Glad It's Friday :]

I've got the rare extreme desire to write this evening. Actually I think it has been there all day, but now I have a bit of downtime as I am sitting in my room at 10 after 9. The evening is cool and the crickets are playing their nighttime tune. Today I spent the morning working on my new stone path. The stones have been laid completely and I now will need to go back through and make sure they are all set at an even height (I'm just about a third of the way through).

It was quite hot today, I reckon one of the warmest days since I've arrived in Europe. It was nice. The sun beat down and I had to wear a bit of sunscreen; my arms and nose are a rosy hued pink. I stopped momentarily, as I was nearing the end of the stone laying, to watch as a lone ant attempted to carry the remains of a deceased spider across my stone path. He toiled under the hot sun as I toiled under the hot sun. I watched him for at least 15 minutes. The weight was so much that he was kicking up bits of dirt as he struggled to pull it along the way. Eventually a friend came to help him out and they eventually got to the other side of the path, where the loose dirt proved quite difficult for the duo. A third ant came to help out and they finally reached the top of the slope and carried it off to an undisclosed location; sure to be hailed as heroes in the colony. It's amazing what you will notice if you take the time to notice the small things around you. Later, I watched a solitary ant carting off the body of a full-grown Wasp.

Spike (the 9 year old song of my hosts) had his birthday party today and 7 kids in all from the nearby village of Preggio descended upon Sagraia and had a lovely (albeit hot) afternoon playing games and eating delicious food. Afterwards, spent from the effort of managing 7 overexcited children, Rosemary, Patrick and I took wine and chatted on the back terrace. This has come to be one of my favorite times of the day: when work is over and you can finally take the time to really enjoy the surroundings. As summer nears the evenings become prolonged and sometimes I wish I could live here in this time of the day for longer than reality allows. I like to stand on the end of the promonotory and gaze out onto the valley. The colors are all tinged gold and the little houses (quite a variation in size) look so lovely contrasting with the rising and falling of the sprawling vibrant green hills. I spotted a modest home down the way with a small vineyard and three or so small trees near the home. I try and imagine what it would be like to sit down there and have a drink. I noticed also the Pheasants making their calls, and all throughout the valley (If you listen close) you can hear them shouting to one another continuously.

It was defintely a slow paced day; one I enjoyed very much. We should all take the time to look at and enjoy the small things happening around us. The world is most certainly alive and most people never realize the amazing things happening right beneath their feet. Tomorrow is a non-work day. Most likely I'll be off somewhere sightseeing as a tourist, enjoying Italy...until next time...I hope you're all well...


Zach

"The View From the Promonotory"