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Well, we’re less than 2 days from November first. Where on earth has this year gone??? In 5 minutes it will be Christmas!! I’ve spent a little time looking back over this year and I’m amazed at everything that’s happened, but I’m going to save the recap for the end of the year!

In the meantime, I must confess that I’m a bit worried about my addiction(s). What addiction(s) you may ask? Why my walnut collecting addiction and my rock collecting, of course. You all know that the rock collecting started in Bolnuevo. Well, that’s not actually true. I have been surreptitiously collected small stones (ok, rocks) from every place I’ve visited. I have rocks from Belize, Guatemala, Mexico, Egypt, France, Spain, Italy and many more places. It wasn’t until recently that I realized that maybe this had become an addiction of sorts. And don’t get me started on walnuts! Every time the dogs and I walk I come back with my pockets absolutely bulging with walnuts and/or rocks. I just cannot seem to help myself! I now have over 5 dozen walnuts still in the shell. I just can’t seem to not pick them up since they are everywhere. I feel a bit bad at times that I’m taking food away from the animals in the woods, but honestly, I never see any. Only one blooming squirrel – no chipmunks, nothing. I’m pretty sure snakes don’t eat them, or rabbits for that matter. Boars? Maybe. Deer? I have no idea. I’ve started painting scenes on the rocks I’m collecting so they at least have a purpose. What am I going to do with them once they’re painted? Don’t know. The walnuts? I haven’t even opened any of them to see if they’re edible! I’m telling you this is a BIG problem. Anyone have any suggestions?

I’m also now on my third walking stick. What am I going to do with 3 of them? I have no idea. I have an engraving pen so I’m now also decorating them. Not very well, but hey, at least I’m trying. I think there must be a huge learning curve for this.

I really hope that once I have a car and I’m not stuck in the house 24/7 these issues will resolve. I sure hope so! I’ve had one suggestion to start painting the walnuts and leave them in unexpected places, but since I DONT GO ANYWHERE I don’t think that’s gonna happen.

Tomorrow is Halloween but I don’t think I have to worry about having candy. They don’t celebrate it widely here and there are no children up here on my hilltop or anywhere in the vicinity either. Too bad. I love to eat the leftover candy but I don’t have an excuse for buying any this year. 🧙‍♀️ 🎃🤢

My attorney is still working on my visa so it’s hurry up and wait, bit I’m actually pretty optimistic about this. Everyone keep your fingers and toes crossed that I’ll have good news soon. 🤞🤞

Happy Halloween everyone!🎃👻🎃👻

it’s been raining here all day and we’re forecast to have rain all the rest of the week and into the weekend. 😕 I know I should be glad because if I was in Camposol I’d probably be complaining that we needed rain!

When I first moved into my apartment, even though my legal name is on the lease, Roberto started calling me “Elizabeth” for whatever reason. I’ve tried correcting him, and correcting new people when we meet to absolutely no avail. Everyone I’ve met through him now calls me Elizabeth. So Isabel and Izzy are gone now, replaced by this woman called Elizabeth!

I’m back to painting bottles again. I decided they would make nice gifts for Francesca, who helps me so much, and Roberto and his wife because of everything he has done to help me. I’ve d made a new design of a church in the woods and you can see it from both sides of the bottle. I quite like it.

I honestly can’t remember if I’ve talked about this or not, but I now have any attorney who’s handling the filings for my “permesso di soggiorno” which is what I need to be able to stay here, buy a car, etc. She didn’t think it was going to be a huge problem, either. Once we have that she is going to work on getting my citizenship in Italy. I’m actually starting to get a little excited that this May all happen now.

I know o mentioned the walnut trees before but I have to say that as the dogs and I having been walking in the woods we’ve seen literally hundreds of walnuts that have recently fallen out of the trees because of the wind. They just sit there on the ground! So during our walks I’ve been stuffing my pockets with these fallen walnuts to the point where my pockets are absolutely BULGING by the time we get home. At last count I have over 4 dozen and I’m planning to get more. One they’re cleaned and dried I can crack open the shells and put the nut meat in the freezer. I should have plenty to last through the winter.

I’m also collecting rocks to paint, so between the rocks and the nuts I probably LOOK like a nut. My pockets are so heavy I can barely make it up the hill to my apartment!

I’m putting pictures of the new bottle

The dogs and I have had a few wildlife sightings this past week. There was a pheasant crossing the road one day, then a couple of days later we saw two gorgeous pure white egrets at the river. We also saw our first European squirrel across the river. He was dark brown, which was a first for me. Henry got so excited he jumped in the river, forgetting that he hates water! Polly has no such problem as she wades right in halfway up her legs.

It’s getting cooler here – down into the low teens (centigrade) at night but up to the very low twenties during the day. It’s been sunny and comfortable but we’re forecasted to get rain for the next several days with lower temps. I’ve bought a load of wood for the fireplace and pellets for the pellet burner that heats the radiators but haven’t used any of it yet. I’m sure the time is coming for both.

