Oh, to be one of the world’s greatest artistic talents! Michelangelo was one. And a talent such as his could do what he wanted. Even where a Pope was involved.

Michelangelo initially did not consider himself an artist. He believed his primary talent was as a sculpturer. 

It was the early 1500s. Pope Julius II wanted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel painted. By no less than Michelangelo. Julius was in a hurry to leave Rome and lead a Crusade to liberate the Holy Land. He called Michelangelo to Rome and told him he would like Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Ceiling. Michelangelo initially refused. He argued a painter he was not. A sculpturer, yes. Thinks got hot between them. Michelangelo finally succumbed and agreed.

While the Pope was off fighting the Crusade, Michelangelo got even with him for having forced him to paint something he did not want to. The Ceiling as painted was a huge representation titled The Creation of Adam.

Michelangelo got even with Pope Julius in a most interesting way. There were approximately 400 males in the work. He painted all of them with their male genitals’ exhibited. Bare penis’s one and all!

Such cannot be viewed while looking up at the ceiling while standing on the Sistine Chapel floor. Too tiny from that distance. However numerous books containing pictures of the bare cocks are available to show how Michelangelo got even.

On this day in 1512, the Sistine Chapel and its ceiling were open to the public.

The Pope was initially pissed at Michelangelo. However somehow their differences were resolved. Michelangelo returned several years later to paint the Ceiling further. A new Pope at the time. Pope Paul III. Michelangelo completed the Chapel by painting The Last Judgment.

Diesel fuel will not operate a car created to use gasoline. Absolute disaster awaits anyone who uses diesel where gasoline is required.

I learned the hard way.

I was in Rome many years ago. Driving a rented car. Needed gasoline. Went to a self service station. I could not read the Italian directions. However arranged to pump the gas myself. I filled the tank with diesel instead of gasoline. It took only two blocks for the car to sputter dead.

I had been in Rome for roughly one month with the whole family. Including my parents. The last four days my lease on the rented house ran out and I had to move elsewhere. My parents and son returned to Utica. They had other matters to attend to. My wife and daughters remained.

We rented rooms at a nunnery. The head nun was a Utican I knew. In fact her brother was a doctor and lived across the street from me at the time in Utica.

I called my nun friend. She and her nuns took great care of me and the car. They had a man who worked full time taking care of the nunnery. The nuns also had a car. They gave me the use of their car for the remainder of my trip and had their handyman clean up the mess I had made with the rented one. It was to save me money. My nun fried said the car rental people would have ripped be off big time had I returned the car with the diesel fuel in it.

The stay in the nunnery was exceptional. I had to do something to reciprocate. I took all the nuns out to a fancy dinner. I also gave my nun friend a few hundred dollars for her goodness. I don’t recall how much.

Several years later, I returned to Rome. Visited my nun friends of course. They took me to their Chapel. There was a new statue of the Blessed Mother. Below it, a plaque reading….Through the Goodness of Louis Petrone.

I would be remiss if I did not add the following.  My wife thought I was nuts. I thought it was fantastic that I was able to have sex in the nunnery with her. 

It has been raining big time all night and this morning. The rain had been predicted as well as the increased King tides Key West and other areas of Florida would experience today. Key West not hit as bad as I initially thought. Internet shows other parts of Florida actually buried in certain areas. Miami and Fort Lauderdale two. Whole cars actually floating down streets with only their roofs evident.

 Syracuse won a big football game yesterday. Syracuse beat #19 ranked SMU 30-27 on a touchdown Syracuse made with only 17 seconds left in the game. Syracuse now 4-4 for the season. Syracuse plays Clemson next week.

Enjoy your Sunday!