AH, THE PERKS OF GRANDPARENTHOOD AND OF LIVING IN A STONE HOUSE!

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1. Even when it's 97 degrees outside (which it is right now), in here it's still kind of cool.

2. We've heard that there are some big bad wolves in our Umbrian neighborhood who are gobbling up the sheep. But if one comes around here, he can huff and puff all he wants, but our house will probably NOT blow down. 

To have two grandchildren under the age of 2.5 can get you thinking in a different way about stuff you may have had in the back of your mind since you yourself were a toddler. For example,  I never would have guessed I'd find "This Little Piggy Went to Market" coming out of my mouth. But in terms of the delight it continues to bring, that rhyme has as much staying power as a stone house. 

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Is there a moral to this piece (or musing or whatever it is)? The point of departure was my appreciation of our resurrected Italian stone farmhouse on a very hot day. In trying to follow that thought, I see that I've managed to conflate three different things: a fairy tale, a nursery rhyme and a popular proverb. Then, what's left of this nonna's mind came full circle to rest on Philip Johnson's Glass House (definitely not built for hoarders like me) in her other home state of Connecticut. 



The hair on my chinny chin chin and I thank Wikipedia for helping make this journey. 

"Little pig, little Pig, let me come in."
"No, no, not by the hair on my chinny chin chin."
"Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in.."  

"Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones" is a proverb used in several countries, including England, Italy, Spain and Germany. It means that one should not criticize others for having the same fault as themselves.



This little piggy went to market 
This little piggy stayed at home 
This little piggy had roast beef 
This little piggy had none 
And this little piggy went 
Wee, wee, wee, all the way home!

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The bottom line? Be it made of straw, glass or stone, there's no place like home. 









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