Florence chose as her patron saint Gemma Galgani, an Italian woman who died early in the 1900s. One of her visions before she died was that a shrine would be built just outside the walls of Lucca ... of course, that vision came to pass (!) and her body is entombed in said shrine.
There was no way we could be so close and not go visit Gemma!
The day we left Lucca, we drove via her shrine and spent some time visiting with her and looking at the artifacts that they had displayed in the immaculata shop.
Yesterday, swimming started. Mummy doesn't have a driver's licence right now so I had to take the bus-- which worked out almost just fine. The way down was not a problem (even though the bus driver only knew he was going to Pantalla because another bus driver told him ...). To catch the bus back up to Todi I have to get to the hospital. The guy at the desk would take me to the hospital at eight ten to catch my eight twenty bus if he wasn't too busy. Which meant I had to leave half an hour earlier from practice but half a loaf is better than none! He was too busy. So I called Mummy- she said to look at the schedule for the bus stop right outside of the gym and if the bus didn't stop there then I should call Leo. They hadn't bothered to post when or if the bus would stop there... so I called Leo. He said he'd be there in ten minutes. Five minutes later the bus (with the same driver who had taken me to Pantalla) drove up, pulled over, honked and asked whether I needed a ride back to Todi. HMM. I said that I had called the taxi, but on Wednesday I would be back; now I know the bus will stop there!
Ciao,
Florence
The first week of school was as uneventful as you could wish it to be. I have four new people in my class (which makes us a class of 29 people). Fortunately they are all fairly nice. Three of them used to go to the "liceo scientifico" in another town but they have transferred over here. I found my classroom without problems (it's the same as the old one). I haven't met all of my teachers yet but I am fairly sure that I will like them all. I have homework already...
ciao,
Florence
This afternoon, Florence and Ashley were both confirmed at the 5:00 Mass. As usual, the Hooks did their best to take over the entire liturgy: apart from 2 candidates (out of 7?), Michael was the proxy confirmation sponsor for BOTH girls, Eleanor & I sang in the choir, and Jeremy and James were the two altar servers. Now, being the only two altar servers at a Mass with a bishop presiding means that they got to deal with incense, croziers, miters, and so on. Very, very exciting.
But enough about the boys! Let's talk about the girls. So what was different about this Mass? To begin with, when the confirmation Mass was held: in September, right? Generally, confirmation Mass is held in the spring. Last year, though, I was asking the priest about timing...he explained that they now do it in the fall because, well, they just ran a little late on preparation a few years ago. They decided that it actually worked quite well to do it in September, given that every other ceremony takes place at the end of the school year, and it's just too hectic. So now? September it is.
Another thing? The tradition is to give a "basket" of food for the poor from each family participating in a sacrament. We had a box. A cardboard box. We looked at this box from the side. From the top. At an angle. And we couldn't decide whether said box should be gift wrapped or taken as-was. Ashley had no interest in dealing with it whatsoever. I was playing Scrabble with the boys, so wasn't overly entice-able. Florence wasn't sure what the right thing to do would be.
Michael the practical arrived at the critical point. "Get out a gift bag. Then you can go either way." Aha! He found a gift bag that looks remarkably like a green brown paper bag...as in, nothing special. By the time it was wrapped around the box -- I have to confess that even loving eyes couldn't see much that was distinguished about it. (When I saw the large, cellophane-adorned, deluxe baskets, well -- yes...ours did look pathetic.)
But enough about the basket! I was going to talk about the girls! They looked beautiful. Eleanor was hissing at me vehemently when I pulled out the camera. "No, Mummy! No photography!" (She knows I'm a stickler about this.) I coolly responded, "I'm not taking photos. I'm taking videos." Ha!
I have a few snippets of poorly lit videos for those who are really committed to seeing the pieces of the Mass that involved the girls. They're worth at least as much as you're paying for them...
The processional (Ashley's wearing salmon, Florence is wearing cream)
Oh... this was nifty... the repetition of the baptismal vows was held by the baptismal font! They all processed over there.
And it continues...
Finally:
And we have two new adult members of the Church! Welcome, Ashley and Florence!
Back home to finish the killer game of Scrabble, and off to La Mangiatoia for dinner!
In know Alexandra gave you a quick recap of our vacation, but i have a few pictures to share, too.
Last Tuesday we drove to San Gimignano from Lucca. This is a popular tourist town near Florence and Sienna. So popular a tourist town that it seemed like the only Italians were running the cafés and selling tickets, but that doesn't take away from the beauty of the place.
Here is Jeremy in the cafe where we had a pick-me-up after our 2 hour drive:
And here he is on the steps to one of the towers of La Rocca (which apparently always refers to a walled fortification of the top of the hill in a town, often now a park inside):
Here is James on top of that bit of the wall, with some of the famous towers of San Gimignano in the background:
Bear in mind, when you look at those towers, that we were on top of a wall build at the top of the highest point in the city, a pretty steep hill. Those are tall towers!
That is the point at which we exclaimed, "There are people up in that tower! We have to go up there!"
So, seven tickets and a bunch of steps later, we did. And we're rewarded with incredible views of the city and countryside:
In America we live in the Southeast, a part of the country well known for creatures--especially insects--around the house. We live with our windows shut, or at least with screens covering every window that is open. If not, in come the mosquitos, gnats, and flies. Termites are kept at bay only with careful construction and regular treatment. Spiders have rich hunting and spin webs in every nook and cranny. Nothing will keep those big Southern cockroaches out. And hanging around outside in the summer? Pass the bug spray.
By a fortunate convergence of climate, location (urban area on top of a hill), and construction, we simply do not have that problem here in Todi. There is not a single screen covering a window of our house, and those windows are open whenever the air is warmer outside than in.
Mosquitos? Maybe a rare bite (but we did have those nasty, nearly invisible sand flies in June). Termites? Don't make me laugh: the climate is dry and wood is used only for interior trim and holding up the roof. Cockroaches? I have yet to see one anywhere in Italy, dead or alive.
That isn't to say we don't have house critters. Occasionally the bats that live in our courtyard will find their way in (and out) through an open window. We have to avoid leaving sugar spills on the counter so we don't get ants. And James did spot this guy on the ceiling:
I'll take a 2-inch gecko over a cockroach any day.
Florence chose as her patron saint Gemma Galgani, an Italian woman who died early in the 1900s. One of her visions before she died was that a shrine would be built just outside the walls of Lucca ... of course, that vision came to pass (!) and her body is entombed in said shrine.
