Life Is Lovely In It’s Fragility
I have just returned from my, Sunday Campus Stroll, and I marveled at the fragile beauty of spring nature!
The spring blossoms and blooms and flowers…last but awhile! Capturing their beauty is fleeting!
When the splendor of spring is with us…we think that it will last forever…but one morning it is gone for another year.
So, it can be said of our time upon this Earth. We grow and bloom and blossom and prosper on life’s stage…and then we wither and, seemingly, die.
During our human experience one fact is certain…we are fearfully and wonderfully made…and we are extremely fragile!
This is Mental Health Awareness Month. Often we do not think about how many of our friends and colleagues and family have mental health issues?
Many do not consider that they could be dealing with a mental health issue…and that there is help for them.
In our hurry-up and stressful society…nothing is more important than kindness!
Nothing is more important than empathy!
Nothing is more important than respect for our fellow traveller on the road of life!
We value our beautiful flowers and trees and put great love and care into their thriving and growth!
Certainly we must have no lesser care in the tenuous and fragile and miraculous men and women that we come in contact with!
We All Watch What People Do…Not What They Say!
We humans love to talk!
We proclaim allegiances and promises and pledges and loyalty.
But do we deliver on our verbal proclamations?
I have heard it said that, ‘talk is cheap!’ However, so often we base our fealty to the person who can spin the best verbal salad!
I had one of my foreman tell me, many years ago, that they had difficulty trusting me. When I inquired as to if I had ever, not produced, what I had told her or if I had ever lied to her…she replied that I had not!
It was my practice during my 25 years of management at Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale…to never tell a member of my staff, anything, that I did not plan on doing!
Talk comes easy…actions take work!
I have made statements to my colleagues…that subsequently took years to produce…but I followed through on those verbal declarations and delivered the promise that I had made.
A leader can not be everything to everyone! It is better to be silent than to say something to someone that you do not mean!
Politicians make a plethora of promises…and they keep…few!
I do not mean President Trump…I mean all of them!
Hard questions and close monitoring of our presidential candidates should be observed to ensure that their rhetoric matches their campaign delivery!
I am proud that I stayed true to fallen chancellor Jo Ann Agersinger. She was a fan of mine and she was a fan of blue collar staff at our university. I admired her for her, real, dedication and her, valiant, attempt to deliver on her verbal promises!
When my minister tells me about the love of God…I want them to demonstrate that to me…when my supervisor or administrator tells me that I deserve a promotions…I want them to work toward the delivery of that, important, declaration…when my president tells me that he wants to make America Great Again…I want that covenant to include all Americans….of which I am a member!
The Snake Oil Salesman understood that talk is cheap! He understood that people are suckers for a good line….that everyone wants good health from a bottle!
When the salesman, assures, me that I am purchasing one thing….and I later find that what he said was a lie…and that I purchased a lesser product than what was described to me…then I am a skeptic!
When the boss tells me that I am in line for a raise and a promotion…and it does not occur…what was the reason for mis-leading me?
When the minister tells me that if I will do what he/she tells me…I will be wealthy….where can I find that in the Bible?
I fear that we have become a country of gullible and not well-read individuals. Easy media…that does not require much thought…has captivated our minds!
I have experienced charismatic persons who have a command of, captivating, rhetoric…obtaining, massive followings of people who are starry eyed and excited and motivated about a lie!
I would liken it to a beautiful cake that has the most delicious icing on it and that is decorated in an immaculate manner…but when you cut into it…it is full of sawdust!
Our Local Christian Bookstore
I have been a fan of Bibles for 50 years!
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I collect Bibles…and I also read them…from time to time!
Our local Christian Bookstore, LifeWay, is closing, and I am sorry to see it happen.
I became a Christian in 1969 and my mother purchased a, large hardback study Bible, from Hart’s Department store in Harrisburg, Illinois.
I was captivated with my, comprehensive, study Bible and I proudly carried it to church, every time the doors were open! Yes, in those days…we all carried our Bibles to church.
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My Jewish hippie friend, Michael Toppel, made me a leather cover for my, humongous, Bible…and I have it on the book until this day.
