snow in calabria!

"Amò! Guarda la neve!"

"Honey! Look at the snow!"

P opened the balcony shutters this morning and found that it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas--we got snooooooooow!


Don't you just love how at the bottom, the land around the olive trees is all green but then by the time your eyes reach the sky, everything turns all white?

Oh that Mother Nature . . . .

So, yes, it's just a dusting, but it's actually visible from my house; usually you have have to go farther up into the mountains before you hit the white stuff.

A lot of people don't know this, but there's actually some great skiing in Calabria (they tell me; I'm not a skier) in the Sila Mountains where you'll find the Sila National Park.

And yes, I know a lot of you are having blizzard or blizzard-like conditions right now, so this may not seem exciting (by the way, I do hope you're all safe and not throwing out your back shoveling), but for someone like me who despite now living in southern Italy grew up with

snow days
and school delays
and watching flakes fall in complete silence
and flapping my arms and legs to make snow angels
and sipping hot chocolate with marshmallow
while wet gloves, hats, scarves sizzle
and dry on the radiator

even a simple dusting can make my entire winter.

I love snow!

It's still raining and cold cold cold, but no worries, because I have a lot of this in store today (much like yesterday):


But I won't be lonely. Besides the pooches and remaining pups, I'll have P around as he's been enlisted to help (official nutcracker and crusher), and also this guy and his heavenly voice:

Don't worry, I'll also make time to take Stella's cue and find a nice lap by the fire.

Buona domenica!

P.S. Don't forget to vote for me in the Photo Contest at Write from Karen's Place! You can see my official entry with photo and story here.

Be advised: From the photo contest page, you need to click on "more at twiigs.com" to go to the actual voting page. Thanks!

finding fall in southern italy

I grew up in the mountains of Pennsylvania, so finding fall was as easy as walking out the front door anytime after late September (and sometimes even before). From the unmistakable chill in the air to the red, orange, yellow, and brown leaves hanging onto the trees for as long as they could keep their grip, fall always found me.

Here in southern Italy, it's not so easy. Yes, our temps get cooler and some trees even manage to lose their leaves, but you have to pay attention. You have to really look; blink and you'll miss it. Fall can easily pass you by--and that would be tragic for me as it's my favorite season.

Fall here, though, isn't all about things dying as there's a lot of new growth too. I mentioned the citrus fruits the other day, but there are also some flowers who are just making their appearance as well.

So while I miss fall from back home, I have an all new fall to appreciate here. I found her yesterday. And she sure is pretty.

Today I'm thankful for:

Please see above photos.

P.S. Don't forget to visit Ilva's Lucullian Delights and see what she has made for the Dolce Italiano Contest--and leave a comment over there to enter the drawing to win a free, signed copy of Dolce Italiano by Gina DePalma!

31 things i've learned in my 31 years

As of today I’m thirty-one years, one month, and one day old, and I’m ready to pass on:

31Things I’ve Learned in My 31 Years

1. Family members can be friends and friends can be like family members.
2. Laughing until your stomach hurts should happen at least once a day.
3. Being alone does not have to mean being lonely.
4. Dreaming is essential to living.
5. When what others want and what you want differ, trust your instincts.
6. Dogs are woman’s best friend too.
7. Sometimes love really isn’t enough.
8. Broken hearts should be worn with pride; it means you dared to love.
9. Peanut butter goes with everything.
10. Fireplaces, books, and blankets rule, especially when enjoyed together.
11. Inclement weather and important appointments are like peas and carrots.
12. Trying new things and meeting new people keep life interesting.
13. You can’t control what others do, but you can control how you react to them.
14. Stepping and/or kneeling on tacks hurts. A lot. Avoid it.
15. Love can be found in the wind.
16. Trust is a choice.
17. Innards for dinner do nothing for me.
18. The shower is a good place to cry.
19. Living simply helps others simply live.
20. Being wrong isn’t failure, it’s human.
21. Everything happens for a reason.
22. Sleeping, particularly napping, is underrated.
23. Being the bigger person isn’t always easy, but it’s always rewarding.
24. The sound of someone’s voice can be the most beautiful music in the world.
25. You don’t need to meet someone in person to develop a close relationship.
26. Success and happiness are best defined individually, i.e., by each person.
27. Appreciating small, good things makes dealing with big, bad things easier.
28. Homemade is always better.
29. Being accessible 24 hours a day is annoying.
30. The best way to learn a foreign language is full, painful-at-times immersion.
31. Moving ahead is easier if you understand where you’ve been.

