Working on Labor Day!!!

Monday was Labor Day here so I didn’t need to go to MY work, but I did do some work. I went out to the country home of Antonella’s family with Marco and the crowd. We used the combined muscle to set up some concrete beams along the driveway to replace some old rotting wooden beams. It reminded me of the good old days in the Oliverio’s back yard with Antonella’s dad being Mr. O. Now the wisteria and other climbing vines have support that won’t collapse under their weight. They also now have an area that they can turn into a second villa. It was good old-fashioned physical labor. It makes me want to buy a villa in the country myself. Then go off and spend the weekend getting dirty…
On Saturday there was a protest march against a new natural gas refining plant they want to build very close to where I work. Nicchi Vendola (president of Puglia) was there again as well as the Mayors of Brindisi, Taranto, and Bari. I’m against it for environmental reasons. They want to carry the gas here by boat, then refine it, and carry the end product away by boat again. So what do they leave, just the waste products. There is no real benefit for Brindisi, as the plant won’t employ many people. The construction phase would probably have the most work, but that wouldn’t last long. It’s like they want a convenient place that hopefully won’t mind what they are doing. Also we need to remember the last mayor was arrested and had to leave office before the end of his term. I wasn’t following that type of news back then to know exactly what he did. I just remember seeing the mayor and 3 friends in the papers and in court for a few days when I first arrived here. Now the mayor and president of the region are against this plant and people for it say its “development”. I don’t know how it can go forward. Did the last government sign something that means it cannot be stopped?
Looking forward to my trip home in mid-May. With the dollar at such a low exchange rate I have a list of things I need to buy for people here. Are there still hooded sweatshirts in the stores?