Nov. 24, 2010

Got up at 5:30, being stared at by the two people waiting for the train to Udine on the other side of the tracks. The station would be closed until 9, so boarded the 6:44 to Treviso without a ticket. After repeating "no stazione a..." as I forgot even then where I had boarded, the ticket checker took pity on me. In Treviso, got slightly dejected and with no time to spend hitchhiking, I, sigh, I purchased the ticket to Valence, France, and saw that the random west-Italian city I had considered the night before would have taken me well out of the way. Had a bit of time to walk around Treviso, Vicenza, and Milano. All were pleasant, but Vicenza was particularly old and Italian-y.

Nov. 23, 2010

Awoke before dawn, made some boiled and reduced apples and oatmeal. Note to self: boil and reduce more apples. Another nice, sunny day, buit chilly in the morning and hard on the hands as we raked and loaded wet leaves into a hopper to set around trees. Used logs from the old house to make pentagonal retaining ledges around the leaves. Staked down the logs as Mitja made some mystery grain and amaranth with fried squash, his best mushrooms, onions and cheese. God damn great combination. Packed up my stuff as Maja came with the car. We said our goodbyes as they drive me to the train station in Stanjel. A good couple of people. With time to kill before the train to Gorizia, headed into Stanjel and bought a 3 euro bottle of wine from the barn of a drunken old winemaker for Don and Stefanie. Not that I intended to bring them the cheapest Slovenia had to offer, I just didn't know how to cajole the hiccupping, bleary-eyed purveyor into showing me the good stock. Now adding 1 kg of red vinegar to my pack, I caught the train and arrived in Nova Gorica, the Slovenian sister to Gorizia. Indirectly making my way to the Gorizia station, I was dismayed to find that the Autumn train special fare did not apply to the random city in west Italy which I planned to go. 55 euros was too much, and I hit the road. Waiting about 5 min, an army man took me 10 km or so towards Udine. Surprised to get such luck after dark, I then rode into Udine with a girl and her Columbian boyfriend. A wlcome change for some reason, they blasted Little Wayne and Michael Jackson before dropping me at a gas station. Got a ride to Pardenone with a Moroccan Tae Kwon-Do blackbelt. Leaving the city, got a pointless ride of a km or so. By then it was around 8:30 p.m. and my luck ran out. Walked towards Treviso, got tired, and headed to the train station of a small town that began with an 'F'. No more trains stopping here for the night, and the station dark and locked, I crawled under a large pine tree and curled up in my sleeping bag. A light drizzle and some thunder emanating from a large cloud headed my way. I moved camp to the covered benches lining the train station. No more rain or thunder came, but my warm pine-needle bed was now replaced by a cold, slatted wooded bench with trains suddenly passing by 10 feet away at 150 km/hr, which took about 3/4 of the night before I got a little used to it.

Nov. 22, 2010

A welcome sunny morning. Max and I went to feed the horses at the old house. The reservoir fed by the 4 m of gutter we put up was nearly full. Damn, thats about 2 cu. yds. of water by very rough estimation. Tonga had her head sticking through the window and was already helping herself to the hay. Doled out enough, hopefully, headed back and made some more of that porridge stuff, although it didn't turn out nearly as well as Mitja's. With nothing else to really do, and it turning into quite the pleasant day, went for a hike with Max in the one direction I hadn't gone. Max spotted, alarmed, and pursued a couple deer, but to no avail. Came into another small town, in which i felt uncomfortable with Max, and so made sure to be overprotective. Seperated him from another dog behind a gate, and then upon leaving the village to head to the next ridge and hopefully catch a nice view of the Adriatic, was stopped by an old wanker on a tractor coming the other way. I could tell he was yelling at me, spittle flying and arms flailing but couldn;t pinpoint what about. Then realized he didn't like Max not being on a leash. I said 'ok', and turned around as he kept yelling, pantomiming shooting Max. Whether he had a case about a leash was irrelevant. I now found myself in a furious state, feeling no inhibition in tearing off his arms and knocking what few teeth he had left in his head with them if he indeed had any inclination to carry through on his threat. So headed back home, with the put-put of the tractor in town until we returned to the safety of the woods. Layed around and enjoyed the sun in a field, washed some of my clothes to return them to a respectable tint of mud, then planted several trees in the garde that Mitja and Maja returned with. Spent the night around the fire, enjoying some wine that Boris had left, and some cake Maja had bought for my last night on the farm. Nice.

