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This picture was taken in a little town in Italy in which my parents lived.
About 50 feet away was a church.

While there are still families living in this town, it is slowly becoming deserted.  Generations have grown and moved on - leaving their elderly behind, sometimes with a now grown-up child hanging back to care for them.

There are parts of this town I remember well
~a cousin's house with living quarters in the back (or were they upstairs?) and a "convenience store-like" market in front.  I don't remember much of what she sold - but I do remember chewing gum, cigarettes and notepaper.

~a Y in the road where a fountain (well?) stood.  If you head straight ahead you reach the square with the Church...bear right and you would reach the homes of my cousins and other relations.

~and of course the homes of my parents.  They were neighbors when their romance began so many years ago.

I've been to this town quite a few times
 as a young girl,
 a young lady,
a young woman... and again just last year.

We always made a trip to this center of town to attend Church.  We would meet so many of my parent's friends in that square after Mass.  My parent's would introduce to everyone again,
and point out the house that also served as the bar.
They never mentioned anything about the Cafe Lunin.  I don't remember if I even asked about it.
But I found myself fascinated by it this time around.

What does the name mean? Lunin could be a derivative of Moon. Is it Cafe Moon?
It was once a bus stop - at least I assume by the sign and bench
Was it owned by the family that lived next door?
Was it a popular, lively place? To invest in a lit sign...one would think so.

Across the building was a fountain (or perhaps a Religious font) in front of a wall on which flyers were hung - few newer ones...many old and worn ones.

Its an interesting place this square.

I joked that if I ever moved to that town that is where I'd live
and the first thing I'd do is renovate that Cafe Lunin.

Even if not many people lived there
or if not many people came to sit...

I don't think I'd mind much.  I'd probably just sit on that green bench
with a cafe in hand
and be content.

Strawberry picking



It's been a couple of years since I've been able to make time to go strawberry picking.

  This past Monday I made the time.

I drove to the organic farm located around the corner from my house at about a little after 9am.  I felt nervous and out of place - as if I really had no business being there.  I was afraid it would be obvious to the cashier that I hadn't picked strawberries in years.  She looked the part - with her long hair and no make-up, wearing her dirty farm clothes and relaxed smile.  Would she be able to see through me? Would she size me up and know I was a fraud? Would she think I'd be better off buying a pre-picked quart of strawberries...the much quicker and less dirty option?

I felt ambitious as I pre-paid for a flat of strawberries - determined that if I was going to pick strawberries - I was going to get my money's worth. 

As I carried the empty flat out the door and along the path to the fields, I was starting to relax - but still had a way to go before I could completely immerse myself in the moment.  It was quite silly actually - how nervous I felt as I headed out to the field.   I tried to act as casual as possible - silently praying that I wouldn't trip or get tangled in the lines that I had to duck under to get to the back field. 

Picking a row, I placed the box on the ground and got to work.  There was a slight moment of panic as I searched the first few plants and found only one strawberry worthy of picking.

As I tossed the strawberry into the empty quart box I glanced at the other 7 containers and wondered whether I had made a mistake in being so ambitious.  Here I was already feeling the ache in my calves as I bent over each plant to search through the leaves.  Squatting hurt my knees. I was trying to get my picking rhythm - something I thought I remembered from seasons past.

There was an older gentleman a few rows over.  He knew what he was doing - at least he looked like he did.  I kept waiting for him to look over at me, eager to share a cute little comment I had just thought of...

"there should be a free 10 minute post-picking massage included in the price"

 ...a comment that I hoped would provide an adequate enough explanation for the stiffness in my 46 year old body.  But he never looked over.

Eventually, I sunk into the moment.  It was a gloriously beautiful morning - humid enough to make the not-so-hard work of picking berries just hard enough to make you sweat - but with a strong enough cooling breeze to keep you comfortable. 

I did find plenty of berries - enough to overfill my 8 quart containers.  I didn't exactly find the berry picking rhythm I was hoping for but I did loosen my obviously not-used-very-much muscles enough to finish.  I walked away from the field relaxed and rejuvenated...and very sunburned.

 I placed the flat of strawberries into the trunk of my car and walked back into the market.  My morning had done just what I had hoped it would.  It reminded me of the time of my life when I made time to pick strawberries...when I wasn't the fraud at the farm.

I eagerly handed over my credit card as I chose my CSA pick-up date.

You have to make time.  I'm glad I made the time.  Next time I won't wait so long.

Trying to blog from my phone isn't very easy. 

It somehow gave me a choice of pictures to use.

I chose this one even though I think I've used it before. 

I came outside bc right now it feels like a spring morning

And later it will feel like summer afternoon

Yet the leaves are falling all around me

All the local townships are having their fall fests today. 

Will they be as fun in tank top and shorts?

wonderland

 

 

Someone posted this on facebook  

 The Day Wonderland Stood Still by Bruce Wayne Photography

 

If you have a chance check it out. 

 

Leaves are changing. 

