A Cottage by the Sea
  • Home
  • On My Mind
  • Quotes
  • New Beginnings
  • Secrets of an Old Woman
  • A Solitary Traveler
  • Compassionate Reading
  • About me
  • About me and my blog
  • Comfort food
  • Books
  • Suggested reading
  • Poems

Simple solution to a lost car key

4/27/2018

22 Comments

 
Picture
     Here is the most simple solution to a lost car key problem these days. You don’t just go to Home Depot where they make you a new one for $3 plus. No, yesterday I sat in the spacious lobby/waiting room of my local Toyota dealer waiting for a new key to be programmed for my car, to the tune of $300 plus. The lost key is in my house, somewhere between the garage and kitchen. Or, maybe it’s at the dump.
    I’d been using the spare for the last couple of months, which fine as long as I don’t lose it. Then I am in deep expensive trouble. After having the car towed in (remember, spare key lost) they would have to reprogram from inside (remember, spare key lost), to the tune of $800 plus.
    The cost yesterday included labor, $100 plus per hour, and the key, $100 plus. Obviously this is not a Home Depot key. I get that people have to live, but, when I bought the car I had no choice about this key feature that is all about protecting my car from being stolen. My attitude may be an age thing.
     On the other hand, we drove our last Toyota for fourteen years before delegating it to local trips to the town dump. I certainly don’t want this one stolen. No chance: I feel expensively protected.

22 Comments

Free at home and in Florence

4/21/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
     After being away I somehow feel obliged to give a little welcome home report. A wonderful trip as usual, and as usual I’m glad to be back. I can’t take a credit for bringing the Italian spring with me, but just maybe I did. Today is the first day over 6O degrees; the forsythia is out. The red hot Red Sox will return home soon from an extraordinary road trip; the Bruins and Celtics lead in their playoffs series; runners crossed the marathon finish line in spite of the rain. Boston is Strong.
     My trip, however, had a different feel to it. Although I have no regrets spending time in Rome, Assisi, and Cortona, I missed my usual two weeks in Florence. Nor do I have any complaints about the monastery where I stayed. However, its location was not quite as central as I like, and I missed the ambiance of an apartment where I could prepare a salad and get into the rhythm of living in the city.
     On the other hand, if it weren’t for my shortened stay, I might never have decided to take advantage the free historical and cultural offerings of Florence. The only entry fee I paid was four euros to see the frescos painted by Fra Angelico’s in the monks’ cells at the Convent of San Marco. I could have spent another five days being Free in Florence.

A few for free in Florence

0 Comments

What is enough?

4/17/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
     What is enough? A friend told me that every January 1st she chooses a word or phrase to live with for the year. Here in Florence I’ve been thinking about ‘enough’ as my word to embrace. How many cappuccini, views of the Duomo, walks along the Arno, or visits to San Miniato del Monte are enough? Can I be satisfied with these moments and give up planning my next trip? Can I be in the present, right NOW, and know that it is enough? Is it possible that whatever I have right NOW is enough?
    I started writing this in the cemetery surrounding San Miniato. Thousands of mausoleums, statues, and grave stones are there for those living now to remember, although memories are never static, and often not enough. And then, there is a mysterious NOW of the dead person.
    Every morning I give a euro to a man standing outside the café where I come to write. Today I notice that he came in and bought a coffee. Was it enough? I don’t know other than to believe that for him, as with any morning coffee lover, one coffee is better than none.
    What is enough? There is no definitive answer to my question, but in asking it, I become more present to this moment, and that feels like enough. Regardless, enough is enough of a word to live with for the rest of the year.