Feel free to make your own list and let me know where to find it.

Today I’m thankful for:

Rainbows. We had a mini-rainbow a couple weeks ago, just a splash over the sea:

And then this one yesterday:

They’re always pretty, of course, but I just can’t think of a better way to be reminded that even when things are dark and dreary, something beautiful can come of it.

more random stuff about me

So we're halfway through NaBloPoMo and NaNoWriMo. How are you feeling kids?

I figure it's about time to dig into those questions I asked you for a while back.

To recap, I was first tagged by amazing artist Robyn of Have Dogs, Will Travel to write seven random facts about me. Then I was tagged two more times, first by Italianissima of Always Italianissima and then by Tui of Mental Mosaic for more random facts.

And even though I wasn't technically tagged, I'll also accept the kind NaBloPoMo invitation from BipolarLawyerCook as well.

I'm responding to your questions in the order they were received with the exception of those from Sara of Moving Right Along who wants my favorite Italian cookie recipe and Robin of My Melange (did you see I won her book contest?!) who asked about whether I'm legal in Italy (short answer: yes) and how I got to be that way (longer answer needed). Both will get their own posts at some point.

Try to sleep at night anyway.

(1) Giulia of From Head to Boot asked what I used to think about future children and whether that has changed.

As far back as I can remember, I always thought three was a good number, and I still do, and, interestingly, so does P. I was never hung up on whether they be boys or girls, though, and I’m still not.

Of course the older you get, the more you realize that these things are pretty much out of your control, so I’m just hoping for a healthy baby or babies in whatever number we’re supposed to have.

Truth be told, though, I’d *really* love at least one little girl; my relationship with my mom is one of the most precious things I have in my life, and I’d love the opportunity to recreate that with a daughter.

(2) Shelley of At Home in Rome asked me what is the most expensive thing I’ve ever splurged on.

I’m not really a big spender generally so, other than book shopping sprees (and there have been more than a few of those), the most expensive thing I’ve ever splurged on was my first trip to Italy in the summer of 2002, and it was very much an impulse decision.

I was surfing the Internet one night looking for information on my ancestors' village, not a thought in my head of a visit, and I happened to come across a tour that was heading precisely here. Coincidence? I don't believe in them.

I had my flight booked within a few hours and the rest, as they say, is history.

(3) Dee of Mundane Profound Musings asked if I could be president of one country for 100 days, which country would it be and what would I do?

I’d pick to lead the US because of the issues I’d like to address--getting out of Iraq and providing universal health care. Those are the big two, and probably all I could reasonably focus on with just a hundred days, but I wouldn’t mind trying to do something to increase the value of the dollar as well as pass some environmentally-friendly legislation.

Of course I'd also love to do something about immigration laws in Italy, but I only get to pick one country.

(4) Alyndabear asked about the best thing about living in Italy.

Other than P and my doggies, I’d have to say that the best thing, for me, about living in Italy is the overall peaceful feeling I have being here. Maybe that’s cheesy, but honestly, I’m just happy, and that’s definitely the best thing about living here.

The cappuccino ain't bad either.

(5) Karen of Artsortments asked how often I get back to the States to visit.

Unfortunately I don't think the term "how often" really applies as I haven't been back since June of 2004. I'm hoping to get back there sooner or later, but this euro/dollar thing isn't making matters any easier. On the bright side, most of my family is discussing plans to come here next summer!

(6) Karen also asked whether I've seen any Mafia activity lately.

I hear and see nothing, cara mia.

(7) Maryann of Finding La Dolce Vita wrote "Yes, how do Italian women stay thin in Italy with all the great food? What is a normal day of eating and or exercise like in Italy?"

I'm sorry to report that I know of no magic information explaining why many Italian women are slim; personally I think a lot of them just have high metabolisms because some of them can eat and eat and eat and still be really thin (those women reportedly exist everywhere).

