corner view

corner view :: travel

Slovenia | 2008

My wanderlust began in 2001 shortly after I moved to Italy. I realize that it seems the contrary should be true, but the desire to travel came after the move to Italy. It was the effect, not the cause.

Paris | 2011

I didn't even really understand it at first...I started the short trips here and there because it was the thing to do among the people I knew, and then the desire sprouted and eventually blossomed.

Now there just isn't enough time, kind of like great books.

Malta | 2008

I could create a laundry list of reasons why travel appeals to me, but nothing would be as important as this:

When the world opened to me through travel, my mind opened to the world. 

Having an open mind is a very good thing. A very good thing, indeed.

It is the best place I have been and the best place I will ever go.

Cortona, Italy | 2010

Why do you like to travel? Where do you want to go next?

Introdacqua, Italy | Easter 2013

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.

on being free

Around this time of year we are generally bombarded with commitments to others, both social and professional. Actually, it continues throughout the year, and in some cases our entire weekends are booked months in advance. These are not necessarily commitments related to Young One's activities. {Sigh.} It's difficult to refuse invitations to explore or to be with others, but we are doing it. Yes, we are. We are committed, together, to reclaim and protect our free time. I hope our gaggle of extroverted friends understands.

Neither of us would ever shirk from professional responsibilities, but those lines are often blurred for us, making this even more complicated at times.

Being free, without obligations, does not mean being available to others. That's a new concept for us.

Right now our absolute favorite place to be is our front patio, and while we enjoy the company of others in that place, we are just as content with just the two of us. Hello. We each like to be out there alone, as well, reclining in our spiffy new French chair, my back-to-school gift to myself this year.

We need downtime to be able to be our best selves.

........

If you are passing through the paese and see us out there, please accept our invitation to stop by for a drink. We'd love to see you. We do enjoy your company. We likely can feed you. We even have enough bug spray for everyone. Just understand that when we aren't up for that outing with all those people...that it has absolutely nothing to do with you. We are introverted homebodies who have been masquerading as social extroverts. This gig is up.

#protectingourfreetime

53 Things

It's that time of year again...new beginnings, solemn reflections, and even some resolutions. For over forty years I've lived on the cycle of schools, and it is a hard habit to shake. My mother was a teacher too, you see.

This year I've given a bit of thought about the rich life I've been fortunate to experience, and, for the first time, got that awful pang in my gut at the thought that my daughter may not be so fortunate. It is just an awful feeling, isn't it? I can guide and provide but the choices are ultimately hers to make. I thought about the experiences I want to give her, experiences that will help to shape the woman she will become. 

As we were in the car earlier today, I heard her ask her dear friend in the back seat if she knew what a lesbian is and then proceeded to matter-of-factly inform her nine-year-old friend that a lesbian is a "woman who likes women." They then pondered the word in Italian before moving on to other important things, like the number of hearts of a worm. And while her description could likely be a bit better, I was incredibly proud of her for having this discussion without judgement, without whispering, without giggling, without snickering. It's not a big deal...except that it is a big deal because we work so hard to keep her mind open to everyone and everything; it's part of the experience intended for her. It gives me hope.

...............

I stopped making to-do lists about eight years ago and haven't looked back as it has been liberating beyond belief.  Of course I'm procrastinating and rather than get my stuff together for the morning, for the exciting first day back, I finished this "to reflect" list that has been taunting me from my desktop for a couple of years. It's not profound, just a portrait of "where I am" today, a highlight of experiences that have shaped me, most in the past twelve years but others as far back as college...

1. Swam in the Blue Lagoon in Iceland
2. Earned an advanced degree
3. Sat in box seats for a ballet at Teatro San Carlo
4. Wrote a poem
5. Attended the Winter Olympics
6. Tasted aioli in Provence
7. Swam in the Mediterranean Sea
8. Volunteered
9. Crossed the Mississippi River on a ferry
10. Had beer in a cave in Prague
11. Went white water rafting on the Chattahoochee
12. Cried in a concentration camp
13. Water skied in a muddy river
14. Instantly understood unconditional love the moment I saw my girl
15. Visited Old Faithful
16. Crossed racial boundaries
17. Rode a gondola in Venice
18. Chaperoned a high school dance
19. Watched The Color Purple at The Kennedy Center
20. Ate raw oysters from the Gulf of Mexico
21. Coached t-ball
22. Sang “Do-Re-Mi” in the arbor in Salzburg
23. Ate French onion soup in Montmartre
24. Led 9^th graders to a love of Shakespeare
25. Gave birth; held my sister’s hand as she gave birth
26. Bathed in thermal waters on a volcanic island, Ischia
27. Taught myself photography
28. Caught crabs with chicken legs in Grand Isle, Louisiana
29. Made true friends as an adult
30. Went to a major league baseball game
31. Almost flunked out; made the Dean's List
32. Bought a house in Italy
33.  Saw the opera Carmen in an ancient Roman amphitheater in Verona
34. Collected sea glass in Vietri
35. Perfected salted caramels
36. Read all of Toni Morrison’s work
37. Crossed the Brooklyn Bridge on foot
38. Saw dolphins in the Atlantic Ocean at sunrise
39. Learned a foreign language (Okay...learn -ing)
40. Went to overnight summer camp
41. Sunbathed on a rocky beach in Croatia
42. Rode a horse through a forest in Arkansas
43. Started a book club
44. Hiked to the rim of Mount Vesuvius
45. Made Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon
46. Visited Marie Laveau’s grave
47. Learned to clean fish
48. Road a horse-drawn carriage in Charleston, a streetcar in New Orleans
49. Hiked in an Alpine meadow
50. Ran a summer camp
51. Spent the night in the Smithsonian
52. Made nine high school yearbooks, always with amazing young people
53. Found true love

