They're just full of surprises!

I was wrapping Christmas gifts at the kitchen table. The boys were chatting with each other in the living room. They had just come home from school and eaten lunch. I was half paying attention to what I was doing, and listening to the boys, and sort of planning what to cook for dinner. The tone changed. They started getting louder. I got up and spied on them in the living room. They were arguing, gesturing wildly with their hands, eyes flashing, puffy red faces yelling at one another. I didn’t interfere. I wanted to see what would happen. After a little while, Gabriel capitulated and gave his little brother what he wanted. I smiled and crept back into the kitchen. Hmmmm, interesting.
All of that arguing and emotion... and they never once broke into English!

Venezia

There is an allure to Venezia that draws me in... despite the crowds. Had I been a child growing up in her watery streets, I would have counted myself among the luckiest of kids. My youngest son and I spent this past weekend searching for the water nymphs that come to play at night, rising out of the water after the sun sets, finding clothes to cover them, and then joining the people wherever they revel. We also searched for lions with wings, angels and other fantastical creatures. We found them everywhere! Such magic...
While in Venice I can’t pay attention to my tired feet, or hungry tummy. I feel compelled to watch the way the light moves across the water and its' reflections shimmer on old brick and marble houses, churches and palaces. I walk and walk, falling into a stupor accented by an aching back and complaining feet right before sleep reaches out for me in the wee hours of the morning. Each street of Venice beckons me. I want to walk the lengths of them, turn every corner, see each courtyard... become intimately familiar with this city. I am sure that had I lived here as a child, I would have been (in my imagination) a pirate! I would have had my secret hide-out and planned escape routes. Venice would have given me rich historical adventures to draw upon and embellish for my games.
As an adult, I would love to see all of Venice. First and foremost to have the time, then a camera to capture images, a diary to record my thoughts and a sketch pad to release the creativity that I always feel while there. I have never felt this way about any other city. When I admire places, they are invariably settings in the country, except for Venice.

Does anyone else feel so inspired by this city?

Benvenuti Amici! (Welcome Friends)!

Our friends are arriving in Italy today, although not in Torino until this evening. After all the great weather we have been experiencing this fall, it has decided to rain. But my spirits are not dampened. I am happy to say that this morning, after some excellent Italian coffee I am sufficiently awake to begin planning for the day. As for our friends, I think they are somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean right now. I wonder what they will think of Torino? I can't wait to ask them what kind of travelling advice about Italy was given to them. I remember a well-meaning relative of mine told me before I first came to Italy "You don't need to know any Italian, all of them learn English in school." And I believed him. So funny!
On another note, one of my favorite people in the world has translated into English a nice piece about the mythical origins of Torino. You can read about it here .

And copied here:

Le Origini Di Torino Tra Miti E Leggende

Here is something from my history class... translated into English by me!

The origins of Torino are rooted in myths and legends.

First Legend:
Once upon a time there was a humongous serpent who had, I don’t know how many heads, that lived in the woods in the outskirts of Torino and was the terror of the merchants and the desolation of the citizens, many of them were captured and eaten. The Torinese were afraid and didn’t dare to confront the horrible beast. What a shame! However in this city, there was a big bull that one day confronted the monstrous devourer of men, with many horn-thrusts, he killed the serpent and freed the city. The bull received many honors and as a way to be publically recognized his image was put on the flag.
Italian version
C’era una volta un gran serpente, di non so quante teste, che abitava nei boschi nei dintorni di Torino ed era il terrore dei viandanti e la desolazione dei cittadini, poiche’ tanti di loro venivano catturati e divorati. I torinesi sbigottiti non osavano affrontare il terrible ammaliatore.
Che gran disgrazia! Pero’ in citta’ c’era un gran toro che un giorno affronto’ il mostruoso divoratore d’uomini e, a forza di cornate lo uccise e libero la citta. Al toro vennero fatti grandi onori e in segno di riconoscenza la sua immagine fu rappresentata nello stemma.

