Mellow Monday

The most precious time I spend here is at Le Caselle, getting to know the house and the land. Today is just a gift, a day with no time constraints, when I can look at a window and imagine a tableau. Simplicity is the word I keep coming back to. This is a "rustica", not a palazzo, so while I am attracted to the ornate aspects of Italian design, what is appropriate here is the basic, the muted colors, the various shades of green that color the garden. The materials - stone, iron, wood - that define the rustic nature - are what feels right at every turn.

What a wondrous world we live in where we can be connected to thousands of miles away with a cellphpone or a computer! Just fifty years ago a phone call across continents was not something to be taken for granted by the average person.. And computers were not even part of the collective consciousness. Perhaps there was a Leonardo da Vinci-like person somewhere who saw possibilities that might become actualities. But for most people, still trying to comprehend the concept of space travel, this kind of communication did not enter into their minds.

This morning I awoke at around 5:30 - the same time I awaken in New York. There is not much to do here at 5:30 so I shower, eat breakfast and take a walk. The road behind Piedicolle is serene and affords the "bella panoramica" of a hill town. Wealthy people are constructing homes up here and I study the details to see if there is anything I can translate to my little house. Suddenly two bear-like animals cross the road ahead and I realize that these are maiali, a boar that is distinct from the cinghiale, and which look something like a hybrid bear/pig. They are hefty and heavy, but cross the road swiftly. They make me think of my friend Jane and a trip we took nearly ten years ago when we rented a house near Siena and encountered some local boars one day making a mad dash across the road in front of us as we drove up to the property.

It's still early so I go to Ali Blu for capuccino and then reutrn to Pidicolle to sit in the local park. This time of the morning is very quiet. No one is out except the person assigned to clean up from last night's festivities at the soccer game. He is an elderly man wearing shorts and a baseball cap and goes about his work very methodically. I ask him if it's okay for me to sit here and he smiles and nods his head.

I have not been able to find my phone since last night. I head for Judy's in the morning thinking that I left it there. The phone is not at Judy’s but she suggests I look in the car. “I have turned the car upside down,” I say. “It’s not there, it’s not at Piedicolle”. After misplacing nearly everything during this trip, have I finally lost something. I go over in my mind the steps needed to replace the phone and I get a headache. Nothing is easy. Judy says she’ll look in the car, even though I know it’s futile. Of course she finds the phone stuck in the pocket of one of the doors. Once again, I have been spared.

Whoever will be the first person to stay at Le Caselle will need things to cook with, so I go to the discount store in Marsciano and buy a menagerie of pots and pans, covers (sold separately), utensils, cutting knives and a cutting board, a cheese grater, scissors and colander. The whole thing costs about 49 euro, a considerable bargain. This will do until I can decide exactly what kind of cookware I really need or want. Maybe in the end this will really be enough.

I buy two bottles of wine and some white paint to re-do the mirror that came with the bathroom sink and cabinet, and drive to Le Caselle. By the time I get there it is 2pm and time for lunch. I have purchased a folding table to complete the terrace dining capabilites and unload everything, cover the table with a colorful cloth and settle down for lunch. After several muscular attempts I am unable to open either of the wine bottles. It’s amazing how desperate one can feel about the inability to open a simple wine bottle. I call Ralph. He suggests I ask one of the workers in the borgo to open one bottle and give him the other as a thank you. I am reluctant to establish this kind of relationship , but decide that Ralph is wise in this area. So I take a breath and walk two houses down and call out “Ciao”! “Bisogno ayuda” I say, lifting up the wine bottle. The young man tries but can’t get the cork to loosen. He calls for another worker. “bisogno ayuda” I say again” and hold out the other bottle “Per tu”, I say. “Per noi?” he asks, as though he can’t believe I’m offering him a bottle of wine for his assistance. “Si,” I say. With little effort he opens my bottle and then asks for the corkscrew back to open his. He smiles and thanks me. “Saluti”, he says as he puts the bottle to his mouth, raises his head and drinks.

I call Ralph back and thank him for his good advice.