The God Father

Gino made us all sit thru the God Father movies the other night.....not one but two...can you believe I had never seen them?  Anyway entertainment at our country villa is still limited and I did quite enjoy them.

This is for sure Mafia country..........pity they don't look like Al Pacino

Well we are off home to America this week......it bitter sweet.  I am dying to go home and hug my kids and grand kids but do not want to leave my peaceful country villa.  We need to move Donald and Daphne to their new home and I know for sure they will not be getting fresh pasta made for them every morning.  A treat Uncle Danny started that I continued.  They are for sure fatter ducks and very happy.

My sister Liz has been here for 10 days and she flys home today.  I am trying not to be sad.  We are hoping to see each other again for my sister Jane's birthday in November in either NY or Las Vegas.  I think Liz enjoyed it here and we got to take her to a family wedding.

Isabella is counting the seconds till she gets home.  She is missing a new class with a new teacher...she can hardly wait.

The weather is cooling here..we are at 30 instead 39.  which means 70's instead of 100+

We got a lot done this trip but still lots to do.  Its sad to leave my orchard as many tree are full of fruit.  Red apples...pomegranites...almonds..walnuts....grapes and figs......all coming ready to harvest.  Gino's family will come pick the fruit.

Ok folks......when I get home I am starting another blog...stay tuned.

August In Sicily

Hard to believe it already August.  We came here late May and lasting till September seemed really hard then...especially for Isabella.  Now we only have three weeks left and its not enough.

We have accomplished so much and I have so enjoyed this house.  Its feels like home and that of course is very important.

When we first moved in we fast had to buy some furniture.  I said just the basics to get us settled.....but the more I looked the more I knew buy good..buy once.  Our plan has always to bring stuff from the US but we still had to at least buy beds.  

We soon discovered buying in Gino's little town was not a good idea.  Limited choice and higher prices.  So we did research and found a nearby town literally in the middle of nowhere but the prices were better.  I picked a lovely chest of drawers with two matching nightstands..real wood with inlay...just lovely.  Most people would buy a bed to match...but I felt it would be too heavy and I wanted a lighter feel in our bedroom so I picked a cream painted metal bed with flowers painted on the headboard...then I had to pick an armoir....no built-in closets here!..So rather than buy one large piece I had two made for  either side of my new balcony...which by the way was still in my head.  Now weeks later..the balcony is finished and although the armoirs are a little larger that I had envisioned...the over all feeling is what I wanted.  We had been sleeping in one of the other bedrooms while they broke into the walls for the new french/doors and balcony.  We have now slept in our own room for a few nights and its lovely and peaceful and if I leave the shutters open the morning light wakens me up.

Then we also had to shop for Isabella's room.  She pretty much knew what she wanted.  She got a blue/cream built-in trundle bed with armoirs and cupboards surrounding it.   She also got a desk and chair as she does lots of art work and writing.  Her room is lovely and airy and quite large.

We also had to fast furnish a room for my aunt and uncle coming from Scotland.  Again buy better buy once.  I picked a long hard wood buffet as a dresser and smallish armoir two nightstands all in dark wood and a green painted metal bed.  This room also had a new french/door balcony addition and as we have played musical beds in this house I have also slept in this room and if you get up with the morning sunrise you can see dozens of wild rabbits running around the field next door.......plus down in our orchard munching on the fallen fruit.  I love country life.

We also had to install a kitchen upstairs......everyone said t would be too hot and I did not listen.  Most days I cook with a fan blowing straight on me and trying to make sure it does not blow the gas stove out!  Even if I say so myself...I have cooked some great food in my upstairs hot little kitchen.  Yesterday morning alone I cooked a cheesecake...I tiramisu and a lasagna all from scratch.....not bad.

Downstairs we have a large plastic table and 8 chrs...a borrowed sofa and two chairs and a huge Sony flat screen TV Gino bought.  I watch BBC world news all the time....when I am not cooking and  cleaning that is.

So for this trip...we have pretty much spent our budget.  I am really happy with what we have done.  As I am sitting at 9am typing this Gino is outside painting the new back fence and the large automatic gate we have.  He has already painted the two new balconies..  This needs to be done before it rains or it will all rust.  He has done a great job.

We are now planning a few days at the beach as we promised this to Isabella...as much as I love the country I do enjoy our time in Cefalu...the water is so warm and we all spend time in the ocean.  Then my sister Liz comes from Scotland via Spain and we are planning several large parties at the house while she is here 

Its the most glorious Sunday sunset!

Its Sunday late evening..the sun is setting..its just lovely.....Mt. Etna is erupting and its creating some super lovely sunsets...not to say they are not normally lovely..but somehow the smoke streaking thru...... just creates a piece of artwork.

OK....yes I am having wine...but really its quite amazing.  If I had better than a digital camera I could take some awesome photos.  

