Dear Louie,
I know that yesterday was Halloween, but I did not see one person in a costume. Halloween is not such a big deal here in Italy, apparently. But I do hear that it is becoming more of a holiday. The man who started the slow food movement, something of which I am learning and very supportive of, said that the one thing America has given to Italy is Halloween and he said this with some disdain. Well, I must admit that I don't really like the holiday much anyway because I think the masks would be pretty scary. Even though there were no trick or treaters here, I had a very busy day following a pretty busy night. The night before we went to visit Maree and Jim's friends, Giuseppe and Graziella. As we were driving down our little road in the dark (you can't imagine how dark it is here with no street lights and very few houses}, these creatures ran out in front of the car. They spread out these very large sharp spike like things which were pretty awesome to look at, but I would not want to get close to them. I think these things are called Porcupines. I never saw one in California, thank goodness. Now at night when I go out in the yard, I keep looking around to see if I see any little eyes shining back at me. Don't worry, if I do, I will run as fast as I can into the house. Anyway, after a short ride through the dark streets, we arrived at Giuseppe and Graziella's house. They have a little dog named Ercole (or Hercules in English). He seemed very nice and I really wanted to play with him, but his family was concerned that he is very jealous and he might bite me, so every time we started to play they yelled at him. He finally just disappeared much to my regret. Maybe next time I go there we can play. He is old though, so I guess I can't play with him like you and I played. Today, I think I spent most of the day in the car going from one place to another. First we drove to a winery to buy some olive oil and something called sfuso which seemed to come from the same machine as when you put gas in the car. It smelled like wine though, and so I guess that is what it was -- after all it was a winery. But what do I know about wineries. Well, I have been to quite a few in California, but this was very different. There weren't crowds and hostesses and waiters trying to help you. As a matter of fact, when we entered, we were basically the only people there. It looked more like a store than a tasting room, but Maree and Jim did taste the sfuso stuff before they bought any. I think they asked for the Verdicchio which is a wine they talk about a lot. After the winery, we went to a store that had a lot of things for me. But, unfortunately, they never seem to buy those gigantic bones I really want to take home. Instead, they keep looking for some dog food (yuck) in a bag. When will they learn that I do not intend to eat that stuff. Oh well, they did buy me some treats that looked pretty good. When we left this store, we got on a big road called a superstrada and then went to the Autostrada which is even bigger. It actually had three lanes going in one direction. You have to pay to ride on the Autostrada. They have these little machines before you enter where you take tickets and then you have to stop and pay before you can get off. Mostly, you can just pay a machine, and the machine talks to you. It tells you how much you owe and then says thank you, well, Grazie in Italian, before you leave. But one time there was a real person who took our ticket and our money. They said Grazie too. I am learning a little bit of Italian. But people speak so fast it is very difficult to distinguish the words they are saying. From the autostrada, we drove to a little town called Sirolo. It sits up on a big hill above the ocean. It was all narrow little cobble stone streets and old buildings. But there was a very big square where they had restaurants and ice cream stores. It was a pretty cool place and I hope we go back there one day soon. I liked looking out at the water and at the mountain that came down to the sea like in Big Sur in California. But what I liked best was the restaurant. We sat next to two Italian men who shared some of their fish with me. I wanted more, but I had to wait until Maree shared a little bit of something called a shrimp. That was pretty amazing. I don't usually get people food in the restaurants, so this was a real treat for me, and I think I really like fish. I hope they make me some at home one day. After lunch, we still weren't finished shopping, so we stopped at a little shopping center where we went to another pet store called Zoodom. Again, I did not get anything I really wanted but we left with a bag of some kind of dog food - yuck. Maree went to another store and bought some jeans. Jim went to another store and bought nothing. Finally, we went back to the car and got back on the autostrada. It was a very busy day, and I was too tired to eat my dinner when we got home. I think I am getting a little bit used to riding in the car and going all around. It is fun to see new places. I like to check out all of the smells, and Sirolo