Do not believe Leslie!!

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At some point today or tomorrow, Leslie is going to publish a blurb about our day yesterday. You may believe everything she says about the futuristic toilette in Castellina in Chianti, about the beauty of Chianti country and the grandeur of the medieval castles we saw, the friendliness and lovely spirit of Radda in Chianti, and the delightful surprise of finding Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament taking place in Castellina in Chianti. However, do not, for one minute, believe her when she says that we went on a walk that was described in Italian as "facile et corte", meaning easy and short. HAH!! The Italian definition of "facile" means "go up and up and up via turns and twists in the road walking through lovely woods with beautiful scents but always go up and up and up." By the standards of a middle-aged Canadian woman who spends her time either lecturing or writing, this is not "facile" by any means!! And going up and up and up and up and up for 75 minutes is not "corte", either.

However, all that being said---and all the grumbling I did yesterday being said as well--my legs do not hurt today, not at all. My right hip hates me but that is about it. The practice we have had on the streets of Roma and Siena has definitely been worthwhile; if that "facile" walk had taken place the first week we arrived, Les would have been shipping my body home! Either I would have fallen over half way up the hills or she would have tossed me off the side of the hill for complaining as much as I did! I---make that we--decided that she is a saint for tolerating my grumbling and saying only one thing in response: "I told you so!" Andrea will be echoing those words, I am sure.

Chicks, I think we would have been cheering Gina up the road and asking her to bring us some local vino when she came back down. Either that, or we would all still be walking!

Andrea and BJ, I hope the step machine is up when I get home; if I am to return to Italia in the future, I had best keep up with the climbing routine every day until then! Oy!

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Today I stumbled across a Catholic bookstore and found a little book about St. Catherine that was written by one of the nuns at the Sanctuaria di Santa Caterina where we are staying. I am going to stumble my way through it, finding her and asking her for help in translating what I do not understand. So far, though, the nuns we have met speak only Italian and sign language. I am good at the latter and poor at the former but we manage. One of the older nuns does beautiful embroidery work which we have admired. Funny, isn't it, that when we stop looking at the outside of someone and look at their creative side, we see a softer and more beautiful person. Her stern face completely relaxes when she sees us coming now. I may take my knitting downstairs to show her, too, so we can connect a bit more. She has a sweet heart!

We are now on the downslope of our time in Siena, leaving on Saturday for Florence. We are already sad about leaving but are celebrating being here more than mourning the loss of being here. Siena is already calling me to return and, God willing and Santa Caterina interceding therefor, I will do so.

Ciao for now from the grumbling climbing Nonna,

Margo

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