Meanderings of the mind in an unusual time in my life

Yesterday I was looking for a recipe I had posted a couple of years ago here on my blog and I noticed that my life seemed much more interesting, or maybe I should say varied, back then. Lately all I photograph are trees, fireplaces and dogs.

As some of you know, in November of 2010 I quit my job and moved from San Francisco to a small town here in southern Italy to try to repair my parents' home, which had not been lived in since 1987, and to see if I liked living here again. After just a month and a half the meniscus in one knee went bad, then about 3 months ago the other one. After seeing 4 orthopedists, I am now getting Tecar treatments (a therapy invented in Spain) and have recently been to an osteopath twice. Neither knee has healed yet, but one or both of these treatments seems to be helping.

Of course this health problem had a big effect on everything having to do with life here. I spent more than I should have to fix the house and, although there is a lot more that could be done, I'm stopping here, because I have to. Almost 3 months ago I moved into the house, which is in the countryside about one kilometer from town, with no car an no heat, except for a big fireplace and 3 heaters fueled by gas tanks spread around the place. Even though the house is big, I am mostly living in the largest room, where I sleep, watch tv and have my computer. My days are filled with tending the fire, letting my dogs in an out of the house, trying to keep a pack of 9 strays from getting too cranky, looking out the window at the beautiful trees, trying to figure out what to cook, and listening to interviews on The Winter of Wellness with healers and teachers of all kinds.

I'm thinking a lot these days and I know I am going through an unusual period in my life, but if I try to give it a name or a description that fits, I can't really come up with anything satisfactory. Is this a pause, a transition, a hiatus? A reflective time in survival mode? These two adjectives, however, don't seem to go together very well.

I'll try to describe it, and maybe that will help me name it, categorize it. I guess I am not one who can just "be". I need to know what I am "being".

First of all I have figured out that this is not home. It was home at one time, but not now, maybe it will be, but it's not at the moment. The thing is, though, that there is no where in the US that I consider home either. There are places I like, where I imagine I could be relatively content, but they are not home. Seattle would be one of those. Can't really think of another one.

I want to start a spiritual practice that I can stick with, but there are so many interesting paths, that I can't decide. I have about 20 unread books on spiritual themes, but there they sit. I feel like making mixed media art again, and all my supplies are in boxes next to a table for art-making, right here near the one with this computer, but I can't quite reach for the brush or glue or paint. What I would much rather do is watch videos of people creating a mixed media piece. You know, those speeded up ones? I love them.

Maybe it's a case of winter hibernation. When the weather warms up I'll pull out the packets of seeds, the paint brushes, and maybe I'll even put away the stuff that arrived a year ago and most of which I haven't even unpacked. When spring comes I too will wake up to from my sleep.

And just so no one gets doggy photo withdrawals, here's one of Cirillo getting puppy kisses, to which he responds more or less the same way he responds to my petting.

A little alchemy - Un po' di alchimia

 

Tonight I made myself a little aromatherapy potion for my various and persistent aches and pains, due to arthritis/rheumatism, cold damp weather and a very long period of inactivity from a problem with the meniscus in both knees. Several years ago I took a few aromatherapy classes and, of course, bought numerous books on the subject and a large supply of essential oils. Some have deteriorated, but surprisingly most are still viable so every now and then I use them to add a different and uplifting note to the air or for small ailments.
To create my blend I added a few drops of Eucalyptus citriodora, Lavender, Wintergreen, Rosemary, Wild Chamomile, Immortelle, and Vetiver to Jojoba and Sweet Almond oil. If I had had essential oil of clove I would have added a drop or two of that as well. I don't know if it will help the joint pain, but just smelling the different scents in the air and on my hands has a very positive effect on my spirit. It is in fact said of aromatherapy that it acts on both the emotional and physical level.
The sweet creature watching over me from my computer screen in the photo above is my beautiful Asha, who was with me from 1996 to 2009.

