Alarmless Sleep

I have a cold. It started to develop on Friday in the form of a sore throat. Saturday I was up early to catch the bus to Siena and I woke up with nasal congestion and a bit of a headache. The bus did not help this situation, but the fresh Siena air and a purposeful desire to enjoy the place and ignore the cold symptoms were medicine enough.  When I got back to my homestay, we were offered tea which I gratefully accepted. After a cup of lemon tea I was quite tired and decided to go to sleep. Some of my classmates had plans to go out to dinner later in the evening and I had declared myself a "maybe" to "probably not." When I fell asleep around 6 pm, I had a distinct feeling that if I did not set an alarm I would not wake up until morning. So I did not set an alarm, and I didn't wake up until 9 am this morning. This was an incredible amount of sleep. And perhaps I was gently woken up by the bells from Santo Spirito--an alarm of sorts. 

 Today when I emerged from my room about an hour later after a short but warm shower I felt much better.  My hosts were already at work preparing dinner (their oldest son, his wife, their four-month old daughter, and dog are visiting today). Signore looked up from his stuffed roast and said "She lives."  This made me smile as it reminds me of similar things that are said when I emerge from the basement at home.  Although I was not and still am not particularly hungry, I still sat and ate a piece of apple bread (which Signora made sure to tell me was unsalted--I need to figure out this whole salted/unsalted bread thing) some more lemon tea, and, on orders from the dottore, a magical italian orange. 

The son and his family have arrived. The baby has the cry of an older child, or perhaps she is crying in Italian and that is what sounds unfamiliar.  The dog also seems to understand some Italian phrases that I don't, which is a bit insulting but not surprising. I have mixed feelings about this cold. My only outing so far has been a quick trip to the nearby Sunday market with Signora , but I think I would rather have a quiet Sunday that feels like a bit of a waste of a day than continue to feel lousy.  Yet, I am actually thankful for this little cold, as it has reminded me to get some rest and to take care of myself. 

Now it is raining and the wind blew my shutters shut. The trickle of rain and grey-blue light are providing perfect napping conditions, so I will take the hint.