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The Wedding

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Waking at dark o'clock after a brief sleep, I hurried to get ready in case Liliana picks me up early for the hairdresser. She did. Dressed in last night's party clothes, and a bit tousled, she was in bright spirits. We stopped at the florist to get the wildflower barrette she had ordered for her hair. "Che carina!," she exclaimed, as she threw down €5 for what would've been $35 back home. To the hair salon. Not yet open. Our appointment was at 8:30; we were there at 8:20. The owner pulled up at 8:25 and Liliana made a remark about her timing. "Sono in orario," the owner explained — I'm right on time. Liliana went first and her hair turned out beautifully! But she is beautiful, and has beautiful hair.  Next, I got a rather lengthy shampoo and conditioner treatment, and as I sat in the chair, the woman said, disgruntingly, that my hair is super fine. I explained I always, always use mousse or gel for volume, but she added nothing (though the bottles of...
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Birthday Festival

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Vincenzo's cake We began the day slowly enough, finally having had good night's sleep — until 9:00 am! Yikes! I spent the morning researching itineraries and locations for my much-longed-for Asia trip, finally landing on Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. I booked all but the airfare, as I'm not yet sure if I'll extend the trip. That took a while. We're now driving the Ami, an electric car that's really one step above a golf cart. Joe's beloved Clio was sounding and acting pretty bad; we think it's the clutch (again). The car is 25 years old. We got cleaned up and headed to the vigne, where Ciro and Luisa, from Napoli (Avellino), brought mozzarella, soppressata, and another cheese whose name escapes me. Vincenzo had tomatoes from Etna in a cocomero (tortorella in Molise) salad, which were heavenly. Luisa only scolded me a little today, when I didn't cut the white stalk from the tender lettuce leaves for the other salad. I know it's simply her demeanor,...
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It's Hot, Hot, Hot

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I'm grateful for this practice run of extended heat, although sleeping is hard, as AC is more of a novelty here. I spent the morning cleaning up the bird detritus, after a night filled with waking up in pools of sweat. The vigne is much more "fresh," but it's packed, and the shower situation is scarce for the week's occupancy.  I was able to take a nap at the vigne, which helped. And the heat's not terrible; it's just the sleeping that's a bear. Explaining the dead bird to Andrea, and knowing in the States we may deal with it a certain way, I asked how best to dispose of it. "Umido," she replied, meaning I should put it out on the garbage day when organics are collected. So, he'll hang with the potato peels. Matteo snuggled up to me on the sofa, and we read together. We also played with toy slime, until he escaped and went next door to where Rodi's husband, Vasile, was hacking down a Mall-of-America-sized lot of mountain weeds to make...
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It's been a while

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Well; a while since we've been back here for family, anyway. The flight was a bit exhausting, but the vivacious Cristiana in Fiumicino got us back on our feet. It stresses to me even more how much I need a 2-day stop between here and Bangkok this fall. A fresh (97⁰F "fresh") morning with Cristiana's caffè and homemade torta, cornetti, and fresh fruit, before we bid Fiumicino goodbye and flew to Catania. How great to see Vincenzo and Mariella, who claimed us at the airport! We chatted nonstop in the car. Since EVERYONE is coming to town for the 70th birthday bash, Liliana's wedding, and the baptism, we are staying at the apartment instead of the vigne, albeit just for sleeping and showering. Otherwise, that's where we'll all gather. It sounds as if there are nearly 200 attendees per event (although not all staying at the vigne or house). Elena greeted us wildly, and I scooped up new baby Giulio, refusing to give him up unless necessary. He's a happy and...
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