It is time

Over the last several years, I’ve pulled up the blog, taken a look and closed it. I didn’t have the time to do what I wanted with it and I let it languish. On pause. So many things to write, but not the time to sit down properly and actually write them. That was an excuse, of course. But other things certainly have take precedence (like babies). We are in the middle of an international health pandemic, writing can be therapeutic in these times of troubles and, therefore, here I am.

You don’t know the countless posts I have written in my head as a live and walk around and have something happen, where I mull endlessly over how to share them. Writing sentences over and over in my head. Yet they never transferred down to the keyboard to be written, let alone shared. Thus, I have created and created and yet, things seem to be incomplete by inaction.

But today is the day that this ends. I cannot keep on letting the world happen to me without reacting and interacting, and my way to do it will be by writing and sharing. Even if I still struggle with finding or making the time to do so. I have lots to say, and I thank whoever might happen upon this page if you even take the time to read them. I am not writing them to be read by anyone in particular, I am just ready to be open up on my thoughts. After all, why not? It’s 2020 and we still have about another month to deal with, right?

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Peló gallo…

Viviendo en Italia, la verdad es que tengo tanto tiempo que no oigo tantas de estas frases nuestras mexicanas… antes sabía bien su significado, ahora las estoy perdiendo. No usandolas, no oyendolas. Pero he empezado a conocer otras mexicanas que viven en Italia y Florencia con las cuales estoy haciendo lindas amistades, y asi espero volver a oir tantas de estas frases para que no se me olviden… y un dís poder enseñarselas hasta a mi maridin!

Un mexicano estaba en una esquina queriendo cruzar la calle en una ciudad de Estados Unidos, del otro lado un matrimonio que también la querían cruzar.

En eso pasa un carro muy rápido y con la llanta pisó una piedra. La piedra saltó y le pegó al marido en la cabeza.

El señor se desmayó y la señora histérica trataba de despertarlo sin éxito.

En eso llegó la policía y como el Mexicano había sido testigo de los eventos, el oficial lo abordó y le preguntó:

¿Did you see what happened here?
“Yes”, contestó.

¿Name? Dijo el policía, sacando al mismo tiempo una libreta para apuntar el nombre.

y contestó el hombre (que aprendió inglés con un Diccionario):

My name is “Almost-can-see Fountains Pigeon-houses”….
(Casimiro Fuentes Palomares.)

El oficial se quedó moviendo la cabeza como pensando,
¿Qué dijo este pendejo?.

¿How was it? Preguntó de nuevo el policía.

Y el señor contestó:

“I was stop here” (Yo estaba parado ahí.)

Y siguió el señor….

“The car came made the mother”. (El carro venia hecho la madre.)

“The wheel gave a mega-gay to the stone”. (La llanta le dió un putazo a la piedra.)

“The stone flew with mother” (La piedra voló con madre.)

“And hit the man in the one hundred” (Y le pegó al señor en la sien..)

“The woman put the kitchen helper shout in the heaven” (La mujer puso el pinche grito en el cielo.)

“And the woman said: Old, old, old… do not suck” (Viejo, Viejo, Viejo… no mames!)

“Up, Up. Don`t whistle yourself big goat” (Levántate, levántate.. No te chifles cabron!)

“And the bull never came back in yes again” (Y el guey nunca volvió en sí otra vez.)

Todo destanteadao el policía le preguntó: And, ¿Where is the car?

Y contestó el señor:”It peel rooster!” ( peló gallo)………

WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?????????????

Que rico es el español…o los modos de decir mexicanos!! 😀

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Lilies

A few lilies in the studio to brighten our day 🙂

Since I’m sharing flowers, let me brighten your day with a few more of my favorites in our garden…

Do you know what plant is this? I let my cilantro go to flower and could not have been happier to see the delightful flowers and patterns they make. I had never seen cilantro flower, because we always eat it before it ever gets to that point! 😉

I need to ask my MIL again what they tree outside our window is called because I love the lovely scent and flowers it makes, even if part of it is dying, another part still battles to survive.