The other day I saw one tree that had changed red right in the middle of others

 that had not even started to change.

 

I thought of that tree after watching the above video.

 

 

Figs

I love figs!

They are round and plump

and full of goodness inside...

 

sorta like me :)

foam

 

I recently bought myself a French press.

I simply got tired of making too much mediocre tasting coffee

I also bought a frother with visions of making super cool latte art

 

It appears that art will have to wait

In the meantime I am enjoying the milky foam

back home

(one of my wishes would be to have a huge sculpture like this in my yard) 

 

 

I returned home from a (first ever!) girls' weekend

to find a plant, huge chocolate bar and welcome home sign

waiting for me

 

my husband said when he comes home from traveling

he doesn't get that type of reception

 

so what can I tell ya

 eh?

 



guitar

i'm sitting here with a stack of cd's I checked out of the library

the absolute best place to get music for your ipod

 

besides james taylor/carole king

 I have bread, the mamas and the papas, erykah badu and KC and the sunshine band

quite the mix eh?

 

love the album cover

i'm going to try guitar lessons for the 3rd time

hopefully this time will stick

 



45

 

guess who turned 45 today?

 

I think its a good number

I like to use my birthday as a time to make resolutions

not january 1st like everyone else

 

I have some pretty good ones lined up for this year

staircase

 

my grandparents lived in a two story home

the bedrooms are upstairs and the living areas are downstairs

to use the bathroom you had to go outside the bedroom doors on the top floor

down these steps and into the main door on the first floor

 

the steps are marble

marble!

 

I remember the sound the bedroom doors made as they opened

the feeling of my bare feet on the cold, slippery steps

the plaster wall that was chipped a little then and now a lot

and sitting on the landing

 

as a young child

as a teen

as a newlywed

as a mother

 

this past summer may very well have been the last time I will sit on those steps

even though I've visited my grandparents maybe 7x in my lifetime

those steps are one of my favorite places in the world

 

writing prompt

 

 

many years ago I was in a writing group with 3 other friends

this a scene I would have wanted to use as a writing prompt

 

this building is about 50 feet from a church

the church in which my parents married

besides that church there isn't much going on in their town anymore

 

I imagine it was a very popular place 60 years ago

isn't that a great sign?

beach

My parents own a beach house

I haven't been there at all for the past 2 summers.

 

I did, however, make it to a beach once this summer while visiting family in Italy.

It was a beautiful, sunny, clear day.

The colors just popped.

 

window

 

walking through a piazza in Italy I looked up and noticed this window

I desperately wanted to know who lived there and what they were doing at that moment

 

 

Raining and thunderstorms in the forcast today

My son has plans to meet some friends at a park today after freshman orientation

I'm trying hard to enjoy the fact that he is starting highschool this year - instead of reminding myself that 4 years will fly by quickly

 

why do I constantly do that?

Focus on the end of something instead of enjoying the beginning...

hello

 

if I had to choose which door to enter first

I really don't know which one i'd choose

 

beautiful morning right now

going to be very humid later

 

 

geez

 

tonight's not a moonlit night

well not a full moon-lit night

but its a little clearer than this pic

 

i got streak of purple put into my hair

i'm 44

 

so why not - right? 

 

i never got around to uploading pictures from the summer until just now.

 

seems silly to post them after the season is over.  its kinda like going to a halloween party after halloween - that always drove me crazy. 

 

when its over its over

 

and thus so is summer



need to find my words

 

until then i will borrow some.....

puppy love

oh he's a cutie for sure - and a bit of nightmare at the same time.

we rescued him a little over a week ago

he'll be 9 months tomorrow. 

 

he is beautiful isn't he?

a pekingese/tibetian spaniel mix

and he is also a nipper - a big one

part puppy - part lunatic is my guess

 

but he gets me outside everyday

walking

and walking

and walking

 

i didn't realize how much i missed being outside

for more than just the time it takes for me to get from my car to the office.

 

oh its so nice

all these daily walks

makes the constant nips worth it

 

ok not really

but you gotta take the bad with the good 

 

 



 

at this moment.....

...

i am "wasting" a beautiful saturday morning sitting at the computer doing nothing really but browsing.

it feels like a luxury

there is stuff to do - hang the laundry outside, finish the dishes, grocery shop and some other errands...

i'll do them - there's no rush or agenda for today - when i'm ready

heart breaking

my son went to the philly zoo on a field trip. i went along b/c i hadn't been to the zoo since i was in elementary school. i'm not a huge fan of zoos - but i've come to terms with the idea that zoos are not evil places full of people who abuse animals.  but actually it is full of people who truly care for the animals.

still -  pictures like this one depress me. 

 he was so obviously depressed - i felt horrible gawking at him through the glass.  why was his home all concrete and vents - while other primates were outside with live plants?

that foot........blows my mind

as i snapped this picture the flamingo's head went under water. i didn't want to capture that - so i took another when his head was above water. 

ends up i like this shot more afterall....