Fw: Fri. July 27th 4pm

                                                                                                  RANDOM THOUGHTS



Discovered a new granite spiral staircase yesterday.  Sometimes I don't know which level I'm at.  Everything here is made of stone, granite and cement.  Robby is power washing
EVERYTHING.  You'd think the Queen was getting inaugurated this weekend.  Yes, this wedding will be going on all weekend.  Today Prosperina and her daughter, Daniella asked
if I wanted to see her apartment.  YES!  Of course.  I wish I could had taken pictures.  The upholstery on all the pieces of furniture is so elegant.  All new but I could imagine it
is styled after furniture of the 18th century.  Prosperina (name means prosperous) is actually quite wealthy.  But I heard it comes from her husband.  She looks exactly like Carla who
is her sister.  Carla is Robby's mom.  Carla is your typical Italian mother-in-law.  Bossy, overbearing and her opinion is the only one that counts.  Miriam has so much patience.  I don't think I would
be so understanding of my mother-in-law.  Miriam is ironing right now.  But it has to be done just so.  Per Carla's instructions.
I took Sara and Sophia out in the carriage this morning so Miriam could get stuff done.  So we went down to Casaletto, sat in the plaza and waited as long as we could before starting
back up the mountain so Miriam could have as much time as possible without the kids screaming for her.
Sophia is NOT a good big sister to Sara.  She's always wanting anything Sara has.  Like her bottle.  Sophia will take Sara's bottle right out of her mouth and start drinking it!  And
temper tantrums!  Holy cow!  About nothing at all.  But Miriam hardly ever says NO to her.
Yesterday I made a chocolate zucchini cake that turned out really good.  But because I have to use a round bottomed bowl for mixing, and I'm not used to this, the bowl flew off the
table and chocolate batter went everywhere!  What a mess!  So I had to guess what was left in the bowl and add to it to complete the recipe.  But it turned out really good.
The electrical system is so screwy here.  I turned the big electric oven on to do the wedding cake (Miriam had never used this oven) and of course it tripped the breaker.
A few days ago, Robby spent a couple of hours on the phone with the electric co. asking them to give his more power.  Not sure how this works.  But I guess they can turn it up
if they want.  Robby gets frustrated when he tries to explain stuff to me when I ask him questions because he's not so good with the English.
The sheep are coming tomorrow.  I love these chickens.  I get 1 or 2 eggs daily.
The food:  I'll have to list everything after this wedding is done.  But one thing is they want chili con carne served at midnight on Sunday. Somehow this is an Italian
tradition to help those who drank too much to sober up.   Sunday at 6pm is the wedding ceremony.
Miriam made croustades with her homemade jams.  This will be for Saturday night.  I know they're making eggplant parmigiana and sausage.  Some of the food arrived today like
 the olives and the wheel of cheese.  Orange juice is served to the children.  Fresh fruit salad will be served at some point.  And gnocchi.  But I'm not sure what stuff is for
Saturday and what stuff is for Sunday.  Not sure I mentioned this but the bride (Elizabeth from Austria) is getting married on the 111th anniversary of her great grandmother's
wedding and she has her rose gold wedding ring.
I know all these thoughts are random but there is just so much.  I don't know how to separate all this information.  But after the wedding I will try to write just about it.
The groom is from Turkey.  The bride and groom have a 7 yr. old daughter together.  They spent a vacation here last November and said it was just so beautiful, they
wanted to have a true Italian wedding.  So here we are.  And Carla being the Baroness' daughter has to do it up just so.  You wouldn't believe the people coming and going
through here cleaning every inch.  We have people in the garden cleaning and power washing the stone wall!  The only thing I'm surprised about is the lack of flowers.
There are a few rose bushes in bloom but all in all very little flowers out there.  Don't understand that.
It rained this week for 4 days on and off.  Doesn't usually rain at all this time of year. It mostly rains in the Winter months.  Today it is beautiful. 23.5 deg. celsius. Whatever
that is.  I think it's around 65 or 70.  ok for now.  Will write more later.

