Author Archive
weather you like it or not
In case anyone doubts the fickleness of the weather in Calabria, I’m going to show you a little of what it was like here on Thursday, November 1.
From the time I woke up that morning, it had been pouring, buckets and buckets of water, so I hadn’t paid much attention to the windows. But then, just as I was starting to think about lunch, a hint of sun glared through the balcony door.
Literally at that moment, P called me and told me to look outside.
11:45 a.m.:
I’ve seen a lot of rainbows here, but never one this low; indeed, that’s why P had called me–he hadn’t either. And where he was at the time, he was nearly at the start (or end?) of it–my little pot o’ gold!
11:47 a.m.:
To be clear, these views are from my balcony, off to the left. To the right there is the sea, or at least that’s what’s usually there.
11:56 a.m.:
We get a good amount of fog here throughout the fall and winter months, but I’ve never seen this much fog in the daytime. It rolled through quite quickly, though.
11:59 a.m.:
At this point I thought we were finally, finally in for some afternoon sun, and we did have a good couple hours of the stuff, but then I looked out toward where the rainbow had been.
2:24 p.m.:
And it rained the rest of the afternoon and was cloudy and/or rained Friday. As I type this on Saturday morning, there’s plenty of sun and not a cloud in sight, but I’m not placing any bets.
Today I am thankful for:
The sun and rain, the clouds and sky, the hail and snow, the wind and still air, the heat and cold–all of the natural weather elements that make the world go round, help our food to grow, make trees greener, and above all, keep life interesting.
Because who hasn’t gotten caught in the rain? Or the wind? Or the snow? It’s not always fun (although it can be!), but it’s always an experience. You just can’t help but feel alive when you’re getting pelted in the face with hail, can you?
And besides, sometimes it’s good to be reminded that the world does what it wants and we’re just along for the ride. Weather you like it or not. Hah!
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[tags]rainbows, calabria, southern italy, weather, nablopomo, 30 days of thanks[/tags]
The Reincarnationist by M.J. Rose
I give this one 4 espresso cups out of 5 for the author’s impressive ability to keep me turning the pages–yes, all 464 of them in record time.
Read on...NaNoWriMo & NaBloPoMo–Goooooo!
It’s here! It’s here!
It’s November 1 and that means a few things. One of them is a steady stream of people to the local cemetery–All Saints’ Day is widely observed in southern Italy–but let’s talk about happier things.
First, there’s NaNoWriMo, which is short for National Novel Writing Month. It’s more international than national, but it *is* all about writing a novel–or at least 50,000 words throughout the month of November. I’ve been informed that it works out to 1667 words a day, but who’s counting?
Right. I am.
I just may divulge more information about what I’m writing about as the month goes on, so do check back for updates. I guess I could put a little progress bar or something in the sidebar here. Hmm. We’ll see about that.
Next we have NaBloPoMo, or National Blog Posting Month. Again, not strictly national, but all about blog posting–every day in November. So long as my internet connection holds up, I’ll have something new (although I’m not promising “entertaining” or “interesting”) for you to come and read each and every day this month. Lucky you.
Now as part of NaBloPoMo, I’m also participating in 30 Days of Thanks, brainchild of Boogiemum, so every day this month I’ll be listing something I’m thankful for. Feel free to play along on your blog even if you’re not doing NaBloPoMo or, as always, in the comments here.
Today I am thankful for:
All of the wonderful friends I’ve made through blogging, and not just because they send me gifts like a digital camera (The Daily Rant), tahini and books (Piacere), and books in Italian for my birthday (At Home in Rome).
It’s a relationship that’s difficult to describe to those not in the blogosphere, but there’s just such a warm, comfortable feeling of flitting around from blog to blog in the morning, catching up on my friends’ lives and smiling, laughing, crying along with them. I feel so much more connected with the world since I started blogging, and it feels wonderful.
And Post Number 1 is in the books. Only 29 more to go!
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[tags]nanowrimo, nablopomo, 30 days of thanks[/tags]
What’s Cooking Wednesday: Trick or Treat Tomato Eyeballs
Happy Halloween!
Some of you have asked about what’s going on in Italy for this “holiday,” and I’m sorry to report: niente. That means nothing.
In some parts of the country, they are starting to get children involved with costumes and whatnot, but no one around here does any such thing.
This could be because I don’t have kids yet…because if you think my kids are going to miss out on trick-or-treating, well, you’ve underestimated me and my weakness for candy.
I’ll even have the good stuff shipped in from the US and distributed to the neighbors (for distribution to the children, of course, with other healthy treats encouraged too):
Added bonus is that the kids around here most likely won’t have to cover up their awesome costumes with big ole coats like we always had to do where I grew up….
Anyway, back to the business at hand, I’m keeping up the Halloween theme for this week’s What’s Cooking Wednesday and giving you a quick, fun idea for a holiday treat.
But there’s a catch–you have to go here to find the recipe for
Trick or Treat Tomato Eyeballs
Why not whip up a batch and then head over to Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun to celebrate?
Also, check out the true ghost stories over at Tui’s True Spooks Blog Carnival. Make sure you turn the light on first though! There’s some creepy stuff in there.
And, since it is the last day of October and I’ve yet to post my Monthly Musing, I’ll give you a little bit of why I love this wonderful month as we say good-bye for another year:
Sweet sweet October
Only a few words to say
How much I love you…
Sweaters, fireplace fires,
My birthday, delicious soups,
And this year, puppies!
What do you love about October?
Real Ghost Stories…Grab a Flashlight!
My friend Tui of Mental Mosaic has organized a Halloween-themed blog carnival, True Spooks 2011: True Ghost Stories.
Read on...
Michelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived.
Calabria Guidebook
Recipes
