Happy Feet!

Day 71: Friday, October 9, 2009

Today marks the end of yet another shoe disaster! I had been so thankful when my mother shipped me my tennis shoes, but then… the soles came completely off! My mistake was in washing them in the washing machine. I grabbed the keys and drove into town. In passing one day I had seen a store similar to WalMart. Fortunately, this store, called Stefano’s, featured five long aisles of shoes, most of which were name brand! I was determined to take my time in finding the perfect pair. I must have tried on a good twenty-pairs of shoes and walked each pair of them down the aisle. One pair was heads and shoulders above the competition. They were Italian shoes, made of nice thick leather inside and out with lots of support. Nike, Addidas, New Balance, etc. couldn’t hold a candle to them, and the best part about them was the price! They were only twenty euros ($30.00). Amazing! I was thrilled!

While I was out, Dannie had asked me to schedule a haircut appointment for the boys. Although I was a little intimidated to do so, I did. After their appointment I showed James a game room in the mall in which the salon was located. James has a fascination with those crane machines that grab stuffed animals and toys, and they had one that featured ladies’ watches. James told me to choose the one that I liked the best. He wanted to win one for me! He helped me select one, and away he went. I cannot tell you how close he got! After three tries, I was hooked. I gave it another three tries, but none of which met with success. We both left frustrated, but it’s terrible – those things are so addicting!
After returning to the villa, I decided to get a head start on packing as we were due to leave the next morning. Once everything was all tucked away, I needed to say goodbye to Tuscany. I poured myself a glass of local wine, and took my nocturnal walk. It was a quarter moon, so I had to be careful of my footing. Tuscany was in rare form tonight. She seemed like a lady dressed for the evening. Every day and night of the extended stay here had been clear and warm. But tonight, it was cool and overcast. The valleys had filled with a heavy fog which was creeping up the hillsides toward me. The mist looked as if it were alive, alive and searching for something. With the moon only peeking out every now and then from behind the clouds, it was extra mysterious. A strange blue glow flickered over everything below. The evening felt pulsing and electric. Although I had been tired up to that point, the strangeness of nature on this mystical evening surged through me, and sleep was the farthest thing from my mind.