Fw: Wed. July 25th

                                                                           SOPHIA

TODAY IS SOPHIA'S 3RD BIRTHDAY.  SHE IS FLUENT IN ITALIAN AND GERMAN.  Miriam is from Germany so speaks to her mostly in German.  Sophia's father, Roberto also speaks fluent German.  They are not married.  But they do have Sophia and Sara together.  Sophia is classic hot head I want to do everything myself little girl.  She hasn't really accepted me and prefers if I do not talk to her.  If I try to say anything, she shakes her head no and says NIEN (German for no).  It's quite amusing.  I just laugh.  It's the only way to deal with her.  She has to pick her clothes out herself every day and loves clothes that are bright and that sparkle.  She will be one of the flower girls in this weeks' wedding.  Her dress is so lovely-white with many hand sewn pearls on the waist band.  Really beautiful.

                                                                          UNCLE MARIO

Today Sophia's grandparents, Robby's parents, are here for the day.  No one works.  Robby is right now sleeping in the hammock.  We just finished lunch that I made so it's nap time!  Robby's parents,  Carla and Luigi (GiGi) do not speak one word of English.  Carla is one of the Baroness' 4 children.  Mario is another (uncle Mario to everyone) and I will be staying in his apartment for a couple of days so guests to the wedding can stay in my room.  Uncle Mario just built what i've learned to be quite a beautiful new house on the mountaintop outside Tortorella where Miriam and I went today to the market .  Uncle Mario got married just 2 years ago and he and his wife stay together only on weekends in their mountaintop home.  He does the shopping for the Baroness so we saw him at the market today.  I've learned that the family does not like the fact that he uses family money to buy groceries for the Baroness and himself and has Dora make him all his meals with her food.  Dora is the Baroness' home helper.

                                                                          DORA

Dora takes care of the Baroness (Maria Gallotti).  She is from Romania and what money she makes, sends back home for her family.  She was able to purchase a home for them with the money made here.  She is about 40 yrs. old, wear the same black dress every day and doesn't smell like she ever takes a shower.  Once she took a vacation from her work here to go back home to Romania and the Baroness was so mean and nasty to her fill-in caregivers, they could not keep anyone for more than a couple of days.

Tues. July 24th

I saw the family tree yesterday.  It was a framed piece in Miriam's living room.  It was a little difficult to read.  It went back to 1200 something a.d..  The Baroness's name in Maria Gallotti.  Hence the name Palozzo Gallotti.  I was scheduled to be here until Aug. 30th.  But the next farm I am going to wants me to come a bit earlier to go to the 'rainbow festival' with her (Maria Pia Cutillo).  I mentioned it to Miriam and she jokingly said 'no'.  She loves me being here and truly doesn't want me to go.  We eat pasta every day for lunch.  We've had it with pesto, with ricotta, with a can of tuna in oil.  I made some yesterday with cooked lentils in its' own sauce made mostly from the cooking water and garlic.  It was a huge hit.  I've been doing most of the cooking because they love everything I make and there is no rules with the pasta.  Two nights ago we had guests for dinner (served very late by the way) and we had my stuffed zucchini.  All the adults applauded me, literally, for the zucchini and said 'Karen for president'!   They do not eat much butter though.  A lot of parm. which they pay 13 Euro/kilo which translates to about $9/lb.  Close to what I've been paying wholesale.  But the cost varies depending on the age.  What I got from Restaurant Depot is from one wheel.  I did not have a choice.  One rule is  NOT to have milk in your espresso after 11 a.m.  And you never serve cheese with fish.  I asked Robby if he wanted park on his pasta with the tuna.  NO!  NEVER he said.  And of course I made the mistake of putting my salad on my plate with my meal.  NO!  Salad is eaten alone only after the meal followed by fruit and then dessert.

Last night I just couldn't eat so late so I had 2 nectarines and let them eat themselves.  I cooked their own potatoes in the skins and Miriam cut a basket filled with swiss chard which she was going to cook in garlic.  That was what they had for supper.  I've been told I can make most anything as long as it's healthy.  That in most important.  The only meat we use is prosciutto served for company and of course very, very thin with bread and cheese.   I said I would eat the leftover swiss chard for breakfast.  Miriam laughed.