But actually a lot of Italian women *aren't* slim as percentages of overweight and obese people are climbing up and up. And unfortunately some of the slim women I know really don't eat very much at all and/or smoke. But I'm guessing this isn't what you want in the form of diet and exercise advice.

It's really different for everyone, though, so it's not easy to say *this* is what they do--except that I can tell you how I lost weight (somewhere around 30 pounds) while here and how, I imagine, many Italian women keep themselves in shape.

I eat less junk food, processed foods, sugar, red meat, and butter. I eat more fruits, vegetables, and beans and use *a lot* more olive oil. Chicken and rabbit are our go-to meats.

I don't think that generally Italians get a lot of exercise unless they're walking around cities a lot. Although many young people I know go to the gym, from what I see many Italians like to drive rather than walk from Point A to Point B. But a lot of the older women still do a lot of manual labor, so that's their exercise.

Me? I don't drive, so I do a lot of walking, especially with the dogs. And I also do yoga.

I guess it's cliché but the best I can tell you is to eat less of the bad stuff, more of the good stuff, and move more, which, in general, is what a lot of Italians seem to do (except for the moving part as described above).

And there we have seven random things about me, sort of.

I still have more questions to answer, but if you have anything you'd like to know, ask me in the comments!

Today I'm thankful for:

Sunny, windy days like today so I can finally hang out some clothes and actually have them be dried by the end of the day.

If you've been reading my blog or just about any blog by an expat in Italy, you know that clothes dryers are quite rare around here (I'm very jealous of MB of The Flavors of Abruzzo right now!). This means that during the colder months, we end up with wet, musty-smelling clothes a lot of the time as they have to dry inside on racks--which takes at least two days when it's damp outside.

I will eventually get a dryer, I'm sure, but for now, I cherish these glorious windy days and then go crazy doing laundry. You can see the roughness of the sea a bit here:


La tramontana is the name of the wind that gives us these great clothes-drying days; it also usually means that any rain clouds pass over us quickly without dropping anything.

Sure it puts a bit of a chill in the air too, but I'll take it for the sake of our clothes...not to mention that it also gives us an excuse to start up a fire in the fireplace.

And I love a fire in the fireplace.

weather you like it or not

In case anyone doubts the fickleness of the weather in Calabria, I'm going to show you a little of what it was like here on Thursday, November 1.

From the time I woke up that morning, it had been pouring, buckets and buckets of water, so I hadn't paid much attention to the windows. But then, just as I was starting to think about lunch, a hint of sun glared through the balcony door.

Literally at that moment, P called me and told me to look outside.

11:45 a.m.:

I've seen a lot of rainbows here, but never one this low; indeed, that's why P had called me--he hadn't either. And where he was at the time, he was nearly at the start (or end?) of it--my little pot o' gold!

11:47 a.m.:

To be clear, these views are from my balcony, off to the left. To the right there is the sea, or at least that's what's usually there.

11:56 a.m.:

We get a good amount of fog here throughout the fall and winter months, but I've never seen this much fog in the daytime. It rolled through quite quickly, though.

11:59 a.m.:

At this point I thought we were finally, finally in for some afternoon sun, and we did have a good couple hours of the stuff, but then I looked out toward where the rainbow had been.

2:24 p.m.:

And it rained the rest of the afternoon and was cloudy and/or rained Friday. As I type this on Saturday morning, there's plenty of sun and not a cloud in sight, but I'm not placing any bets.

Today I am thankful for:

The sun and rain, the clouds and sky, the hail and snow, the wind and still air, the heat and cold--all of the natural weather elements that make the world go round, help our food to grow, make trees greener, and above all, keep life interesting.

Because who hasn't gotten caught in the rain? Or the wind? Or the snow? It's not always fun (although it can be!), but it's always an experience. You just can't help but feel alive when you're getting pelted in the face with hail, can you?

And besides, sometimes it's good to be reminded that the world does what it wants and we're just along for the ride. Weather you like it or not. Hah!

well i love a rainy night,such a beautiful sight

Ciao! I hope everyone had a nice weekend full of Internet connections!

Yes, we lost contact with the outside world (via computer) again on Sunday morning, and it lasted until yesterday evening--and this morning it has been so frustratingly slow to do anything. I'm not even sure if this is going to post when I'm done, but it's worth a shot.

