PREMATURE PREQUEL TO Literary News from the Umbrian Countryside

 OOPS! What technodunce could possibly have pushed the wrong button and sent 78 of her friends an empty message with only the cryptic subject heading, “Today’s view from here: January 2018/SENT IN THREE BATCHES”?

 

Then this very same person had to send an answer to many perplexed friends most of whom had replied with variations on “Huh? Diane, there was nothing in your email.” So I had to respond with something that went like this—

 

How right you are! The error was mine. Oops! Well, if anybody wasn’t too sure about my self-proclaimed technoduncehood, we can kiss those doubts goodbye. 

 

I should probably “leave bad enough alone“ (the best advice ever), but I will try to explain. Are you ready? 

 

Oh, dear! Yikes! I must have pushed the wrong button, and have done so to MANY dear people. Thank you for letting me know.

 

I was trying to consolidate my mailing lists in preparation for letting people know that my Letters to Men of Letters book is finally out. I still have some loose ends to tie up there before making the announcement, but that’s how this happened. Duh...🤪

 

My sharp-as-ever 92-year-young Italian writing partner, (after quizzically looking at the subject, “Today’s view from here: January 2018”) came up with this: 

“It must have been a really dark day. Can't see a thing!”😂

 

Apologies, and I will be sending an actual message soon.

—embarrassingly yours, you-know-who😌✍

 

 

 

(The above booboo definitely put the kabosh on what was supposed to be the BIG “reveal” to appear in the message the author intended to send: Literary News from the Umbrian Countryside. Here it comes now)

Dear Ones,

 

The other day while I was still working on my apples, I happened to see notice of a phone call. For unknown reasons, our phones rarely ring here, and we tend to miss a lot of calls. This one, however, was different from the usual notice we get from delivery guys who never want to come to our house. They make excuses about how the roads are too bad (true!) and how we should come and meet them at the not-so-near village café to get our own packages. But this nice fellow asked if we were home and able to receive a package that he would actually deliver to our gate. Wow! 

Jim often orders things, so I asked him if he was expecting a package: “Nope.” What could it be? 

Well, in the back of my mind, I remembered that Urška had recently sent for a proof copy of Letters to Men of Letters that I could never have produced without her expert skills, patience, and encouragement. But I had mistakenly thought it was going to Slovenia first, and that it would take longer to show up anywhere, especially here where so many things get lost in transit. 

Indeed, the package that the nice corriere man handed Jim did not look as if it held a sweater or a giant jar of Geeta’s fantastic Mango Chutney. A light bulb went off as we both wondered, could it be? Yes, it could! And it was!