When I go downstairs in a little while I'll use the basket filled with basil leaves that Miriam picked last night and make pesto with their own walnuts from the walnut tree

---

Miriam took me up to the very top floor of this castle.  I don't know which floor it is. 4th, 5th?  But it's like anyone's attic with the beams showing-totally unfinished.  The children of the Baroness talk about finishing it into an apartment so Robby's mom can stay there.  But I also learned that there are 4 apartments here within the castle and no one lives in any of them! One of the daughters' (name escapes me) I'm told is like a museum.  No one is allowed to touch anything.  There were 2 chandeliers up there; one was really beautiful.  Just sitting there on the dirty floor.  And picture frames!  Lots of them.  And old.  And some old windows with the wooden sheathers attached.  I found an old basket-perfect shape with a cover.  And some iron bed frames-really pretty.

The name Battaglia means battle which I think is why this castle was built.  In the kitchen area are two gun racks.  One filled with rifles and the other empty.  I took pictures.  I also took pictures of the kitchen with the wood cook stove and the wall of copper pots.  Little by little I will see it all.  And I want to pick Miriams' brain and do a family tree with all the traditional Italian names.

I made another zucchini, walnut bread and stuffed zucchini for supper.  I put some yellow plums in the zucchini bread.  Miriam just picked another bowl of zucchini and summer squash.  More tomorrow

Ciao

I got to meet the Baroness last night for the first time.  It was late.  Around 10:30.  She's been asking to meet me.  She's absolutely charming and beautiful with long, white hair of which she apologized for being down, not fixed.  She was supposed to come over to the courtyard (palazzo) tonight and eat dinner with all of us but it got too late.  Robby's sister, Renata, her husband Giovanni and two girls, Katarina and Francesca ages 6 and 7 were also here and it takes these people a very long time to get it all together.  That is why we seem to always eat so late.  So I got to see a little more of this wonderful place.  I will take pictures of the inside of the rooms.  The original kitchen has a wood burning stove that is probably, conservatively, 15 feet long with several cooking places on top of the wood burning area.  I'm not sure how to describe it.  Maybe pictures would be better.  On the opposite wall from the stove is a whole wall covered with old copper pots.  I will count them later but from memory possibly 30 or more.  There is a table with several irons for pressing clothes on it and a scale.  All of these items of course are very old but just how old I cannot guess.  I will drill Miriam on such details later.

I went outside to another spot that I have not ventured into yet; outside of the Baroness' side of the castle and saw two large 'things' that  I have found out to be:  1) an olive press and 2) a mill for making flour.  I will take pics.  Awesome.  I also learned that Robby has an apartment somewhere within this castle.  No one lives there but I think Miriam, Robby and the girls might move there for the 3 days of the wedding to give up their room for guests.  I will be moving into Uncle Mario's apartment in town, just a short walk down the hill.  There is also a VW bus in perfect condition under a carport there.  No one uses it.

The plum cake I made yesterday (with zucchini) was a huge hit and I now am jokingly referred to as the zucchini person because I have been making so many things with it.  We have so much!  And someone in the village gave us a basket of their gold plums.  So I don't want to waste them and will be cleaning them to put into something today maybe.  They also cater to my obsession with eating tomatoes every day.  I can't seem to get enough of them.  I eat them with everything.  So they will probably get another case of them soon I hope!  How wonderful.

I will try to make a zucchini crusted pizza today with their tomato sauce and mozzarella.  I've been experimenting on these people and so far they like everything.  I will also make a chocolate zucchini cake that I found online.  What the heck.  Why not?  Cooking and baking for people who appreciate me has never been work.  It's play and they like it when I play.

It's 7:15 now.  I know this because although I never wear a watch or look at a clock, the church in the village, down the hill chimes every 15 min.  So I always know what time it is.  I will walk down there soon to see what church is to everyone here in the village.

Ciao!