smelled pretty good. A mixture of dog, flowers, and the sea. I hear that we will be going to Bologna in December. It is a big town, and so I am sure it will smell good too. They are talking about taking a train there. It will be my first train ride, and I don't know if I will like it or not, but I guess I will have to learn to like it if I am to be an Italian dog. It is raining here this morning and is supposed to rain for about a week. I wish I could send some of this water to you. I think this will be a lazy day, and I am looking forward to spending some time in my old stone house in Poggio San Marcello. Say hello to my friends at the dog park. I am so missing everyone and my daily playtime. It is just not the same without some friends to play with. Bye for now, Your friend, Dino
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Dear Louie,
I am wondering what you are doing today in California and if you are still enjoying warm and sunny weather and trips to the park to play with our friends. The sun has finally appeared here today, and I am so very happy to go outside in my yard and forage for sticks, leaves and other green things. Unfortunately, Maree is a little worried about leaving me out in the yard now because this morning she had to take three ticks off of me. I had never seen a tick before and really don't know what they are. Whatever they are, they weren't really bothering me, except for the one on my cheek which is all swollen. Maree was a little freaked out and had a lot of emails with an Italian vet, Gianluca, about whether this is a problem here. Apparently, there really is not something called Lyne disease in Le Marche, where we live, and other tick borne illnesses are fairly rare in dogs. She gave me some Benadryl for the swelling, but I know she is still worried about tick born diseases. Me, I feel fine and I am not worried about little things that I can barely see - at least they were not those little black deer ticks I heard so much about in California. As a matter of fact, I felt so good this morning that when the front door was opened, I went flying out and into the street in front of the house. This street is not like the street in front of our old house in California which was wide and paved. This is more like a path covered in stones and with some very delightful herbs growing out of it. As a matter of fact I pulled out some of the herbs and had a nice mid-morning snack while I was out there. Maree, however, started to freak out and tried to get me to co. But this is my game and, of course, I just raced around in the street and in the field while she called me in a most distressed voice. It sounded like she was really worried and afraid, but it did not bother me. The more she tried to entice me to come, the further afield I roamed. Those weeds were pretty tasty and I really liked the chase game we were playing. Finally, she decided to leave me alone, or so I thought. Then she let out this blood curdling scream. I did not know what to do, so I just sat there. Then she ran toward the house and screamed again. Now I was wondering exactly what this was all about, but she seemed fine, and I did not want to be tricked into going into the house. So when she looked over her shoulder toward me, I ran further away. After all, who wants to listen to a grown woman screaming her head off. On the third scream, however, I must admit that my curiosity was getting the best of me, so I walked over to the end of the driveway just in front of the house. I could see her standing inside the door and looking at me. She was jsut waiting for me to get close so she could capture me. Now, I knew this was just some ploy to get me to come back in the house, but I was not ready. I was enjoying the freedom I never had before. There is so much room to run and play here, especially when I am not in the fenced in yard, and I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity. Finally, however, she assumed an unfair advantage. Treats will be my downfall. She tempted me with these great chewy treats with beef in them, and told me she would give me green beans if I came back in the house. If it weren't for those irresistible treats and green beans which are my favorite, I would probably still be running around the field and pulling out various grasses by the roots. I do find those tender roots to be rather enjoyable. This experience, however, taught me a lesson. And it will be more difficult to catch me next time. I can resist treats, I can resist treats, I can resist treats. Well, I will just keep telling myself that until maybe I believe it. I do feel a little remorse about making Maree so upset, however, and I am still not at all aware why my behavior should so upset her. Maybe I will understand when I am older. Have a great day today, Louie. Your Pal in Italy, Dino Dear Louie, Yesterday was a very lazy day here. It rained most of the day, but I did get out for a walk in the early morning before the rain started. I met a little dog that looked a lot like you, but she was a girl which made her even more interesting. She was just five