Il nostro appartamento (our apartment): part I

Welcome to casa nostra (not cosa nostra). Above is a picture of the front door to our apartment. We calculate that the ceiling is about 16' high. This is a big door. Outside the new double-glazed glass door is a green shuttered door (for security and privacy). From the door you can see (well, not in this picture) the itty-bitty terrace that we have. Because this is a court-facing apartment, it's very quiet. This blog addresses the "front" of our apartment.



The door frames are really nice. This is the trim on an interior door.

This is the view of our main room--kitchen, living room, dining room, with a loft above. The table was set up for a barbecue dinner for Davide and Diane--a fact worth remembering as you look at the pictures of our kitchen.

One nice thing about the loft is that I could keep an eye on the pot simmering on the back burner while I worked on my needlepoint from "my office" in the loft.

A cozy little table. The apartment is nicely appointed. However, we had to buy wine glasses--there wasn't a single one in the apartment--from Megan's favorite store in the ghetto (the Jewish ghetto).

Please note that there is not an oven in this apartment. (Yikes!)

But it is cute. Incidentally, our box of wine glasses (for less than 10 euro) included whites, reds, and prosecco glasses...such a bargain! I brought the spiced pecans from home (and got through customs, too)!

To get to the loft you take this staircase...and pray. By the way, one of the little disappointments is that the TV you see does not get the channel with "La Ruota della Fortuna" (Wheel of Fortune). Mind you, I never watch it at home, but in Roma it's good for vocabulary (and Bill likes Victoria--check her out on YouTube).

There are two twin beds upstairs.

I like to hang out on this bed. You can see who comes to the door, and there's lots of daylight, too.

The best design feature of this apartment is the marble sink--it even impressed Davide (an architect and the director of the Rome program). As you can see, there's not a lot of room for kitchen prep. However, this sink doubles for additional countertop space when you need it. It measures about 38" x 14" x 3.5" deep.

Above the sink is a really cool and practical dish drain.

I made a 3-course meal--soup, entree, and dessert--using just two burners, and electric ones, at that!

The refrigerator is pretty small, too. The water bottle has to lean to fit. No freezer, either.

Other things that did NOT come with the apartment were espresso cups and spoons. Again, the little Jewish shop came to our aid, and I picked up 4 espresso spoons from the Campo.

Finally, the heat is strictly regulated in Italy...at least for humans. We found out during our dinner with Davide and Diane that greenhouses are allowed more heat. So, if you get cold in Italy, visit Diane's greenhouse--it will be warm. To be fair, this apartment is quite comfortable despite the regulations.

Well, it took me all day to download these pictures. At least we now have internet and I can begin to post some blogs. The next blog will look at the "back" part of the apartment.

Packing light?

No!

Presents, cooking provisions (measuring cups & spoons, spices, baking powder and baking soda), shoes and clothes for every possible occasion, electronics galore (including a printer)...well, you get the picture. Believe it or not, when Bill and I went to Oxford last year, we managed with just two carry-on bags apiece. What can I say, winter clothes are simply bulkier than summer ones, and you need more of them!

Dear Customs Officer

I just wanted to let you know that I am bringing things INTO Italy that either appear to be Italian, European, or have been purchased in Italy on a previous trip. So when I do not declare these items upon re-entering the U.S., you will understand.

The purple and red sweaters are merino wool. The Sportiva boots and brogues were bought in America. My friend hand-knit the hat that was modeled after an Italian version I bought here in the States.

I'm taking the Modern architecture guide book back to Italy with me because I plan on taking some walking tours while Bill is doing his research.

The gloves on the right were purchased from a dear little old lady, Alberta, in 2008. There's already a blog written about her. I don't know where the ones on the left are from, but they're gloves, so I'm declaring them before leaving the U.S.

Hopefully, the future blogs will be a little more interesting.

On the para-military nature of children's apparel

I was cleaning closets the other day when I came across my children's dress winter coats and was struck by the consistent use of military detailing in the designs.

This was Catherine's, and later Billy's, first coat. Depending on whether you are dressing a girl or a boy you can button the coat accordingly.