Second Legend:
In Taurasia, the ancient name of the city of Torino, the population was oppressed by a dragon that lived in the countryside. The farmers, because of fear, did not cultivate the fields and because of this food became scarce, and the inhabitants of the village became hungry and thirsty and had to take refuge in their houses. The desperation increased.
One day a farmer decided to use his thinking cap and separated his bull from the rest of the herd, to this bull he gave a strange red liquid: Wine!
The bull, after drinking his wine, was infuriated and started running around looking for an adversary with which to fight. And the adversary came. The bull advanced with full fury and with his sharp horns he ravaged the dragons’ belly. The bull wasn’t afraid at all when the dragon countered. The fight was long, terrible, truly legendary. The twilight showed the two enemies without life upon the path. The bull won, but with this victory he paid his life. The inhabitants of Taurasia the Torinese thankful for the victory of the bull, to commemorate the event decided the symbol of their village would be the image of their bull. This is why Torino’s flag features the bull.

Italian version
A Taurasia, antico nome della citta’ di Torino, la popolazione era oppressa da un drago che viveva nelle campagne. I contadini lo temevano e non coltivavano piu’ I campi; a causa di cio’ il cibo scarseggiava e gli abitanti del villaggio soffrivano la fame, la sete ed erano costretti a rifugiarsi nelle loro case.
La disperazione aumentava.
Un giorno un contadino decise di usare l’astuzia per risolvere il problema: condusse le mucche nella stalla, mentre al toro diede da bere una strana bevanda rossa: il vino.
Il toro, dopo aver bevuto il vino, si infurio’ e si mise a correre cercando un avversario co cui sfogarsi. E l’avversario venne. Il toro avanzo’ con ferocia e, con le sue corna appuntite colpi’ il drago in pieno petto. Il toro non si spavento’ affatto quando il drago cotrattacco’ la lotta fu lunga, terribile, veramente leggendaria. Il tramonto mostro’ i due nemici che giacevano senza vita sul sentiero. Il toro aveva vinto, ma con la vittoria era arrivata la morte. Gli abitanti di Taurasia, i Taurisci, compiaciuti per la vittoria del loro toro e per ricordare l’avvenimento, decisero che a simbolo del loro villaggio fosse posta l’immagine virile del toro ed e’ per questo che nello stemma di Torino appare il toro.

December Already!

Stepping into the painting... I can hear the soft wind stirring the trees, and the sound of the bells on the horses' harnesses, and the snow muffled clip clop of their hooves. I smell the scent of freshly cut pine tree sap, and the fresh mountain air. The sun is shining on the distant peaks, but not in the valley where I am. Ah. A walk in the snowy mountains sounds refreshing!
But enough day-dreaming! I have a list to make.
I have always been a list maker, if not a list follower. Writing a list helps me to feel organized and navigate more efficiently through the day.
Here is my To Do List for today:
Christmas decorations up? Check!
Nativity scene up? Check!
Christmas tree up? Check!
( Ok, I confess, the whole family did this last week-end, but it is always so much nicer to start a list with some of the things already crossed off!)
Wash the dishes...
Clean the house...
Laundry...
Iron shirts...
Walk the dog...
Then after the boys arrive home from school-
Prepare lunch...
Continue with the laundry...
Help with homework...
Shopping for tonight's dinner and meals for the week-end...
Re-arrange the office furniture...
Walk the dog...
Prepare dinner...
Relax with the family!
If you noticed in the above list, I mentioned re-arranging the office. It is because we will have guests visiting us! They are our dear friends from Nevada, whom I knew before I ever had children. We are so excited that they are coming, and can't wait to show them the things about Torino and Italy that we love. They are down-to-earth kind of people, and I am sure they wouldn't mind sleeping on our living room sofa/bed, and being awakened early in the morning by bouncing boys and a dog! (Well, not too much!) But I know how it feels if you are jet-lagged and need a quiet place to crawl off to and take a nap. So we are making small changes in our office to turn it into a bedroom.
I have a lot to do today, and here I sit typing! Time to get started! Who else out there is a list maker/follower?
Happy Friday!

Move Over Mamma...

...There's a new chef in the house!

Matthew made our dinner tonight. He is becoming quite persistent in asking to cook. He says he would like to be a chef when he grows up. I won't say no to the help! He was quite chatty tonight while cooking, insisting on mixing, frying, layering, and grating the cheese. The only thing he allowed me to do was to cut the onions.

Happy Feet!