                                                                        MINIMALIST LIVING

It has been so nice living with this family.  They have no up to date electronics except a computer.  Their one tv is very small and never on.  The children have absolutely NO toys.  I asked if Sophia likes to draw or color and Miriam said 'oh yes.  She loves to draw'.  All she has is 8 colored pencils and one coloring book.  Sara (8 months) does not have a playpen or swing or ANYTHING!  The rooms are sparsely furnished with just enough to get by.  Yet it all works.  We all keep very busy all the time between the garden and cleaning up this place of neglect to making food for the almost constantly hungry Sara.  She only has 2 teeth but does not want to eat mushed up baby food any more.  They have one car-a Ford Fusion.  There is never any snack food anywhere.  So no eating in-between.  Tonight for supper we had cooked fava beans from the garden, tomato salad, potato salad I made from left over cooked potatoes from last night.  Rare there is any leftovers for the next day.  And water.  Never juice or milk or soda.  Sophia runs around naked most of the time.  And the place is very quiet in between Sophia's whining.  More about Sophia another day.  A page will be dedicated just for her.

Tomorrow I will talk about the inside of this magnificent house (castle-Palazzo Gallotti).

I am so fortunate to be here.

I love it here.

Ciao

I worked so hard today sweeping and trimming the miles of ivy here.  I had to package up 4 big bags of junk that has been lying around this place to bring it to the big garbage can on the street.  I also pulled weeds that were growing in the rocks.  Everything here is made of rock.  But I can't understand how anything can grow in rock!

With my espresso this morning I had to have a piece of bread because Miriam brought out a jar of her yellow plum jam.  It was very delicious.  For lunch we had pasta-just plain with a salad.  But I asked if I could have a couple of tomatoes (Romas) with the pasta.  I saw Roberto brought home a whole case of Romas so I knew it would be ok.  I thought the taste was really good but Miriam and Roberto said "just wait till you try ours".  Their romas won't be ready for a while.  Then Roberto and Sarah and Sophia went away for a nap.  Miriam and I did some research on the computer and talked about the plans about the wedding which she is very nervous about pulling off.

It's midnight and we just got back from meeting Roberto's sister and gorgeous husband Giovanni and their two girls and a cousin (6) Leo short for Leonardo for pizza.  It was very good but I don't like eating so late.

Today I have been here for 3 days and I just tonight while it was still light out got to see the street view of this place.  Miriam and I went to town (Casaletto Spartano) just 2 km away across the valley.  This town is everything we all see in the movies about a small Italian town complete with groups of Italian men on the street playing some card game  and the women in their little groups on the street also-talking. It is a very small town with very curvy streets and so narrow, two cars cannot pass each other.  We went in this tiny store looking for a loaf of todays' bread but there was none left.  Then we went to another store almost as tiny to get ingredients for a 'test' cake for the wedding.  They did not have lemon juice-no one did in the whole town but would order it to be picked up tomorrow.  This is good because I will bring my camera to take a picture of the Palazzo Gallotti from across the valley.  The castle is actually in the town of Battaglia with 80 residents and one bar/store.  You can walk from one end of the town on the one road going through it in about  minute.  It was a much busier town several years ago but many have left for the city.  Their houses and apartments left empty.  I just learned today that there is 'the old house' up in the woods on this property.  The woods are very, very dense and I'm sure I would have to be shown it and not venture out to find it by myself.  This place is old but the old house is older.  Palazzo Gallotti was built in 1492 and yes, I still have not seen even half of it on the inside.  Miriam promises me I will.  I got to peek inside at the courtyard of Roberto's Grandmother, Maria.  Very, very lovely.  Tomorrow I must meet Maria.  I understand she has been asking to meet me.  She's 96.

Next week I'll have to move in town at Roberto's uncles' apartment for 3 nights so guests to the wedding can stay in my room.  This should be interesting!    Ciao

I worked all day in the garden on the hill, weeding mostly.  After a cool shower, I felt like a million bucks and rocked Sara to sleep in the swing while Miriam and Roberto moved a fence from around the chickens so they could freely roam around with hopes not to get eaten by the wild dogs that seem to be quite near and quite a problem.  Next week we're getting 2 mama sheep and 2 babies.  Today we picked more figs from the very tops of the trees.  There are several trees of baby plums which are incredibly sweet and are the size of a big grape.  We have purple and yellow plums that are this size and some purple ones that are a little bigger.  For supper tonight I had tomato salad on crunchy homemade bread.  I'm trying not to eat bread but I was sooo hungry after a busy day.  These people don't serve an abundance of food.  Even at Roberto's parents house on the beach, Carla (mom) made dinner for 7 adults and 5 children and had the amount of food I would have had for maybe 4 adults (or less).  The women are also very petite.  Tomorrow Roberto and I will build some steps up to one of the gardens with logs and stone.  It's very difficult to go up to and return from the gardens because the slopes are so steep.  I saw a few little lizards today.  It was HOT!  But not humid.  Also tomorrow I will be making zucchini parmagianno for the freezer for the wedding the following week.  Miriam made a huge container of zucchini salad in a jar for the wedding which will happen the following week.