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My, deceased friend and surrogate father, Jim Dunmyer, liked my comprehensive Bible so well…that I gave it to him…and his family returned it to me after his passing.
I had a friend in Des Moines, Iowa who knew that I was searching for an Oxford Bible…and he found me one! I was so pleased and subsequently preached around 25 funeral messages from that, special, Bible.
I, fondly recall when the Amplified Bible first was printed. I had to have one! I throughly enjoyed the facility it gave in opening the scriptures of the Bible to fuller explanation.
I have been a King James Version man…for most of my life…and it is still my preferred translation. However there is a greater understanding of God’s word with the aid of modern translations.
The Living Bible was hard for me to get accustomed to. For years I thought that it’s modern language had taken something away from the meaning of the scripture.
My lifelong friend, Jeff Lestz, went to the LifeWay Christian Bookstore in Carterville when he visited us in the fall of 2013. Jeff was in need of a new Bible and he had purchased his last one at the Baptist Bookstore, that had been the predecessor of Life Way, 40 years ago.
So, when we entered the store on a brisk October day in 2013 I inquired of one of the staff if they had a replacement Bible for my friend who had purchased his last Bible 40 years ago? The eyes of the staff person became saucer shaped and she announced that they probably did not…but that she was certain that they had something similar. I smiled as I thought that the person helping us…was far from 40 years old!
Jeff and I purchased matching Bibles…that October day!
I was awaiting the results of a medical test…a couple of Easter seasons ago…and I purchased a new Bible for both Aaron and Jonathon. Just being around Bibles…brings me comfort!
And, so, I purchased a new Bible…today! My Bible bookstore of 50 years…is going out of business!
It was a different translation than the King Jame Version. The cover is goat leather and indexed and silver edging! It reminded me of my Cambridge Bible that I purchased 35 years ago…or more!
I have often said that I think in scripture! I literally think of scriptures on a daily basis. Scriptures come to my mind that aid me in difficult times.
In 1969…when I discovered the Bible…I was infatuated and mesmerized with it’s wisdom and counsel.
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As a eight grader and throughout high school…I read my Bible two or more hours each evening in our little, country kitchen, with the adjacent coal stove curling the pages of the book!
There are a lot of vagaries and doubts and confusions in this life…but the Bible makes sense out of, at times, a senseless world!
Understanding The Sacrifice?
Mary Jane and I were talking this morning about the many civil service staff that work, countless hours, without pay…due to their dedication to producing an excellent work product and ensuring the success of Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale!
It would be a myth that civil service are; lazy or not inspired or out for what they can get from the University!
My last blog received positive input from my colleagues at SIUC…and it has caused me to think more about what the civil service staff community knows to be true…but what, perhaps is hidden from the Universities leaders?
We were speaking of a clerical employee, many years ago, who was working many hours and not asking for either overtime or comp time. She was working the additional hours to ensure that her work product was 100%…always!
When I was working for the University…it was not unusual for me to see not only my director arrive, at the beginning of the day…but also to be there when he concluded his day. The same could be said for the Chancellor off the University.
I have often thought that the University administration does not fully appreciate the life long dedication that the civil service staff has for their school.
I have a friend who works, many extra hours, joyfully in the pursuit of aiding SIUC to return to it’s former greatness!
As the manager off the housekeeping department I, regularly, witnessed members of our staff working through their lunch time and their breaks…with no thought of recompense.
I, to this day, see Range employees, who are non-union, working to the late hours of the night and on weekends and who require only the knowledge that their job and efforts are well done and appreciated!
My assistant worked hours into the evening…and often I did not realize it until someone told me about her, supremely, dedicated efforts.
We Southern Illinoisans are, often, lifelong residents of the most picturesque part of the state! SIUC is our University…and we guard her as the precious jewel that she is!
Over the past 40 years the University has experienced 16 chancellors…some were with us but a short time….and we have not faltered or flagged or failed in our efforts to keep the great ship of Southern Illinois University on course!
We do this without our opinion being sought or our efforts being recognized. We do it because we love the institution!
During the past 20 years the enrollment of our, ‘Lady,’ has diminished….and we have taken on the task of an extra, unfilled civil service position…or two extra…or three extra…and not complained…because we understand the circumstances….