Aren't kids great? They have their own beds... but, "Y'know, it is always so much nicer to smell someone else's feet while you drift off to sleep!"

"It is also nice to fall asleep with a puppy on your lap."

"And best of all, is having the puppy wake you up to go play!"

23 Novembre

Of all the reasons I have to be thankful to God,



These are my greatest blessings.




Warm wishes to all!

Where in the world?

This my friends, is part of the lovely town of Susa.



It has this Roman Amphitheater: You can walk into the passageways in the walls. Just like a gladiator may have!

And this Roman Arch: The Arch of Augustus was erected in 8BC.

Susa is only about 30 miles west of Torino. There are only about 7,000 residents, give or take a few hundred, but all of the important amenities for the traveler, such as restaurants, gelaterie, monuments, beautiful scenery and fresh air! It definitely makes my list of places that make a nice day trip from Torino (with children).

You didn't know I was a gladiator, did you?

Le Campane

The buzz of endless traffic could sound like a river, or maybe wind.
I could shut my eyes, and imagine I am alone ... somewhere on a mountain. Or beneath shady boughs deep in the heart of a forest. No, maybe I am in the middle of high desert country with nothing but mile after mile of dusty sagebrush and wide open blue sky. That rushing sound is not cars, buses, and scooters, but the many voices of the wind.

Ok. Who am I kidding? I am in the middle of a big city! But late at night and early in the morning, I hear bells.

It is nice, living in this place, this city, this country, hearing le campane delle chiese. The church bells. I sometimes wake in the middle of the night, when traffic sound is muted and hear the soft splendor of the bells ringing in the distance.
It could be all the historical fiction I like to read, that makes the ringing bells sound romantic to me. It could be the novelty, because I never remember living in a town before where bells rang once an hour at least. Wait, can it really be a novelty after more than a year and a half?

A cake and Marzapane

A blogging buddy suggested that I post a picture here of the cake I made for Veronica's baby shower.
I am certainly not a professional, but I was pleased with how it turned out. Should I be embarrassed to admit that the first thing I did was look for some frosting for the cake in supermarkets? (You know, the kind of easy frosting already prepared and full of preservatives sitting on grocery shelves everywhere in the U.S.) Well this is Italy, and I soon realized that frosting is not commonly used, and certainly not sold in grocery stores. Maybe with unlimited time and patience I could have found pre made frosting, but I didn’t have either. So I did what anyone would do, and made my own frosting; my mom’s best cream-cheese frosting recipe, slightly modified with Italian ingredients. For the light pink color, I used granatina, a hot pink colored, and berry flavored syrup that my boys add to sparkling water for their own home-made soda pops.
Then I searched for ways to make the cake super cute... and found that these sweet little baby booties are easily made with cup-cakes. I still can’t believe how easy they were to put together.
I had ideas of making roses and leaves to add to the cake using frosting, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t get the frosting stiff enough to hold shapes. Probably if only I had added more powdered sugar (confectioners sugar) it would have been sufficient. But I had to grind regular table sugar  to make the powdered sugar, because there wasn’t any at our local supermarket. So I only made only the bare minimum. They say necessity is the mother of invention, so I decided I would make the roses and leaves out of Marzapane . I am including the recipe here because it was so easy (and fun) to decorate using Marzapane. The roses were colored using a small amount of the juice of crushed berries, and the leaves were colored with mint and Genepy, a green liquor. As you can probably guess by now, food coloring is another item not easily found here... again, it probably is sold here, but I didn’t know where to find it. The marzapane was easy to create with, and I will be making it again. My kids already want a new batch so they can create rockets and other fantastical shapes with it. I hope it inspires you to make some Marzapane today!

Dumplings!

Living in Italy, I doubt it is possible to ever become tired of Italian food. Everything about it is fantastic, from the appetizers to the dessert followed by a nice shot of limoncello or something equally delicious, followed by coffee. What I appreciate most about Italian food besides the taste, is the opportunity to linger over each course, and talk with my family through long dinners, and long afternoon lunches too, on the week-ends. With all that being said, I was still thrilled to receive the cookbook pictured above in a package to me on Tuesday. (Thanks Mom!)
I know that American food can be nutritious and delicious... it is just that our fast-food legacy makes it appear that hamburgers and french fries dripping in fat is the only thing Americans eat. Not true! My mom has always been a great and adventurous cook. She has always said that a little spice makes things more interesting. I think her way of cooking rubbed off on me, and I like to cook with a lot of spices. I love to cook and I am also looking forward to making some of the great dishes that come from America, such as this chicken and dumplings! As promised, the dumplings were light and floated instead of sinking.  We gave it a thumbs up!