53 things.

Yet...I know I have miles to go before I sleep.

Buona Notte.
And Happy New Year.

xo

D

like a blur -- brain freeze

So.
That's it. We are at the end.
This year the end has been a blur of events, each BIG things of great merit that when placed back-to-back, day-after-day have turned into a race. I feel like the proverbial hamster in a wheel. (Is that even proverbial?)

I detest living at this pace. I am usually able to avoid it.

I don't have the energy or desire, even, to share the details of all the wonderful things (and a few sad and worrisome things) of the past few weeks. I'm feeling the hangover that comes with being drunk with too much emotion for too long.

Soon I will board a plane.
I hope the hangover is cured by then.

Because I'm ready for the drive-through daiquiri shops of my youth, and we all know that an ice cold pina colada daiquiri is not advisable with a hangover.

Brain freeze! People!

stuff I'm sharing

:: Grilled Asparagus Recipe :: It just left us wondering why in the world we had never grilled asparagus before Sunday. Yum.

:: Interactive Website :: Draw a Stickman

:: Coldplay Cover of Beastie Boys :: My dear husband, a man of another generation, says he doesn't even remember this song.  What the heck?


:: I've finally read Amy Chua's work, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, and I'm here to say that I totally get it.  While I am no "Tiger Mom," I do share many of her beliefs...specifically that children need high expectations and direction. I also think that the media misinterpreted her intent, likely without even reading the dang book, because much of what I had read and heard about the book before reading it was irrelevant and false. Shame on the press.

:: I also totally get this response from Dear Prudence to "Wondering." This sense of entitlement frightens me, frankly. (It's the third question in the article.)

:: Husband is back & I just booked a babysitter for a date night this weekend. I'm shooting for an early evening in Venice, with a visit to this Klimt exhibit; the week is young :) We shall see.

la primavera

Spring in the Paese

Did you know that pasta primavera does not exist in Italy? (At least not the version common in the US)  Yep. That's what they tell me, and in all the years that I've been here, I don't think I've ever seen it or its brother Alfredo.

primavera :: spring

the incredible, edible egg & Deruta

My favorite Deruta pottery maker is Cama. 

My favortie Cama pattern is Antico Deruta. 

The egg plate pictured here is the Orvieto pattern.

I've had it for years, years before I decided on my favorite pattern.

I still love it.

I only have two pieces of Antico Deruta.

(Have you seen the prices? I don't know how I have any pieces.)
It's hand painted. Some pieces are even hand thrown.
I think the egg plate is from a mold.

I've met the family who runs Cama, visited the small store, toured the laboratory.
They are what we Southerners call, "Good People."

In a couple of weeks we'll visit that part of the country.
Ahh, I love that part of the country.
I dream of making it my home.

Tonight we'll settle for visiting friends & bringing the eggs, on fancy Deruta pottery.

Does anyone even make deviled eggs anymore?

I do.

I have to use the fancy plate.

And, yes, the yolk is that bright.
It's from a fancy Italian hen.
Maybe she is hormone and antibiotic free?
I don't think that she is free range.

My kid is free range, for seven.


Enough.
Good night.

oh, procrastination! how do i love thee, let me count the ways . . .

Of course, you know the reason I've taken a break from blogging in March is because I have SO. MUCH. TO. DO. With three time-sensitive projects looming, I need all the time I can get and don't have a minute to spare, especially since one of these is a whopper of a project with many little pieces to be pulled together. Truly. Yet, here I am -- not using time wisely.

I've always worked better under pressure. I've always worked better with deadlines near. I've always procrastinated until the last conceivable moment. Every. Single. Time. It, whatever "it" may be, gets done, always gets done well. Can procrastination be a valid approach for some? I do believe this is so. (It does not work well when grading essays, but cannot be avoided.)

