MaryAlice Musings and More

Yesterday I saw one turkey, she was walking into my alley neighbor's yard.  I had been thinking about the turkeys, how much I enjoyed their visit to my yard this winter.  How resilient and fragile and feisty they seem to be, then there she was.  I grabbed my phone (to take a picture) and when to the alley.   I was hoping that the rest of them would be right behind the one I had seen.  I couldn't see her or any other turkey.  Sometimes that is all we get, a glimpse.  Then I tried to still my mind ,  of course I was off to the races.  Where were the others, was she on her own.... So I thanked her for giving me another look, a moment of chance, that her walk, and my glance would meet.  That she may have felt my yearning.  Oh life in all puzzling ways, aren't you beautiful.  Who would have guessed that a wild turkey could stir such wonder!

Basir conducting my House Blessing and Universal Worship - 2001 I am so conscious of the light these days.  The light in Sicily was fuller, brighter, and yet of course the same.  There is such an attraction to the light, the sun, even in the darkness there are shadows and reflections and beams of light.  It is the absence of light that leads towards the dark.   It is fitting that as the light extends and the sun rises higher in the sky, that I am moving toward  ordination as a Cherag.  This has been something that I have been moving towards for a long time.  My path in the Sufi Order International, and the resonance and love that I have found in the teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan who brought Sufism to the west has been one of the most amazing gifts in my life.  It is also one that has carried much doubt, question, fear, and stumbling along the path.  The vision of the Sufi Order International is:   1. To realize and spread the knowledge of unity,

Serafina's Farm In August.... Today I heard that the hours of sunlight today were the same as on my birthday, August 20th.  I felt like a celebration and a reminder of how the light continues to change, growing stronger, higher, hours to its fullness, then moving toward more hours of darkness than light.  Today the sun was not only growing longer, but there was the heat of sun.  You could feel it on your face, on the back of the neck.  The car was really toasty warm when I got inside.  This spring has so much that feels different, an incredible March with really, really hot weather.  A very mild winter, and now it is so over and the sun has once again risen. Higher, longer and hotter.  This year so many days that feel not just like spring, but more like summer.  April has brought some rain, but also lots of flowers, lots and lots of flowers.  The bursting forth is so unexpected, and because I was gone for three weeks, it all feels that much sooner.  I missed that soft, slow unf

' Palermo at Dusk Weather and Air so universal, it is everywhere we go, and yet the feel and texture of it not always so familiar.  I expected, and lots of my friends, that the weather in Sicily would be warm.  It seems so southern, it IS southern Italy, and yet almost everyday I wore my leather jacket.  When I found the jacket at a neighborhood second hand store, I thought it would be great it Italy.  It is a buttery yellow (not my color usually, but I loved it).  I took it to Lou's Leather Shop, it was cleaned, repaired and conditioned.  It has deep pockets.  Very Retro maybe 40's, early 50's, I probably saw styles like this when I was little, so it resonates with me. Back to the weather.  I wore that leather jacket all but one day, I borrowed a simple cotton jacket once.  I wasn't really cold outside, it felt soft, not edgy like the chill that we feel here in the Midwest.  I think it is about the sea.  It would feel warm, enveloping on the sunny side of the

Byzantine Delights on Villa in Noto This morning the sun is shining, we are still chilly, but the warmth is going to return soon.  It is a startling delight the middle of April trees are leafing, flowers are blooming, buds are bursting.  I left for three weeks in Spring and came back to coolness that seemed more like "normal" temperatures but everything has come to life.  The sun is higher and higher in the sky, each day there is MORE light.  I love those moments that with eyes closed I can just raise my head to the sky, just inviting the sunlight to bath me all over.  That deep bath when the inhalation meets with the absolute welcoming of the warmth, the light, the majesty of the sun.  Oh I am still in an in between place.  Solid in my body here in MN, but also floating back to Noto to the delights that I beheld, and just loving that it is spring, that the sun is high, that it shines.  Little blessings to sustain and move me along.  I am not raising my head to see th

"When I listened to your message , I turned to Laura and said you sound like the Cheshire Cat".  That was one of the best affirmations that this vacation time got into my bones, touched my spirit, soothed my soul.  I loved the Cheshire Cat, and I don't think many people would describe me that way.  The other thing that keeps happening is that in the midst of a conversation or walking down the hall, people will just stop, look at me, and comment about my vacation eyes.  Sparkling, refreshed, alive.  One week home, and I continue to have images, moments waft through my head, through my heart randomly and noticeably.   The image of the woman (I may have posted her before) is still a favorite, the color behind her exquisite, she has been lovingly restored at some point and holding her own.   Take "aways":   pay attention to foundations, they can last centuries if built well details are important and they often are what set a tone courtyards have a purpose - su

