One Week Down

One Week Down

Just some random thoughts...diapers are available at the two
supermarkets here. Both Conad and Coop carry even Pampers though the
local brands look fine. We also saw Swimmy diapers which we brought.
We haven't seen the formula Rider drinks though we haven't been to a
farmacia.

Remembered to bring washcloths since they are almost never provided.
It seems a bit too intimate to ask a European how they wash their
bodies but I may get bold before summer ends. I did forget to bring a
universal size drain stopper. You need one of those cheap white rubber
ones from the grocery, Target, Home Depot or such. A lot of sinks have
just the drain with no way to plug it when you need to wash out
underwear or dishes. Note: it works fine to wash out panties when you
shower and put them on the towel rack to dry. Just remember to bring
your thin, nylon ones rather than the big, white cotton ones which I
usually prefer in the hot weather.

It's also very useful to have a "picnic kit" with a wine opener, a set
of plastic eating utensils, small pack of wipes, small sanitizer, tiny
clear rain poncho and bug spray. I keep this assortment in a quart
plastic bag so I can just throw it in the suitcase for a trip. I have
another bag with emergency items like a sewing kit, a 13 gallon
garbage bag, antibiotic ointment, more wipes, a few safety pins,small
Kleenex package, etc.

We'd like to get to the Tuesday Borgo market this morning but we'll
definitely not wake the sleeping baby. Betsy had an 8:30 painting
class and I have washed clothes in the tub ( new washing machine needs
another hose to get it operational ), taken trash to the assigned
point and completed all the other little homemaker chores once I put
Rider down for his nap.



As I write this, I'm looking out over an olive grove toward the valley.
The vista is a patchwork of assorted shades of yellow and green from
the fields and trees and the congregation of golden buildings with
their rusty, red tiled roofs in Borgo San Lorenzo. Between the estate
and the valley there are small mountains with some outcroppings of
rock. Beyond the valley, partially obscured by the light mist , are
the pale violet outlines of the mountains. The sky seems endless with
billowing cumulus clouds.

Apparently figs are abundant here as there are numerous large fig
trees on the property with the promise of a large crop later in the
summer. I haven't yet seen other fruit trees but we had some
delicious peaches from the market and there is an array of fruit to
purchase. As one might expect, the large supermarkets present the
bounty of the EU with every conceivable commodity. I look forward to
an extended visit with a well rested little fellow.

So we made it to the local market and saw only Italians which makes it
pretty darn authentic in my estimation. It was late but there was
still much produce so we chose greens, leaf lettuce, tomatoes of a
variety that we would probably call heirloom; at home, bananas and
nectarines. Then we visited the cheese merchant and bought a kilo of
salami ( a rather hefty stick ), a meta kilo of Parmesan cheese for
cooking, and a meta kilo of another cheese with holes in it for eating
in hand. There was yet another kind of Parmesan that cost less and was
for just eating as is. I think the difference might be in the age as
the cooking one was dry and more crumbly with a stronger taste. We
were offered samples before purchase and Rider liked them all. He has
eaten everything he's offered. After a brief visit to buy pane (bread)
and a dulce (sweet), we came home and made a lunch with the findings.
We are literally less than 10 minutes from town!