a couple things I never really thought I'd say...

Check out my melons!

They're not much yet but they're mine and I'm proud as heck to have them to show off.



If you'll excuse me now, I have to go have a glass of wine to calm my nerves.  After 8 years living in my Maberga country villa it's nice to know that I can still have new experiences, even when they are a bit disconcerting.  I've just saved my dogs and my bare-foot, stupid-ass self from a snake on the patio... during which I accidentally killed him.

Ummm...are these really my hands?

ummm, yeah, they are.

I guess that can be expected when a Saturday in Maberga results in:

1.  all the bricks for the new floor are washed!!!!

2. the orto is all weeded and the first treats of the season have been harvested

3. and the growing collection of papier mache BIG BOWLS have been painted and signed

So, if you'll excuse me, now I need to do this

And then give myself a bath and a manicure.

If any of you are on the Italian Riviera tomorrow, come on up to the festival in San Romolo where you'll find friend Christine and I showing our new wearable art

So I got this really cool package from my cousin Bumpy the other day.  This was inside of it

It's a copy of a photo of our grandma from when she was 18.  In the corner she wrote a little note that says, "to remember your niece Vienna" in italian.  She obviously, at one point, had sent this photo to a relative in Italy....and then some how got it back....and now it's at another relative's house in Italy.  Cool, huh?  Thanks, Bump.

I'm guessing that when Grandma sent it to Italy all those years ago she wrote this note on the envelope in Italian

Cousin Bumpy's english message didn't help the mailman much. Dude just folded that puppy right in half and crammed in into my mailbox.

Let's pretend that you are a mailman/woman for a minute.  You are delivering an envelope which has this message written below the address...

EOINVD OFIO  FKJA ;DFIJ   WOIE NAFDOI H!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't you think that there are a few things that you would NOT do to that package like
1.  throw it on the ground and jump on it
2.  light a cigarette in its proximity
or
3. Bend it?

washing brickssssssssss