days older than me. We both really wanted to play and chase, but there was a gate in between us and the owner did not offer to open it and let us play. I tried to get his attention by jumping around and barking, but he just ignored me. So all we could do was rub noses and smell each other through the gate. Maybe one day, when he sees how good I am, he will let me in to play. Maree and I got home just before the rain started. It seems it rains a lot more here than in California. They even have something here that we call rainbows in California, but they call them arcoballene here. As we were leaving for lunch, the sky turned black and the rain come down hard. I got carried to the car, so I did not get too wet and get my feet dirty. I am starting to get more used to the car as we have been riding somewhere every day. The roads here don't have much traffic which I like a lot and most of them only have two lanes - one in each direction. There is not all of that stop and go traffic we have in California, but the roads are very windy and we seem to travel a lot slower everywhere we go. Luckily, the windy roads do not seem to bother me. I have actually become quite the good co-pilot, standing up in Maree's lap in the front seat and looking out the windshield. I have not gotten sick once even on the four hour trip from the Rome airport. Maybe I just like Alfa Romeos better than Mini Coopers. Lunch is a big thing here I am learning as we seem to go out to lunch every day. Today we went back to a place I had been before where there is a little dog and a cat. There were so many people here for Sunday lunch, however, that neither made an appearance much to my disappointment. They were the smart ones, however, as It was very crowded and very loud. I think we were sitting next to a table that was a soccer team and they were really enjoying all of the pasta and something called wine which the more they drank the louder they got. The server stepped on me and she did not even have the courtesy to say she was sorry. I hope we did not give her a tip. I did get to have some pets from some children on my way out, and that was the best part of the lunch for me -- except for the treats, of course. When we got home, all we could do was to sit, sit, sit, sit. And I did not like that a bit. I tried to get someone to play with me, but all they wanted to do was to watch something called The Big Bang Theory on the computer monitor. So, I had a nice long nap. Then the rain seemed to stop for a while and I went out and sat in the wet grass. I had some to eat. It was wet and sweet, and I ate some more. Napping apparently makes you very hungry. But eating too much grass and twigs doesn't sit too well in the stomach I am finding. So, I came in and took another nap. Later than night, before I went to bed, I went back out in the yard again. I was very happy to go out as I had been holding it for a long while, crossing my legs. So when the door opened, I flew out in a hurry. I now have a favorite spot right next to the rose bush, but sometimes I go to the very back of the yard under the Mulberry tree. At night, though, there is not too much light out there so I stay closer to the house. On the patio I saw this little something move just to the left of the doorway. I moved closer to check it out and it jumped at me. I jumped back and the hair on my back started to come up. I thought I better proceed with caution, so I wiggled my nose to get a smell. Then I moved slowly and with caution a little bit closer to get a better look. What is this thing with those long back legs that jumps so high and far? I had never seen anything like it. I moved a little closer still to get a better scent, but it scurried behind a planter box. I heard Maree say, "oh, a toad", so I guess that is what it was. Although if the fairy tales are true, then perhaps it was a prince in disguise. Either way, I think I will keep away from them. They don't smell very good and I don't like their looks. They don't look like they would be good to eat. Well, maybe those long legs might be tasty, but I don't think I will be trying any any time soon. I was just glad it moved away from the door so I could go in the house where it was dry and there weren't jumping creatures. I hope you are having fun at the dog park. Say hi to all of my California friends for me. All the best from Italy, Dino Dear Louie,