I found a fairly straight tree branch in the forest and I’ve made myself a walking stick. Actually I’ve made one and I’m working on a second one. They both even have rubber tips on them. Whittling wood – another new experience! (Along with using wood filler, sanding and staining)

I’ve started painting the sunflowers on my kitchen wall. This will be a work in progress for a while I think. I can only handle doing about 2 hours a day standing on a ladder and/or the counter top. Between my back, my hip and my knee I’m falling apart. However, I’m also working on painting a couple of bottles and some rock painting. What can I say? It keeps me out of trouble.

So nothing much new here. I’m still not legal! 😡 But Roberto is trying to help me get an appointment with an immigration lawyer in Arezzo. I’ve already sent her some documents, now it’s waiting for the appointment. Sure hope it’s soon.

Yesterday my firewood was delivered. Just like in Spain, they just drop it in fairly close proximity to where it’s going to be stacked. Then you are on your own. Fortunately, Francesca (my neighbor) knew a young man willing to come and help so that was the project for this morning. Oh my aching back!! It was a good deal- the young guy works really hard and we got it all done by noon. I’m now a barely walking cripple 🤣. Thank God for heating pads!

My lab tests are scheduled for Friday so that’s something to look forward to – NOT. However, with everything going on at the Medical Center in Camposol, it’s been over a year since my last tests. With the pre-diabetes, etc. I’m supposed to have them done every six months. Oh well.

Things in the apartment are really coming together, possibly just in time for me to leave for 3 months since I don’t have a visa. Roberto told me I could do any sort of decorating or painting that I want to. I’ve decided todo a wall mural in the kitchen. It’s going to be sunflowers. I’ll try to take a picture of the wall drawing I’ve done and post it here. I thinks it’s going to look great when it’s done. In the meantime, I am doing some watercolors again and I need to start on some bottles for the holidays. Anything to keep busy since without a vehicle I’m stuck in the apartment unless I can beg a ride from Francesca or Roberto. Of course, the dogs and I have our walks while the weather is good, so I’m not really indoors all the time.

The days are getting shorter and the nights are pretty chilly now. Winter is just around the corner! Since I have to assume I’ll be here for the winter, I bought a pair of really nice, fleece lined and waterproof boots for walking the dogs. I’m told that November is the month with the heaviest rainfall and I don’t want to slip and break something. Of course, if it were my right hip I could get that taken care of right away! Fortunately or unfortunately my bone density is really good so probably not going to happen.

That’s about it for now. Pictures of the kitchen wall below. Let me know what you think!

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Wow, I’m really having a hard time keeping it together to write the blog. Another week or two have already gone by. Too many distractions.

Speaking of which, I still don’t have a visa, residency or citizenship. We’re working on it but the legalities are endless. Roberto got an appointment for me with a “syndicate” in Arezzo this past Monday. This organization helps people with things like what I’m dealing with. Now it’s wait and see what’s next.

In one of the previous posts I talked about the Arno River and how it was more of a stream it was so shallow. Well, since then the city (I’m assuming) cleared out some of the big rocks and laid down some pipe creating a bridge of sorts for the farmers so as not to disrupt the river’s flow when they cross. The result is that the river has deepened to 2-3 feet in some places and is flowing along nicely. I’ve seen egrets wading and perching in the shallows since the machines are finished. Haven’t seen any fish, though. I’ll bet the local animals are enjoying it, too. I’ve heard the hunters out there for the past couple of weeks but I’m not sure what they’re hunting. The dogs and I have to be careful to wear something bright when we’re out walking near the river and in the woods.

I’ve discovered that there are walnut trees all over the place. I thought Henry was picking up small, rotten apples and carrying them around, but it’s actually the black husk covering the walnut shell. They’ve been falling out of the trees everywhere. We’ve also discovered wild blackberry vines where we walk. I’ve only eaten about 6 since it is so late in the season, but wait until next summer!

I was getting worried about my various medicines running out and since I’m still in limbo with documentation, I can’t just call up and see a doctor. I discussed this with Roberto, he made a few phone calls, and lo and behold, this afternoon his doctor made a house visit to me! So I now have prescriptions for the medicine I need and the doctor has ordered blood work to be done at a local lab. After that, we’ll talk again about any changes. Isn’t that incredible? He’s also going to arrange for me to get my flu shot and COVID booster. I’ll have to pay for this out of pocket for now, though. This doctor is so nice, I like him a lot and I hope he’ll keep me on as a patient. This is NOT a service I would have received in Spain.

I’m going to try to insert a picture I took today during our walk. It shows the Castello di Poppi in the background.

Anyone reading these blogs is welcome to make comments if you should choose to do so. Thanks.