Bleeding Espresso

Many people mistakenly believe that the weather in southern Italy is tropical or nearly so. It really isn’t. We do have seasons, although winter brings more rain than snow and spring can seem awfully short before we are thrust into the heat of summer.

Another southern Italian factoid is that most of the houses here are built with stone and/or tile, i.e., with “natural insulation”; central air and heat are only coming into fashion now, but it’s still quite expensive to run because of electricity costs.

And so most of us are “green” without even really trying.

All of this means that if your house isn’t directly in the sun, it can get pretty darned cold inside and stay that way–even now, in the spring when I often have to take *off* layers of clothes to go out with the dogs.

[This cooling effect works a bit in our favor during the summer, although not as much as it seems to work against us in the colder temps.]

Anyway, I am so very pleased to announce that it has been nearly a week since I’ve had to turn on the space heater near my work area, which means spring truly has arrived!

It also means I’ve had to switch to another method of keeping my seat warm:

All natural, and works for us!

Happy Love Thursday everyone!

P.S. Yes this photo sums up my life rather well–
work, pooches, and laundry in the big blue vasca.

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Yesterday the sun rose:

The girls frolicked:

The sun set and the moon made an appearance:

And a few hours later, I used the Custom Random Number Generator to choose a winner of the $30 Amazon.com gift certificate as promised in the contest post here.

Can you believe the winner was Lucky Number 7?

FYI, I used 161 for the upper value as it was the number of total comments, then started from the first comment counting down only those eligible, i.e., those that told me they had linked/relinked and/or subscribed/resubscribed (or that they were going to these things and then in fact did).

And the winner is . . .

none other than my most favorite baseball player in the Bel Paese:

I’ll be in touch Lango!

With all the work you’ve put into .italiaball.com recently, you certainly deserve it!

A lot of you probably don’t know how much I *love* baseball, but it’s definitely one of the things I miss most from America (read about what else I miss here); Lango’s site and stories help fill that void a bit, although I wish someone would build a field around here so I could go to some games. Where’s Kevin Costner when you need him?

Anyway, thanks *so* much to everyone who stopped by, commented, and made the transition to the new place such a wonderful experience.

And I hope those of you who were unsure of the change are getting used to it. Because honestly, I just don’t have it in me to change looks again anytime soon.

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Technorati Tags: contests, italy, expats in italy, expats, dogs, sunrises, sunsets, calabria, badolato, ionian sea, moon, custom random number generator

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“Amò! Guarda la neve!”

“Honey! Look at the snow!”

P opened the balcony shutters this morning and found that it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas–we got snooooooooow!

Don’t you just love how at the bottom, the land around the olive trees is all green but then by the time your eyes reach the sky, everything turns all white?

Oh that Mother Nature . . . .

So, yes, it’s just a dusting, but it’s actually visible from my house; usually you have have to go farther up into the mountains before you hit the white stuff.

A lot of people don’t know this, but there’s actually some great skiing in Calabria (they tell me; I’m not a skier) in the Sila Mountains where you’ll find the Sila National Park.

And yes, I know a lot of you are having blizzard or blizzard-like conditions right now, so this may not seem exciting (by the way, I do hope you’re all safe and not throwing out your back shoveling), but for someone like me who despite now living in southern Italy grew up with

snow days
and school delays
and watching flakes fall in complete silence
and flapping my arms and legs to make snow angels
and sipping hot chocolate with marshmallow
while wet gloves, hats, scarves sizzle
and dry on the radiator

even a simple dusting can make my entire winter.

I love snow!

It’s still raining and cold cold cold, but no worries, because I have a lot of this in store today (much like yesterday):

But I won’t be lonely. Besides the pooches and remaining pups, I’ll have P around as he’s been enlisted to help (official nutcracker and crusher), and also this guy and his heavenly voice:

Don’t worry, I’ll also make time to take Stella’s cue and find a nice lap by the fire.

Buona domenica!

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P.S. Don’t forget to vote for me in the Photo Contest at Write from Karen’s Place! You can see my official entry with photo and story here.

Be advised: From the photo contest page, you need to click on “more at twiigs.com” to go to the actual voting page. Thanks!

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Technorati Tags: snow, calabria, monasteries, music, harry connick jr.

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I grew up in the mountains of Pennsylvania, so finding fall was as easy as walking out the front door anytime after late September (and sometimes even before). From the unmistakable chill in the air to the red, orange, yellow, and brown leaves hanging onto the trees for as long as they could keep their grip, fall always found me.

Here in southern Italy, it’s not so easy. Yes, our temps get cooler and some trees even manage to lose their leaves, but you have to pay attention. You have to really look; blink and you’ll miss it. Fall can easily pass you by–and that would be tragic for me as it’s my favorite season.

Fall here, though, isn’t all about things dying as there’s a lot of new growth too. I mentioned the citrus fruits the other day, but there are also some flowers who are just making their appearance as well.

So while I miss fall from back home, I have an all new fall to appreciate here. I found her yesterday.

And she sure is pretty.

Today I’m thankful for: Please see above photos.

P.S. Don’t forget to visit Ilva’s Lucullian Delights and see what she has made for the Dolce Italiano Contest–and leave a comment over there to enter the drawing to win a free, signed copy of Dolce Italiano by Gina DePalma!

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Technorati Tags: fall, autumn, calabria, leaves, flowers, lemons, oranges, trees, roses, nablopomo, 30 days of thanks

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As of today I’m thirty-one years, one month, and one day old, and I’m ready to pass on:

31Things I’ve Learned in My 31 Years

1. Family members can be friends and friends can be like family members.
2. Laughing until your stomach hurts should happen at least once a day.
3. Being alone does not have to mean being lonely.
4. Dreaming is essential to living.
5. When what others want and what you want differ, trust your instincts.
6. Dogs are woman’s best friend too.
7. Sometimes love really isn’t enough.
8. Broken hearts should be worn with pride; it means you dared to love.
9. Peanut butter goes with everything.
10. Fireplaces, books, and blankets rule, especially when enjoyed together.
11. Inclement weather and important appointments are like peas and carrots.
12. Trying new things and meeting new people keep life interesting.
13. You can’t control what others do, but you can control how you react to them.
14. Stepping and/or kneeling on tacks hurts. A lot. Avoid it.
15. Love can be found in the wind.
16. Trust is a choice.
17. Innards for dinner do nothing for me.
18. The shower is a good place to cry.
19. Living simply helps others simply live.
20. Being wrong isn’t failure, it’s human.
21. Everything happens for a reason.
22. Sleeping, particularly napping, is underrated.
23. Being the bigger person isn’t always easy, but it’s always rewarding.
24. The sound of someone’s voice can be the most beautiful music in the world.
25. You don’t need to meet someone in person to develop a close relationship.
26. Success and happiness are best defined individually, i.e., by each person.
27. Appreciating small, good things makes dealing with big, bad things easier.
28. Homemade is always better.
29. Being accessible 24 hours a day is annoying.
30. The best way to learn a foreign language is full, painful-at-times immersion.
31. Moving ahead is easier if you understand where you’ve been.

Feel free to make your own list and let me know where to find it.

Today I’m thankful for:

Rainbows. We had a mini-rainbow a couple weeks ago, just a splash over the sea:

And then this one yesterday:

They’re always pretty, of course, but I just can’t think of a better way to be reminded that even when things are dark and dreary, something beautiful can come of it.

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Technorati Tags: life lessons, rainbows, nablopomo, 30 days of thanks

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