SUPREME Gratitude

I am so grateful to be re-connected with the outside world.  Grazie a lei, momma della terra.  Even if it did mean a THIRD trip to Lucca, taxing my command of the technical Italian Language, but I was able to explain myself and get my connection back.  Horray for internet and HOORAY for me.

Currently, I am fascinated by the old house across the street and down one from me.  She is an amazing structure, four stories high, with a one-room fifth story, a large outbuilding and a breath-taking view of the surrounding countryside.  Her shudders are falling apart, she is missing a window and there are huge rocks holding many of the shingles in place on the roof.  She has stood for centuries.  There is an ancient, huge veranda that is accessed by steps from the street, in front of which there are two pillars on top of which sit two, large, proud lions.  The verranda also serves as a cover for a patio below, on the ground floor.  It is obvious it was once a stately manor, but now has fallen on hard times.  There is a single table outside where a simple tablecolth has been placed.  It stays there, tied down, through rain and shine, and has faded quite a bit.  I thought it was abandoned, and then one day I saw a young-ish man exit the house.  I wonder what his story is?  I also wonder how cold it is in that house, where he lives inside, and if he stays to one floor, or even one room.  The house has so much possibility, and I like to think about what it was like when people lived there, before the plaster started to chip and fall off, before the shutters began to crumble.  I'll bet it was magnificent.

This town has a proud history dating back to the 10th century, where they defended themselves, and frequently lost, against any number of invaders.  Their claim to fame is in plaster work, where people came from all over the world to study and create plaster sculptures.  I don't know why, but CATS figure prominently in their works.

I am still challenged with uploading pictures to this blog, but I believe that when I get the cord for my MAC I will be able to rectify that.  Until then I busy myself with day trips, a little shopping, a lot of journalling and a lot of sketching.  I am still waiting for the weather to change.  The unseasonable bad weather has apparently hit the international news.

That's it for today.  Ciao, a piu tarde.