I am still adjusting to my 23 hour return to Minnesota.  It is less about the body, and more about the pace, the reintegration of the familiar, and the shift of the atmosphere. My body is working out kinks and strains that had popped up as I carried my bags, and walked many miles in a day.  It is also releasing the last of jet lag, and savoring my bed.  I could hear this collective sigh throughout each cell as I laid back into my own bed with my sweet doggies curled up around me.  Ahhh.  A sweet home coming. The sea is what keeps reaching up and touching me.  The softness of the sea air, the ever changing, delightful colors, and the movement.  It was the time of year when there were no bathers on the beach, the weather was cool, most folks (except some tourists) wore coats.  The breezes off the sea were not cold, they were soft, embracing.  Ever changing always inviting.  Sea and sky mingling, soothing, touching body and soul. The pace of these past few days at home have been

Approaching the Casa from the entry Road This is one of the out buildings on the farm. This is where the wine grapes were stomped and stored.  Easter Lunch with the Family! Homemade Cannolli - Ricotto or Chocolate! Stairs to upstairs room and rooftop terrace! I loved the kitchen! These lights are called Bombolino's!  Also Herb Changers! Dining by the Ovens.  Too Windy at Easter! What a great oven, and the food! Wow! The plan had been to go to Pallazollo for the Easter Procession, then Dinner, and an overnight at the B & B in this small town in the hills.  But alas, there were NO buses that ran on either Sunday or Monday (Easter Monday is a full holiday in Italy as well as Easter Sunday).  So we went off to the market and bought great things to make a good meal and I was going to go off to Ortigia for one of the Easter Services.  Yesterday we got an invitation from one of Serafina's friends Maria.  She and her family hav

I am back in Siracusa, and realized that I was so immersed in all that I experienced in Palermo that I spent no time writing about it!  I will have to look through my pictures and post some from my city experience.  So different being in a big city by Sicilian standards, 659,433 people living there my guidebook says.  It bustles and has more taste of modernity than in Siracusa.  I liked returning to the Borgata. The pictures above (oh I wish that I felt more comfortable with a camera and could really take better pictures, but you get a sense of what I am seeing!) are of the Duomo, the Cathedral of Siracuse.  It is a stunning Baroque masterpiece, but what is more fascinating is that the palazzi and church were the site of Siracusa's acropolis.  The columns that you see along the wall both inside and out, are the Doric columns from the Temple of Athena.  (5th century BC)..the columns are all that survive of the Temple that was known throughout the entire Mediterranean.  

Two and one-half hours from Palermo by train, a hike up the road, and then I whimped out and took the bus to the ruins of Segesta.  The highlight after this breathtaking ride very high up is the greek theater.  It is one of the finest preservations, it was carved from the stone on the hill.  Just as in Siracusa, you can see forever from the seats of the theater, all the way out to the sea.  But unlike Siracusa you are in this lush green beautiful countryside.  After sitting in the theater, watching both adults and children take turn being on stage, I walked through the ruins (more pictures of that later).  Then down the hill, it is really down and as you descend you get these amazing views of the temple.  I took a few pictures that give some sense of the beauty.  Sitting there under pine trees, I felt swept away by the enormity and the beauty.  Not just these ruins, but the land, and the intensity of the terrain.  It was a day that provided such an invitation of feeling insi

Today was a Siracusa Day, staying fairly close to home, and exploring this side of the city.  This morning the Tomb of St. Lucia was open, such a beautiful space.  The most evocative marble sculpture of her, and behind this "hole in the wall" that went to catacombs where Lucy herself was buried.  The paintings the altar, and the space invited the holy.  What a fine way to begin the day.  After lunch Fina and I went to the Archeological Gardens.  The largest and most well preserved Greek Theater is there - they do Greek play there for 2 months out of the year, May and June - Fina is going for the first time this year just before she heads back to Wisconsin - I would love to go someday.  I also explored the Grotto of the Ear - this is where the slaves were kept - someone had to do all of the unexplainable labor - the Greek theater is stone that was cut on the spot -- the grotto has unbelievable acoustics and the structure itself is so high and shaped in the most inviting curves

After returning from Noto yesterday, and taking a rest, while Fina was off at a lesson, I ventured out myself walking from the Borgata in Siracusa to the walled island of Ortegia.  I had been all or part of the way there twice with Serafina, and I locked up the apartment and put keys in my pocket along with a piece of paper that had her address, and I was off!  It was late afternoon and into early evening as I walked along the streets, across the first bridge, along the wharf, past the Trattoria where I had my first lunch out in Sicily (I am still savoring that meal!), past the horse barn, through the park, and then over the small bridge into Ortegia.  The first sight that you see is the Temple of Apollo.  The photo is taken as you enter Ortegia, there is the anteroom, columns, and other outer structures, the wall to the right is what is left of the "house of god".  The house that was in the center part of the Temple was never entered by man and only thought to the

What an incredible day, this was the first day that we took a bus trip out of the city.  We took a 45 minute drive to Noto.  This is a city in Southern Sicily that was totally rebuilt after the earthquake of 1693, the old city was just left, it's ruins are covered with centuries of coverings, and it has never been excavated.  Where we went in Noto is high up on the hill, this is where the aristocracy in all the splendor of the Baroque Period built their villa's, churches, the center of the city.  We toured the one villa that is open to the public.  Tomorrow I will post some of the interior.  The first picture is of the Arch that you cross over as you enter the center of Noto, the second is one of the amazing churches that Noto is famous for, and the third is a courtyard of the local school.  School was just getting out when we walked by.  We had lunch outdoors on a courtyard in front of the theater, and then went for gelato - I had read that the place we went to made th

