the time it takes

I am notorious for waiting until the last minute to do things, mail things, get ready, set the table, call for reservations . . . whatever. Twenty minutes before we are to leave for a dinner party I am still fussing around doing something other than getting ready. Does this mean I don't really want to go out? I don't think so. I think I'm just a lousy time manager. In college I did learn that waiting until the last night to research a 100-page paper was probably not a good way to excel . . . or just pass. This is by way of saying that I am trying, still, to mend my ways and get everything in order even one day before we are ready to leave. Yesterday I spent almost the entire day straightening up my desk and all of its drawers, paying bills, getting mailing envelopes addressed for sending to Mexico, finishing up the Christmas chores. This bustle was after a wonderful brunch of home-made beef hash, eggs and fruit all cooked by the Patient. Fuel for my multi-tasking. And at the end of the day I didn't feel I'd accomplished much except that now I can see the top of my desk know exactly what's in each "to do" pile.

In the evening Caitlin ~ our personal Delta travel agent ~ called to give us new travel info. Instead of Venice we will leave from Pisa on November 19th instead of the 20th. We will train back to Florence on Sunday, spend the night at our favorite little hotel in Florence, Pensione Ferretti. It's not pretentious but wonderfully located a couple of blocks from the train station and in the heart of a great eating/strolling district. Then we can train to Pisa in the morning. Or perhaps we'll go straight to Pisa and get to know something more about that city than that falling-down tower.

We are expecting rain here in the valley tonight or tomorrow. This has been a beautiful fall, made so by the occasional rain that has kept the dust down and the flora clean and fresh. It is usually so grim here at this time of the year, with everything dry and dirty, sadly in need of a good dousing. This year we've had that cleansing, refreshing rain. The air is clear, the fall foliage lush, the chrysanthemums bright and bushy. This year, it's a pleasure to be here.