Sandy and Mario were gone when the rest of us woke this morning. We are in real farm country now. It must be the poorer part though. Many fields look as if they are no longer worked. Low hills seem to roll to the horizon. It's all brown land and slate grey skies. The singers returned mid-morning bearing a monster loaf of hard-crusted bread - apple cider - and salami. What a feast ! Mario told us about troubadours and said that's what he and Sandy are. At the farm store old-timers welcomed their songs and contributed a few coins. The owner donated our breakfast and told the "troubadours" to come back tomorrow. They told him about our little family and that we'd work for food and a safe place to sleep. He said he'd spread the word. It was still cold but not so grey. The news had put a glint in the day. Now it was silver. Cider made us warm and inside-glad.