“Happy Blog-iversary to me, Happy blog-iversary to me, Happy”…. etc, etc.
Thank you, thank you. Yes, it was 1 year ago today that I posted the first entry to OliveKnitting.
What? It seems a lot longer than that?
Yes, I know. That’s just because I do a lot of CONCENTRATED living. It’s like my life is that can of OJ you have in the freezer. Just add some internet and you have your daily recommended requirement of _________, um, well, I don’t know what. You will have to fill in that blank.
What? You want to know how I spent this really special day?
Thanks for asking. I’ll tell you the same I told all the paparazzi snapping photos and the reporters pelting me with the same question all day long. It was a normal day – I cleaned the dog vomit from the bedroom floor, washed the mold out from behind the shelves in the bathroom, did some grocery shopping, and tried to knit something without making a gauge swatch. It was just a normal day, well except that nothing broke.
What? You say you’re embarrassed because you forgot to send my blog-iversary present?
Oh, friends, don’t worry. There’s still time! I think blog-etiquette gives you up to 6 months to send a blog-iversary gift. And, listen, since most of you are reading this in North America…hell! The post offices are still open there! Checks and/or beautiful yarns of vibrant colors and natural fibers are always welcome and can be sent to: Regione Maberga 29, Taggia (IM) 18018, Italy. *
So now it is time for me to say thank you to everyone who has given me such positive feedback about the blog, to all of you who post comments, and all of you guys who read this stuff that I don’t even know about. Thanks. Here’s to 2007!
* I was just kidding about the checks, but not about the yarn.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Christmas 2006
Yes, yes, ok ok! Enough! I know that I’ve been negligent of my poor blog. I know.
Just in case some of you weren’t aware, I went to the US for two weeks. It was the appendicitis-postponed trip. As anyone who has been reading here for a while knows, when I go to the US my abilities to blog completely seize up. They stop. I am completely unable to write even one post. This is not a technology problem. Think about it a second, if you only had say 4 weeks a year to spend with loved ones that you see for, well only for four weeks a year, would you be on the computer? Ok then, get off my back.
Oh yeah, well, I’ve been back for a while. I could have been writing. It’s Christmas, get off my back again.
My Christmas excuse here is NOT that I’ve been 1) knitting massive amounts of Christmas gifts to give to people – I opted out of that this year, I bought shit. 2) baking massive amounts of cookies to give to generous and deserving friends and neighbors – I opted out of that this year. Italians don’t like my cookies. Fuck ‘em. 3) decking the halls with boughs of holly – I opted out of that this year. One string of lights in the bedroom, and those went up mostly so I can read at night without the floor lamp that bugs my husband.
I don’t mean to sound so bah-humbug. I love Christmas. And I loved it this year as much as any. My no-writing-Christmas excuse is that, it seems that, the longer David and I spend in this area and the more people we get to know, the more friends that we make…the more there are people feeling the need to adopt us for holidays. This is to say, we got a lot of “are you going to be alone for Christmas?! You can’t be alone!” invitations.
As it turned out, we got invitations for all meals for all days and if we weren’t previously booked, it seemed to the asking friend that we were going to be stuck in Maberga for the whole Christmas season without other human contact.
As a result, we had a beautifully overbooked Christmas, leaving no time for me to document it here in my blog. Sorry.
I want to say that I feel completely blessed by this holiday season and it couldn’t have been more complete for me. I was offered the luxury of a great visit with family and friends in my home in the Midwest of the US and the wonderful experience of a extended family and friends in my adopted home in Liguria.
There are too many memories to capture here, so I won’t even try. I’ll just share a couple of particularly nice images.
Mom's birthday with some fun aunts and uncles and a cousin (they would be in-laws and a niece if you are looking from mom's perspective).
Grandma - still making me dinner when I come to visit.
I'm not that special, she does this also for my dad every time he mows her lawn. She's pretty special though, doing it at 96 years old, living alone in the house she was married in. Whoa.
Some Serpe, a little cleaned up. It doesn't happen often but this was a fund-raising dinner. Anyone who wants to contribute to an organization that assists disabled adults in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, please go here. (NO! you won't find my family website!)
