Jovadi (Thursday) Christmas Eve 2009

Buon Natale! Merry Christmas to one and all.

This morning Zio Corrado awoke in good humor with his vibrant personality! He was laughing and joking around with me. Such a change from yesterday. This is the Zio I remember. The problem now is he was making plans for the two of us for June 2010- He told that he wanted me to come spend 2 months of the summer with him. I told him it was impossible. A month at the most. Finally he settled on having me for a month. He has great plans where we go visit. He tells me Volterra and Assisi for starters. Then he tells me of the good food he will prepare for me. It was heartbreaking to sit and listen and make these plans which will not happen. On the outside I am being funny and strong and making these plans with him. On the inside, my heart is just breaking.

Today Ilaria and Nico came to get us. We did go out to the town square in Marina di Pisa. Zio went to do his banking. Then Ilaria went to the pharmacy for Zio. While she and Nico were doing that, Zio and I went walking down the street. We first stopped at the pet store so he could greet his friends. Then onto the bookstore or newspaper store where he got his daily paper. I, of course, did a small amount of shopping but very little. A few ornaments for my tree at home. From there we went to a small grocery store and I was the cart to hold all the items. LOL... he is so funny. I got Zio Claudio a bottle of wine for tomorrow's meal, and some lemon pound cake for us. He really loved the pound cake at lunch. Then we came home.

Signoria Giovannia, his neighbor lady, came for a short visit. She is a lovely lady with a generous heart. She and Zio act like brother and sister. They are good friends. She brought me a gift. Really it was several items. One is a wedge of Grana Padano cheese (it is a very good cheese) because knows I love the Italian cheeses. Then a bag of peanuts in their shells, a bag of little cookies and the last is a candy called torroncini (it is a nougat with almonds and fruit). How sweet was that! I had brought her some Christmas dishtowels on this trip. I really like the Signora Giovannia because she takes the time to talk to me and gives me time to comprehend what she is saying. We would go daily to her patio to visit on my last trip. She reminds me of someone but I cannot place who it is. Anyway she is a lovely lady who I enjoy visiting with when I am here.

We had a nice lunch today. It was spaghetti con burro. It simply means spaghetti with butter or buttered noodles. It was topped with Grana Padano cheese. Simply delicious! Then a slice of lemon pound cake. Now this makes me think back to the 1st time I had this dish. We had been at the grocery store and Zio had bought horse steaks (yes I said horse!) which is something he loves and I avoided. So when he told me burro I had to go get a dictionary to make sure we were not eating a burro or a donkey with our spaghetti. I draw the line at some meats and fish! laughed when I saw that burro simply meant butter.

Now Zio is taking his afternoon siesta. I am updating the blog while he does this. He tells everyone I am writing a romance novel. LOL.... If it is not raining when he wakes, we will walk to the corner tobacco store (less than a block away) for his cigarettes. Today is very cloudy and it has rained off and on. This I like much better than the snow I found on Monday.

I think all I am doing is sleeping, eating and talking. I wish I had brought more to occupy my hands. But I carried so many scrapbooking items for Lucia and Ilaria, that there was no room for me to bring a project along with me.

Ilaria bought Jenny and I a gift today, but I am not going to spill the beans right now. Jenny will have to wait and see. Lucia already brought 2 wedges of real parmasean cheese and good European chocolates for me to bring to Jenny. Plus a bag full of other things to boot. I hope I can pack it all.

Ilaria will return in a little while. She was going hunting for Christmas paper for me to wrap gifts. I have to wrap 2 more for tomorrow. Then I have some small items for other cousins who will come next week. Cannot say what it is in case Paolo or Genny or Maurizio are reading the blog...instead I tease them.

Maybe when Zio awakes he will want to play cards. Maybe not. When he is ready, I will play. He always beats me at Scopa. After all it is his game and he has played for years. I am a novice and I get the Jack and Queen values mixed up. In this game the Jack is worth more than a Queen. Sometimes I get confused and do it the American way where the Queen has more value.

A friend (hi Kathy!) wanted to know if this blog is for me or for all. It is both. Basically I am journaling what occurs day by day for me to remember the details. Then when I add photos for my scrapbooking layouts I can refer to my journaling. I simply do not want to forget a detail and we all know how easily that can occur.

It is simply a quiet day here. People are preparing for Christmas. Tomorrow night I will probably have yet another book to write. After all this is my first Christmas in Italy. I am curious to the customs and traditions observed. Later today, Lucia will arrive with Stefano. I hope to get her to go with me around the corner to the church. I would like to go light some candles in memory of Mom and others that are now gone. I think it would do my soul some good to be able to do this.

For now, I end my mini novella. Off to see if I can find my sorella (sister) Jenny on Instant Messanger. Also I must email Paolo.

To each and everyone of you, have a Merry Christmas with your families.
Arlene