It's Never A Dull Moment In Guardia Sanframondi

The best thing about living in Guardia Sanframondi is I really tune in and follow my intuition, you never know where it will lead me.  This morning, I woke up with a hunch to take a walk and see what the morning had in store for me.  I really enjoy this time of day when it's still fresh out and the heat of the sun is still a couple hours away.   I'm discovering my rhythm to connect to my soul's desires and feel my body move.  I really enjoy my morning walks.  I feel rested and fulfilled and I see things with fresh eyes this morning.  Also, I finished a tax return last night, so feeling a lot less stressed!

I pause to take a photo of the cobblestone street a little ways down from my home in the historical center.  I can smell the flowers and clean laundry hanging from the balconies. Yesterday was Corpus Domini, there were beautiful chalk drawings left on the ground but the flowers had mostly blown away with the scent of incense from the procession.

 I notice people are sprucing up their homes and gardens are in full bloom.  It's the beginning of summer and the town seems more cared for, more loved.   Everyong is very cheerful this morning, greeting me, as usual, "Buongiorno, come stai?"  asking for directions and me struggling to explain, afraid to lead them on the wrong path.   But there really aren't any wrong paths, just different ways of getting to the same place, or somewhere else all together.

In the piazza, there is a truck selling flowers and one selling fruit.  I stop to inhale the sweet fragrance of peaches and garlic, normally not at the same time, but...when in Guardia....   I decide to buy some flowers for my balcony and join the beautification of the town.  I choose pink geraniums.  I want 2 plants.   The vendor wants to sell me the whole lot for 14 euros, a savings of 1 euro.  "But I don' t want all of them, just 2 please."   He offered to take them to my home for me.  "But what will I do with them all?"   I pick out 2 nice ones and pay him the 5€ and start to walk home.

Another neighbor stops me.  She has a home to sell and hopes I might know some Americans who would be interested.  It's so well located next to everything but she prefers to live in her house down in the historical center because her daughter has the place upstairs and she likes to be near her.  But her daughter lives in Lake Cuomo and she only comes to Guardia for about a month every summer.  "So why not live there when your daughter is here and during the rest of the year live here where you are close to shops?" I ask.  "Because then I have to pay taxes on 2 places." she explains.   "But you have to pay taxes anyway!"   I tell her I will come back later and take some more photos to post on the blog.

I continue home and come upon another woman I know sitting at the bus station, she's just sitting there, as usual, she's not waiting for the bus.  She sees my flowers and gestures toward the dead plant in a terra cotta planter that someone left at the side of the road, offering me to take it home and nurse it back to life.   Then I hear  "NOOOOO, Alecia" from the guy who usually sits at the next bench.  "Che dici?!" I ask , what are you saying?!   "My friend is taking that plant, you can't take it."  "Ok Ok, Don't worry, I won't take it."  I don't adopt dying plants anyway. 

 I return home to place my flowers in their box and pick up some documents I need to take to the post office.  But first, a cappuccino and a pause to write....