0 Comments

Orti Pinti, a Community Garden

4/16/2018

2 Comments

 
Picture
Picture

Here is a treat for you garden lovers, especially those intrigued with organic gardening. It was just the place to enjoy a sandwich among the trolls and plants on this gorgeous day.
2 Comments

Searching for Solitude in Florence

4/15/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
    This cottage-by-the-sea blog is about “silence, solitude and simplicity, and for people who sometimes like to be alone.” I chat about what’s On My Mind and when I’m traveling, well, travel is on my mind. Sometimes I post on, Solitary Traveler, which usually features lengthier travel articles. Although the two topics are somewhat interchangeable, I try to keep them separate: On My Mind, for general comments, Solitary Traveler, for travel. Sounds simple and obvious, but it ends up pretty random where I post.
     Today, what’s on my mind is solitude and as a solitary traveler that’s what I’m always searching for. This trip I’m finding the crowds more exhausting than usual. I don’t need to be completely alone, but being in a pack crossing the Ponte Vecchio does me in. Morning and evening will be my times along the Arno.
    Yesterday afternoon I enjoyed a sandwich in the garden of the Casa per Ferie Suore Oblate dell’Assunzione, the peaceful convent where I’m staying. I was completely alone. Blissful. Then I walked to Piazzale M.D. Azeglio to be alone in the presence of walkers and bicyclists, dog owners and friends playing soccer, and with the noises that accompany them. I don’t have to be alone in the garden to feel solitude; I just need space.

Picture
        This morning I was back at the Café Red in the Felletrini bookstore on the Piazza della Republica. For years I’ve been coming here mid-mornings to write and fuel up on a cappuccino and brioche. Nothing much has changed. Folks are writing, reading, chatting with friends, and attending study groups.

Picture
     Outside the old men continue to take over the tables for their morning socializing. I recognized a few of them from years past. All this makes me another one of the anonymous individuals that feels at home here.

0 Comments

Morning walk in Florence

4/13/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
     Ah, the early morning in Florence, especially on a sunny day. Life is vibrant. Vendors are replenishing tourist supplies of water, wine and gelati; artist are setting up stalls to sell their paintings; street repairs continue.
     I took one of my favorite routes through the Piazza della Signoria, along the Arno, over the Ponte Vecchio, pass the Plazzo Pitti to my go-to early morning writing bar. A perfect way to start my day.
When I leave here I have no idea where I’ll wander. That is one of the benefits of solitary travel.

0 Comments

First Florence walk

4/13/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
     Florence is crowded. I knew it would be, but being on the streets with everyone doesn’t come close to reality. I don’t mind the crowds.. I want to be here, and so do others.   
     tTomorrow I’ll get out at 7Pm and walk the streets while many are sleeping. But for today, there is a slide show of my first wander about my favorite city. Hmm, I did do a very good job photographing the crowds.

0 Comments

Rain in Cortona

4/12/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
This morning I took an hour’s train ride from Assisi to Cortona, one of the most beautiful hill towns in Italy. By early afternoon I was off to visit Sanctuary of St. Margherita at the summit of the town. The climb was a physical reminder that a hill town is just that, a town on a hill, and steep one to be sure. The weather was cloudy but I had no need of an umbrella. I entered the church.

Picture
     When I stepped out of the church forty-five minutes later, low and behold, I needed an umbrella. It was pouring and my only protection was my windbreaker. What to do? I stood there. Two youngish monks came out and got into a car that came by to pick them up. I thought, “Wouldn’t it be nice if they offered me a ride down the hill?”But off they went and there I stood. Figuring that I might as well start on down.
     But wait, out came an oldish monk. We agreed that the rain wouldn’t let up anytime soon. Then he asked if I had an umbrella. “Wait here, I will get one for you,” and off he went, to return a few minutes later with a sturdy, silver one. No problema that I can’t return it.
      I thanked him, and I stepped out. As I headed down the hill (remember steep). I wondered how often he has the opportunity to do a random act of kindness. Happy to oblige. Tomorrow I will leave the umbrella at the hotel for some pilgrim who needs it with the next rainfall.