Questa sera mi sono preparata una piccola pozione di aromaterapia per i vari e persistenti  dolori che ho da qualche tempo a questa parte, dovuti all'artrite e ai reumatismi, al tempo freddo e umido e ad un lungo periodo di inattivita` per un problema al menisco in entrambe le ginocchia. Qualche anno fa ho seguito qualche classe di aromaterapia e, naturalmente, ho subito comprato tanti libri sull'argomento e una buona provvista di olii essenziali. Alcuni si sono deteriorati, ma sorprendentemente la maggior parte sono ancora ottimi per cui ogni tanto li uso per aggiungere una nota un po` particolare all'aria o per raffreddori, sinusiti e altri piccoli malanni. 
Per creare la mia miscela ho aggiunto qualche goccia di eucalyptus citriodora, lavanda, gaultheria procumbens, rosmarino, camomilla selvatica, helicrysum italicum e vetiver a una base di olio di jojoba e olio di mandorle dolci. Se avessi avuto dell'olio di chiodi di garofano avrei aggiunto anche qualche goccia di questo. Non so se aiutera` il dolore alle giunture, ma di sicuro solo sentire nell'aria e sulle mani il profumo di tutti questi olii mi solleva lo spirito. Si dice infatti dell'aromaterapia che agisce sia a livello emotivo che fisico. 
La dolce creatura che veglia su di me dallo schermo del mio computer nella foto sopra e` la mia bella Asha, con me dal 1996 al 2009.

No dog photos.....niente foto di cani!

Just so you don't think all I do is look after dogs, here are a couple of photos of recent work done around the place. Of course I didn't do any of it myself!
Affinche` non pensiate che non faccio altro che stare dietro ai cani, ecco alcune foto di lavori fatti recentemente. Naturalmente io non ho fatto nulla personalmente!
The hedge before - La siepe prima

and after - e dopo

Don't worry it grows like mad! Non vi preoccupate, cresce molto in fretta!
Behind the storage building before - Dietro al deposito prima 

and after removing rusted metal, glass, dirt and ivy - e dopo aver tolto pezzi di metallo arrugginito, vetri, terra e edera.

Retaining wall rebuilt around the Thuja. When a tree was planted by your father 40 years ago and its other name is Arbor Vitae (tree of life), you need to take care of it! Muretto riparato intorno alla Thuja. Quando un albero e` stato piantato 40 anni fa da tuo padre ed e` anche conosciuto come Arbor Vitae, ne devi avere cura!

The wire is temporary, just to keep out the wild pups until the cement dries. Cement is not traditionally used in these walls, but when dogs run all over things sometimes it's necessary.
La rete e` temporanea e serve solo a tenere lontano i cuccioli selvatici finche` non si asciuga il cemento, che in genere non si usa, ma che diventa necessario quando ci corrono sopra i cani.

I lied, here's a photo of the three wild pups.... ho mentito, ecco una foto dei tre cuccioli selvatici....

Photos of them have been posted here and there in hopes that some kind soul will adopt them. In the meanwhile my saintly neighbor is taking good care of them. Le loro foto sono state postate qui e li` nella speranza che qualcuno li adotti. Nel frattempo un mio angelico vicino se ne sta prendendo cura. 

Winter of Wellness - Free Telesummit

For the past few days I have been listening to presentations by a variety of speakers on the Winter of Wellness Telesummit of The Shift Network. I've found it very interesting and, best of all, it's free! I highly recommend checking it out.

Today I listened to Master Mingtong Gu speak on Qigong, a practice that has interested me for many years, but that for some reason or another I have never been able to begin. This time I think I will accept the special discounted offer for Winter of Wellness listeners and sign up for a four class series online in February - and to think that I lived in San Francisco for 33 years and in person classes are held at his Chi Center in San Rafael! I guess it wasn't the right time.

One of the first things Master Mingtong said today resonated for me. He said, more or less, that the message of the year of the Water Dragon, which began on the 23rd, is about letting go of resistance and going with the flow. For me this means to quit resisting being here, thinking constantly whether I should have done this or not, and fantasizing about where I will go next or where I would rather be. I need to just be here until I am here... sink in, settle in.

I definitely have the time to practice something while I'm here, like Qigong. I would also like to get organized, drag out all my supplies and start making art again, but I think that all these dogs and the fire tending activities are using up my energy. In the meanwhile I spend a lot of time gazing out the window at the wind, rain, hail and snow that take quick turns putting on their show.

