Friday, October 28, 2011

buon giorno

Hello Friends--I am still in Italy, and have had limited computer access since leaving Yuri and Vera's, but have been taking lots of pictures and notes, and when I return will weave some of them into posts relevent to this blog which I try to keep (at least loosely) connected to the store.

Everywhere I turn I am inspired.
Castelvetro di Modena
I love the rustic simplicity of the medieval towns, and the importance of good food.

I want a Carpathian Wolf Dog. Meet Akeela, Yuri and Vera's dog. Half German Shepherd and half Carpathian timber wolf, and the sweetest, most soulful dog I've ever met. Sorry I didn't get a picture of her outside of the fence. (She has her own lovely, hilly acre where, when unattended, she can see everything that's going on and the neighbor's chickens, which are truly free-range, are safe.) Is it shallow of me to want to use the word Carpathian when referring to my dog? Such images the word conjures up.

I have been taking a lot of picture of walls

and missing the store. Here's a random list I made the other night when thinking of how to improve it:
Seamus Heaney/Robert Frost
the old barn
Americana
old-fashioned newsletter
Dylan Thomas
everything has a story
themes: botanicals, the road not taken,
meander
country childhood
Slow Food


I am in Tuscany now--going to Florence this afternoon and so excited. I was there many years ago, and am hungry to see the Botticellis and Santo Spirito and to wander the small streets. I return home Tuesday and look forward to catching up with you.

Jen




9 comments:

  1. Buon giorno, Jen, yet it is already dusk here.
    You seem taking a very inspiring trip.
    The last photo is a facade of a furniture shop?
    It must inspire you, too!

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  2. I'm meeting a friend tonight who has just returned from 2 weeks in Italy.

    I'll listen to her stories and think of you also.

    xo jane

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  3. Hello Jen:

    We are so happy to think of you having such a wonderful time. Slow Food, how perfectly that describes the type of things that we always love to eat. We are sure that you will delight us with stories of memorable meals eaten in this, for us, gourmet's delight of a country.

    Florence, sigh, we are sure that you will have fallen in love with it all. Such fabulous inspiration for the store....!!

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  4. It does sound like Italy is feeding your soul! Wonderful! Can't wait to hear ALL about it and see your pictures! Ciao!

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  5. Hello Jen,
    It must take a lot of energy and idea, resource to run your own store. You are recharging your batteries inspired by everything you saw, you heard, you tasted there.
    I'm happy for Akeela that she has lots of space to herself to move around in.
    Hope the rest of the days will be fruitful experience as well.

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  6. I'm so jealous, Jen...You are so lucky to be experiencing this Italy trip I bet Tuscany is the best ! That castle looks like something out of a dream story Im doing an owl folk art giveaway on my latest post and that My Memories software...You have some great memories happening here ! take loads of photos , Jen ! Im sure you are...
    - KAT -

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  7. Amazing pictures! And the dog is beautiful, I want one too!

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  8. Yes, it is shallow. A living thing is not meant to be a status symbol used to conjure up pleasant imagery for us. This can be achieved by looking at photos or taking a vacation. Perhaps the wolf hybrid is "soulful" because she's a prisoner locked in a pen. Humans are not equipped to meet her biological needs, and many of these wolf-pet experiments have gone terribly wrong thus requiring the animal to be euthanized. People have no business owning wolves or wolf hybrids, they belong in the wild. Nature gave them everything they need to take care of themselves. There's no substitute.

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  9. I love the wolf dog. It's too bad you can't pet him or her.

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