L'Avventurra

Shopping in a village in Umbria is truly an adventure. Good thing all is small, as you have to go back, and go back again -- at least if you're the Italian version of a dumb gringo.
Yesterday afternoon, in the misty rain, Lil and I went up to the Farmacia to get Leenie some eucalyptus nasal spray. We knew the right words (along with some pantomime of squirting something up your nose) and found the right stuff; but we didn't have enough Euros with us. So we tried to buy bread and milk and butter -- but every food emporium was chiuso. 'Oh, right, go back at 5.30 when they open up' said La Mamma. John and Lil went back as bidden, but -- still chiuso. 'Oh, right, they are all closed on Thursday afternoons, I forgot,' said La Mamma. .... well, at least they had enough money to get the nasal spray .... But no butter to make Gnocchi al Burro e Salvia -- a shame, as we had loads of sage growing right outside the kitchen door ; so I raided the cupboard and threw an Arrabbiata sauce together, and we ate.
Today, in an incredible thunderstormy morning, Lil and John fared forth and came home with everything we needed for me to make a big pot of stew for tonight's dinner -- except the meat. There was much discussion at the meat counter, but John did not want lamb; Lil did not EVER want veal; and they looked at the shoppers as if they were nuts when they asked for Cinghialle;-- (I thought Umbria this was pork heaven???)
so the shoppers have to go out in the storm again at 5.30 PM when in theory the shops will again be open. Otherwise, I guess we will be having a sausage stew for dinner.
PS: But Umbria is Pork Heaven, after all: along with what they ordered and paid for, there was a lagniappe: a package of John's favorite sandwich filling, Porchetta al'Herbes! It got put into their shopping bag accidentally (or by the special favor that God grants innocent fools) -- and the lady who had ordered it, in front of them, had griped 'Where's my package?' and it could not be found, so she got another package of porchetta for herself, I guess -- shall we eat this stuff and put some money in the poor-box at church on Sunday? You bet your porchetta!