I walk the beautiful campus of SIUC…every day. I see the dedicated Grounds Staff working…every day! I have been complimented on the wonderful photos of the campus on numerous occasions! The next time you appreciate the luxurious beauty of our campus or the cleanliness of our buildings….thank a Grounds worker or a member of the Building Service staff!
Imagine SIUC…without the civil service staff?
The Heart Of The University
I was a member of the Southern Illinois University community for over 32 years. During those years…I was a member of the civil service staff.
I began as a Building Service Worker I…that is a janitor.
I attended a meeting of the Range Committee, this morning, and when the chair of the committee asked my opinion…I spoke at length, and probably much to long, regarding my feelings for our University and the value of my civil service colleagues!
I recall my, former co-worker, Joan and how hard she worked to make the Agriculture building immaculate! Joan did not see herself in some type of diminished role of, a housekeeper, she preceived that she was instrumental in the success of the School of Agriculture and the recruitment and retention of our most precious citizens…our students! And you know what…she was!
The Dean of Agriculture and the Associate Deans and all of the Ag professors…loved her and considered her their, cherished, colleague!
When I was the Superintendent of Building Services, my assistant, Elizabeth, was dedicated, beyond her years, to not only the success of Building Service…but to the success of SIUC! I marvel at how hard she works and her 24/7 commitment to the University! This fine lady, who has three sons and commutes back and forth from Pickneyville, Illinois…and she wears her concern for SIU’s, comeback, like the Jews wear the Tefillin, ‘which is a cubic black box with leather straps that Orthodox Jewish men wear on their head and their arm during weekday morning prayer.’ Wikipedia
I admired, Jim, the chair of the committee at this morning’s meeting. His careful and considerate conducting of the meeting as well as conversation that I enjoyed, with him, prior to the event,…was demonstrative of the professionalism within the civil service ranks!
I thought of my friend and former colleague, Gerald Davis, and his beginning a Thanksgiving Dinner for the, over 200 students, and 150 full time staff of Building Services. For over ten years we enjoyed a, seminal annual event, that was loved by our students…who came from all over the world!
I reflect about, Cyndy, and her unparalleled connections with our student body! Cyndy worked with me for the last several years of my career and she was a gem! This intelligent and unassuming professional mentored students and befriended them and encouraged staff and generally took the burden of all, ‘who were weak and heavy laden’, and did so without fanfare and without recognition!
Our current Chancellor, John Dunn, told me, years ago when he was, also the Interim Chancellor, that the civil service staff were the first to volunteer to to call students to aid in the recruitment of them!
Former Chancellor Argersinger asked civil service staff to aid her in, public events, to recruit students. I am referring to talking with the students and engaging them…not emptying their trash or clerical duties!
I have known several chancellors and a president. They are just people with big jobs and a lot of responsibility. They need friends and confidants and someone who has no hidden agenda!
So often we look to the administrator or the vice chancellor or the director…to solve the problems of the University. In reality the civil service staff have been the un-sung heroes of SIUC! They have worried with our students and fed our students and mentored our students and became surrogate parents to our students and have represented Southern Illinois University at Carbondale to our students!
The key to the success of SIUC is not another administrator….or another multi-degreed leader…or the success of the sports program…it is the support of the backbone of our campus…our civil service staff!
I was privileged to work my entire 32 + year career with Building Services! During those years I found that many of the staff were either bringing food, each evening, for their student colleagues, or taking them to their homes to feed them on the weekends and holidays!
The Housekeeping staff held a plethora of Bachelor’s degrees and master degrees and many of them were graduates of SIUC!
My colleagues could not only speak intelligently on any subject but they had a burning passion for their alma matter…and they worked tirelessly to ensure the University’s success!
We can say…all day long…that we love our civil service staff….and that they are the salt of the earth…and that we could not function without their dedicated efforts…but at the end of the day….support equals financial support….or chancellors and vice chancellors…would work for free?
We Judge People…Before We Know Them!
Indeed, racism and bias and prejudice of all manner can be found in our country.
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Preconceived opinions about another that are based on race, or ethnicity, or religion, or sexual orientation…are horrible and their increase, in the past few years, is frightening!
