weekend homework: a chat with the universe

Cu stavi mutu non po’ essiri servutu.
~ Calabrian proverb

Hole in the Wall on Flickr

Loosely translated, if you don’t speak up, you can’t get what you want.

Baby prickly pears and friends on Flickr

Or if you prefer, tell the universe what you want.

Or, as my friend Tina wrote recently,

Thoughts become things.

Wildflowers, Badolato, and the Ionian Sea on Flickr

Go. Think. Tell.

Buon weekend!

P.S. Go check out this week’s La Buona Cucina Americana recipe:
Barbecue Baked Beans with Bacon from Sara of Ms Adventures in Italy!

21 Beans of Wisdom to “weekend homework: a chat with the universe”
  1. Gil
    04.11.2008

    These photos are absolutely beautiful. The flowers are a good sign that good weather is here. Enjoy!

    Thanks Gil; it was supposed to be sunny and 26 degrees here today but they changed the forecast on us last night…overcast and a bit cooler than that. Oh well. I’ll be complaining about the heat soon enough πŸ˜‰

  2. Mary
    04.11.2008

    Beautiful pictures! πŸ™‚

    Mary’s last blog post..I’m ready

    Thanks Mary πŸ™‚

  3. Gil
    04.11.2008

    If we didn’t complain about the weather we’d either be dead or brainless.

    Hah! I’d *much* rather complain then πŸ˜‰

  4. 04.11.2008

    Great pictures. Enjoy your weekend as well.

    running42k’s last blog post..It’s what? Friday

    Thanks, same to you πŸ™‚

  5. 04.11.2008

    I love the keyhole photo with the flowers peeping through. always a pleasure stopping by.

    Bella Baita View’s last blog post..Trek to Torino to Eataly

    I pass by that a few times a day with the dogs; finally remembered to bring the camera πŸ™‚

  6. 04.11.2008

    You also have a great weekend!

    Diane Mandy’s last blog post..What I didn’t blog about this week

    Thanks Diane!

  7. jody
    04.11.2008

    Oh, that first photo is to die for!! Just lovely.

    jody’s last blog post..Sleeping on a boat

    Thanks Jody πŸ™‚

  8. 04.11.2008

    You, cara mia, are a fantastic photographer. I love these shots… and the proverbs are pretty cool too! Have a wonderful Calabrian weekend!

    themommykelly’s last blog post..Flaunt It Friday: A Few of Your Favorite Things

    Thank you! Hope you have a lovely weekend as well πŸ™‚

  9. 04.11.2008

    Love your new look too!!

    Thanks Kristen πŸ™‚

  10. 04.11.2008

    Came to visit! Was at Niki’s now here.
    I was told if you didn’t let out negative thoughts or if you held
    anger inside that you would get a maltia, sickness in side.
    So I always try and be vocal! I hope who ever is voted for will do Italy some good.
    Love the pictures. Have a nice longggg weekend.

    Lucy’s last blog post..More Cemetery – La Croce

    Thanks for stopping by Lucy; I sure hope we get lucky in this weekend’s elections….

  11. 04.11.2008

    Sort of like “The Secret,” right? But without needing Oprah to endorse it. πŸ˜‰ In any case, it’s excellent advice.
    (Also, beautiful photos!)

    Stefanie’s last blog post..WWHPD?

    Yes, I prefer Law of Attraction to Secret hype πŸ˜‰ And thanks!

  12. 04.11.2008

    The pictures are beautiful! You’re a great photographer. And I smiled at the captions you’ve got along with them. Have a wonderful weekend!

    Thank you Robin πŸ™‚

  13. 04.11.2008

    what a delightful photo – peeking through that tiny window. I want to look through there!

    Thanks; glad you like it πŸ™‚

  14. 04.11.2008

    Really loved that first pic. And as someone mentioned before, what you said reminds me of The Secret but less annoying πŸ™‚
    Ah! We have to think real hard this weekend…

    Linda’s last blog post..Chock full of political nuts

    Thanks Linda, and yes, I’ll be thinking *very* hard over the next few days πŸ˜‰

  15. Karina
    04.12.2008

    I just loved the pics. So peaceful and quiet.

    Karina’s last blog post..Red Light

    Thanks Karina πŸ™‚

  16. 04.12.2008

    ‘Tell the Universe what you want.’ Or in Foodie speak, ‘Take your pick from the cosmic menu.’ Food for thought, but I wonder if you still need to tip 15%? Love the photos! ~Tui

    mentalmosaic’s last blog post..Another Slice of Piazza, Beast Meets West and Flashback Friday

    Hah, Tui…I say not if you’re doing the talking in Italy where it’s included in the coperto πŸ˜‰

  17. 04.12.2008

    They’re all beautiful, but I love the top picture best.

