Caccamo

We’re late. But it’s not our fault. Franco’s directive to meet at the lake was grossly imprecise; Lago Rosamarina is one of the largest lakes in Sicily. I input the address for the sporting complex, which I presume is somewhat centrally located. It’s only after we’ve descended a path that can’t be described as a……

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Pretty little onions

It all started with an onion. It was my first day in Italy. Trapped in a haze of jet lag the way polluted air gets trapped inside a valley surrounded by mountains. Eager to get to bed, but never one to go to bed hungry, I dragged myself to the grocery store. The onions –……

Dislocation

I noticed the sign on my first day in town. The kind that folds open and stands in front of a store to advertise its wares. It was wedged between a pink stucco’ed wall and a One Way traffic sign. Saturday Farmer’s Market. A few days later, on a bright Saturday morning in early November,……

Olive harvest

I missed lunch. By the time I get there, they’re tying up the dark green mesh nets and loading the olives onto the tractor. We run into Mauro on our way to the press. He’s ostensibly in charge of the harvest and the pressing, although the property owner – my hostess for the day –……

Tortillas

Here’s a piece of writing from that time I lived in the mountains of central Honduras as a Peace Corps volunteer. * You smell Rebecca before you see her. The fresh masa she balances on her head is still warm from the molino, sweet and slightly yeasted. She uses both hands to keep the plastic……

Running, again

My alarm went off at 6AM. I checked my phone for the workout schedule. Hill sprints followed by a one-mile tempo run. I rolled my eyes and briefly indulged the idea of skipping it altogether. Then I slide out of bed and searched for a clean pair of running shorts. My whole body creaked as……

Getting lost

A couple weeks ago, I went to visit my friend, Nancy. We were snacking on fruit salad and narrow slivers of rosewater-almond cake when she told me this story about a trip she took to Guadalajara. It was the first trip she’d taken by herself since having brain surgery to remove a tumor. By all……

Rain on Hwy E

I’m on the last mile of my run heading south on Highway E. On the trail heading out, I noticed a long line of dark grey storm clouds gathered to the south. I figured I was in the clear. None of the farmers mentioned there’d be rain tonight, and besides, I’m running under quiet, cerulean……

Doing the work

My close friend’s father passed away a couple weeks ago. He’d been sick with cancer for years. Endured an onslaught of medical interventions: drugs, transfusions, chemo. For a while, it seemed there was no end in sight. Until one day there was. He was healthy enough to attend her wedding in 2019, although he moved……

Coyotes

Last month, I spent a week in the Driftless area of southwestern Wisconsin, a wild, rugged terrain that never fails to strike awe in me. Here’s a piece I wrote from that week in the woods. *** First, a sharp cry punctures the quiet. Maybe a small dog. Or a fox.Then, a brief silence, just……