The Chabad synagogue in Poway, California where a woman was killed and the rabbi was shot in the hand and two others people received shrapnel wounds.
Antisemitism is on a hideous rise in our country!
‘The Charleston church shooting was a mass shooting in which Dylan Roof, a 21 year old white supremacist, murdered nine African Americans during a prayer service at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, on the evening of June 17, 2015. Wikipedia
‘A mass shooting occurred at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs Texas, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of the city of San Antonio, on November 5, 2017. The gunman, 26-year-old Devin Patrick Kelley of nearby New Braunfels, killed 26 and injured 20 others.’ Wikipedia
‘The attack was the deadliest mass shooting in Texas and the fifth-deadliest mass shooting in the United States.’ Wikipedia
There were many caucasian congregants murdered at First Baptist in Sutherland Springs, Texas.
Recently, I heard a person state that a predominately caucasian church was, virtually safe, from terrorist activity….
No one is safe from the mindless evil of terrorism!
Often we form an opinion of others, who look different than us, or who worship in another manner, or for who they love…when we have not taken the time to know the person!
No race should be judged…good or bad…caring or not-caring…enlightened or seated in prejudice…by the color of their skin!
Many years ago I was a leader of a housekeeping crew. Ruth, a wonderful, older, member of the staff cleaned the auditorium in the Engineering and Technology building. One night I entered the auditorium, prior to it being maintained, and I read, on the chalkboard, a note to the janitor to bring the umbrella that they had stolen from, the person writing the note, back!
Ruth was one of the most honest and upright people that I had ever known!
The vice chancellor for diversity at SIUC…lectured me, many years ago, on how I should treat the crew leader that I had assigned to Anthony Hall. He informed me of her intelligence and her volunteer work and her value to me and the Building Services organization. The vice chancellor as well as the crew leader were African American. I told the vc that I was the one who had placed, Marva, in Anthony Hall…due to my extreme confidence in her and that I had a great appreciation for all of her abilities!
We must strive to not paint any group with a broad and all encompassing brush!
Fellowship Is Fun!
We have a fellowship time, in the Fellowship Hall, of our church, each Sunday after the morning service.
Being a bit shy and a, closet, introvert…I had fallen into the, bad, habit of skipping the fellowship and proceeding home after the worship.
When I first began skipping the, time of friendship and bonding, I told myself that it was just temporary. But, it is easy for an introvert to make temporarily being alone…a permanent condition!
Mary Jane and Jonathon are not of the, loner, mindset that I am! They enjoy fellowship…as I did before I started taking the easy route of skipping it…for what I told myself was expediency.
So, when I look into the Fellowship Hall…I see Mary Jane and Jonathon enjoying the company of, Rick and Dori, and I think…this could be fun!
Our church is full of wonderful friendly people and one old curmudgeon!
I took a little plate and placed a mini muffin and a brownie with chocolate icing on top on it…and I filled my cup with, wonderful, regular coffee…and I sat down.
What a lovely exchange of ideas and life experiences that was shared by the group around the table! I noticed, quickly, that we humans are so much more alike…than we are different!
I have always admired Rick and Dori as I did Rick’s parents…who were so kind to us when we began attending First Presbyterian over twenty years ago.
Soon, John Hooker came and sat down with us, and he and his wife Carolyn…are a delight! John is such an open and friendly person that he makes everyone whom he encounters…welcome.
Soon, Ro came by our table and I considered that every time that I talk with her…I feel edified and uplifted!
I have been missing half of the joy of attending First Presbyterian and I do not intend on making that mistake again!
I have attempted to follow the teachings of Jesus…for most of my life. I have also been a member of a church for the same amount of time. I have often had the statements said to me, ‘that I believe in God and am a christian but I serve God at home, or I am a spiritual person, or I feel the closeness of the creator in the woods!’
I would agree with all of those statements but would add that the coming together of believers is a strength to all who participate!
‘And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.’ Hebrews 10: 24-25 ESV
‘For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.’ Matthew 18:20 ESV
‘When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.’ Acts 2:1
How Does The World Look To The Goldfish As He Peers Out of the Fishbowl?
