the flock* of ants OUT. As soon as the weather warmed, the ants returned. When I first shared my apartment with them last summer and mentioned...
Goin’ Home
One month ago I wrote this entry in my journal, and am now ready to post it, announcing that I've decided to move back to Seattle at the end of July. I now have less than 4 months remaining here,...
Kitty Fix on Ricotta Day
Wednesday is "ricotta day", the day they make fresh ricotta at the Cascina Femegro. Even though I had just been there yesterday, a sunny afternoon and the thought of hours-fresh ricotta on some nice...