This morning, I woke
up easily at 5:30, just as the first light was illuminating the frost on the
grass. I slipped out of bed so as not to wake my fellow volunteer who was
taking his day off, pulled a sweater and some work-pants over my pajamas and
joined Antonio and Domenico in the stables to milk the sixty patiently-waiting
sheep. By that I mean, Antonio and Domenico milked fifty-eight patient sheep
between them and I managed to piss off two slightly miffed sheep who were less
than ecstatic to have some newbie farm hand yanking on their utters.
The days begin in
this way every day: milking at dawn, then to the dairy to make ricotta with
Domenico (who sings opera all the while, pausing only to speak rapidly in Sardo
dialect and laugh at all my prodding and incorrectly phrased cheese-related questions).
As the girl volunteer, it is my job
to make coffee and bring it to the men as the milk and whey heat, but I don’t
mind. Today, after I brought the caffé,
Domenico filled my cup with hot whey (sielo),
the very healthy and slightly sweet byproduct of cheese-making. It tasted a
little too salty to me, but it was creamy and warming—-it would be delicious
with a bit of honey and cinnamon.
Mariangela cooks
well and taught me to make wheat bread this morning after we finished in the
dairy. While it rose, and while the sheep were at pasture, I cleaned the
chicken coop and weeded the herbs. But by noon, things slow down at the farm,
and this afternoon I read Of Mice and Men
while the surprisingly strong winter sun lulled all the farm animals (and
myself) into a nap. Then, at 3:30, it’s back to the stable with Antonio and
Domenico to milk (this time I took on four sheep), then to the dairy to make hard
pecorino.
Around 8:00 we eat
dinner, soaking our pasta sauce from our plates with fresh, hot bread. There is
always reggae music playing in the background, and shortly after dinner
everybody is tired and content and ready for bed. I am writing now at the end
of the day, warm and well-fed, wrists slightly sore from all the milking,
barely 9:30 and already thinking about tomorrow. Up with the sun…
Ah Gillian, you are living life like a queen! I wish that we can suss out a skype date soon. Do you enjoy milking the sheep and waking at dawn? It all sounds so refreshing! I am at the airport getting saddled up for my flight to Tokyo. It has been delayed by 5hrs because of mechanical issues, so I just enjoyed a dark but colorful read by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. 'Bon Voyage Mr. President' There's a beautiful oil painting on the cover of the book of a man sitting on a bench across a lake from a lonesome castle. The lake is bordered with reflections of dark green trees. The castle is on a ruby red hill and the sky is colored with blues and purples.
ReplyDelete