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I was listening to a magician being interviewed on BBC Radio this afternoon. He was speaking, not only of his love of magic, but also his disdain for; clairvoyants, mediums, and divination, and all types of magic that is portrayed to people as being a spiritual manifestation.
The program went on to discuss the bias that we all have to believe things that we, desperately, want to be true.
It is easy for us to ignore facts when they do not comport with our core belief system.
Our world view is, often, constructed though the lens of our surroundings and experiences. We tend to understand the world, much, as our friends and family view it.
If we have been hurt and abused and shunned and shamed…we see our surroundings and our life as, ‘brutish and short!’
If we have enjoyed a peaceful and happy and easy existence…we perceive that the world is good…as least for the special people!
We live in a galaxy that is part of a universe that is one of billions of universes. We admire the stars as they shine down on a clear night, and think little of the fact that they are so far away that it takes years for their light to reach us and that many of them have burned out before we see their glow!
We, white anglo Americans, see the United States as our country and, many of us do not want immigrants to enter our, legal, space. While native Americans look at us as invaders and robbers and usurper of their, native, land.
Some political leaders have characterized Mexicans and Latin Americans as; rapist and murders and thieves…while the Latin culture is a rich and vibrant and an ancient culture…that is much older than the United States.
We are a nation that was built by slave labor. We, forcibly, took Africans from their homes and families and bought them to the United States in chains…in the hold of sailing vessels…and we, knew, that we were doing God’s work! The African culture is rich and vibrant and is the home of the human beginnings… and life!
Politicians have lied to us…for so long…we desire someone to shake up the moribund establishment! Even a president who lies on a daily basis, for a time, is accepted simply due to the, extreme, dissatisfaction of a percentage of the electorate! But, there is a tipping point where thousands of lies…finally tip the scales of acceptance…to dissatisfaction.
When I took the position of Assistant Superintendent of Building Services at SIUC, I quickly found out that my supervisor was going to keep me out of any understanding of what was happening above him or in the university at-large. I knew that if I was ever going to be able to assist my department that I was going to have to reach out…beyond my fish bowl….and see things from a wider point of view!
I first was named to the Employee Assistance Program and later elected to the Civil Service Council and…did I ever receive an education!
We do not like facts that bump up against our beliefs!
‘The best way to know God is to love many things.’ Vincent Van Gough
Note: Van Gough photos are courtesy of Google.
Where Has All The Service Gone?
Earlier this week I had the company that did my basement waterproofing, come to my house to check on the system that they had installed.
Two years ago, when we purchased the system, the salesperson assured Mary Jane and I that not only would our basement be completely covered from further leaks but that if an an additional trench needed to be dug and a pipe laid, in the middle of our floor, that the company would do so for no charge! He went on to state that he was so confident of the system plan that he had drawn for our floor leaks that he was sure that we did not need the additional pipe.
This past Tuesday, another representative of the company informed me that I was not covered against leaks…because I did not place a pipe along the, walk out basement wall, 36 inches from it…which would have been approximately where I had inquired… on numerous occasions rather or not we would need one…and had been assured that we did not.
In fact we were informed, when we purchased the waterproofing system that not only was it warrantied against leaks but that the warranty was good for the life of the house and could be used as a selling point…should we choose to sell.
Our, Tuesday Technician agreed that we would have been covered…if we had purchased the additional pipe…that the former company representative had assured us that we would not need!
Now, we do not have a leak…yet!
When the gentleman informed me of this contrary news…I replied that I would have to report his company to the State’s Attorney…if they did not stand behind the word of their, first, representative. Also that I would have purchased the, wayward, pipe if I had been told that I needed it!
When I told him this…he looked like that I had slapped him with a wet mackerel! He said that he was going to document everything that I told him and that someone from the company would call me. No call as of yet…
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Two years ago I was so pleased with the hard and professional work that the water proofing system installers performed that I wrote a letter of commendation regarding them to their boss. Sadly…I do not feel that way any longer!
Oh, by the way…a basement waterproofing system costs thousands of dollars!
Lest you think that I have grown curmudgeonly…and you are probably right…I also have been working with a roofing company who did a partial roof repair, above our loft, to ameliorate some water leakage from ice dams, in the winter, pushing under shingles.