I am somewhere very different than our home in California. I hear people say Italia, which I think means Italy. But they don't talk the same way. I am having a very difficult time understanding them. By now, I can understand Ciao and vieni qua which means to come, but the rest is Greek to me. I knew I was going on a grand adventure and to someplace far away, but I did not know that it would involve flying, long rides in cars, limos, and trains. I have now ridden elevators and escalators, but I do not like crossing these thresholds. Maybe this fear goes back to some age old rite but I do not know. The plane ride was very long. Frankly, I am not exactly sure what flying is even though I have now had two different flights. All I know is that I got into this tin can like object, sat in a little seat squished between two other little seats, and there I sat in Maree's lap for more than 8 hours. Sometimes it was a little bumpy, but mostly it was just noisy with a constant humming sound. For the most part, I did not even know we were moving, but they say we were higher than 30,000 feet in the air. I guess that is higher than the bed and I don't think I would want to jump down from there. I must admit that I did enjoy the 8 hours of cuddling a little bit, but I had cramps in my legs and I really had to pee by the time they opened the doors and let us off. Like the good dog that I am, I held it and held it. I even had to keep holding it while we got our suitcases from some thing that kept going round and round and then I had to wait to go through customs - whatever that is. No one ever asked about me even though I had lots of papers too. When we arrived in downtown Rome, I had my second night in a hotel. I had spent one night in a hotel in Philadelphia on the way to Italy. I don't think I am too fond of hotels as I can't bark, and there are always noises outside of the door to bark at. The hotel in Rome was very old and we had a lot of windy stairs to climb to get to our room. The room was pretty little and old, but it was okay for one night and the lady at the front desk was very nice showing us how to open the front door with the key so we would not be locked out of the hotel if no one was at the front desk. Next to the hotel was a little restaurant. The man there tried to introduce me to his dog, but she tried to bite me. I did not hold this against the man who took my picture the next day before we left. Our first afternoon in Rome, I had my first restaurant meal at a restaurant in Campi di Fiori called La Carbonnara. You know I have been to many restaurants in California, but usually all I get is some of those treats from a package and maybe some bread. This time, however, the chef cooked me a steak for my lunch or maybe it was breakfast. I am still a little confused about the time since I seem to have lost 9 hours. We were only in Rome for one night, and some of that time was spent napping since we flew all night to get there and we were all very tired and suffering from something they call jet lag. The funny thing about Rome, was that everywhere I walked I smelled dogs. It was an olfactory heaven, and I knew the city was full of four legged friends. Every building had been marked. But I only saw two dogs during the time I was there and neither of them were friendly. As a matter of fact, they both tried to bite me. I think someone needs to teach these dogs some manners. So far, I have not made any new friends and I have not been to any dog parks. People here don't seem to want to let their dogs say hello. Maybe all of the dogs are mean here. The people, on the other hand, all seem very nice. I have met lots of children and gotten lots of hugs and pets. I must admit that I am relishing the attention. But I still don't like it when an adult lunges at me to pet me. I'd prefer it if they would just let me approach them which I generally end up doing so I can lick their hands to see what they have been eating. Hands here do not taste like hands in California. They taste more like real food, not fast food and things from bags. My new house has a big yard, but only part of it is fenced and I am not allowed to just run free because I don't come when called. And it is hunting season and dogs and men with guns are around. But I am having fun running around in the fenced in part. There are lots of branches and grass to eat there, and I like the mulberry leaves. I am thinking of going into the silk business. I heard gun shots this morning and I was a little worried. I perked up my ears and started running around. Then I did a lot of barking to chase the bad guys away. It did not seem to work, however as I heard more shots about an hour later. I saw a big hunting dog running down the hill, but he ignored my invitation to play. As a matter of fact, he totally ignored me. I was rather surprised since I make friends so easily, but I guess he had more important things to tend to like finding the wild boar. I have heard that there are wild boar around. I have never seen one and I am not sure what they are, but whenever I hear the word, it sends a chill down my spine and I know that I really don't want to meet one. They live in the woods down the hill and sometimes at night I hear this eerie calling that I think must be them. I think they are just trying to scare everyone away, or maybe they are practicing for Halloween night that is coming up soon. Well, I think it is time for my nap as I have eaten more than my share of grass and other things in the yard. I will write to you again soon. Cordially, Your Friend, Dino |
AuthorI am Maree, the voice of Dino - or at least I am the one who does the typing. For more information about me and my life in Italy, you can follow me at theproseccoproject.com. Archives
March 2022
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