This was Billy's first all-boy coat--a size 3. We have another one just like it in size 5.



Notice the chevron on the sleeve. Three stripes...that must make Billy a Naval Commander!



You would think that this fuschia coat would be exempt from military detailing but note the double-breasted front!



The coat below has a large velvet bow on the back. I thought that this was the only one not militarized, but then Bill pointed out the banding on the cuffs. As for the hat, it looks like it's straight out of a scene from The Sound of Music.



I always thought that with her long hair Catherine should have tried out for the part of Gretl!



This couldn't be more military!



The difference between these coats and children's clothes today is that nowadays kids are dressed in desert camouflage.

Incidentally, while in Europe this summer, my camera got too close to some metal fencing that I was trying to shoot through and I scratched my lens. That's the reason there's a white blotch in the center of nearly every shot. Hmmm...note to self...have to get that fixed.

Lip-smackin' good

This is our 17-1/2 year old dog, Daisy. She is not in good health, is virtually lame, and walks with a stagger when indeed she can walk. When this video was taken, she was recovering from a serious bout of diarrhea which required not one but two medications that put a damper on her already finicky appetite. Now I had been a good doggy-mom during this recent medical episode--I fixed rice, brought home egg drop soup, bought Rice Chex, poured beef broth, but she would have none of it.

We had invited Rob and Roberta over for the Sugar Bowl. I honestly didn't put much effort into the "eats" that night. In fact, I bought a box mix for those gooey lemon bars with the crumb crust that generally you can find at every office pot luck. I decided to give her a taste because she hadn't eaten or drunk anything for a few days. Well, she loved it. If you've ever had them, you know they are rich. The human serving was about 2" x 2". Daisy can eat two or three in a serving. It seemed that these bars were the "gateway" food to more nutritious foods, like canned dog food.

She polished off the pan of lemon gooey bars in just a few days. She likes those little lemon Weight Watcher snacking cakes, too, so for the rest of her days, she will have a gooey lemon treat.

Bon appetit, Daisy!

P.S. She is standing on one of her "islands"--a bath mat that gives her some stability and that can be thrown in the washing machine.

Newly found old photos

These are probably not the best photos, but they are the photos I found today while cleaning out the secretary. Above is a picture of my mom. This is her high school graduation photo. My mom was really smart, particularly in math and science. She wanted to become a civil engineer, but my grandfather said that girls could go to college to become nurses or teachers. She became a nurse and graduated with a Masters in Nursing the day I graduated from high school. She didn't like sick people.

There I am. Look at those baggy diapers!



The next picture was taken on my first birthday. When I turned 18 months the pediatrician told my mom that it looked like I was going to make it! Apparently, I didn't keep my food down. Doesn't look like I'm under-nourished!



Here I am with my mother's parents. I never really knew my Grandfather Roddy; he died when I was two. Both of my mother's parents were really thin, as was my mom. I only took after my mom on the top! Fortunately, I got my dad's nose!



This picture was taken on my 3rd birthday by my daddy.


This is a rare photo of Aunt Anna (on the left). She hated to have her picture taken. She is my great aunt who worked in the Gimbels perfume department for over 50 years! My dad had taken two pictures in rapid sequence. I photoshopped-in my grandmother from the second picture.



This is my all-time favorite Easter picture. The picture is beginning to fade so you may not be able to see that I appear to be praying to my Easter bunny on the communion rail kneeler (you can just make out the bunny ears). My mother's not really praying, either. She is looking at me!



Here I am with Daddy. There's the bunny from the shot above.



Fun at the park.



And people now think I'm so proper! Check out the shoes! I used to walk like a duck so I had to wear orthopedic shoes. Yuck!



Here I am on the day of my first Communion. My mom made my dress. She was a very accomplished seamstress. Every important picture was taken on the landing and usually my dad stood in a place to capture my hair in the mirror's reflection. Since my eyes were closed in this shot there's probably a better photo in some box, but this will do for now.



Here's a group shot. For 2-1/2 years I attended St. Joseph's Academy--an all-girls school. My high school also turned out to be an all-girls school, too. It's no wonder that I chose to attend Xavier University; it had just gone co-ed three years before I started, and prior to that it was all-men!