To be clear, I'm not complaining because when I called the Internet provider, they told me it'd be fixed by giovedì mattina--Thursday morning. Look at Telecom coming through early! Miracles do happen!

So what caused the outage? Well, they can blame this:

But in reality, we lost the phone and internet before the *big* storms came--and they were big. Huge. Scary in fact, and they lasted most of the day Sunday and yesterday.

No complaints on the rain either as it's been so very long since we've had a good soaking, although I could do without the lightning and thunder. I think the pooches, though trembling, secretly enjoyed it all because it meant plenty of Mommy Lap time--Luna on the upper half, Stella on the lower as we stared off into the fog, clouds, and rain (no television allowed when there's lightning!).

So, forced to stay inside, we did a little of this:

Which eventually led to this:

Those are pieces of one of our chickens marinated in olive oil, red wine vinegar, and Stubb's Rosemary-Ginger Spice Rub (sent by my mom) and then basted by P using a brush made of his mother's dried oregano. Yum!

Great family and food time aside, I also got *a lot* of other things done--finished all the translations that were piled up, completed another couple writing assignments, wrote a handful of blog posts, and ran a bunch of errands (in between the raindrops of course). I haven't felt so accomplished in weeks!

I love the rain! Especially when it's followed by this:

And, in case you're wondering, now we're back to this:

And how was your weekend?

P.S. Thanks so much for turning the last post into a wonderful discussion! You have no idea how happy it makes me when that happens.

love thursday: chased by a cloud part II

Remember when I posted a photo of a heart-shaped cloud that snuck into a photo of a cactus I was taking? If not, you can find it here.

This morning as I was working on yet another last minute translation project (seems to be the only kind this particular organization gives me), I looked outside of my balcony door and saw this:

Can you see a heart?
P tells me I'm crazy, but I see one in there.

To the left of that was this:


Now there you see a heart, right?

To the right was this:

Which I maintain is an angel or fairy with big strong wings, but
feel free to tell me what you see.

And while you're at it, for fun, what do you see here?
(besides the ugly roof and satellite dish)

I have some ideas but I want to hear you you think first--
and no, my thoughts don't involve hearts.

And yes, I did finish the translation, thankyouverymuch.

Happy Love Thursday everyone!

it's a bird...it's a plane...it's a ship...

It's all three! In one photo!

Trust me, they're all there if you look closely enough. As always, click to enlarge.

The plane in question is one of those that drops water on raging forest fires, which I swear P told me one time was called a Canadese (as in, "of Canada"), although I could be making that up.* Or it might've been the helicopter version. Anyone know?

Here are some closer looks at the plane, albeit out of focus. I haven't had much practice photographing low-flying planes, obviously. But the sky? Ah! Did someone say endless blue?

Aren't propellers just precious?

The day after these photos, this was the scene on the railing of my balcony:

We were blessed with the wet stuff only for about 7 minutes, though, so the planes were out again the next day--they're a pretty regular feature around here this time of year unfortunately.

As terrible as it is that we have to deal with the fires, I do rather enjoy following the planes as they make their circuitous routes from the sea and back, over and over again. There's something rather soothing in the rumble, perhaps my knowing they're doing their best to keep us all safe.

Sights like this also help ease my mind and soul.

And yes, I am working hard on your questions; if anyone has any more, check out this post, and leave what you'd like to know in the comments--now would be the time to add them, btw, while I'm still feeling answery.

*Edited to add that I was half making it up. P actually said "Canadair" but with an Italian accent, and so I apparently latched onto the part I followed and conveniently forgot the rest. That's neither the first nor the last time that'll happen, I'm afraid.

i wandered lonely as a cloud

When my mom visited a few years ago, she called me out on the balcony to ask about the group of black and white birds that begin circling, screeching, and swooping around 7:30 p.m. every evening without fail.

I still don't know what kind of birds they are (neither does P despite knowing about a lot of wildlife), but every time I hear their cries start up I think of my mom and many warm memories of when we bummed around southern Italy with nary a word of Italian between us. We've always been close, but during that trip I learned that nothing can bring two people closer than trying to decipher Italian road signs and strange hours of business.

The other night I glanced outside when the screeching reached its highest levels, and I found an amazing sky through my balcony doors.


