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Showing posts from May, 2009

It's off....to the vet

By my clock he should be back in about 3 hours, and I hope that for what MotH doled out (130 euros), the "operation" will prove to be the right decision to lessen the aggression in our beloved little dachshund. I think he knew something was up this morning when I said 'no treats for you', and when he and the MotH were driving away, I could hear him crying in the back of the car. Maddie wasn't the least bit bothered by his absence and spent the better part of the morning hunting lizards.

Le Merende Sinoire

Vineria Trattoria - via Piancroesio 64, Paesana (Cuneo) I wish we had these types of eateries in Lombardia. Merenda [singular] means a snack taken mid-morning/mid-afternoon. Add to this the word sinoira [pl. sinoire ] and what you've got is a late-afternoon reason for skipping dinner altogether. In the Po Valley we saw at least 3 of these wine/snackbar establishments with signs out on the roadside, and just like the leafy frasca in Friuli, we couldn't miss out on the region's local flair. Typically, the merenda sinoira begins at around 5pm, but according to the woman who runs Vineria Trattoria, customers can expect to be served meat, cheese and whatever else on the menu any time during opening hours. I like the casual ease of places like this since you don't have to dress up. People come in for an espresso or a glass of wine and a quick chat before heading off their merry way. The dialect of this area was mainly undecipherable by the MotH, but it was enough ...

il Sarvanot

Tales of mischievious, mythical beings exist in nearly every culture, but this is the first I've heard of naughty woodland imps in my 6 years of living here. In Hawaii there is the industrious menehune , and while I can't ever claim having seen them, the story goes that the menehunes built a ditch and a fishpond on the island of Kauai. In Italy, stories of sarvanot in the Occitan valleys portray a creature bent on causing trouble, and while researching trails in Valle Varaita, I came upon info where they were implemented in a particular itinerary. A cultural group in the village of Rore had created an environment depicting these short, unbecoming and hairy creatures in their natural surroundings. See link (italian). We were only able to see one of them. It felt a little bit weird taking the photo because I had to get up pretty close, but I felt as if someone unseen was watching me! Just an overactive imagination because the dogs didn't even turn to sniff. Awww mam...