GypsyDog

Venice is mysterious! Walk along one street, turn a corner and you are in a campo.  go further and you;re in a street so narrow – not an alley but a street – in which you must turn sideways in order to get through to the other side.  See one name that you recognize, look again and it’s spelled differently and you’re not sure where you are.  Last night a restaurant was there, tables outside, chairs and cloths, this morning nothing, not even a recognizable awning. Continue reading →

Aren’t you always curious about someone’s house?  Curious about their choices, their desires?  Because isn’t that what a house is to some extent? A manifestation of the desires of those who occupy it?

I’m not sure that this place represents us but I would say that it’s working just fine at the moment.  There are a few things I might change (no! to polyester sheets and  damp towels that smell like grandma’s cabin) though I can do anything for a few days. Continue reading →

Finally finished and it fits!!

So, this morning we woke and admitted that we were getting excited. We’ve agreed to allow the butterflies to make their presence known and we are prepared for that bit of short temper that shows up as we both try to make sure that we have everything covered. Of course, we find something new that needs doing every time we take a breath. Continue reading →

It’s mid-October and I’m coming to the end of an 8 weeks class. Today we do what we call final evaluations and then have lunch with the students who have trusted us to help them along a path that will become a life time of learning.

They’ve been an extraordinary bunch – managing themselves and the world of learning with grace and curiosity and lately, some laughter. In the process of teaching them I’ve learned so much about myself. I think that’s why I teach. I like the clarity with which I have to speak, the attention I have to pay, the edge it brings me to in myself. It’s a challenge worth taking up. Continue reading →

A few weeks ago I got some things in the mail from Maggie and Sims of Harmonious Wail celebrating their latest CD, Bohemian Tango (http://wail.com/). Ever since my goodies arrived I’ve been having a whale of a time. Wailing hot mustard on nearly everything and Wail CD’s while I get dressed in the morning. I sing along with Maggie (just like in my voice lessons) and dance around to some really great strings while making a sandwich or stuffing salad into plastic containers. Continue reading →

We sold the car the other day. Who knew that a 10 year old somewhat dented Volkswagon would be so desired? We put it on craigslist and I had a dozen replies within an hour. I decided to call people back in the order their responses appeared in my e-mail account.

The first one didn’t answer. The second person had an Eastern European name which spiked my interest. When I asked him if he could drive a standard shift he said, “I’m from Bosnia,standard no problem!” I liked that he laughed when he said it. We made an appointment for 3:00 when his wife would be home from work. I knew that if he wanted our car I was selling it to him. Continue reading →

We left Madison on Tuesday morning – the car so filled with necessities that we couldn’t see out of the back window. We have our bicycles on the back on a Saris rack and we wound up stopping to make sure they were secure. They were – but they bounced so much that I kept having horrible images of one of them flying off and causing an accident along the way. Continue reading →

I’m thinking about downsizing – again.  We’ve done it a lot over the last ten years and I had begun to think that there wasn’t much more I could get rid of, but I was wrong.  There are pockets of things that still have meaning, still hold some value despite not having been worn, used, read or looked at in a while.  As we think about living overseas I realize that much of what’s left will have to be stored, maybe distributed among friends who have a use for it or some spare space in their basements.  Though if I do too much of that I suppose it’s the same as getting rid of it all.  I wonder if I’ll feel set adrift without the last bits of crystal glassware, scarves; jewelry from my mother that I really never wear. Continue reading →