La Nostra Cavalla e' rotta...Lei ha bisogno di po' Riparazione.

Dreaming and Dizzy Followers:

Yes, it is true. The title of our blog for this week is, "Our Horse is Broken...She needs some Repairs."

As of Friday afternoon (Italian Time), the world as we know it came to a screeching halt. Why you ask? Well, because the horse--that is, our Favorite Grace--decided to head-butt a tree in her paddock so hard that she broke her nose, punctured her right nasal cavity, and left a fractured bone protruding into the nasal cavity for which only surgery can repair. It's true, I say. Not a single word is lie, fabrication, or tall-tale.

Now, after a whopping 900 EURO in medical bills later, we hope that she will be well. Her surgery is scheduled for Giovedi martina (Thursday morning) where the Vet and Surgeon will cut into her face, push the bone back into its proper place, stitch her up, and call it good. With good fortune on our side, some drugs that would be guaranteed to knock you on your ass for a month, and some surgical bailing twine (horse stitches) we'll have our horse back in training shape within the week. Let's keep our fingers crossed, shall we?

As for our weekend of climbing at Gran Sasso, well, it was rescheduled until later in July. However, the reports from the work friends that went to Gran Sasso are all good--for people and doggies (Harley and Bella), which is always a good thing. Hopefully in one month, we'll be on our way to the Sasso for a weekend of alpine mountaineering.

Also of note, the Trash Crisis has resumed here in Napoli. Yeah! (Just kidding! It's horrific in every way.) Jenny and I took some recent photos of, say, 50 new trash piles that are developing around the town. Some burned, some simply piled 15 feet high, others containing rotting animal carcasses on the street corner (dead cats, dogs, cows, chickens). Nothing to be worried about, of course, that is if you don't mind the stench of decay filling your car as you drive by, or if you don't mind the burning chemical fumes in the air when the piles are lighted on fire each night. Nothing to worry about, nothing to make a voiced concern about--right? Or maybe, someone SHOULD be saying something about the desperate state of sanitary affairs that exists for the citizens of Napoli, Caserta, and Central Campania?

Until next post, Ciao i signori e' i signorini!
Nate