Italian Capers

We're waiting and waiting and waiting......... It's raining....on prom night.....like the rain I am falling for you....raindrops keep falling on my head....rain won't you tell me that I love her so....(name it and claim it). Yep, it's been raining here and we have been loving it. We didn't realize how much we missed the thunderstorms or how the rain comes and cools everything off. In Tacoma there was drizzle, but nothing like this. Picture this. It's Friday night, and My Man and I are having a highball (cosmo/kamakaze), if you will. The kitchen window is wide open and the wind is blowing - it's cool and smells fresh. Suddenly, the lights go out. No matter, it's not that dark, really. So we sit. We start to think about how we have hot water "on demand" and no hot water tank, so no washdowns tonight for the little engines. We have a gas stove, so we can light it with a match for dinner, no problem. We set about like little Amish people making di...

We have been acclimating ourselves to the Italian germs this week. Doesn't that sound so much better than we all have the sniffles? This week went so fast- it must be the lovely weather. Today it's 83 and it's been sunny forever. Day after day of sun- we can "waste" a day inside if we want, we have faith there will be more sunny days. Seems our time in Washington State has left a lasting impression on us! Last weekend, we went on another quest for local fun. We went to an asparagus festival. Now when you think of an asparagus festival you likely think of many vendors, many food sources, entertainment, and perhaps....asparagus. I think we have been to enough festivals to conclude that many of them are quite different than said expectation. Diving back into our not so distant past, we once went to a wine festival. Here are a few pictures from that trip..... Yes, that is a tractor, and yes, those are doors. There was one counter where you could get a glass of wine ...

Sometimes, I can hardly believe that I am a grown up. When I was driving home today, there were several cars behind me, right on my tail. I was thinking- "geez, give me some space." It's true that the Italians tend to tailgate, however, they had good reason today. You see, our trusty steed, a used BMW wagon has a couple issues. When have we had a car that doesn't, really? It seems that the thermostat control face is on the blitz. The A/C will only work the first time you drive the car each day and never after that. I don't care too much about that. The worst part is that the heat is stuck on when the control panel is off, which is 95% of the time. And the hot air blows on your feet. Really hot air. So, today, as I was driving home, after I noticed the tailgaters, willing to sacrifice us all to get past me, I looked down at the spedometer. Hmmmm, I was going a bit slow. You see, I was driving with my big toe, and there was only so much pressure I coul...

No matter where you move, you can count on some things. 1.) You still have to pay taxes....er, umm, yeah, we need to file- there's a little clause we discovered in turbo tax claiming you get 2 months' automatic extension if you are overseas when taxes are due....that's also local lore, so we really put our faith in turbo tax, but what the heck. 2.) Despite careful marking of boxes, you won't be able to find just the thing you need for a couple of years- and usually a week after you've replaced whatever it was. Although, we still haven't found our "antique" (very old, heavy awkward steel ironing board from Aunt Sal- it supports the husband's weight, so he swears by it. I mean everyone needs an ironing board that can support your weight. The new one is flimsy and dangerous, accodring to him. 3.) The Jehovah's Witnesses will find you- and you'll probably be naked when they do. Yes, people, that's right. On Saturday morning- I was upstai...

Would you like to play badminton? Yes, really, that was a phrase in the pocket travel guide- very helpful. Yes, those are pants on her head and she likes to wear them sometimes...... Sorry Nanny I don't have a new villa. I am a bit behind in the villa-picture-taking. I will have to exert some effort as I think I have gotten all those within walking distance. I'll work on it, but for now I have the freedom of not having a topic : ) We drank the wine- from the sweaty bottle. I am not sure it was wine, it seemed more like a white port- a thicker sweet...elixir if you will. I didn't drink much. I think it might have helped with the wine post if I mentioned that he is 41 years old. I spoke with Mrs. Pierreangelo today- his mom. Her french is better than my italian- that's an understatement, but her french is a little limited and there remained gaps in communication. In other words, again, I didn't know what we were talking about. Here's what I got out of the convers...

Hmmmm, curious. Today at lunch, I had a brief visit with Pierreangelo- our landlord. (Pierreangelo, like Michael-angelo, only it's Pierre...Sir Topham Hatt calls him "Perry-Angelo") PA is always in a hurry- sometimes his mom calls him when he's been here too long....I mean calls him from across the street- she yells, I don't mean on the phone, well, she has done that too. He tells me that he works hard and I believe him. They have a big yard and several rental properties. He went to the beach this past weekend and to the spas in Croatia before that. The doorbell buzzes at lunchtime. Of course, this sends Skarloey (aka Fonzie) into a barking frenzy. PA is standing there (next to our little garbage bag with dirty diapers in it) wearing black jeans and shirt- ruggedly tan with a cross pendant necklace that has some sort of shiny gem on it. I open the door and he smiles and says, "Oh, just let him run free." Ummm, yeah, the last time we let Skarloey ...

What does this statement mean to you? Well, to me, it means trying not to ruffle too many feathers, trying not to crash their social norms, etc. I have had a couple "conversations" with our landlord- Pierreangelo. They consist of some Italian, some English and a lot of hand gestures. During these alleged "conversations," I have, at some point, come to realize that I have no idea what we are talking about. Usually, when this happens, I end up wondering what he thinks I could have meant, and what he meant. Thus far, I don't think any damage has been done......so far. Once he was getting some of his rusty farm equipment (think tetanus) out of the garage behind our place, when he brought over a filthy clear plastic dish with a bunch of dirty nuts on it. He was so proud because he harvested these nuts from his own trees, I guess. He was smiling and enthusiastically telling me all about the different kinds of nuts and what I could do with them.....yeah, right, like I ...