Snakes In The Grass….No, I Mean Literally There Are Snakes In The Grass

The other day, Pam happened to mention that, during the warmer months here, the place is crawling with Vipers. Yes, you heard correctly, I did say ‘Vipers’. Apparently, after it starts to warm up, go nowhere near any amount of tall grass, otherwise you are in for a nasty surprise. If a Viper bites you, you have about one hour to get somewhere for some anti-venom before you die. I was floored when she told me this. We, the girls, Pam and I, were in the car and I am telling you my mouth dropped open. Then something else occurred to me, ‘Do they ever come in your house’ I asked, ‘Oh no,’ said Pam ‘hardly ever’. I would have been more comfortable if she would have just said never. Good thing this place is not that big, at least I should notice a new guest fairly immediately.
In other news, I will not be taking piano lessons. Apparently, the lady who gives them only does them in the afternoons on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Pam has decided she cannot have me gone during that time. It is the girls short day, and she likes for me to be there from the time they get home, until it is time for me to leave after dinner, so she can work. I am really sad about this. She has even taken the piano out of the house and has put it in storage right below me in the office. I mean, here is a nice little keyboard, something I could and would get use out of and WANT to learn how to play, and instead it is just collecting dust. Sad. Well, maybe when I come home for the summer, I will try to take piano lessons somewhere in the evenings for a few weeks to get me started. Then if I have a basic concept of how to practice, I can ask Pam if I can use the piano. She asked me the other night if I was happy with everything. I mean, what do you say to a question like that? Of course, I am grateful to be here, and compared to the last place I lived, this place is a palace. Besides the cold there is really not a whole lot for me to complain about. However, I do think, if I ever decided to come and live in Europe again, that I will be coming back as a teacher, with my own apartment. There are downsides to coming over and living alone, but I think they are worth not having to live under someone else’s whims.
Also, I think learning French will probably be out for me as well. Sam had talked about how he was going to hire his French friend, who lives in Tuscany, to come during the summer and teach the girls French, and how I could join the group if I wanted. However, 1, I am going home for two months during the summer, and 2, I would be surprised if Pam decided she could spare me for that. Okay, now I am sounding bitter.
I am blessed with work. I am blessed with work. I am blessed with work.
This has been my motto, and most of the time I am good about remembering it. Even though I have ended up doing a lot more for Pam than I had originally anticipated, and I am glad to be busy. If I did not keep myself busy I would go crazy here. I would start missing home, and nothing would seem right. Work keeps my head on straight. Do you remember when I said my goal was to be so helpful to Pam that she did not know how she could live without me? Well, mission accomplished. Yesterday, we had sat down to make a plan for the days I thought free for me to travel, and when we thought I could enrolled in Italian school in Siena. I had made a calendar through excel and highlighted all the days I thought would be free for travel in light blue. When I showed the calendar to Pam she said “So, are you planning on traveling all this time?” her face was twisted with concern and panic. “No,” I said “they are just potential travel days.” “Oh my gosh,” she said, taking a deep breath and exhaling “I thought you were going to be gone all that time, and I started thinking ‘Oh, no!’”
I guess no one ever has helped her the way I have, because when I interviewed with her she told me she wanted me to travel, on a regular basis I gathered, and she seemed almost upset with her last nanny for not getting out of the apartment more. But, now that she has someone doing the laundry, cooking almost every meal, and cleaning up after each one, plus someone who is keeping the place clean, and straightens the place every few hours, well , I guess it is hard to let someone like that go.
Still I am going to try to accomplish my goals in the process. Like, learning French. Maybe I will try to find an English bookstore and pick up a book on the French language, and download free French lessons podcasts from Itunes. Where there is a will, there is a way.
Getting this place clean was another story entirely. Yesterday, my day off, but I still had to go over and meet with Pam about our scheduling for the months to come, I decided it was time to clean up the apartment a little. Well, I all I have here is a swiffer. I went through four swiffer towels. Two just to get up the preliminary dirt, then I took a washcloth (Pam was in the shower, when I was over for lunch so I could not get the mop from her) and soaked it in warm water (no chemicals in the place except some form of windex) and swept over the floor twice. I will probably have to throw that cloth away before I leave here. I had also brought some clean sheets from Pam and Sam’s place over to switch out my bedding, however, when I laid out the white flat sheet, I saw immediately a rather sizable pee stain, and I felt the sheet, and questioned whether or not it had ever been washed. That got flung off the bed immediately, and I just put the old sheet back on. At least the fitted sheet and pillowcases have been changed! After I mopped and let the floor dry, I went back over the floor with another swiffer and then swept off the stairs leading up to the room. It is cleaner now, but I would not say clean. I mean hot water and windex do not really clean. I will be on the lookout for Ammonia, the local grocery store has just re-opened today, so I will probably wait until tomorrow, after the rush, and go look for some cleaning products. If they do not have ammonia, mom told me she thought you can clean with hot water and plain vinegar. Hopefully, the store will at least have plain vinegar!
On Wednesday I have planned to go back to Arezzo where I will buy the last of Ashley’s baby clothes. Pam is still planning on going back to the United States and has offered to carry them back for me and mail them from her place in California, which I am very happy about. It is much more secure that way, and I know Ashley will have the clothes by the time she has the baby. Also, I am hoping to take a train over to Castiglion Fiorentino where I am planning on stopping in on Bobo. I am sure he still thinks I am living up on that crazy mountain, and since I will be in the area, it will be nice to just tell him I am ok, and what has happened. Maybe I will even try to go into one of the museums in Arezzo. Really, just make a day out of it. Well, that’s all I have for now!