No Montecarlo for us this spring, but we're making the most of our time off

Lucy does one of her Italian lessons on
cassette tape. I make a fire every day and we
stay warm and cozy.

Right now, Lucy and I would normally be in Montecarlo, and we could give a personal report on the effects of the Coronvirus in Tuscany. However, in late January, she slipped going down the stairs in our Gig Harbor home and broke three bones in her left ankle and three more in her right foot.

She had an operation to reset the bones in her left ankle January 30. We were scheduled to leave for Montecarlo February 4, but we canceled that. We had no travel insurance, but thankfully, United Airlines refunded our tickets based on a letter from Lucy’s nurse explaining that Lucy was unable to fly.

Thinking that her left ankle would be nearly healed by mid-March, I booked a flight to go to Montecarlo alone on March 19 to check on our house and take care of some other business. Then the doctor discovered through a CT scan the broken bones in Lucy’s right foot, and she had another operation February 11. Realizing that this would not be healed before my flight, I subsequently canceled that trip as well.

We enjoy this view of our pond and the Olympic Mountains
during Lucy's recovery.

Since we work in Gig Harbor during the summer, we’ll not be able to see Montecarlo until next September or October. Normally, we only go for a month in the fall, but probably we’ll stay for two or more months this year to make up for lost time. I need to work on arrangements for our 2021 family reunion, and our home is due for an inspection of the caldaia.

Lucy is not in any pain and the bones are healing well. One of the upsides is that her Italian is improving because she has more time to do her lessons on Duolingo and by cassette tape. Meanwhile, I've been able to convert our pantry into a new laundry room and do a few projects in the yard.

As for news on the Coronvirus, I have written some of my friends in Montecarlo and the surrounding cities asking for reports—more coming on this tomorrow or the next day.