Nov. 21, 2010

No real work done today. Evaded the other guests, walked down to Gorjansko for one last go at the internet. Fucking useless. Walked back, ate some Raca, or Kasa, or something like that; I forget already. Was a good porridge, though. Taking pity on me, Mitja drove me to Katerina's to use the internet. Awkwardly checking email, as husband, son, and daughter come home to find some dirty stranger on their computer. Went upstairs to sit around with Mitja and Maja in Maja's apartment. Maja made a turnip and potato-based stew called jota(i think) and some salad. Then took the opportunity to take a showe, although the water was about as cold as that from the rain barrel next to the tipi. Refreshed and well-fed on a day devoid of work, Mitja drove me back in the pouring rain and returned to stay the night with Maja. Alone in the tipi and trapped by a silly amount or precipitation, I took the opportunity to finish the book Scott gave me and recline under a couple blankets in a state just short of shivering for the night.

Nov. 20, 2010

Raked some leaves, hauled them up to the old house use as horse matting, ate a quick breakfast, and headed to pick up Katerina and Maja on the way to Rajko's farm. Twas a gathering of 30 or so eco-village-minded people, to discuss eco-village stuff, no doubt. Worked with Katerina and against one of Mladan's kids to put a seed oil press together. The thing was a pain in the ass and produced oil only after considerable crank turning, reassemble of the parts, and wasted linseed. Raked some leaves, pitched some hay, and picked at the delicious food. Returned to the tipi with Mladen + sons, Maja, some lady and her whiny 4 year old, and Mitja's friend, Boris, the street performer, He played the hung, a melodic metal percussion instrument that produces an impressive variety of clean tones. Maja made palacinke on the fire, which was delicious stuffed with thir homemade pear jam. The kids were annoying, but I was offerened and got a Shiatzu massage from Maja before heading to bed, quite relaxed.

Nov. 19, 2010

Walked to pick up the car from Katerina and Maja's, set off to Komen for some errands and internet. Library opened at 11, so internet for another day. Picked up some groceries and 4m lengths of gutter and downspout for rainwater collection at the old house for some horses. With the pipes jutting out of the back of the car, returned, attatched a trailer to the car and hauled some timbers from the old house down to the wood pile next to the tipi. Stopping this task on account of the tires ripping up the sodden earth, we put up the gutter, fed the downspout into a plasic reservoir, and called it a day. Drove back to Komen to eat our own seperate large ham/artichoke/mushroom pizzas with an egg. Devouring mine, and feeling quite satisfied, returned to read in the tipi and then headed to bed.

Nov. 18, 2010

Raked some leaves for an hour or so before breakfast. Blue sky overhead and still the sun found a way to stay hidden in the clouds rimming the horizon. Ate me plenty of bread, butter, and jam. Mitja arrived and we set to work clearing a path to an abandoned house for the horses to use as shelter. Satisfying, consuming work with machete, axe, chain saw, and back. Worked for a late lunch- mixed greens salad with beans and pasta with squash/mushroom sauce. Spent an hour cleaning greasy, accumulated dishes, then finished clearing the path. Spent most of the time removing the final huge stone from a gap made in the rock wall. Maja and their friend, Rajko came and joined us for tea around the fire. Accompanied Mitja to Ninjitsu practice in Sezana. I did warmups with the class, my unshowered, muddy self losing the snap in my pants midway through a round of leapfrog. Not wanting to stand out even more so by having my unchowered, muddy self lose my pants, I wisely retired to the bench to take sagely observence of this hallowed art.

Nov. 17, 2010

Laid down layers of shit, dirt, and leaves for a raised garded bed that should keep warm through winter. Mitja left to stay the night at Maja's after lunch. Made another unsuccessful trip down to Gorjansko for internet. Unplugged and plugged back in server to no avail. Exhausting my ace in the hole, I walked back in the rain, read some about tipi construction, and called it a night.

Nov. 16, 2010

Shoveled, hearty breakfast, got to work clearing and putting up fence in the field. Mila, Maja's dog gave birth to 8 puppies. Cleared a way for an entrance for a wagon into the field, came back, moved some logs. Mitja went to gather mushrooms, came back with them and a snake. Without head it writhed. Without skin, it writhed even more. A disturbing sight. Fried it up with onions, ate with mushrooms + rice. No discernable snake flavor, only onions. Chewy with many small bones. The rains came, and the afternoon/evening was spent dodging drops in the damp tipi.

Nov. 15, 2010

Woke up, got to shit-shovelin'. Breakfast and a walk throuigh the woods with Mitja, observing desirable land features. Found a small cave, checked it out. Come back, chopped up branches from the trees cleared yesterday. Tiring work with the machete. Ate lunch, walked down to the internet again. Worked. Sam(son), the guy sitting next to me, was from the next village over and was ten time world breakdancing champion. Teaches kids now, but quite the interesting personality to find in Gorjansko. Returned, hacked up the rest of the branches in the pile, hung out/ate dinner in tipi.