Buon Natale!
Here it is 9 a.m. on Christmas morning. The sun is starting to peer thru a mass of clouds. But the rains have stopped. It is a peaceful morning.
We have had breakfast. I had my bottle of water (go figure huh?) with some sugar cookies. But these sugar cookies are not super sweet like the ones in the USA. In fact, most of the sweets here are mild and taste better to me. Zio had a bowl of barley, his mini toast and jelly with his coffee. The barley is prepared with boiling water and has the look of coffee to me.
Speaking of food, supper was good last night. Zio had crab that was sent especially for him and a peppered perorino cheese (tasted like it had anise in it to me) and hard bread. For me, I had a typical meal I would eat in the US but with better flavor. For most of you, it would not be your meal of choice, but I grew up eating this combination. I had hard salami, parmasean cheese, hard bread and green grapes. It was soo good! Oh Melissa, I am having wine at the table but not here at Zio's. I had it with each meal at Ilaria's and then I will also have it today. One evening when I return we will sit and have a glass together.
Right now Zio has gone to prepare for the day, starting with the shaving of his face. I am in the living room typing in order to give him his privacy. It must be difficult for him too, to share a house when he is used to being alone.
I woke this morning to find him already at the table with Tex, his cat. He spoils that cat rotten. It has gotten as big as Garfield. But not off lasanga! He is spoiled by Zio with real fresh meat daily. Zio cuts a tiny steak into small pieces and feeds it by hand to the cat. I have photos to share of this with Zio and the fat gatto. Then Tex demands to be let out the door and he takes off for the day. In the late afternoon Tex will return and paw the door demanding entrance. Then he gets regular cat food. Afterwards he sits under Zio's chair and they play for awhile.
We had a great misunderstanding that Ilaria cleared up yesterday. He told Ilaria I did not want to play Scopa with him this time. Instead I was simply waiting to see when he wanted to play Scopa again. He seemed too tired and not interested, so I never asked. I figured when he was ready he would tell me. He figured when I was ready I would tell him. LOL.... Talk about 2 stubborn mules in one barn. So after we both get ready for our journey today, I will sit and play Scopa with him. This makes me smile, even though that cardshark will beat me!
The church around the corner rings its bells each hour and half hour thru the day. It is such a comforting sound, plus I do not need my watch. LOL. Since it is winter and the doors are shut, it is a muffled ring, but wonderful too.
I am excited for Zio to open his gifts. I had already purchased 2 for him earlier in the fall and had expected to take him shopping there at home for others. So I brought the 2 I had previously purchased. One is a book on airplane-jets he loves to see photos of airplanes and naval vessels. In fact he scrapbooks them. He has many scrapbooks of them. Okay I call it scrapbooking. He actually cuts out the photos and puts them in an album and labels them. He was showing me a book of American naval vessels.... the USS Tennessee and the USS Colorado and the USS Arkansas were all there (those I remember). His other gift would make many hog loves happy. I got him a super thick sweatshirt with the Arkansas Razorbacks on it. It is very heavy and deep red with lovely embroidery of the hog and the words ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS.
He gave me a pair of earrings already. They are beautiful. It is a special crystal maker, that I do not spell well.... but you will recognize the name. I will tell you it later because I need the box to spell it. Even in English that word is hard for me to spell.
In fact, I have many Arkansas Hog tshirts for the male family members. For Stefano I bring his Dallas cowboys item, for Lucia and Ilaria more scrapbooking tools that are hard to find here or very expensive. I think my luggage was one third of scrapbooking items. I brought few clothes. 4 sweatpants and 2 hoodies and a pile of tshirts.
I will be going home with many things. Already it is piling up in my bedroom. Lucia brought Jenny 2 large wedges of true Parmasean cheese, some European chocolates and a few other items.
I have only purchased a few Christmas ornaments to bring home for my tree, but then again I have hardly left the house. One day next week, Lucia will take me to do a small shopping. Jenny has a little list for me to bring back. But this was not a vacation and shopping trip this time. This time was a family trip. It was time to be here and enjoy Zio's companionship. This is a memory storing trip for me. Between my photos and the blog, I am capturing the moments to savor.
Okay I think I have spoken long enough (and probably strange enough too?) for all. Zio already accuses me of writing a romance novel on the computer. I cannot help it. The first paragraph is always difficult and then the rest seem to flow from my brain to my fingertips.
Have a blessed and Merry Christmas.
Arlene
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