My mother's closest friend was a lecturer in statistics at Cambridge University. She lived in a house built between 1598 and 1602, so during the first Elizabethan period in England, right across from a church named Little St. Mary's. To an American, her house was the most charming and delightful place I'd ever seen, starting in 1971.
That was before I spent a Saturday night staying with her.
The bell tower was very very close to Violet's home, and the call to Sunday services was Positively Deafening.
Deepest sympathy to all residents troubled by Don Leonardo the Jerk, and his Bell Offensive.
I bet those speculating that he was trying to shame them back to church with his incessant din are 100% correct. Eyeroll........
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. When I was in the army in Germany, there would be folks who decided that, since they'd purchased that stereo, they could play it as loud as they wanted, whenever they wanted. Well, the barracks was run on the German electrical grid, which was 220 v. ac, while out electronics was from the states and ran on 115. So you had to get a transformer to convert the power. (This was long before such converters were just built into everything.) Well, my roomie had such a transformer, but it had shorted out, so that every time you plugged it in it popped the circuit breaker for that part of the barracks floor ...
After a half-dozen trips to the circuit breaker panel, the offending party would generally stop.
BAHAHAHAHA! Okay, so here's a story to go with your story. Winters here in Umbria are C*O*L*D, so we roll out a space heater to supplement the radiators. Every time John plugs in the instant water boiler for tea or coffee, the circuits blow and he has to trudge down five flights and back up five flights just to flip the damn switch. I keep expecting him to remember to unplug the heater, but so far, no luck.
I expect similar issues here, though I've never had a problem. But I'll never run the toaster at the same time the microwave is going, even though they are nominally on different circuits.
Tell John you love him for his commitment to exercise ...
Hope you're enjoying your visit to Texas and your kids! Your story is up on my podcast this week, https://youtu.be/UBtBFiLB6p4. People can also find it on Spotify, Audible podcasts, Google podcasts, and Apple podcasts. Have you ever thought of making an audiobook version of any of your books?
NOBODY narrates a story like you do! Are you kidding? I would be honored. Be sure to send it to me when you're finished, and I'll link it to this article. I'm stoked!
I was super curious to know what he looked like, and I did find a Don Leonardo Guerri in Florence, but I think he's a theologian, not necessarily a parish priest. Although it MIGHT be him. Youngish guy. Doesn't look crazy at all!
My mother's closest friend was a lecturer in statistics at Cambridge University. She lived in a house built between 1598 and 1602, so during the first Elizabethan period in England, right across from a church named Little St. Mary's. To an American, her house was the most charming and delightful place I'd ever seen, starting in 1971.
That was before I spent a Saturday night staying with her.
The bell tower was very very close to Violet's home, and the call to Sunday services was Positively Deafening.
Deepest sympathy to all residents troubled by Don Leonardo the Jerk, and his Bell Offensive.
I bet those speculating that he was trying to shame them back to church with his incessant din are 100% correct. Eyeroll........
You totally nailed that. And I'm SO SO sorry you had to find out the hard way just how deafening those bells can be.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. When I was in the army in Germany, there would be folks who decided that, since they'd purchased that stereo, they could play it as loud as they wanted, whenever they wanted. Well, the barracks was run on the German electrical grid, which was 220 v. ac, while out electronics was from the states and ran on 115. So you had to get a transformer to convert the power. (This was long before such converters were just built into everything.) Well, my roomie had such a transformer, but it had shorted out, so that every time you plugged it in it popped the circuit breaker for that part of the barracks floor ...
After a half-dozen trips to the circuit breaker panel, the offending party would generally stop.
But *this* ...
BAHAHAHAHA! Okay, so here's a story to go with your story. Winters here in Umbria are C*O*L*D, so we roll out a space heater to supplement the radiators. Every time John plugs in the instant water boiler for tea or coffee, the circuits blow and he has to trudge down five flights and back up five flights just to flip the damn switch. I keep expecting him to remember to unplug the heater, but so far, no luck.
I expect similar issues here, though I've never had a problem. But I'll never run the toaster at the same time the microwave is going, even though they are nominally on different circuits.
Tell John you love him for his commitment to exercise ...
Hope you're enjoying your visit to Texas and your kids! Your story is up on my podcast this week, https://youtu.be/UBtBFiLB6p4. People can also find it on Spotify, Audible podcasts, Google podcasts, and Apple podcasts. Have you ever thought of making an audiobook version of any of your books?
You KILLED! And that was tough to do. The prose is packed and the Italian is difficult. I think you’re an absolute genius.
I love this story. Can I narrate for my podcast?
NOBODY narrates a story like you do! Are you kidding? I would be honored. Be sure to send it to me when you're finished, and I'll link it to this article. I'm stoked!
Here's Apple Podcasts link, too, https://apple.co/3H6qTuQ.
Thank you! I will send the link when its up on my podcast. It will be a few weeks as I schedule stories ahead of time so I don't run out
It probably made him a bit deaf over time, too. Oh well.
I was super curious to know what he looked like, and I did find a Don Leonardo Guerri in Florence, but I think he's a theologian, not necessarily a parish priest. Although it MIGHT be him. Youngish guy. Doesn't look crazy at all!
Why? Why not? He who has the bells gets to ring the bells...and if you don't like it, well, get your own damned bells.
And he who has the balls to silence those bells gets to clock the cleric.
LOL! 500 families would agree with that!
Clearly, you and Don Leonardo Guerri would have plenty to raise a glass to!
Thank you! I enjoyed unpacking my Italian, its very rusty.