Thanks to my friend Mary Anne Kennedy for the group pictures from St. Joseph's Academy. In the picture below, Mary Anne's picture is to the right of mine (I'm the one with the braids). Mary Anne is my oldest friend (although she is exactly a month younger than I am). We met the summer after first grade at Madame Marshall's home where we were tutored in French. Not only did we learn some French at that school, every time a nun or an adult visited our classroom, we had to rise and curtsy.



Below are some more school shots. Clockwise from the top left: Sophomore year in high school without braces; Freshman photo with braces; 5th grade with short hair--the first time my hair was cut was in 3rd grade; and Feb. 1967, right before I got braces.




So there they are, old photos.

Christmas Day 2010

The Christmas festivities this year began with announcements that both children had gotten full-time jobs with benefits! Here are Catherine and Billy toasting the occasion with Prosecco. Catherine is now an interior designer and Billy works in Special Collections at the Mullins Library. As the Brits say, "Well done, you!"

Speaking of the Brits, Sarah, Billy's girlfriend, returned from a vacation to Scotland and England two days before Christmas. We had our fingers crossed for her return because all domestic flights in the U.K. had been canceled, prompting Sarah and Katie to train down from Edinburgh to London several days before their departure flight home. When they finally reached Heathrow--5 hours prior to their departure, as instructed!--they were housed in refugee tents outside the terminal until they were called by airport officials to proceed through security. There were so many stranded tourists that tents had to be erected to comply with fire codes inside the terminal proper.

Here is Sarah opening a little present from us. She attended the Children's Mass with us on Christmas Eve, then drove home to Green Forest, her home town, to be with her family on Christmas morining.

Here are the presents she brought back from Scotland for Bill and me. I think I need to make a flaming plum pudding to go with the brandy butter. Yummm.

This is our family room on Christmas morning. Obviously, Santa had filled the stockings!

Bill and I arose at a reasonable hour. Catherine was next to get up. By 10am Billy still had not stirred, so Bill awoke him with some jingle bells.

Here is Catherine hugging her dog, Daisy. Daisy is 17-1/2 years old and is very unsteady on her feet. See all of those throw rugs? We call those her islands. The carpet helps to steady her gait so her legs don't splay out beneath her. Also, they are washable. To put it delicately, Daisy is rather like a baby these days.

Santa provided little rub-off lottery tickets in the stockings. No, Billy will not be able to pay for graduate school with his $1.00 winnings!



Catherine topped him by winning $5.00!!!!

Santa even left some goodies in my stocking!

Once we had opened our stockings in the family room, we moved on to the living room to find presents under the tree. The children replaced Bill's drill that had gone missing.

Catherine's loving parents gave her a Swiffer set. She had been borrowing ours for her place...I think this is how things "go missing." Catherine has always been very tidy, even as a toddler, so she was quite pleased with her new gift. Incidentally, when Bill got his new cell numbers some years back--his number is 409-xxxx--I thought of Catherine. The exchange is the cleaning product, the 4th and 5th numbers were her year of birth and the last two numbers were the age she was when Bill got that number!

There's Billy opening up one of the gifts Catherine gave him. Now that he has a full-time job, he has decided to dress more professionally!

Here are Catherine, Bill, and Billy--all looking very happy.

Christmas at our house wouldn't be Christmas without this French toast. I like it because I can assemble it on Christmas Eve, precook the bacon, and then about 25 minutes before I expect to finish unwrapping the presents I pop it into the oven.

I set the family room table with placemats my mother made years ago. She even made an apron to match which I have worn on occasion...but not yesterday. How do you like the little Bah Humbug Cute, huh?

So that's the first part of the day. After presents we took little naps, then we went to the Pangs' house for dinner.

Below are Andy Pang and Catherine. They are the same age and last night reminisced about how "naughty" they were at St. Joseph's Elementary School! Still, the teachers loved their spunk!

Below are Sarah and Billy.

Catherine and I. I'm wearing the new pashmina Bill gave me for Christmas.

Catherine, Sarah, and Billy--three lovely young adults.

It was a lovely family Christmas.