Still fireplaces and dogs - Ancora camini e cani

Nearly a month has passed since my last post and all I can say is that everything is pretty mellow around here at the moment. Particularly when the dogs are very tired and not tearing plants out of the ground or shredding their bed or barking incessantly at wandering dogs and chirping birds. Yesterday afternoon was such a moment because they had all run off and disappeared for 4 hours and returned exhausted, of course. Actually Luna (the black and tan one) returned after 2 hours looking like she had seen a ghost, or the Italian version: "sorci verdi", that is: green rats. Cirillo was so tired that he let the two sisters lie on his bed, but only after scolding them a few times.
E` passato quasi un mese da quando ho scritto l'ultima volta e posso solo dire che per il momento qui e` tutto molto tranquillo. Particolarmente quando i cani sono molto stanchi e non stanno estirpando piante dalla terra o facendo a pezzetti il loro letto o abbaiando senza sosta a cani randagi o a uccellini che cinquettano. Ieri pomeriggio e` stato cosi` perche erano tutti e tre scappati e spariti per 4 ore e, naturalmente, sono tornati sfiniti. In realta` Luna, quella nero focato, e` tornata dopo due ore con lo sguardo di una che ha visto i sorci verdi! Cirillo era cosi` stanco che ha permesso alle due sorelle di sdraiarsi sul suo letto, ma solo dopo vari ammonimenti.


First only one and only half way, Prima solo una e sola a meta`,

while the other one had to be satisfied with a patch of sun, mentre l'altra si doveva accontentare di un rettangolo di sole.

Finally it was Luna's turn as well. Finalmente e` arrivato anche il turno di Luna. 

In the end, it was a cuddle fest, at least for the time being. Infine, tutti amici, almeno per il momento.  

A sister's love L'amore di una sorella 

and, always, a fire in the fireplace. e sempre un fuoco nel camino.

Fireplaces and Puppies - Camini e Cuccioli

The last time I blogged everything was ho-hum, now I'm fluctuating between liking it here and not liking it at all, and fantasizing about moving back to Seattle in a year or so.
We have pretty much moved into the house, even though there is no heat yet and it can get really, really cold in here. I have a fireplace and 3 gas heaters, but the ceilings are high and, as far as I'm concerned, fires just don't do it. Of course they are better than nothing. It took me 17 days to learn how to start one on my own and keep it going. Yesterday and today were my first successes. Maybe I'm a slow learner, but it's a good thing we have a kind neighbor and friends who build me a fire every time they come by. So far 4 women and 2 men have built numerous fires here, and I have photographed an example of each one, all different styles and techniques: Angelo's, Anna's, Pietro's, Vittoria's, Fionnuala's, Margherita's. What really saved us, besides the fires, was the electric bedwarmer I bought, that you turn on for 2 hours before getting into bed and then turn off. Keeps me warm through the night, with the help of a knit cap, a sweater and undershirt, silk long johns, sweat pants, socks and 3 blankets!
L'ultima volta che ho scritto qualcosa in questo blog ero in uno stato d'animo di noia e di indifferenza. Adesso, a tratti mi piace stare qui e a tratti proprio no e fantastico di un eventuale ritorno a Seattle fra un annetto. Ci siamo piu` o meno trasferiti alla casa in campagna, anche se ancora non c'e` il riscaldamento e a volte sembra una cella frigorifera. Ho un camino e tre stufe a gas, ma i soffitti sono alti e, per quanto mi riguarda, i camini proprio non bastano. Naturalmente sono meglio che niente. Mi ci sono voluti 17 giorni per imparare a fare un fuoco e a non farlo spegnere. Ieri e oggi sono stati i miei primi successi. Forse imparo molto lentamente, ma sono fortunata che abbiamo bravi e buoni vicini e amici che mi fanno un fuoco ogni volta che passano di qui. Fino ad ora 4 donne e 2 uomini mi hanno acceso tantissimi fuochi ed ho fotografato un esempio di ognuno, tutti stili e tecniche diverse: quello di Angelo, di Anna, di Pietro, di Vittoria, di Fionnuala, di Margherita. Quello che mi ha davvero salvata, oltre ai fuochi, e` lo scaldaletto elettrico che si accende un paio di ore prima di andare a letto. Mi tiene calda per tutta la notte, con l'aiuto di un cappellino di lana, un golfino e una maglietta, mutandoni di seta, pantaloni da ginnastica, calzini e 3 coperte!

