As the NY Times might describe it: A Small Correction!

“LOST MUSKET DIARY” Wednesday January 21, 2015

Mostly Sunny 71°F/22°C in Rancho Santa Margarita

Buongiorno,

                When they do the next iteration of “The Wizard of Oz,” I want to audition for the part of the Scarecrow. Ray Bolger did a wonderful job in the 1939 MGM production, but I think I have aged into a place where I could be very convincing in that role in a new production, even though I certainly can’t tap dance like Bolger could. At 74, I periodically seem to be in need of a new brain.

                Earlier this week, I wrote about a visit to a medieval abbey that my son and daughter in law took me to last year when I was on my extended visit with them in Italy. While I could recall the weather that day and every detail about the church itself and what the local townsfolk were wearing, I could not, for the life of me remember the name of the abbey.

                Now, I wanted to tell that story on that day, and after a great deal of brain-wracking and attempts to clear the fog from my elderly memory, I went ahead and told it without providing the name of the place. This was an oversight that was quickly remedied by separate Facebook postings by my son, Michael and his sweetheart, Laura. So now, in the finest traditions of journalism, I am going to publish a correction, and update my blog.

                The minute he read my story, Michael responded by posting a link to the Wikipedia article about the abbey. This was followed moments later with pictorial proof that we visited there – a picture of my son and me in front of the ancient Farfa Abbey, which had been founded by the Benedictine Order.“The abbey had been built on the ruins of an ancient Roman estate, which, in turn had been built on the ruins of an even more ancient pagan temple. There had been a Catholic church on the site for a thousand years.” The abbey’s official website provided even more information. It’s definitely worth your time to visit the website. Here’s the link. http://abbaziadifarfa.com/default.asp

Los Dos MikeBos at Farfa, Italy

On Monday, I had written,

                If you are planning to explore Tuscany or Sabina on your next Roman holiday, I heartily recommend visiting Farfa Abbey, and make sure you stop by the Herbalist’s Shop at the front entrance. That’s where you will find the honey I mentioned along with other specialties like locally produced olive oil, soaps and ointments and other such items. The abbey is about an hour’s drive from Rome. It’s been there longer than I had thought. Its history as an abbey has been traced back to the 6^th century, with the original structure having been destroyed after the fall of Rome.

                Here’s “Today in History” for January 21^st.

1793 - Louis XVI of France is executed by the guillotine in Paris, following his conviction for high treason. (I mention this as a reminder to Islamo-extremists and others of a similar ilk to be careful when you piss off the French people.)
1968 - Vietnam War: Battle of Khe Sanh - One of the most publicized and controversial battles of the war begins. (You can either confirm this date in the Almanac, or call my Marine buddy Bruce Kaspari who was actually there and will be happy to share the fun times with you).
2008 - Black Monday in worldwide stock markets. (Was it a Monday? All I remember was the sun started coming up, then the world went dark until yesterday, when President Obama gave his State of the Union Speech). 

Ciao,

 MikeBo