A Mother's musings

The cutest babies in the world are right here in Torino. How do I know? M and I attended the baby shower for Veronica at the home of her proud parents Gina and Deme. It was wonderful to see this sweet newborn, as well as the other beautiful babies at the party.
Veronica is so precious that it is almost impossible to take your eyes off her. Newborns have that special power, the ability to completely captivate our attention while they sleep, yawn and stretch.
I remember with my own two babies. How many hours did I lose, just watching them? Countless.
After being at the party and holding hands with sweet little babies, I went home and looked at my own two boys, so grown up. They are (gasp) halfway through their childhood now. I feel a sense of loss. I wish I could stop time; keep them as they are now, before they grow up all the way. It is ironic that now I am home, while they are at school all day... while in their early years I spent so much of the time away from home working and going to school.
I remember when they were babies, secretly wishing they would stay little. Knowing it was impossible of course still couldn’t stop the wishing. I was also curious to see how they would grow, and I loved them so much for all that they were as well as for their wonderful potential. But still I treasured every moment they were babies, and couldn’t really imagine them as children.
And they really do grow too quickly. In only a couple of years one will be a teenager. How can this be? I feel a little panicky about this. I have so much more to teach them, to share with them, to experience with them before they decide that they know everything. I am lucky. They are still cuddly boys even though they are so grown up. I still get daily “Mamma I love you”, and lots of hugs. My oldest says he wants me to hold him on my lap until they day he is big enough to hold me! It is a nice thought, but somewhere in between here and there he will become a teenager.
Luckily for me we live in Italy. Here children stay with their parents much longer than the typical American child who leaves for the University or to work at the tender age of 18. So... If I am optimistic I can expect to enjoy being around my children daily for at least ten more years!
But I know how much someone can change in ten years. From a tiny baby full of wonder to a vivacious child, full of imagination. What will the second ten years be like, this journey of a child to a young adult?
And will I look back upon today and yearn for it in the way I am now looking back to their first year?

Hunting for Cranberries!

The hunt for the elusive cranberry in Italy:

Last year I was such an innocent. I decided to "wow" M’s family with a real authentic American Thanksgiving meal. Everything turned out fabulous, and they enjoyed the strange food, (a turkey cooked whole in the oven) to name one. But during my planning stages, I was stymied by the hunt for the elusive cranberry. I have heard that in Italy you can obtain cranberries if you "know" someone for example from an American military base... because I have heard that cranberries are specially brought to this country so American military families can enjoy them with their Thanksgiving meals. But I cannot confirm this, since I don’t "know" anyone.
I have never particularly liked cranberries, I mean- I think they are ok, but eating them once a year on Thanksgiving was enough. But, once I started hunting for them here, and the more it seemed I would never find them, the more I started craving them. I am backwards like that. I didn’t appreciate them in the U.S. I had to move somewhere you can’t find them to want them.
But I needed cranberries for my authentic dining experience for the in-laws... so I searched high and low. First I looked in the dictionary. Cranberry = Mirtillo. I looked up Mirtillo and found out that the English equivalent of Mirtillo was Bilberry or Whortleberry. What? Ok. Confusing. But I had already known what a Mirtillo was since I buy them frozen for smoothies. A Mirtillo is a blueberry. So, according to the dictionary, a cranberry is a blueberry. Armed with this knowledge, we went asking the fruit sellers.  Everyone scratched their heads and said "Signora, you are looking for a red blueberry?" Finally ............. I found mirtilli rossi! Red blueberries! They were a tiny package of dried cranberries (confirmed by a taste test) and I had found them near the raisins in Coop. I couldn’t make a lovely cranberry sauce with them, but I bought them anyway for proof! Cranberries can be found in Italy.
I am planning the Thanksgiving feast again this year, but this time I won’t be looking for cranberries. But it’s ok. The craving is over.