Angelo's fire - Il fuoco di Angelo

Time to confess. As if Cirillo, the least cuddly and most difficult dog I've ever known, were not enough, almost one month ago I adopted two puppies from a litter of six, born around the end of October to one of the females of the pack, whom I call "Wolfie". My neighbor and I found them in an abandoned trullo on the property next to our house and my reasoning behind taking them was that I was getting two females "off the streets", that they will give me a sense of security when grown up, and that it was better to get them before they went completely feral.
I thought they were about 8 weeks old, but the vet said more like 6, which means that they are now about 10 weeks old. The litter was made up of 5 females and 1 male, 3 all black, two black and tan, one reddish-brown.
Here are my two starting with day one until now. The brown one is Coco and the black one is Luna. Coco's eyes are now turning amber like her mother's.
E` giunto il momento di confessare. Come se Cirillo, il cane meno coccolone e piu` difficile che abbia mai conosciuto, non bastasse, quasi un mese fa ho adottato due cuccioli da una cucciolata di sei, nati verso la fine di ottobre da una delle femmina del branco che io chiamo "Wolfie". Il mio vicino ed io li abbiamo trovati in un trullo abbandonato nella proprieta` accanto a casa mia e il mio ragionamento e` stato che toglievo due femmine "dalla strada", che mi daranno un senso di sicurezza quando saranno cresciute e che era meglio prenderle prima che diventassero completamente selvatiche. 
Credevo avessero circa 8 settimane di vita, ma il veterinario ha detto che ne avevano piu` o meno 6, il che significa che adesso ne hanno circa 10. La cucciolata era di 5 femmine e un maschio, 3 completamente nere, due nere e beige, una color cioccolata al latte. 
Ecco le mie due a partire dal primo giorno fino ad oggi. Quella marrone e` Coco e la nera e` Luna. Gli occhi di Coco stanno diventando color ambra come quelli della madre. 

At 6 weeks

A 6 settimane

At 8 weeks chewing on Cirillo's prehistoric bone....

A 8 settimane mentre masticano un osso preistorico di proprieta` di Cirillo....

Now, at 10 weeks.  

Adesso, a 10 settimane. 

A friend adopted the only male. Un amico ha adottato l'unico maschio. 

We still have the problem of the other 3 female puppies, who have now started spending their days on a lawn in front of the house and in a den they discovered in a wall below the lawn. My neighbor who feeds them and the 6 adults of the pack leads them back to their trullo for the night. He has contacted city hall and the police department about the matter that all these females will be producing about 12 dogs per year, but the answer was that the pounds are full (dogs are not euthanized here) and there is no money for sterilization, but that maybe there will be in a couple of months. 

These are the 3 remaining sisters who look exactly like their mother. Sort of wolf-like don't you think? 

Abbiamo ancora il problema delle altre 3 femmine, che ultimamente hanno cominciato a passare parte della giornata sul prato davanti casa e in una specie di tana nel muro sottostante il prato. Il mio vicino, che da` da mangiare a loro e ai 6 adulti del branco, li riporta ogni sera al loro trullo. Ha contattato il comune e i vigili per il problema di tutte queste femmine che possono produrre 12 cani all'anno l'una, ma la risposta e` stata che i canili sono pieni e non ci sono soldi per sterilizzarli e che forse fra qualche mese se ne riparla.

Queste sono le rimanenti 3 sorelle, che sono identiche alla madre (o al padre?). Sembrano un poco lupacchiotte, non vi pare? 

We're not sure how 2 ended up black and tan one came out brown, since the mother is the black one in the front and the father is either the large black one in the back or the tan one in the goofy position, scratching himself. The short-haired one with the tan legs is a female, so she's not the culprit.

Non siamo sicuri com'e` che ne sono venute due nere e beige e una marrone, visto che la madre e` quella nera davanti e il padre e` o quello nero grosso dietro o quello marroncino nella posa strana, mentre si gratta. Quella a pelo corto con le gambe piu` chiare e` una femmina, quindi lei non e` stata. 

Even if I could catch the females myself to get them sterilized (which even the dog catchers were unable to do with sleeping medication inside food) it would cost 120 euros per dog! Next year it may again be possible to get a certain number of females sterilized for free, but only if they are your dogs and microchipped. Anyone want a big puppy?

