What Day Is It?

What month is it, for that matter!  Mamma mia, I can't believe how much time has past since my last post.  I've never left the nest empty for so long before.  It's not that I haven't wanted to write; it's just that I haven't had more than a few minutes to sit down and blog.  My Facebook page has been neglected as well, so please don't feel bad.

So what have I been doing?  Well...I found a job and was working late afternoons/evenings in Potenza, which I passed off to Bryan upon his arrival because in the meantime I'd picked up new freelance work.  I have made upteen trips to the hardware store, the ipermercato, and various home furnishing stores, while also making upteen trips to our bank to straighten out a glitch about transferring our account from Ascoli Piceno to Potenza.  You wouldn't think it would be so hard to transfer an account within the same nation-wide bank chain, but four visits, numerous emails and several phone calls finally got it done. 

And then there's the burocrazia.  Despite many trips to the immigration offices of the questura and the prefettura things were still hazy about how we were supposed to renew our paperwork, the very important documents that allow us to reside here legally.  Finally, with the assistance of a labor organization, we printed the paperwork and mailed it off with all the necessary photocopies that tell them we are upstanding citizens who own property here.

Our local community center asked me to organize and teach a weekly English class, so I spent a lot of time planning and initiating it, which has turned out to be a fantastic thing because I've met so many people in the process and have a great group of eager students. 

And, now that it's finally grape harvest time up here in the high hills, we spent the weekend helping friends with their vendemmia.  We spent hours in the beautiful, pastoral countryside enjoying the chatter of birds (and the chatter of our fellow harvesters), with the click-click of the clippers while tasting grapes, playing in the mud, and getting some good, honest excerise.  For our efforts, we were rewarded with three fabulous, abundant meals that left me wanting to a day of fasting today.

I'm taking notes and have stories to tell; I just need to find time.  Who knew life in a hamlet of 600 people would be so busy?