Just in case some of you weren’t aware, I went to the US for two weeks. It was the appendicitis-postponed trip. As anyone who has been reading here for a while knows, when I go to the US my abilities to blog completely seize up. They stop. I am completely unable to write even one post. This is not a technology problem. Think about it a second, if you only had say 4 weeks a year to spend with loved ones that you see for, well only for four weeks a year, would you be on the computer? Ok then, get off my back.
Oh yeah, well, I’ve been back for a while. I could have been writing. It’s Christmas, get off my back again.
My Christmas excuse here is NOT that I’ve been 1) knitting massive amounts of Christmas gifts to give to people – I opted out of that this year, I bought shit. 2) baking massive amounts of cookies to give to generous and deserving friends and neighbors – I opted out of that this year. Italians don’t like my cookies. Fuck ‘em. 3) decking the halls with boughs of holly – I opted out of that this year. One string of lights in the bedroom, and those went up mostly so I can read at night without the floor lamp that bugs my husband.
I don’t mean to sound so bah-humbug. I love Christmas. And I loved it this year as much as any. My no-writing-Christmas excuse is that, it seems that, the longer David and I spend in this area and the more people we get to know, the more friends that we make…the more there are people feeling the need to adopt us for holidays. This is to say, we got a lot of “are you going to be alone for Christmas?! You can’t be alone!” invitations.
As it turned out, we got invitations for all meals for all days and if we weren’t previously booked, it seemed to the asking friend that we were going to be stuck in Maberga for the whole Christmas season without other human contact.
As a result, we had a beautifully overbooked Christmas, leaving no time for me to document it here in my blog. Sorry.
I want to say that I feel completely blessed by this holiday season and it couldn’t have been more complete for me. I was offered the luxury of a great visit with family and friends in my home in the Midwest of the US and the wonderful experience of a extended family and friends in my adopted home in Liguria.
There are too many memories to capture here, so I won’t even try. I’ll just share a couple of particularly nice images.
Mom's birthday with some fun aunts and uncles and a cousin (they would be in-laws and a niece if you are looking from mom's perspective).Grandma - still making me dinner when I come to visit.
I'm not that special, she does this also for my dad every time he mows her lawn. She's pretty special though, doing it at 96 years old, living alone in the house she was married in. Whoa.
Some Serpe, a little cleaned up. It doesn't happen often but this was a fund-raising dinner. Anyone who wants to contribute to an organization that assists disabled adults in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, please go here. (NO! you won't find my family website!)
Fried dough - a Christmas eve tradion for southern Italians. 
Christmas eve...Sardegna/Sicily style. Once I've recovered, I'll tell you what these people do with cherries and blueberries!
Dinner, Swiss/Italian style with some americans, a couple danes, half a chilean, a greek, a swiss, and, well, some italians .
Happy New Year to everyone.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Fortunately
It must be winter. Stuff in the house is breaking down. Remember last winter? There was the water heater, the water, the car, the pellet stove, the toilet tube…wow. Then came the warmer weather, smooth sailing, relatively speaking of course. I almost didn’t have blog post material there for awhile in the spring and summer months.
Well, good news - shit is breaking left and right now. Blog posts galore!
Ever read the children’s book Fortunately? It goes something like this…fortunately a boy gets invited to a party, unfortunately it’s on the other side of the country, fortunately a friend loans him a plane, unfortunately the engine explodes, fortunately there is a parachute, and so on…
Here’s the Maberga version:
Fortunately Lynn and David bought a beautiful house on the side of a mountain with a beautiful sea view.
Unfortunately it didn’t have much electricity.
Fortunately, they were able to connect some wires to the bathroom for the water heater and the washing machine and then attach a lot of extension cords for the fridge and stove and stuff.
Unfortunately the wires to the bathroom were a bit too small.
Fortunately they worked for two years without burning the house down.
Unfortunately last week the small wires in the bathroom melted together.
Fortunately electricity is still going to the water heater.
Unfortunately it’s not going to the washing machine.
Fortunately this is not a big loss since the washing machine broke the week before.
Unfortunately at the same time the laundry is piling up the car is breaking down.
Fortunately a guy at David’s work can fix it.