At first glance, I thought this looked like a bird with wings above its head, flying to the right; then it seemed like it was flying to the left. Now I think it looks like two birds joined in the middle. What do you think?

The sky's gorgeous coloring only lasted a few minutes, but luckily I snapped a few more photos.






In the last photo, you can see one of the birds quite clearly, but in the middle two, they appear only as grey streaks--they move that quickly. It's really quite a spectacle, and I'm lucky that I get to see it every evening.

Just goes to show you that sometimes in order to catch a great moment all you need to do is stop, listen, and look up.

seashells *and* ponies!

Good news and bad news.

Bad news first, OK?

I won't be around for a few days because of various work commitments, so you probably won't hear from me again until Friday or so (most likely no What's Cooking Wednesday, sniff sniff).

Just didn't want anyone to worry about me or my Internet connection, so there you have it.

Now the good news:

As I type this, the cuffs of my capri-length jeans are still damp from the waters of the Ionian Sea (although I have changed out of them) and bits of sand are sprinkled throughout my house.

Let's start in the early morning.

This morning I was walking Luna when I stopped to take this photo of a pretty tree in the piazza:


Check out the (untouched) color of the sky. I just knew it would be a good day.

Also, you can't see them very well, but there are some fallen petals on the sidewalk; obviously I got there before the rubbish collector did, otherwise they'd have been swept up.

While I was snapping, P's sister-in-law came over to me. We chatted for a few minutes--P is currently painting her house--and when I mentioned I had to go down to the Marina (part of the village on the coast, 5 km away), she offered me a ride as she was headed there.

This was an hour before I was planning to leave on the bus, so I took Luna home and packed up everything I'd need for my errands, which included the bank (ATM), bakery, grocery store, market, and beach if there was time (not an errand, but a thought).

But soon the whole plan changed.

As I was finishing up at the ATM machine, I got a call from one of my employers telling me that I could go pick up my paycheck (my first from them--only two months late!) at a bank in another town. So I hurried up with my errands in the Marina and caught the bus to the other town.

When I arrived at the bank, I couldn't believe it--only five people in line! Oh. Just one teller.

And there's the rub.

So I waited an hour and a half for a transaction that took literally two minutes. By then, I had missed the next bus back to my village, although I was blessed with the amusing sight of a woman being refused entry into the bank.

[For those who don't know, in order to enter a bank here, you have to press a button for a little Star Trek-like glass pod to open. You step in and the Controller of the Pod (we'll call this person "COP") says yea or nay via a button that opens the other side of the pod leading into the bank.]

This poor woman, probably in her 30s, long black hair pulled back in a pony, stepped in and out of the pod at least five times with no luck. I think she finally went and put her purse in her car because she eventually convinced the COP (with no havoc ensuing, thank goodness).

Anyway, by the time I finally got another bus to the Marina (I'd then need a separate bus, passing through the Marina an hour later, to get up to my village), it was noon and I was starving. So I did what any self-respecting non-Italian would do at mezzogiorno--I got a panino and a peach iced tea and headed for the beach.

Of course at that hour, the seaside was all mine as all the real Italians were home for lunch most likely featuring pasta and not simply prosciutto and provola like I was about to have.

But before I got to the sand and surf, I was greeted by ponies (and a horse and a donkey)!








Circus is in town, you see. Not as funny (and useful!) as these ponies, but that first one really has something to brag about if you ask me.

Soon I got comfy with my lunch.


As this was yet another unplanned beach excursion, I didn't have any of the usual supplies. I had to make do with a scarf, which I always have in my bag, and rolled up capri pants. In the past couple months, I've come to realize that I actually don't dislike going to the beach as I always thought I had--what I hate is the preparation, the making sure I have absolutely everything I might need.

A trip to the sea is quite enjoyable, I've found, when you simply show up.

When my belly was full, I walked along the beach snapping some more photos.




Did I mention that our water is clean, clean, clean?


And then it was time to go.


But not before I grabbed some free souvenirs so that I can always remember those gorgeous few hours.


Ah, and then it got even better!

When I arrived home, a copy of Eat, Pray, Love was waiting for me--my prize for winning Shelley's (At Home in Rome) La Mia Italia post contest with Conquering Evil (One Plastic Red Horn at a Time)!

Hope everyone's week is as lovely as my Monday has been!