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Lunar Eclipse 2011

I’d like to share two of the best shots I managed of the lunar eclipse that took place on June 15,2011. The most amazing thing was how the moon turned RED during the eclipse. It was pretty low in the sky in Florence so we had to go walking and walking into the hills to find a good spot to see it. We finally managed to find a spot where it was just a bit above the trees, although it was pretty small and distant. At the height of the eclipse, it just shone black with a red halo, THAT I wasn’t able to capture, oh well!

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General uncivility

This late afternoon, for a few minutes, I forgot I lived in Italy. As I was preparing and stretching for my long along the river, I noticed a car right in front of me with two women talking inside. Nothing wrong with that, except the car was stopped in the regular lane – with lots of ample parking space right where they were stopped. All the cars coming up behind them were being forced to swerve around them, causing slowdown in the general flow of traffic.

So I forgot where I was and stopped minding my own business as I usually do, thinking maybe they don’t realize they are parked wrong. Anywhere else, or at least back in the parts where I am originally from, the person would be abashed and say “oh gosh, didn’t realize, let me move out of the way”. Not in Italy, not in Florence. So I went up to them, the window was down and said “maybe you haven’t realized you’re in quite in the middle of the road, seeing as there is space maybe you could move the car further in and continue talking without a worry” or something to that effect. The lady driver’s reaction: well now that you’ve told me I’ll just stay right where I am. Okay dokey – made no difference whatsoever! I just turned around and went back to my stretching, just giving them both exasperated glances. They kept on talking another few minutes, with traffic still going around them.

These Italians, they really do seem to live in their own small personal world, with the rest of the world revolving around them!

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A knitting event in Florence

I’ve signed up for this knitting event hosted by BettaKnit, a yarn company from Prato being held next week, April 28 from 7-10pm at Le Murate. I’m really looking forward to it, meeting some other knitters as well as expats that might show up. I’m also curious to see the new Le Murate, how it has been arranged as it is supposed to be open for public events. If it reflects the wonderful space that’s been built up around Le Oblate, I’ll be very happy :). The Oblate is a public library in Florence built on the principle of American libraries – borrow books, CDs, DVDs, computers available for use, free wi-fi. The top floor of the library is a terrace which is a perfect meeting place. Don’t expect Le Murate to be like that, of course – but if the space is thought of for future uses in similar terms, it will be very nice. And it just happens to be close to home, too 🙂

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Italy – the good and the bad

I ran into this a week or so ago and it made me laugh as well as groan out loud. I can’t find where I got it from, if anybody knows the source let me know as I’d like to credit it.

It might be that only other expats in Italy can completely understand it all – what is your impression? Also, are the words placed on purpose where they are to correspond sort of? mmm….

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Belated Christmas Period Photos

I just found some pics on my laptop from December that I realize I never shared and had intended to. December just flew by – and I can’t believe we are already almost over with February!!

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The walls around us

Stone, brick, cement, wood and plaster.
We build walls around us and call them home.

The other walls around us are not made of
Stone, brick, cement, wood or plaster
yet they are as strong.
As protective.
As defensive.

The walls around us which we cannot see
are made of words not spoken
are not visible but are still there.

We create them to protect us, to not let people in
If we are lucky, we let a select few in through some of the walls
If we are even more lucky, some may enter to the closest wall around us.
Maybe just one select person, the one who can see you as you are.

Sometimes that person still doesn’t go all the way.
To the soul.
To understand what makes you you.
To understand and not judge.
To accept…
Accept we are all different, that there is no right answer.
That an answer given now might change in the future,
that it is not set in stone.

So the walls around us remain.

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A blanket for Viola

Here are some pics of the baby blanket I made for Viola ( who is now 10 months old!). I think the blanket came out very nicely, it was a great project to try different stitches as I learn to knit and the yarn was really nice and soft (blend of acrylic and wool to make washing by machine a cinch!).

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