Olive Grove

Random beauty on a foggy morning in San Martino.
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Certificato di Residenza

Yahoo, I have my Italian residency!!! I inquired about residency at the town hall in Lisciano Niccone soon after I purchased my house last November. They required two documents, one from a plumber and one from an electrician, stating that the house was to code. As things move very slowly here in Italy, it has taken me this long to obtain both documents. This is a picture of the secretary Clara registering my name in the town hall records. I was so excited to finally have my residenza that I wasn't one bit embarrassed to ask to take her picture. I told her I was going to frame it when I arrived home. She laughed. I was serious.
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La Nostra Festa

Sunday evening we celebrated La Festa del Carmine here in Val di Rose at the monastery. I made two types of crostini and helped serve them at the antipasti table. Next to us was the dessert table and darling Giulia pictured here was helping. She was having so much fun serving slices of cakes and crostate that when her mother said it was time to go home, she refused. I didn't want to see her leave either because she was really doing a very good job, cheerfully serving while swatting wasps away from the trays. Once we told her we'd love to have her help us again next year, she beamed and put the tongs down. Step away from the table Guilia. A la prossima! Until next time!
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Fresh Eggs

Talk about fresh, you can see chicken feathers still stuck to a few eggs!
(Note: These eggs were purchased in a supermarket.)
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Campari Cosmo

I have a new favorite cocktail that I'd like to share with you, it's called a Campari Cosmo. The recipe is as follows:
2 parts vodka
1 part Campari
1 part orange juice
Generous splash of triple sec
Shake with ice and serve chilled.
The only hitch for me here in Italy is that I have yet to locate a store where I can score a bottle of triple sec. Diligent as I am, I do have a small supply I brought with me for kicking margaritas up a notch, but it's getting very low. (Big hint.)
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Recent Guest

I almost had a heart attack when I came face to face with this toad in my garden! And I do mean literally "face to face".  My gardening table is almost at eye level.  I keep a tray with water in it, sottovaso, to keep hydrated the plants I've purchased that are waiting to be put into larger pots.  Imagine my surprise to find this guy snuggled in between the pots when I was filling it with water!  Here's a thought, maybe I should kiss it and see if it turns into a handsome prince! On second thought, I'm not that desperate -- yet.
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Language Barrier

I was returning home from garden shopping with my dear friend and neighbor Uli when we both noticed a young girl walking on the side of the road rather enthusiastically shaking her hips back and forth as she walked, enhanced by something written on her pants across her derriere. I laughed and said "Can I get some fries to go with that shake?" Uli looked at me sideways, which is not uncommon, and I tried to explain in Italian what I had just said in English. Thanks to the infiltration of the McDonald's food chain in Europe, it was easy to explain the shake part. Unfortunately, the whole thing just didn't translate. Oh well. We stopped the car a little farther up at the local bar and together enjoyed a prosecco with Campari. A good cocktail, a universal language.
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