Some things never change. Instead of doing the things that I need to be doing, I've spent my time on things I feel like doing -- like tinkering in Photoshop with the blog banner. If you get this in a reader on your fancy iPad (ahem, RD), then you may want to click over to the real deal to see the facelift. (I found inspiration for it in the banner here, by the way. Grazie, amica mia!)

take a deep breath. . .

All hail the three-day weekend . . . why does a break from the routine feel so deeply needed when we haven't even been back at it for a month?  Tell me, please.
Perhaps it's because Richard's been gone since January 2nd.  But, really now, I can handle an only child alone, can't I? (OMG. I don't think she has stopped talking since he left. Help me.)
And then there was the, in hindsight, unnecessary trip to the vet and the unneeded medicine, IMHO, for an unwillining Luigi. "Put this salve in his eyes four times a day, ma'am."
Or maybe it's the amount of cold hard cash I handed over to the babysitter for the first week back when I was working and Young One's school was still in vacation mode. There goes the college fund.
Perhaps it was the moment I looked at the calendar with my students and realized that our deadlines are well within sight.
Or maybe it was the homesickness caused by this video, posted on FB by a family member. "Wish you were here." "Yeah, me too."
It could be the bad news received from our health insurance provider in the middle of December that I have put off investigating further. Snakes. It's in limbo; I don't do limbo well.
It could just be the workplace drama; it always seems to flare in January, after a long break. It was particulary bad for me this time.
Or was it the unwise choice to have a glance at the amortization schedule of our mortgage? We've handed over two and half years of payments on a 15 year mortgage and we still owe HOW MUCH?
It could be the January calorie cutting plan.
Quite possibly the phone conversation with him BEFORE he even got home about his upcoming travel-for-work obligations is what tipped the pot, finally.

Maybe I can't handle it alone.
Maybe I do need that man. Every.Single. Day.
Did I mention that she never stopped talking or needing me? She even slept with me, attached to my body while the cat slept above my head on my pillow.

He arrived home to an anxious and evil wife (and that's being kind) just in time to repack and drive to places further north for a weekend of fun in the snow with, count them, five other families -- that's 12 young children and 12 adults. That's just chaos. I am undecided on what it will do for my current mood, this chaos.

No, I won't be in the snow; rather, I'll be sipping tea or chocolate or schnapps (or whatever mind-altering beverage is available) in the lodge high in the Alps. I'll be the one hogging the fire. Leave me alone. Okay, so I have plans for a hike with another photography-loving friend, but that's about it.

And in case you are a big bad thief reading this notice that we won't be home, you should know that the alarm is set and the neighbors are watching, I mean really watching. . . closely. Have you met them? We have excellent neighborhood watch. AND the Carabiniere is right next door, not to mention his mean, really, really mean big dog. She's evil incarnate. I wouldn't mess with her.

And, Mr. Duncan, if you are reading this.  I am sorry & I do love you with all of my heart. And, no, I don't want you to go back where you came from. I want you here with me, and, PPPLLEEAASSEEE, with her.

on my mind

Currently on my mind  . . .

1. Is it nearly Thanksgiving already? How did that happen?  We are celebrating early with friends this weekend, fresh turkey and all.

2. After receiving a glowing review from her teacher early in the week at the parent/teacher conference, Young One failed twice to remember that she was assigned homework.  Do I take the blame, ultimately, for not checking her diario? (Not likely.)

3.  Looking for books as gifts for little people this year?  Check this SLJ list. And here is the list of fiction for those a bit older.

4.  How can we convince our daughter that she does not want this as a gift from Santa? I am thinking of going over to the dark side of electronics to persuade her to change her mind.

5. I am so looking forward to Mark's stuffing. He is salivating for my pecan pie.  It's a win / win. 

6. A friend shared an app with me last night that allows users to dictate text messages and/or emails.  I haven't checked it out just yet, but the Italian version on her iPhone was really nice, and free!

7. Another friend invivted us over for a birthday celebration that includes playing Tombola, for money.  I've been practicing my Italian numbers ever since.

8. Yet another friend shared a short video of her students with me that her husband shot and edited entirely on his iPhone 4.  It was unbelievable.  How did he do that?

9.  I want iLife 11. (Hint, Richard, Hint.)

10.  A friend brought her son to a birthday party of one of Young One's classmates.  She reported that the family had three, yes, THREE, servants, domestics, helpers (what do I call them?). . . in uniform, nonetheless. Who are these people?

11. Pondering the best method and best product to use to wax a marble floor (Veneziana) ..... ugghh .... it's growing dull ..... I tried once before & don't seem to have been very successful. Suggestion? Do you live in Italy? Do you know which product I should use?

12.  We are leaving four children in my house with two teen babysitters for several hours this weekend.  Last time we did that 3 years ago, Young One visited the ER.  Hmmmm. . . have they matured enough to handle it?

13. French cheese -- don't you love it?

Market in Southern France, April 2010

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What's on your mind?