The Streets of Cortona

Thanks to all of you who welcomed me back from Italy.  I still am catching up at home on the farm and so haven't been able to spend much time on the computer.  It rained for most of the time I was away and it's still raining almost every day so my perennial beds are in need of care.  I have been outside every time the sun shines trying to catch up with weeding the garden and picking the rhubarb.  But I do want to share some of my pictures with you today...

 

When you stay in a little place like the hill town of Cortona, you eventually know where to walk and how to walk but at first it was very challenging for me.  My daughter had booked a little apartment for us to stay in for two weeks but was surprised it was not located just part way down the hill where she had stayed with friends 5 years ago.

We enjoyed our little apartment at the base of Via Guelfa.  Piazza  della Repubblica, which leads onto Via Nazionale, the only level street in Cortona,  was located 390 walking steps up the hill. 


Needless to say, my first walks uphill were interrupted with several separate "moments" to catch my breath and surprisingly the walk down hill seemed even harder.

We met the travel agent, a friend of my daughter's, who said, "Watch the old people. They zig-zag like they're skiing as they walk downhill."   I can honestly say that on our second last day I actually made it up to the piazza without stopping once and I really felt proud of that accomplishment.

Because I've always loved photography and because I finally had a digital camera to take to Europe, I have zillions of photos.  I've decided to do a theme each weekend so today I'll show you some of the picturesque streets of Cortona.  Next week I'll show you the Piazzas.  Hope you enjoy this walk!

Home from Italy

Five and a half weeks ago I set out to meet my daughter in Rome.  For years we'd been planning a trip to Italy together but life and circumstances collided and finally this June we were able to make our mother/daughter trip happen.
We had a wonderful time together and because we stayed for 2 weeks in Cortona and then another 2 weeks house sitting for a good friend, we experienced the best of both worlds...a small hill town in Tuscany and the bustling big city of Rome.

Click to enlarge collage...

I have so many tales to tell and pictures to share but I haven't even had time to look through my photos so will just share a few with you this week.  Hope you're havng a wonderful summer!
Think about stopping by Mary's Little Red House to see how others are enjoying the lazy days of summer...

My Week

The most fun I had this week was at the annual Library garage sale.  It's a social event really, where friends and acquaintances compare bargains and exclaim "I wish I'd seen that first!" I was sad to see a stack of the first set of dishes I ever bought sitting there unwanted and I almost bought them back, but it made me feel good to see a little old woman taking home a tabecloth I'd made.  I always look forward to donating and to shopping.  This year I found some great things that caught my eye and I managed to snag them all for a total of $25.  A new sweater, sunhat, lined winter gloves and pashmina all caught my eye as did a stash of quilting fabric.  A good friend had given me a favorite Renoir print from her donation pile the day before the sale.  Yesterday I bought an old framed print and re-framed the Renoir print that will bring a smile to my face each time I see it.

 

Spring arrives in it's own particular way in Northern Alberta.  Some of the unwelcome highlights are dandelions, mosquitoes, bear sightings and smoke in the air from the wildfires.  On the welcome side the thin sprigs of the first spring grass are poking through the winter killed grass, the lilacs are almost blooming,  there are mallards in the pond across the road and we can open the windows now at night.  The farmer is seeding barley and I've helped move vehicles from one field to the other and I keep in touch by radio.  I make breakfast and a late dinner at home but I take lunch to the field most afternoons.  He's so easy to please!  Today he opened up the tin foil in the lunch box and said "Hot dogs - my favorite!"  The potato salad, fresh ginger cookies, and iced tea topped it off and he was a happy farmer.  Seeding should be finished by Friday.  I've planted most of the vegetable garden and will finish up the potatoes and corn tomorrow.



Next week I will be trying to fill the freezer with baking and casseroles, cleaning, packing and crossing off my final list... then I'm off to Italy.  I really appreciate all the comments about my upcoming trip you made recently.  Grazie mille! I apologize for not having the time to visit your blogs lately but hopefully I'll get the chance one of these early mornings just as the sun is rising.
Keep smiling and I'll see you sometime this summer.
Please think about stopping by Mary's Little Red House for Mosaic Mondays.
Sunshine Always - Sheila

Spring Greens

The greens of spring on our farm are as welcome as the sunshine. It's wonderful to see green as far as the eye can see and before too long the lilacs will be in full bloom. The greens that please me the most are the perennial greens that are pushing through the soil every day.  Within weeks they will be blooming and brightening up our yard.

How quickly time passes when life and circumstances catch up with you.  In the past week we enjoyed having our daughter home for a few days.
Together we baked dozens of cupcakes and cookies to donate to the local evacuation center for some of the victims of Alberta's worst wildfire. We were told that the kitchen couldn't accept donations due to health regulations - understandable for sure, so we offered our baking to people who were outside the building.   As volunteers, we were assigned to sorting children's clothing.  People opened their homes to evacuees, local businesses donated many items,  and trucks rolled in with donations of clothing and food from all over Alberta.

It was heartbreaking to see the long rows of cots lined up with a few belongings piled on top.  Over 1000 people who took refuge in our multiplex are being given 3 meals a day by the wonderful dedicated kitchen volunteers and our community really pulled together to help those who were temporarily or permanently homeless. The hardest thing was that the 7,000 residents of Slave Lake didn't know if their homes were still standing for almost a week.  In the end over 370 homes, the new town hall, library and many businesses were lost in Slave Lake.

Thankfully, the government has agreed to provide housing til the end of the summer for those in need.  Hopefully the resilience of the human spirit will help to overcome the huge losses and mental anguish of having homes, jobs and memories wiped out all at once.  It will be a tough road ahead and my prayers are with the people of Slave Lake.