​Weathering the Storm with the WP#222

Returned home from London last Wednesday night late and there it was, the WP’s WP in our living/dining room/office and as the picture of last week showed, it took up a lot of space. Fast forward a few days and a chance to dig in, re-organize, put some things away and others, yes, others, being tossed, as I did not have time, a year ago, to go through everything in those last remaining items, in my then storage unit in New England, so just put in a box or two, and off it went, first to be held in storage, finally shipped across the sea, to our little abode here in Rome. In a way, I have mixed feelings and perhaps some minor regrets, but those came and went. The stuff I kept is here and I am little by little going through things, and yes, it is possible, some more may go away, and some, in our storge room in the basement, although, how much is to be seen, given that I do not know how much Rosa has in there and her organizational skills, God bless her. They are not that good.

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In the end, all that is left will have its place, the walls filled with puffins, at least some will be, as only certain walls will she allow them to be. She even commented already on my taxidermy stuffed puffin that I purchased decades ago in Iceland and there is another one from the Faroes. Her comment, why do we need a mummified puffin. I told her it was the most unique of all the puffins I have in the form of artwork, Knick knacks and so forth, and no, I did not kill it and it was not endangered. It died, so I have been told naturally, and they are protected. In any case, opening each box, so packed a year ago and beyond, including artwork, wrapped in the paper it was protected by, once framed, and not knowing what I will find in each box, or container, so it is a bit of a treasure hunt, as someone remarked about last week’s post. ​

My weekend was spent, working on this to get it to a manageable point, work on travel projects and yes, I did teach on Thursday, the day after I returned from London and the other usual suspects of my weekend schedule, like going to market for my fresh veggies and fruits, and cooked a couple of meals, one with chicken and one with pork for us, as the weekends are the really busy time for Rosa and the mid-week is my busy time with the classes I teach. In a few weeks’ time, the teaching schedule will lessen as the number of students lessens for the summer, which is fine with me as there is so much to do around here and also to find time for Rosa and me to do things together, a date night here, a weekend away there. ​

It was just yesterday that I was commenting and actually several other teachers said how tired they were, and I agreed. It had been a long time since I had taught with such regularity, added to the travel planning and the daily requirements of life. I started at Wall Street in September or October and it is June, so a whole school year had gone by and I teach between 15 – 20 hours a week, most in the evenings, but one private student in the mornings, twice a week, some in the midafternoons, but mostly the evening, so being tired was a real thing for me, and reminded me when the school years used to end, it was a breath of fresh air. While the school is private, and only closes for Italian holidays and two weeks in August, I feel that I really accomplished something and recalling last August, when I just happened to be detoured and it turned out to be the correct call. ​

I am now fully a part of the school, and it is truly a nice balance between it and the other obligations of life and work. The other constant in this crazy city, sorry Minnesota, and your Minnesota State “Bird”. They exist here in Rome as well. In fact, when the temperature is 60 F (15.5 degrees C) or higher, they are alive and kicking. During the day, not so much, but a night. Well, that is a different story all together. Did you know that Rome actually is considered a tropical weather area. It is, of course, on three sides surrounded on three sides by water. Yes, there are the straits between the mainland and Sicily and the mainland and Sardinia and certainly many other islands, but the main bodies of water are the Adriatic, the Tyrrhenian and, of course, the Mediterranean Sea. It is a place where birds like African parrots come to live, not just in the summer, but all year long and the other usual suspects like seagulls, crows and pigeons and sparrows. ​

And yes, the world-famous bird, the zanzara (mosquito). They are small and small in numbers, and they are annoying, especially at night when the temperatures hover around 62 F or 16 C, and covering up, does not do anything really. A fly trap for the mosca (flies) does nothing and neither does the swatter. The come in small numbers and we have thought about getting a Venus Flytrap or other plants to add to our collection that would enjoy a delicious meal of zanzara and we would truly love not hearing the buzzing of the “birds” and only the birds outside, tweeting, chirping and so forth. It is, necessary to keep the windows open to enjoy the fresh evening air, but that is the reason we experience those other “birds” of prey, and we are the prey. Any suggestions for us? ​

We have tried the plugins, but not really useful or is another type of attractive zapper the trick. Maybe Citronella. And, if it were only for a few short months like in Minnesota before the” winter” arrives, but as I mentioned, Rome is tropical and not temperate, or sub-tropical, so these “birds” of prey, in small and annoying numbers arrive in the spring or maybe they never leave, and will be here through the fall as long as those night time temperature do not dip below 60 degrees F (15.5 degrees C), give or take. Let us know. I look forward to using the A/C in July and August and then the windows will be closed, but that is a totally different subject and Rosa hates air conditioning. When it hovers between 95 – 100 F (40 to 45 C), it will be on. It has only been in the high 80’s 😊 (27 – 30 C), so no go with her. And truthfully, when I am at my desk during the day working or writing, and I have the ceiling fan on, or do the Italian thing after lunch, and take a nap 😊, the ceiling fan in the bedroom is on, so that feels nice. In 11 days, I return to the London climate for 4 days, so a reprieve and then we will see upon my return, the temperatures, and the birds. ​

Oh, and some have asked about the vehicle. It is in Italy, but it stored until it can speak Italian sufficiently to get the powers that be to release it on the road. Not sure how long, but anything here is slow and slower, and the summer approaching does not bode well. Maybe by October, I will be able to drive it, if I choose, before more obstacles are put up. There are already financial obstacles which will have to be arranged, least of which is the 50 Euro per month storage, but there is the cost of the glass replacement, the signal replacement, the license plate and who knows what else. If I had known……. So much for 20/20 hindsight. Decisions would have been much different, but we push forward, and everything will eventually fall into place. ​

Time to get back to it for my clients and prepare for teaching this afternoon and evening. As always, thank you, we so appreciate your support of our crazy little world, welcome you to this side of the pond for a visit, if and when you wish to be here, and, of course, remain healthy, safe, and happy, most importantly, in this craziness in which we find ourselves. There will always be bumps in the road and it is how you handle them. Focus on the things you can control and let go of the things that you can’t. Life is too short to stress and while we all can’t be happy, all the time, find something that truly does make you happy and make that a focus. Your outlook will change as you stay on that path.