full moon over piemonte

dio povero, i'm exhausted. more milking, more herding. and while "andando al boscolo" is peaceful, blissful, spiritual, and beautiful beyond belief, it is incredibly hard work. i end up running through the forest, over branches and roots, dodging blackberry bush thorns and gnomes, screaching at goats and trying to reason with them to please please stay together. they are actually pretty obedient, smart animals. i like it. Isa says im an incredibly fast learner, as usually it takes wwoofers at least a week to get the hang of milking, but AK is right: i seem to connect with those beasts. after milking, we take them out at dusk...tonight the moon is full and bright and the sun set over the french alps was stunning. it was spooky and breezy and i felt light and adventurous. came home to find mario and angela in the kitchen, "whipping up" the following: raw veal and truffles (ancora! ancora!), grilled eggplant rolls stuffed with homemade ricotta and fresh tomatoes and herbs, a greenbean salad, zucchini flower pasta with more fresh ricotta, panna cotta with homemade blackberry preserves, salami and cheese, wine, fresh bread, and espresso. ate and ate and ate (my appetite is normal, i always eat like a hoss, but i break a sweat like 5 times a day, sooo...) and now i am about to colapse. stories tomorrow, i swear, but now its bed time. life here is fantastic and i am learning so much. Isa says shes gonna take me to visit the University of Gastronomic Sciences, the slow food university where i want to get my doctorate! its only a few towns away! huzzah!
pictures soon.
and as for that boy...im pretty much up to my neck in daisy petals. but after the last pluck, well...ill sleep well tonight. and anyway, my friend condor in cormons says not to worry, that the whole town is implimenting a psychological-pressure-low-volume-chanting-ritual telling FL to just marry me and get it over with. so la la la.