We have just arrived back home from the weekly market in Siracusa, I went with Fina and her friend Maria.  Maria was a classics professor, and Fina meets with her weekly to talk.  I barely understood much of the conversation, however I could tell how they have developed such a fine loving relationship.  This market does not have food, there was fabric, yarn, clothes, shoes, kitchen things, trinkets, jewelry, beads, and much much more.  It is like many of our estate or sale places, lots of junk and some real jewels.  Both Maria and Fina are knitters like myself, and I bought some yarn that makes amazing scarves.  We are going to go sit by the sea in the sun this afternoon, and Fina is finishing her Italian lessons and I am going to knit, and wander, and write and soak it all up.  The sun is very hot today, and the sky is a much lighter blue, there is not a cloud to be seen.   I also bought some palms, three for the trinity, but mostly for the aesthetic of them.  I am going to bring

This morning after Breakfast I checked out of my wonderful B & B, I didn't take any pictures but here is the link: http://www.infiorescenza.it/ It was quite magical, and it was at their "bar" that I had my first hot chocolate in Italy.  When I was in Paris with Sasha I fell in love with the hot chocolate, and unfortunately have never had such an experience at home.  This morning, I had another wonderful moment.  Yum, I had the classico, but there were like 20 choices of hot chocolate, all hot, and creamy and thick and oh so chocolate!  The B & B is less than two blocks from Fina's and I walked over, and we went on errands in the neighborhood.  Picked out frame for Fina's new mirror in her living  room, went to the artisan to discuss the frame and backing and mirror, along the way Fina pointed out old villa's, cornices, doorways.  This is my favorite from this a.m.  I love the strength, the tranquility and the fabulous red of the wall.  Home for

Serafina lives in a very working class neighborhood in Siracusa, this is the view as you look out her glass doors that go to an outdoor balcony.  She has two of these great tall glass doors and they provide the light in her apartment.  We walked this a.m. (I did do a small post on fb) to Ortegia, stopped briefly at the daily market, where I tasted the most lovely fresh capers and had tastes of various treats from the stand that Fina goes to often.  We did not stop long as we were meeting a friend, who happens to be an expert on ancient architecture.  So on the first day walking in Sicily I got to be on a personal walking tour.  Entrances that come onto buildings or monuments or squares which come at an angle were meant to expand the feeling of grandness as it is a visually different experience than coming onto something straight on, and he showed on these ancient streets where that happened.  He pointed out stairways, they built stairways outside as to not take up any internal space,

I am at a loss for words-the sights and sounds are so evocative.  First thing that touched me is that the old men I saw at the airport and on the streets as we walked to Fina's house reminded me of my step-father's family.  They were  Slovanian.  Round, close to the ground, and faces that were sculpted with great expression or well shielded from impressions.  Where I grew up there were many Italians, Eastern Europeans, very few Scandinavians so it was comforting the familiarity of their faces and how they moved.  I love what it evoked in me, and the ways that I felt invited back into this country.  The part of Siracusa that we are in is called the Borgata, it is the first settlement beyond Ortigia (the walled city of Sicily).  There is no evidence of the second walled city but I am staying on Sante Lucia Square, and the old Norman (Romanesque) style church built in 1200's, and then converted to Baroque.  The remains of St. Lucy are still there, and the tree lined square sti

Sitting in the lounge, waiting for my connection from Rome to Catonia.  It was a very easy flight across the ocean, as daylight emerged I could see the green hills, the sea, incredible buildings.  It didn't look like NYC as I took off from Newark.  I really liked seeing the Statue of Liberty as we took off.  It is majestic.  I slept, and read, and studied my Italian.  People are gracious and I am enjoying the melody of this language.  No pictures yet.  I have to get myself settled in the Inn that I am staying at for two nights.  It is only a few blocks from Serafina's home, but it is a way for me to rest, and to begin to negotiate on my own, and not feel so very dependent on Fina to speak for me.  It will be different in Sicily, and especially in her neighborhood in Siracusa, people do not speak English.  So here I go.  First day in Italy!  Ciao

This is brief! I am going on vacation. I have been planning for a long time to go visit my friend Serafina. She spends the winter in Siracusa Sicily. I will be there in the morning! Right now I am in Princeton, NJ and the flowers are in bloom, the bushes and trees are flowering, I am staying with my friends Kathy and Irv, and their two dogs. The birds are chirping and singing, and I have already experience my favorite kind of weather, the "no weather" weather day. Perfect last night and this a.m. I have been pushed and prodded to begin my blog again so that people can follow along on my adventures. It is a place I can post pictures. Not sure how much I will write, but this will be a fine way to take the time to "jot" down some of the things you are sure you will NEVER forget, and they fade away in the adjustment of returning home. Here is a link to 3 minutes of Siracusa my home base away from home. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxUyQuuZj44 Ciao