Buttons and a Handshake
Journal Entry - 10 Aprile 2010 Really, I've kept my world very small. There are some that would rush to assure me otherwise, but when I honestly scan the content and structure of my life, my...
75 Degrees of Perfection
THIS is the time to be in Milano. The temperature is warm enough (75 degrees) to be comfortable in light linen and cotton, and enjoyable having the windows open to fresh air, but not so warm that...
Ushering Ants
The first order of business this morning was to usher the flock* of ants OUT. As soon as the weather warmed, the ants returned. When I first shared my apartment with them last summer and mentioned...
Goin’ Home
One month ago I wrote this entry in my journal, and am now ready to post it, announcing that I've decided to move back to Seattle at the end of July. I now have less than 4 months remaining here,...
Kitty Fix on Ricotta Day
Wednesday is "ricotta day", the day they make fresh ricotta at the Cascina Femegro. Even though I had just been there yesterday, a sunny afternoon and the thought of hours-fresh ricotta on some nice...
Springtime in Italy
The windows are open to the day's remaining warmth while trout and green beans grill and steam for dinner. I had awakened this morning to bright sun direct into my bedroom, and the day held promise....
Portraits of a Regional Election
They put the temporary, scaffold-and-tin poster walls back up in my neighborhood just in time to feature advertising for the regional elections. Three inch holes are bored into the sidewalk, with...
Head Cheese & Olive Bread
After the flea market at Piazza dei Ciompi in Firenze last Sunday, I walked a few blocks further and saw yellow-tented stalls. Hmm. A food market: cheeses, meats, breads and a few other goodies....
Florentine Flea Market
A month ago I was given a hot lead from a girlfriend in Seattle about flea markets in Firenze. What I uncovered through some digging was that the "hottest" market happens on the last Sunday of the...
Linens & Buttons in Firenze
It was as a Camp Fire Girl in fifth grade that I learned to sew by stitching along the lines of binder paper. I've been sewing by machine and by hand ever since and fabric is one of the things that...
Heart of the Renaissance
If you haven't been to Firenze (Florence), put it on your "life list" of must-see places in the world. Really. Two years ago I spent a couple of afternoons exploring Firenze, but I hadn't been back...
Quite a Git-Up
As I was returning home from Firenze and taking the metro from the train station, this couple was practically "doing the one-two" on the subway! That's quite a git-up they've got going there. (No....