Went to the supermercato to buy a couple of things for myself and a newspaper for Stella. When I got home, she walked in the house with a newspaper she had just bought. And so it goes. On the way, I discovered to my horror that there was a stink bug in the car. On me. Had to shoo it off as I was driving, then couldn’t find it when I got out.
At the confluence of the tightest fork in the road in Pietrabuona and a bridge, two giant trucks had to navigate passing each other and then round a sharp corner without jack-knifing. It was a marvel to watch them inch (or more accurately, centimeter) their way past each other, without scraping the walls of the houses on either side, taking out the lamps and balconies affixed to said houses. (Yes, there are no sidewalks, residents step out of their houses dirrectly into the street) or ripping off their respective rear view mirrors in the process. It required the precision of a Swiss watchmaker. My line of cars dutifully backed up the curved road to make room. The trucks eventually slithered past each other with microscopic millimeters to spare. Considering how…uh… animated Italian drivers are, I am surprised that there is no yelling, no wild gesturing, just resigned cooperation. It’s a fact of life.
This afternoon began the goodbyes, Lidia Lorenzo & Lucia, then Tina again because I left my hoodie at her apartment. Saw Maria Grazia there for the first time. She had been taking care of her ailing mother-in-law so this was my first and last chance to see her.
