corner view

corner view :: imagination

 How do you decide what gets filed away for posterity and what gets tossed in the recycling bin? 

Corner View is a weekly appointment shared by people around the globe, an appointment started in the spring of 2009 by Jane in Spain and currently hosted by Francesca over at Fuori Borgo. We welcome you to join us.

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corner view :: looking up

March 2015 | Instagram Photo

There is a lot to be missed in this country should you not spend some of your time looking up. This striking modern glass chandelier is found in the lobby of the nhow Hotel in Milan.

Corner View is a weekly appointment shared by people around the globe, an appointment started in the spring of 2009 by Jane in Spain and currently hosted by Francesca over at Fuori Borgo. We welcome you to join us.

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corner view :: something difficult

Instagram Photo | 10 March 2015

When I first met with the piano teacher in January, knowing a few things about me she expected that I had at least some knowledge of music: after all, most Americans experience some form of music education during the K-12 school years; after all, I am married to a music educator (who has changed career paths after nearly 25 years of teaching music in schools); after all, I do have a ten-year-old daughter who is proving to be quite musical; after all, I am an avid supporter of the arts; after all, I hail from Louisiana, just outside of New Orleans.

Nope. Nothing. Nada. Zero. I started from the beginning.

We are moving forward, slowly, but let me assure you that this is one of the most difficult endeavors I have undertaken... quite possibly, EVER. Maybe the only thing more difficult for me were the first several months of being a new mother. Maybe.

Making my fingers on both hands do what my eyes read and my mind commands, keeping it all in sync, while maintaining some type of beat or rhythm...oh, my.  I've read that challenging your mind as an adult wards off dementia. No chance of dementia here, my friends.

Best part?
I.L-O-V-E.it.

Corner View is a weekly appointment shared by people around the globe, an appointment started in the spring of 2009 by Jane in Spain and currently hosted by Francesca over at Fuori Borgo. We welcome you to join us.

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corner view :: homemade

The only thing homemade that is being created in our house lately is from the kitchen. One of my new year's resolutions is to spend the year mastering some of the dishes of my childhood, dishes I know and love that have unfortunately not secured routine places on my family table.

This is our first 2015 attempt at pork and sausage jambalaya, which barring the fact that the sausage just wasn't right, was mighty tasty. Our second attempt didn't go as well. (We used a John Besh recipe.)


Corner View is a weekly appointment shared by people around the globe, an appointment started in the spring of 2009 by Jane in Spain and currently hosted by Francesca over at Fuori Borgo. We welcome you to join us.

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corner view :: love in my corner

Love in my corner is often found at the bar & pizzeria. Giovanni makes Young One a heart-shaped pizza every single time we visit our favorite take-away pizza joint nearby. Hearts in my caffè macchiato appear less frequently, but they always brighten my mood.

heart=love. 

right?

Corner View is a weekly appointment shared by people around the globe, an appointment started in the spring of 2009 by Jane in Spain and currently hosted by Francesca over at Fuori Borgo. We welcome you to join us.

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corner view :: one color

O R A N G E

If Thanksgiving had one color, for me it would be orange. In honor of our favorite, commercial-free, family, friends, food, and, eh, football, holiday filled with gratitude, I'm posting images from my archive of that one color, orange.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Corner View is a weekly appointment shared by people around the globe, an appointment started in the spring of 2009 by Jane in Spain and currently hosted by Francesca over at Fuori Borgo. We welcome you to join us.

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corner view :: one book

Each month, one book...that's how our book club works.  A group composed entirely of women, we have diverse interests, professions, backgrounds, with our one obvious commonality being that we are all married. We refuse to force anyone to host the meetings, opting for evenings lingering in local restaurants instead where we allow the conversations to flow as needed. Some months the book dominates, others it doesn't...and that's okay. It's completely a no pressure, pleasurable kind of club: the moment it becomes work, it is doomed.

Here is what we have been reading:

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman
The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink
Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage by Alice Munro
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple


I loved some, I hated one. 

Corner View is a weekly appointment shared by people around the globe, an appointment started in the spring of 2009 by Jane in Spain and currently hosted by Francesca over at Fuori Borgo. We welcome you to join us.

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corner view :: tradition

Even when the days get short and the free time is elusive, we make this tradition happen.  This is the first year that Young One carved the entire face entirely unassisted. Hooray for that...because as far as American traditions go, pumpkin carving is not among my favorite.

I've seen the Halloween tradition become more and more popular in my corner of Italy over the years. Imagine...the PTA members at Young One's school are meeting several mornings this week in order to carve pumpkins to sell to students as a fundraiser.  Last year, one of the mothers of a classmate of Young One's sent us all anti-Halloween literature via email...it's the devil's holiday.  I just do what any smart person would do...lay low and pass out lots of sweet treats! It's not exactly an issue for which I'm willing to take a stand.

For additional info on the history of Halloween,including some lovely short videos and the infographic below, you should visit History.com.  And you can decide for yourself whether it's the devil's holiday.

