Sogni di Sicilia

Elena came up to greet us, after being in Dusseldorf for three days. We got her caught up on what we're doing and what needs to be done over the next few days, then she grabbed more Christmas things from the attic and went back to her apartment to decorate. I cleaned the lower bathroom, always a chore, and got out for a walk to take another look at houses. I will do my homework before we return the next time, although Rosalba's place is making the most sense. This house is on the road behind Bistrot, which I discovered overlooks the belvedere  The grotto is setting up for tomorrow, Feast of the Immaculate Conception  Poinsettias everywhere right now Even the vehicle colors are Christmasing Usually there are cylinders of gas on  display upon the steps, and a man and this woman take breaks and smoke there.  I'm always a little afraid to walk by when that's happening  A pic of my entrance onto v.V. Emmanuele to hold me over until my return You can buy produce after...

Awake at 6:15. Early for me.  A quick scrub-up, as the kitchen needed it, then I booked the airport hotel, who confirmed during my call that their shuttle doesn't begin until 5:00 am. But they'll call a taxi. If we were backpackers, we'd just make the 10-minute walk to the airport, but we have heavy luggage, and that will be troublesome at 4:30 in the morning. Have you seen me at 4:30 in the morning? I barely function. I then took some time once Joe was up, to begin systemizing my luggage downstairs. After a quick shower, it's nearly noon. I need a walk or something. I think I had 27 steps total yesterday. And two pieces of torta. I decided to peruse via Gemma by daylight. It just runs for a short stretch. I checked out the Vende  posts. Not for sale, but I've always wanted a banister like this. This place looks in good shape It's hard to judge a book by its cover in Italy I thought it was cute that this little guy was out on venerdì pesce . The smells from the ...

A morning spent finalizing the upcoming Mexico Adventure (check, and check!), trying to book a gift certificate (wtf, Ryanair?!?) for Vincenzo and Mariella, looking at more Thailand options, and trying to find a hotel near Catania Airport with way too early in the morning shuttle service. Although the Rapisardas would take us in a heartbeat, it means leaving Biancavilla around 3:45 am. Why even go to bed! I then spent a good amount of time making my favorite Mollie Katzen (The Moosewood Cookbook (or, Bible, as fans say), The Enchanted Broccoli Forest, Still Life With Menu author) cookies. They're a chunky, chewy, satisfying oatmeal chocolate chip that tastes good enough to seem bad for you, but the recipe is pretty healthy, as far as cookies go. Soon after I took the last batch from the oven, Ettore arrived. I had set out big squares on the floor, trying to combine the idea of an escape room with the game "the floor is lava," by having him find objects in the room from my...