I did it. I signed up for a Rosetta Stone language course, the kind you do online. I’ll be using my ever-more-beloved mini-iPad, most of the time, along with a little micro-phone dealie to practice my…
Italiano.
Truth to tell, I speak just a smidge of Italian, having spent quite a bit of time there back in those thrilling days of yesteryear, but I probably sound like a boat-person to the natives. As in, “Me no hot water got,” a common complaint of Americans in Italy. 🙂 Basically, you could say I know just enough of the lingo to mess up the little bit of Spanish I’ve picked up over the years, and vice versa. Time to get beyond, “Hello”, “Good-bye” and “Where are the rest rooms?”
I was in Florence for several months on my first trip, living in a flat in the Palazzo (Palace) Antellesi, a frescoed building on Piazza Santa Croce, within walking distance of the Ufizzi Museum, the Arno River, the Ponte Vecchio, and the best risotto I’ve ever tasted. On my second visit, I stayed about six weeks in Venice, again in an apartment–this one with a very swank layout–three floors, marble and frescoes everywhere, hand painted doors that were at least 12 feet high–and a five gallon hot water tank. (Hence my calling the landlady in Rome to say, “Me no hot water got”. Which did me no good at all. I can just imagine her clicking her tongue and muttering, “Americanos!” as she hung up the phone.) (Please pardon the inevitable misspellings?)
Why brush up? Because I’m going back, this time, just for about three weeks.
My ultimate goal, however, is to rent a farmhouse somewhere in Tuscany for a whole summer, “Under the Tuscan Sun” style, only without buying the place and therefore having to, God forbid, hire local workmen to renovate. This goal is a long, long way off–but so is my fluency in Italian, so I figure, all things being equal, it’s as good a goal as any. 🙂 And it’s GOT to be more interesting than my upcoming return to Weight Watchers. I promise not to bore you with that!
I’ve been listening to Theresa Caputo’s new book–I’ll get back to you with the title, but I think it’s something like, “There’s More to Life Than This”. It’s marvelous, in my opinion anyway, and if you’re a Theresa fan like I am, you’ll enjoy it.
I have acupuncture this afternoon–hallelujah! I’ve missed several sessions, due to travel, etc., and I can hardly wait to bristle with needles, like a porcupine. 🙂 (Actually, it seldom hurts.) There might be a few twingles this time, though, because I’m sure there’s chi (energy) bogged down all over my body. When that happens, it isn’t good.
I’m trying out a technique called sound therapy, too—I’ll report on that later in the week.
I’ve been writing, as usual, and doing art–also as usual. I’ve even managed a little online Christmas shopping. 🙂 Since I won’t be attending the rodeo in Las Vegas this December, I hope to hold an open house for family and friends and go all out with the decorations. Just one more trip scheduled for this year–a visit to Uptick Vineyards, owned by my friends Robin and Steven Black. It’s going to be a hoot–there’s a Great Gatsby party, tours of the facilities and, of course, plenty of delicious vino. The best part, though, will be connecting with pals–Bill and Renae, Goldie and Buck, Bob and Lynn, this means you. 🙂
That’s a wrap, at least until tomorrow.
Be well, be safe, and be kind.
About Linda
The daughter of a town marshal, Linda Lael Miller is a #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than 100 historical and contemporary novels, most of which reflect her love of the West.
Raised in Northport, Washington, Linda pursued her wanderlust, living in London and Arizona and traveling the world before returning to the state of her birth to settle down on a horse property outside Spokane.
