Stormy Skies

Stormy skies do make a lovely background, don't they? Every cloud has a silver lining.
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Rain, Rain, Go Away!

My beautiful strawberries are starting to mildew. There has not been enough sun and heat for the vegetable garden nor for my pots of flowers that are starting to get root rot. The unusually cold winter managed to kill several plants that have been with me for years. Now this rain and more rain. What's next, locust? I don't mean to complain, forgive me. I have so many blessings in my life. But it's starting to get to me. The sun came out briefly yesterday. As soon as I saw it I ran upstairs to change and go out for a walk. Minutes later as I raced downstairs and out the door, the sun was already gone again. I could not, would not, did not let this detour me. When I reached the top of the hill the skies opened up and it dumped rain on me for 10 minutes as I clung to a large oak tree hoping not to float away. I'm beginning to prune.
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Pitter-Pat Ka-pow

The other day I thought I heard a cat scratching furniture upstairs so I crept stealth-like up the stairs to catch one of them in the act. As I reached the top of the stairs I realized the sound was coming from the roof. Tiny little feet running back and forth across the tiles. This all seemed very harmless to me and somewhat amusing until I tried to light a fire in the wood-burning stove a few days later and the living room filled with smoke. It seems that something (the cats are off the hook here) had built a nest in the chimney. Now it's too rainy to have anyone go up on the roof and clear out the chimney so I sit in the cold and envision being the owner of a BB gun.
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Music Video Flashback

Four Tops, Reach Out.  Makes me want to get up and move!

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How Lucky!

I have a clover plant growing next to my back steps with several four leaf clovers on it!!! That's right, I used the plural "clovers". I counted at least three. Maybe i should start playing the lotto.
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Two More Reasons

There are many reasons I love Italy. Here are two of my favorites, prosciutto and salame! On the left is an etto of hand-carved prosciutto for which I paid 1.47 euro and on the right is an etto of aged salame seasoned with fennel that cost me 1.05 euro. I don't wish to sound like a snob BUT... the quality of the meat here in Umbria is amazingly good AND inexpensive. Praise the pig and pass the vino! Vegetarians, please forgive me.

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So It Begins

Very soon there will be entire fields filled with seas of red poppies!
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