Before I die..I want to go to cooking school somewhere and Brooks school of photography..oh and flower arranging school...... learn how to make goat cheese from two gay guys in SF.. read a story about them once..... and learn how to fly a plane..and sail a boat.....and much much more.

But I will be happy and settle for just having my family around me.......this house is such a family place.  I can envision all of you guys here.......cooking having fun..picking stuff from our garden.... fruit from the trees......the kids collecting eggs from the chickens....having fun milking our nanny goat...swimming in our pool.

My dream is to have you all here at one time.....planning......you all know who I mean... who I want......Rebecca start planning...if it takes two yrs....we will all be here together at least once.

I think we have done most of what we can accomplish this trip...I am happy that we got so much done.  In a country that takes yrs to do what we did in 2 months...I am for sure happy.

You should all see Gino with his pizza oven......I think I will cremate him in there( a family joke) he just loves it..cleans it all the time..has bought jugs..pizza plates and all kinds of stuff..he is running out of room....but oh how happy he is.  Cleans it everyday..has his morning coffee and smoke there.....its so funny.

We finally dug my convertible Saab out of storage...and I get to drive it for a month......I am so happy......Gino just complains about how much it is all costing us.....but as I say almost daily...you only live once...I think!

After sunset we went to our local country church that's was having its yearly festival....picture this smallish church with a huge field and hundreds of people milling around....some sitting and chatting...all ages..tons of kids.  Food of the night was sausage sandwiches beer or soda.....quite good actually.  We took Gino's parents who had a great time...there was Sicilian folk music with dancing....we sat next to a nice couple with their grandson who was intrigued by my accent.  They live nearby and invited us for ice-cream.  Isabella even enjoyed it!

Monday morning..we need to make an appearance at someones funeral.....get my car insured....get the electric put in our name at this house...go to the market for a little shopping.  Its all go here.........but at a different pace.  Today most places are closed half the day.......a normal day here is shop between 9-1...eat and siesta 1-4...things re-open at 4 till 8 or 9.  Its the sales here....most stores........clothing mainly have up to 70% off.  Which sounds great...but good stuff here is very high to begin with and with our $ worth NOTHING.....even at 70% off...you still consider if its worth it.  Many times I can talk myself out of most things...telling myself..oh I can get that or similar at Target or Ross......but I did manage to find a ton of stuff for Oliver..Poppy & Daphne...ssssshh

OK enough...I need to go feed Donald & Daphne.

My Summer 2008

Late May Gino Isabella and I left CA for our house in Sicily.  Villa Isabella is a work in progress. After several offers failed on other homes we finally bought a home in the countryside of a town called Enna right in the heart of Sicily.  Gino was born here 57 yrs ago. His family still lives here..his parents his brother Angelo sisters Lina and Antonia with their families.

We never built this house but we have a good base to start from.  This summer with our limited budget we have done some great work. The front of the house looked a bit like a institution of sorts.....too many windows and very large plain walls.   The back is another story...looks like a ship an ugly ship...this will wait as the front which is seen from the road seemed more important. 

For several months we dreamed talked and argued about how we should change the facade. Not until we moved into our house this summer did we really understand what we wanted to do.

First and most important we needed to build Gino a pizza oven......boy did we build an oven! We were lucky to find Angelo Pavone.....he was a retired builder.  With Gino's vision and $$$$ and my coffee we build maybe the best outdoor pizza oven in Sicily...at least in my opinion.

So over budget on the oven we moved on.  We decided we had to re-arrange some of the French door/windows.  We took out two downstairs that were on the inside interior and moved them to the front of the house.  Then we  or mainly I wanted two balconies upstairs in the two largest bedrooms that faced the front of the house with fantastic views.

We again were lucky to find a local metal worker who it seemed needed work.....we ordered from him a lot of work...doors...glass iron work for the balconies and the fence along the back.

Most if what we have done.. apart from the oven came from my head so I have been really stressing that what I had envisoned would not look as great as I had imagined.  Plus to add to my stress I had Gino's family saying things like.. why are you moving windows?  why do you need balconies... your oven is too big.... do you really need a front door?  why do you want a front door that's brown?   ( note..Gino's brother Angelo has been building one house for 30 years... need I say more!)  I did not listen..... as is my nature....... and now although not perfect the house is far improved.  I will be posting before and after pictures..... no negative comments please... we cannot go backwards.

A few things to note...this house in 3500 square feet... and has three levels.  I have been working and living in a construction zone..... which means lots and lots and lots of dust... flies.... machine noise.... doors left open... oh its been fun...NOT!

For sure I have been running like crazy.. until my aunt and uncle came from Scotland and made me lazy... at over 70 they took over the house.. cooking, cleaning and feeding Donald and Daphne.... I'll get to them later.

Anyway..I am taking a break..Isabella just told me I have made the longest blog entry ever.

More to follow...soon