There are a few, probably several, abandoned farm houses in this town.  The houses look like they're in really good shape.  It's a shame that this town of Battaglia has only 80 residents.  I'll take pictures from our farm across the valley, up the mountain at all the houses tomorrow.  It's very hard to believe there are so few people with so many houses.  I also want to walk to town (Casaletto) tomorrow.  Today was just too busy to go anywhere.  Although there is a small tv, no one has turned it on.  No radio.  No noise.  

I love it here

I have died and gone to Italy heaven!!  This whole trip so far has been amazing.  Flew 1st class.  Had my own 'pod' all by myself that reclined to a full horizontal.  Didn't have to bother anyone when I wanted to get up.  Had to pay a little extra but being a 9 hr. flight made it all worth while.  I spent from 5pm until now, almost 11 pm at a villa on the Tyronian Sea with Miriam (German wife) and her husband, Roberto, his parents, sister, her husband and a few other family members all talking up a storm in Italian and cooking fresh zucchini with anchovies and capers, eating cheese and figs that Miriam picked this afternoon from her trees.  We drank some kind of homemade wine and lemon cello.  And the kids! there were I think 6 all 6 and under running around speaking Italian.  It was wild!  I already told Miriam that I will never want to leave.  And we (her and I) have to do all the cooking for the wedding inside the palazzo of this 1492 castle owned by Roberto's grandmother, the baroness who also lives here... I am staying in one of the rooms of the B+B and loving all of it.  Have to keep the windows closed so the bats won't come it.  So much more I have to stop-exhausted!

---

     

first day in Italy

July 17th 2012

I have died and gone to Italy heaven!!  This whole trip so far has been amazing.  Flew 1st class.  Had my own 'pod' all by myself that reclined to full horizontal.  Didn't have to bother anyone when I wanted to get up.  Had to pay a little extra but being a 9 hr. flight made it all worth while.  I spent from 5pm until now, almost 11 pm at a villa on the Tyronian Sea with Miriam (German wife) and her gorgeous husband, Roberto, his parents, sister, her husband and a few other family members all talking up a storm in Italian and cooking fresh zucchini with anchovies and capers, eating cheese and figs that Miriam picked this afternoon from her trees.  We drank some kind of homemade wine and lemon cello.  And the kids! there was I think 6 all 6 and under running around speaking Italian.  It was wild!  I already told Miriam that I will never want to leave.  And we (her and I) have to do all the cooking for the wedding inside the palazzo of this 1492 castle owned by Roberto's grandmother, the baroness who also lives here... I am staying in one of the rooms of the B+B and loving all of it.  Have to keep the windows closed so the bats won't come in.  So much more.  I have to stop-exhausted!

---

     

     

     

                                                              

     

Time flies when you've got plans; plans to go away.  Leaving my home of 32 years is emotionally difficult and draining.  My home is where I want to be in good times and bad.  Now I'm leaving.  I'm going to Italy to live and work; to get away from the sadness I've been made to feel every day.  I'm hoping that by being surrounded by new people and learning a new life style that I will not be sad ALL the time.  I'm hoping to start a new life with people that have not hurt me.  I'm hoping to gain a lot from this trip, whether it lasts just a short 3 months or a lot longer if my 'application to stay' gets approved.
I''m starting this blog now before I go just to put down a few thoughts about going.  But I'm hoping that when I get to my new home, I will keep this journal going on a daily basis and talk about the people and places and not get into the garbage I left behind.
This blog is for me and possibly a few trusted friends who I know care about me and want to continue having a connection with me and my new life.

TODAY IS JULY 7TH 2012        9 DAYS TO GO