Anche se potessi catturare io le femmine per farle sterilizzare (cosa che neanche il comune e` riuscito a fare con il mangiare con il sonnifero dentro) costerebbe 120 euro per ogni sterilizzazione. Forse l'anno prossimo sara` di nuovo possibile far sterilizzare le femmine gratis, ma solo se sono di tua proprieta` e microcippate. Qualcuno vuole un cucciolone?

Ho, hum

I can't believe I haven't written anything in 3 weeks. I must be getting ready for hibernation. It's only early afternoon on Saturday and I am already bored. Usually the day reserved for boredom is Sunday. In small towns in Italy, at least in this small town, everything shuts down on Sundays. In the States I could always go shopping, no matter what day of the week it was, or even what time of the day it was. Or take a workshop. I need to find something I want to do and something I can do here. Even when I'll be living at the house, I can't very well just stare at trees. I feel like I want to learn a new skill. Maybe a better idea would be to deepen my knowledge of something I have already studied.  I've had a few ideas, but they all seem a little far-fetched, a little escapist.
My art supplies are all at the house in the country, where I do not live yet, and the new books I ordered from Amazon Italy have taken a detour to who knows where. I'm even missing my dog, Cirillo the pest, because he is being boarded since I needed to get some things done and may take my driving test on Monday - not sure yet because I feel that I need a lot more practice, and I hate to fail.

Here are a couple of recent photos from a few days before the rains came. Cirillo may look like he's helping me carry wood to the pile, but it's just the opposite!

Non ci posso credere che non scrivo nulla da 3 settimane. Mi staro` preparando per il letargo. E` solo sabato pomeriggio e gia` mi annoio. In genere il giorno destinato alla noia e` la domenica. Nei piccoli centri italiani, almeno in questo piccolo centro, tutto rimane chiuso la domenica. Negli States potevo sempre andare a fare shopping, in qualsiasi giorno della settimana e quasi a qualsiasi ora. Oppure seguire un workshop. Ho bisogno di trovare qualcosa che mi interessi fare e che posso fare. Anche quando andro` a vivere alla casa in campagna non e` che potro` solo fissare gli alberi. Mi sento che voglio imparare qualcosa di nuovo, ma forse un'idea migliore sarebbe di approfondire qualche cosa che ho gia` studiato. Mi e` venuta qualche idea in questi giorni, ma sembravano un poco strambalate o tipo fuga dalla realta`.
Tutto il mio materiale per fare mixed media e` in campagna, dove ancora non vivo, e il nuovi libri che ho ordinato da Amazon Italia hanno fatto qualche deviazione temporanea verso chissa` dove. Mi manca persino il mio cane, Cirillo la peste, in quanto e` in pensione perche` avevo da fare varie cose e perche` forse lunedi` faro` l'esame di guida. Non ne sono ancora sicura perche` non mi sento affatto preparata. Non mi sento mai preparata per un esame e poi odio fallire.

Ecco alcune recenti foto scattate qualche giorno prima delle piogge. Potrebbe sembrare che Cirillo mi stia aiutando ad accatastare la legna, ma e` proprio l'opposto!

A while back I mentioned how Cirillo likes to make me very nervous by hanging out on ledges that are 1 to 3 stories above ground. Well, of course, a couple of weeks ago he fell from the ledge and even bounced off the railing that is on the sidewalk below. Miraculously he was not hurt - he limped for a total of about 5 seconds - and even more miraculously I did not have a heart attack, just an adrenaline attack!
Now he is no longer allowed out on the apartment deck nor on the roof of the house in the country, but here is where he likes to sit when he can get out onto the small terrace on the first floor. This dog is not normal.
Qualche tempo fa ho raccontato che a Cirillo piace farmi spaventare con la sua abitudine di passare il tempo sui parapetti al primo, secondo o terzo piano. Naturalmente un paio di settimane fa e` finalmente caduto ed e` persino rimbalzato sulla ringhiera che si trova sul marciapiede sottostante. Miracolosamente non si e` fatto male - ha solo zoppicato per circa 5 secondi - e ancora piu` miracolosamente a me non e` venuto un infarto, solo un attacco di adrenalina alle stelle! Adesso non gli permetto piu` di uscire sul terrazzo dell'appartamento, ne` di andare sul tetto della casa in campagna, ma guardate dove gli piace mettersi quando esce sul terrazzino al primo piano. Questo cane non e` normale.