IT'S FRIGGIN' COLD...

As I lie under the down comforter, on top of the mattress warmer, on flannel sheets, in my heavy-duty flannel nightgown, with slippers and socks at the ready by the side of the bed (cuz the marble floor is too damn cold to walk barefoot on)....I wonder, what the heck were we thinking?  More, with all the planning and researching and organizing that went into the heating system, WHAT THE HELL WERE WE THINKING????

Soooo, Nicola, the specially-trained pellet stove technician, after 3 hours, pulled his head out of the fireplace from behind the BRAND NEW pellet stove, shook his head, shrugged his shoulders, tssked and said, "E' rotto; non funzione.  Devo ordinare un nuovo pezzo."  Of course, the new piece he has to order is the MOTHER BOARD of the heating system, the computer that controls EVERYTHING, like the heat.  It'll only be a week and then, he said, "speriamo e' va bene."  WE HOPE IT WILL BE OKAY??????

Cousin Clara, when she heard the story, tsssked, drew her mouth down, shook her head, did the queen wave with her hand and said, "E' cosi in italia...una settemana, un mese, un anno...piano, piano, eventualment c'e riscalda.  C'e vuole pazienza."  It's just this way in Italy, a week, a month, a YEAR...slowly, slowly, eventually it'll heat.  It needs PATIENCE????? 

I told her I'd need to speak with her weekly to remind me of the guiding philosophy of this country....to breath deeply, to stop and smell...the snow, to taste the food, and live each moment.  That's why we're here, these people relish each other and the richness of life.  IF ONLY I COULD GET WARM, I'd breath more deeply.

Actually, we do have space heaters and they make one corner of the living room toasty, the bathroom bearable, and the bedroom not-so-bad.  We are perfecting the art of layering...and look damn good while doing it!

Fingers crossed for the "nuovo pezzo."