Image Source

Corner View is a weekly appointment shared by people around the globe, an appointment started in the spring of 2009 by Jane in Spain and currently hosted by Francesca over at Fuori Borgo. We welcome you to join us.

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corner view :: in my wardrobe

Girls' Trip 2012 | London

I have no idea what is so rip-roaring funny here, but I can assure you that this moment is as real as it gets, an authentic capture by the one girlfriend not in the photo who continued with the shutter long after the orchestrated group shot on the London Eye was taken. 

I'm in the middle, with the white shirt & black pants, quite a true representation of much of the clothing "in my wardrobe": black, white, grey, blue and generally very, very basic and informal with an occasional burst of color from an accessory or another here or there. You might call me boring or perhaps "fashion challenged." I'm okay with that, my dear. I own it, in fact.

Corner View is a weekly appointment shared by people around the globe, an appointment started in the spring of 2009 by Jane in Spain and currently hosted by Francesca over at Fuori Borgo. We welcome you to join us.

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corner view :: contrasts

My Neighbor's Fall Garden

My Fall Garden

I don't even want to talk about it.

Corner View is a weekly appointment shared by people around the globe, an appointment started in the spring of 2009 by Jane in Spain and currently hosted by Francesca over at Fuori Borgo. We welcome you to join us.

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corner view :: rock

There's a big one at the top of my street that doesn't seem to bother anyone. I usually don't think much about it either, except for when the Earth rumbles, which it does a few times a year in these parts, and then my imagination laced with fear gets the best of me, and I can't get it out of my mind, this big rock at the top of my street.

Corner View is a weekly appointment shared by people around the globe, an appointment started in the spring of 2009 by Jane in Spain and currently hosted by Francesca over at Fuori Borgo. We welcome you to join us.

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corner view :: one year ago, five years ago

I tuned to the archives of 3inGiro to find a post from a year ago and to my original blog for a post from five years ago, the blog that got started when we purchased our home in Italy back in 2007. 

At this time in June we often find ourselves in some state of travel...in the middle, planning, preparing, fretting, returning, unpacking.  This is true for both of the posts from the archives.

One year ago we were at the Gulf Coast of Louisiana in a place called Grand Isle with my sister's family, attempting to catch our dinner. In the second picture, my dear brother-in-law is hammering the lines into the sand, each line dotted with raw chicken meat, while a shrimp boat is trawling in the background. You didn't know that crabs love rancid chicken? We caught some, we bought some. All good, Louisiana Blue Crab.

Five years ago, we were in the midst of preparing for a trip to Sardegna with friends, our first and only trip to the island paradise. Below is a video of Young One and her buddy discussing the method of transportation. He knew everything while she was blissfully unaware of any details. This echoes travel planning in my house...only reversed. 

"You may have the universe if I may have Italy." -- Giuseppe Verdi

"You may have Italy if I may have Sardegna." -- Me.

And today I am likewise planning for a bit of travel with some VIP's who will be here in less than a week.  Exciting times.

Corner View is a weekly appointment shared by people around the globe, an appointment started in the spring of 2009 by Jane in Spain and currently hosted by Francesca over at Fuori Borgo. We welcome you to join us. 

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corner view :: potluck

When I first saw the theme, lots of yummy dishes that I've shared with friends over the years came to mind; but between then and now, my idea shifted. When we have potlucks with Italians present, I generally try to make things that I think are pretty American, things you might not find in a restaurant or recipe book, but things all Americans know.

Does it get more American than "Pigs in a Blanket"? I made these as snacks for a child's birthday party last weekend.

And I have to confess, I have never in my entire life made these little snacks. Sure, I've eaten them on many, many occasions while growing up, but I've never even thought of making them. Until Sunday. 

I even had to look up "recipes," even though they told me exactly what I expected: hot dogs or mini sausages wrapped in canned dough, either biscuits or rolls.  I loosely followed this recipe for the mustard sauce.

Even though I live in Italy, I have access to an American supermarket, so I was able to get exactly what I needed. Though, I think some of the pre-made dough and the hot dogs available in my Italian grocery would suffice.

I think people liked them, except for my daughter, that is. She took one bite and offered the rest to the hungry cat. Moments like those remind me of the contrast of our upbringings. She doesn't eat ketchup OR mayo either! Not many Americans fit that description.


So, tell me, Pigs in a Blanket...have you ever heard of it in your corner of the world or is it a uniquely American delicacy?


Corner View is a weekly appointment shared by people around the globe, an appointment started in the spring of 2009 by Jane in Spain and currently hosted by Francesca over at Fuori Borgo. We welcome you to join us. 

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corner view :: collections

(A re-post, because I was a bit early last week & I did select the theme this week.)

 Candlesticks from visits to Deruta, Italy:

Pottery pieces tossed in the sea & collected at the beach in Vietri, Italy:

Cookbooks...bought, borrowed, gifted, stolen. Some never used.  Favorite title: Who's Your Mamma?Current favorite book, the two by John Besh.