    So are prickly pears native to Italy, or were they something brought over from the New World that escaped cultivation? (Or, heck, is that someone’s garden?) I ask because I was raised in coastal southern California, which is always being compared to Italy in climate, and where they are indigenous and grow wild all over the hills, too, even right next to the sea. In fact they are indigenous to a lot of parts of North America, but I never saw any in Europe — not that I’ve managed to get everywhere in Europe.

    Their flowers are very pretty, too, as I’m sure you know, and they are what is meant most often by the expression “cactus rose.”

    (Having difficulty getting my comment to post. May post many many times; my apologies. Please just pick the one you think is prettiest.)

    Only posted once! Sorry for the trouble though πŸ™

    Prickly pears grow wild *everywhere* here, and they are called “fichi d’India” or Indian figs…my guess is that they are either indigenous or where brought over by Arabs from the Middle East many centuries ago, but don’t quote me on that πŸ˜‰

    I’ve heard that the line between southern and northern Italy is drawn by where prickly pears start growing in the wild πŸ˜‰

  18. 04.13.2008

    I have a really ambivalent relationship to the whole “Law of Attraction” thing. I strongly believe that our attitudes affect the outcomes we achieve… the placebo effect, if nothing else, satisfies the science geek within that there’s something there. And I though I have (sort of grudging) admiration for Oprah, her bandwagons are often kind of cringeworthy bland self-helpism to the max — plus, how can it be a “Secret” and a bestseller?

    The pseudoscience irks me, as does the slavish insistence that “The soul attracts that which it secretly harbors, that which it loves, and also that which it fears.” Are the Iraqis too focused on what they fear (“please don’t slaughter my family”) instead of what they love (“please give me peace and some clean water”)?

    All that being said, it’s been my experience that having really clear intentions set in your mind and filling yourself with confidence (IOW “fake it till you can make it”) does help. At a minimum – as the woman said as she fed her late husband chicken soup – it couldn’t hurt!

    Paolo’s last blog post..The power of positive drinking

    I’ll see you this, and raise you the “self-fulfilling prophecy” idea; I do believe that glooming and dooming draws that toward you as well.

    And I feel the same about the Oprah stuff. She’s an amazing woman, but I avoid even reading her book club selections since they become *so* out there. And I think it’s a real shame that someone (I don’t even know who b/c I won’t link to it!) called this “The Secret.” Particularly when it’s an idea that’s been around for centuries.

    I don’t know how much I buy into my soul attracting things, but I do believe our subconscious does so, so I suppose it’s not too far-fetched for me since I do believe we have souls as well.

    Anyway, the couldn’t hurt thing really sums it up well for me. And the fact that it’s a *much* better way to live than to walk around all negative all the time. Negative Nellies drive me batty.

  19. 04.13.2008

    Lovely pictures. I love the one with the flower.

    Nadine’s last blog post..My Nephew

    Thanks Nadine! Hope you had a lovely weekend πŸ™‚

  20. 04.15.2008

    I love that photo of Badolato! What a gorgeous view!
    Do you collect the seaglass along the shore when you are in the marina? It was my favorite souvenir from Siderno.
    My husband loves to eat the prickly pear cactus fruit. It always reminds him of his childhood.

    Ciao, Pat

    Pat’s last blog post..Green-Wood Cemetery and the Civil War Project

    I absolutely collect sea glass Pat, although I don’t have a big collection (don’t go to the beach enough!). It’s so pretty though πŸ™‚

    I don’t really eat too many prickly pears though…just not one of my faves.

  21. 04.18.2008

    Really pretty pictures, especially the first… Ah, how I miss Italy!!!!!!!

    MoscowMom’s last blog post..Rest in Peace

    Come back, come back!

Michelle KaminskyMichelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived. 

Calabria Guidebook

Calabria travel guide by Michelle Fabio

Recipes

 

Homemade apple butter
Green beans, potatoes, and pancetta
Glazed Apple Oatmeal Cinnamon Muffins
Pasta with snails alla calabrese
Onion, Oregano, and Thyme Focaccia
Oatmeal Banana Craisin Muffins
Prosciutto wrapped watermelon with bel paese cheese
Fried eggs with red onion and cheese
Calabrian sausage and fava beans
Ricotta Pound Cake