Unfortunately he has to do his own work first so David has to wait.
Fortunately David just called and is on his way home.
Unfortunately he’s not driving our car.
Fortunately the guy at work says our car will be done tomorrow.
Unfortunately I’m somewhat doubtful of the reality of that.
Fortunately we live on the side of a mountain with a beautiful view so while I watch the sun set everything unfortunate seems like no big deal.
Well, good news - shit is breaking left and right now. Blog posts galore!
Ever read the children’s book Fortunately? It goes something like this…fortunately a boy gets invited to a party, unfortunately it’s on the other side of the country, fortunately a friend loans him a plane, unfortunately the engine explodes, fortunately there is a parachute, and so on…
Here’s the Maberga version:
Fortunately Lynn and David bought a beautiful house on the side of a mountain with a beautiful sea view.
Unfortunately it didn’t have much electricity.
Fortunately, they were able to connect some wires to the bathroom for the water heater and the washing machine and then attach a lot of extension cords for the fridge and stove and stuff.
Unfortunately the wires to the bathroom were a bit too small.
Fortunately they worked for two years without burning the house down.
Unfortunately last week the small wires in the bathroom melted together.
Fortunately electricity is still going to the water heater.
Unfortunately it’s not going to the washing machine.
Fortunately this is not a big loss since the washing machine broke the week before.
Unfortunately at the same time the laundry is piling up the car is breaking down.
Fortunately a guy at David’s work can fix it.
Unfortunately he has to do his own work first so David has to wait.
Fortunately David just called and is on his way home.
Unfortunately he’s not driving our car.
Fortunately the guy at work says our car will be done tomorrow.
Unfortunately I’m somewhat doubtful of the reality of that.
Fortunately we live on the side of a mountain with a beautiful view so while I watch the sun set everything unfortunate seems like no big deal.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Pearl Harbor day Wisconsin style
Posting from Elkhorn, Wisconsin - "the Christmas Card town" where I am happy to say that I able to be with this gal on her 65 birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!
A haiku of your very own!
A teacher for life
Winter day of infamy
She bakes really good (oops, sorry mom, I mean WELL)
A haiku of your very own!
A teacher for life
Winter day of infamy
She bakes really good (oops, sorry mom, I mean WELL)
Friday, December 01, 2006
A few disconnections...
Did you ever have one of those moments of cognitive disconnect? For example, seeing someone strolling down the street in Taggia, Italy (population 1000) wearing a Green Bay Packer sweatshirt…”wait, where am I? That totally looks normal, that guy in that Pack shirt but, I don’t think it is normal in this current time and space.”
I had one of those today. I was driving into town and saw a blimp in the sky over the sea. As an American, ‘specially one who lived 8 blocks from Coors’ Field in Denver, seeing a blimp in the sky is normal. But there was a disconnect - 1. there was no ball park of any variety below it but rather the Mediterranean Sea, and 2. It wasn’t advertising anything. Given that it was missing two of the major characteristics that defines “blimp” to this american, could it still be a blimp? The thought, “maybe that’s the Hindenburg” actually passed through my mind - I mean, it seemed a more likely explanation than Reebok trying to cajole December beach goers on the Riviera into buying some new high tops. Then I remembered all “the humanity” – probably not the Hindenburg. I pulled over for gas and was ready to ask the gas guy about it…until I couldn’t find it any more.
Again….I might be spending a little too much time alone.
I had one of those today. I was driving into town and saw a blimp in the sky over the sea. As an American, ‘specially one who lived 8 blocks from Coors’ Field in Denver, seeing a blimp in the sky is normal. But there was a disconnect - 1. there was no ball park of any variety below it but rather the Mediterranean Sea, and 2. It wasn’t advertising anything. Given that it was missing two of the major characteristics that defines “blimp” to this american, could it still be a blimp? The thought, “maybe that’s the Hindenburg” actually passed through my mind - I mean, it seemed a more likely explanation than Reebok trying to cajole December beach goers on the Riviera into buying some new high tops. Then I remembered all “the humanity” – probably not the Hindenburg. I pulled over for gas and was ready to ask the gas guy about it…until I couldn’t find it any more.
Again….I might be spending a little too much time alone.
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