Sprinkles from far & near. I always visit the grocery stores of new places when we travel & this is one of the things I look for when I do:

Corner View is a weekly appointment shared by people around the globe, an appointment started in the spring of 2009 by Jane in Spain and currently hosted by Francesca over at Fuori Borgo. We welcome you to join us. Next week's theme is "Dinner Party." We will be sharing recipes of things that we would bring to a potluck or dinner party.

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corner view :: what makes you happy

The fact that we have a mere 23 days until summer break...that makes me a very happy woman. That my sister and her family will be here in a little over a month brings nothing but HAPPINESS. The spring in Italy, the tent we just bought, the fact that my daughter has her last geography test of the school year today, the local cherries, the exciting future of my beloved students who are soon to be graduates, the card that arrived from my parents yesterday, finally beginning Flora and Ulysses with Young One last night...happy, Happy, HAPPY.

 

But this little garden patch that we started in April and that is currently thriving...that is undoubtedly topping my happiness charts! 

Corner View is a weekly appointment shared by people around the globe, an appointment started in the spring of 2009 by Jane in Spain and currently hosted by Francesca over at Fuori Borgo. We welcome you to join us.

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corner view :: taste

This is the time of year that people flock to the paese for a taste of the local peas and cherries. If only someone had invented "taste-o-vision," then you could understand the reason and you would certainly be among the mass of visitors.

If you are local, don't despair, there are a couple of festivals for the remaining weekends in May where you can go for a taste, too. Though, both products are for sale directly from the farmers in the area. Just look for signs.

Festivals
Sagra dei Bisi (peas)
Festa dea Siaresa (cherries)

(Confused with those titles? The good folks in the paese love their dialect!)

And yes...it doesn't get much cheesier than words like "taste-o-vision." Some days I like cheese. What can I say?

Corner View is a weekly appointment shared by people around the globe, an appointment started in the spring of 2009 by Jane in Spain and currently hosted by Francesca over at Fuori Borgo. We welcome you to join us.

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corner view :: good memories

Louisiana | Summer 2010

Sometimes I wonder if I would be able to hold on to the good memories as well as I do if I hadn't taken up the hobby of photography. I'm sure my daughter reconstructs memories based on images I share with her. For instance,  I am doubtful that she can remember this encounter in the country with her uncle and cousin, but I know that she could spin a believable story about it nonetheless, while convincing herself that she truly remembers it. (I do remember it well because at the time I was thinking that it was a good thing that her father was not present for all that gun business. Emotions ensure lasting memories.)

Sometimes I wonder when I will ever commit to systematically organizing and printing all of those good memories, instead of just random pockets of them.  I know that the images on the external hard drives are useless and will get tossed, or lost, or forgotten, or stolen. But, there they sit.

And then I ask myself:  Does the cobbler's son ever have a nice pair of shoes? I think not! 

Wait...what?  

I don't even know what I'm rambling about here...

Thanks for reading, nonetheless.

Corner View is a weekly appointment shared by people around the globe, an appointment started in the spring of 2009 by Jane in Spain and currently hosted by Francesca over at Fuori Borgo. We welcome you to join us.

 

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corner view :: something to celebrate

Soon, this lovely girl of mine will celebrate her First Holy Communion at the little church in the paese.

Corner View is a weekly appointment shared by people around the globe, an appointment started in the spring of 2009 by Jane in Spain and currently hosted by Francesca over at Fuori Borgo. We welcome you to join us.

*More on the origin of that beautiful photo in a upcoming post. I promise. 

corner view

corner view :: inspiration

April is National Poetry Month, so I'm sharing one of my most loved poems for today's Corner View. Hopefully it will give you some inspiration to spread the love for poetry on Poem in Your Pocket Day later this month (April 24)...or leave a poem taped to your icebox, too.


This Is Just To Say

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

William Carlos Williams


PS. I grew up calling the refrigerator an "icebox." Did you?
PPS. Williams also penned this little gem of a poem.

corner view

corner view :: close by

Even though we live out in the country, right in the middle of fruit orchards, olive groves and vineyards, we do not have a yard. It's a bit odd to consider...country living with no yard...but it is our reality.

We do have a couple of postage stamp-sized plots of land just behind our house, plots just the right size for an olive tree in one and for attempts at gardening in the other. And we have a lovely outdoor patio in the front where we spend lots of time in the warm months. But no yard or giardino. Our child plays in the blacktop public parking lot behind our house.

Even so, we never, ever lament the fact that we don't have a yard. Okay...at times, when I dream of having a dog, I do wish we had a yard...and then I don't adopt that dog that we don't have time to take care of anyway (or so I tell myself) because we have no yard for him. And all is well that ends well. Without a yard.

What we do have, though, is access to all that you see pictured here real close by, as in a minute from my lovely patio gate. And for us, this has proven to be a much better deal than a yard, a yard with a fence and a ton of grass to mow.

Now, my daughter, she has a different opinion about this, without a doubt: Grass, Mamma, I just want grass at my house!

Corner View is a weekly appointment shared by people around the globe, an appointment started in the spring of 2009 by Jane in Spain and currently hosted by Francesca over at Fuori Borgo. We welcome you to join us.