I was more “myself” today, though still nowhere near my usual energy levels.
I mean, accomplishing a “lot” right now looks like: juicing some lemons; (finally) sorting our vacation mail; and washing dishes.
What I’m particularly proud of is the way I sat on the patio for what felt like hours this afternoon… staring at the treetops, gazing at the occasional butterfly, hearing the birdsong, listening to the lizards rustling through the dried wisteria blossoms…
Aaaaahhhhhhh… I’m falling asleep just thinking about it.
We can’t help feeling a little sad as we prepare to leave Switzerland and fly back to California.
It was really, really great to have an extra-long visit after not being here for so many years, but no matter how long we stay, it’s still hard to say good-bye.
This brief video captures our last cappuccinos, accompanied by birdsong and church bells.
And how perfect that it ends with a completely unplanned but totally serendipitous ARRIVEDERCI.
Here are three little videos to give you a sense of the delightful experiences we had yesterday.
First of all, as we were walking up the driveway on the way to our walk in the forest, I just had to stop and listen to the joyful birdsong.
Then, while we were still standing there, we noticed that noise was coming from the funicular track. We waited a few minutes in order to video the funicular passing by — one going up to the top of Monte Brè while the other headed back down to Lugano.
Finally, while walking through the forest we heard a cuckoo call. I had never heard a live cuckoo until I lived in Italy.
I always get a special kick out of hearing them because of playing Mahler’s 1st Symphony back when I was a student at the SF Conservatory of Music. Mahler famously orchestrated the cuckoo’s call, although his cuckoo sings the interval of a perfect fourth, while the actual bird sings a (not-so-perfect) third.
Writing this blog post made me curious why I’d never heard the cuckoo before living in Europe. I learned that there actually are cuckoos in the United States, but the numbers in California have declined drastically in the last 100 years due to destruction of their preferred habitat and to pesticide use. 😕
At any rate, it was lovely to hear not just one, but two cuckoos going at it. And then the church bells started to chime! It was the perfect “aural” nature experience.
(The cuckoos were fairly far away, so you’ll have to listen carefully — maybe with headphones — to hear them.)
Everything was sooooo beautiful at the beginning of my walk today, I just had to try and capture a teeny bit of the magic in a video.
Our neighbors have amazing gardens filled with happy birds. I hope you can hear the birdsong — talk about making a joyful noise unto the Lord! They are singing their little hearts out!
I was sitting on my front patio recently and marveling at the peace and serenity of the scene. And the quiet — broken only by the occasional bird song and little critters rustling in the leaves.
I’m so grateful to be able to step out my door and soak it all in; such a contrast to the hustle and bustle that was my reality for so many years.
At any rate, I felt to try and share a few moments of the peace with you all. The video can’t fully convey it, but it’s worth a try. 🤗