0 Comments

Basilica of St. Francis--'no photo'

4/11/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
     So much to do, so little time, even while embracing silence, solitude, and simplicity here in Assisi. We pilgrims, tourists, nuns, and monks pass each other by, and honor the peace that this Umbrian hill town begs us to embrace.
     Energy is hard to describe or explain, but when it is intense, be it positive or negative, we can say, “Yes, I feel it.” So true in Assisi. The spirit of THE GOOD is palpable.
    It starts right at the Basilica of San Francis. No photography allowed: not in the upper church with Giotto’s frescoes of the life of St. Francis’s, nor in the lower church with the works of Pietro Lorenzetti, Simone Martini, Cimabue and Giotto, nor in the crypt where people sit and pray in front of Saint Francis’s tomb.
     We become pilgrims as we cross the threshold, and although I have no pictures to post, I am very grateful for the gift of peace that the sign ‘no photo’ offers me.
     Instead, please enjoy with me some views of the basilica from my guesthouse window

0 Comments

Vatican Museum: Day Two

4/7/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
I spent the morning at the Vatican Museum. I had reserved a ticket and audio guide on line while still in the states. A must. Bus 492 from Argentina left me at Bastioni di Michelangelo, and from there I followed the crowds and signs to the entry. Once inside,modern organization, efficiency, and technology took over and I started walking, and walking, and walking.
My specific destinations: the Pinacoteca (gallery of medieval and renaissance paintings), the Borgia apartments, and the Sistine Chapel (no photography). Along the way there was so much more to take in, including a generous display of contemporary art. This museum is not stuck in the past.
Please take a little walk with me. I confess that I did more looking than picture taking.

0 Comments
<<Previous
    Contact me: [email protected]

    Categories

    All
    3rs
    3Ss
    3S's
    Aging
    Andre Dubus Iii
    Ann Patchett
    Anticipation
    Art
    Assisi
    Barbara Kingsolver
    Being Alone
    Beyond Words
    Boo
    Books
    Cantice Of The Sun
    Celebrations
    Choices
    Christmas
    Churches
    Community
    Cor
    Cottage By The Sea
    Cottage Day
    Courage
    Curiosity
    Dad
    Dalai Lama
    Death And Dying
    Depression
    Desiderata
    Dietrich Bonhoeffer
    Donald Hall
    Dostoyevsky
    Dr Alex Tang
    Edinburgh
    Eleanor Lerman
    Elizabeth Strout
    Emily Dickinson
    Environment
    Esther De Waal
    Faith
    Field Trip
    Florence
    Fo
    Follow Your Bliss
    Food
    Friendship
    Frugal
    Gifts
    Giving And Receiving
    Gratitude
    Health
    Heart
    Hermits
    Hope
    Humility
    Impermanence
    Independent And Close
    Inspire & Affirm & Encourage
    Introvert
    Iona
    Ireland
    Italy
    James Hollis
    Jane Austen
    Jan Sutch Pickard
    Joan Chittister
    John Dear
    John Masefield
    Joseph Campbell
    Judgments
    Katherine Paterson
    Knitting
    Li
    Lonely
    Longing
    Love
    Luke Russert
    Marsha Sinetar
    Mary Oliver
    Max Ehrmann
    Meaning
    Memories
    Mom
    Moving
    Museums
    My Day
    Nature
    Nina Sankovitch
    Now
    Oliver Herford
    Pamela Dalton
    Pandemic
    Paris
    Passion
    Paulo Coelho
    Peace
    Philip Koch
    Place
    Play
    Prayer
    Present Moment
    Quiet
    Rachel Carlson
    Radical Compassion
    Read
    Reading
    Resolutions
    Restlessness
    Retirement
    Retreat
    Richard Rohr
    Rilkie
    Rita Golden Gelman
    Robert Kull
    Rome
    Routines
    Rumi
    Sankovitch
    Scotland
    Seen In A Draper's Shop
    Service
    Silence
    Sim
    Simplicity
    Skye
    Sol
    Soli
    Solitude
    Soul Work
    Space
    St Catherine Of Siena
    St. Francis
    Stress
    Susan Gain
    Tenzin Palmo
    Thanksgiving
    The Uncommon Reader
    Thomas Keating
    Thomas Merton
    Three Sieves
    Time
    Travel
    Tru
    Viktor E. Frankl
    Walking
    Wonder
    Writi
    Writing

    Archives

    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010

Proudly powered by Weebly