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Although, there was no guarantee with the work…the company representative, who I dealt with, assured me that if there was a problem with their work that he would fix it. I was informed, today, that they will re-roof the area that they did this past October.
I was shocked…and pleased!
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It has been said that repetition is the best teacher! I believe that this is the case…as I, on a regular basis have to explain my simple service needs to contractors…numerous times before they absorb the minimal information.
I was visiting a cigar store a few months ago. When I grabbed a couple of, choice, smokes, I proceeded to the checkout. When the lady rang up my tab…the cigars were several dollars more than advertised on their price stickers attached to them. When I asked why the discrepancy she informed me that the stickers did not agree with the computer and that she would have to charge me the, more expensive, computer price! I replied that if her store would not honor the price affixed to their product…I did not want the cigars…and I have never been back!
Enchanting Italy!
Are Romeo and Juliet real?
‘The feuding Montague’s and Capulets are based on the real life Guelphs and Ghibellines of twelfth-fourteenth-century Verona. There is a legend originated by Vicenza Luigi da Porto, of two star-crossed lovers from these families during the reign of Bartolomeo della Scala, but Romeo and Juliet, themselves, are not real.’ e notes
This was a question asked, in a meeting that I attended last evening, by a person who is preparing to visit Italy and during the visit, Juliet’s balcony, in Verona.
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In 2014 we had the pleasure of visiting Verona and Juliet’s balcony. We also were cautioned to be aware that horse is a delicacy in Verona, by our hotel concierge, and that she had made the observation that horse was not readily received by Americans!
As we traversed the beautiful streets of the city, we noticed an upscale restaurant that had al fresco dining, and so we stopped by to have a closer look. At the top of the dinner menu was, in bold type, DONKEY! When I inquired of the water…he responded that, indeed it was not a typo but a speciality of the establishment.
The hotels in Europe are much smaller than in the United States. Many have a small Bar, that the person who is working the front desk, also, serves the drinks.
On our first trip to Italy and our first morning in Rome, a young woman asked me if I wanted water, con-gas, with my breakfast. After I asked her to repeat her question, a couple of times, I replied that I would take my water in a glass or a cup or whatever was convenient for her. Her perplexed look was priceless…as she was asking me if I wanted carbonated water?
While we were in Verona, our friend Margo, told us to order the hot chocolate, and that it was a special recipe! We proceeded to order some hot chocolate and the lady waiting on us asked us if we understood that our drink would not be like what we were used to in the United States? We replied that we understood and that we were looking forward to it!
When our chocolate arrived…it was as thick as pudding…and twice as good!
Nutella is a staple in Rome! At our first breakfast there, I noticed that Nutella was plentiful thought the luxurious buffet. There were many croissants and pastries and, all you could ever want, of Italian meats and cheeses!
In Venice we found a waiter who looked just like, Mr. Bean, of United Kingdom fame! This was fascinating to me…as my friend Jeff and I had been watching Mr. Bean on his I Pad…late into the evening as he had been to ill to leave the flat that we were staying at. Jeff would laugh so hard that tears came to his eyes and he got chocked up…but he did have bronchitis!
If you have never been to Florence…you must go! Be prepared for sensory overload! The majestic beauty of the art and buildings of the Medici’s is dizzying!
Mary Jane and I found a ristorante in Florence that totally suited us…we felt at home. We must have eaten there, three or four times, during the week that we were in Firenze. One thing that we noticed…they did not get in a hurry. It seemed that each time that we were there…our wait for the check…was a little longer. On our final visit we were on a bit of a schedule and I had to ask our waiter, twice, if we could have our check as we had an appointment. He apologized and assured me that he would get it to us soon….and another hour passed…
Our stay in Tuscany was splendid. Our Bed and Breakfast was in an old farm house, some of which was built during the 12th century and the new part during the 16th century. The couple who lived there were colorful! The woman and her son, ministered to the chickens and collected eggs, at about midnight.
We went to a local fair in the adjoining town of Montecatini Terme. The gentleman of the farm house gestured to me as we ate the delicious food and although neither of us understood the other’s language…we communicated!
