PLAYING WITH FIRE, ORVIETO-STYLE
Well, the visit with dear longtime friends D and L started out with the usual sort of fun. But the fact that L couldn't hear a thing ever since leaving the plane was definitely putting a damper on our attempts at conversation. Ditto for Jim's busted leg. So when we went to the farmacia to get Jim's post-operative medicine, L and I decided to have a little diagnostic chat with the nice pharmacy lady about how to restore L's hearing. Hilarity ensued when she brought out a primitive-looking box that pictured a smiling woman lying down with what appeared to be a flaming ice cream cone sticking out of her ear. Now we are big fans of gelato, but it never would have occurred to us to stick it in our ear and set it on fire. Despite the alarming photos on the box, the reassuring caption reads: "a natural remedy for a more healthy life." The box, however, proclaimed this a natural and time-tested cure for L's problem. L couldn...