Hello..... Testing..... Is this thing on?

Some honeymooners came to visit.

They wanted to pick some olives. So we said, “ok”.

Thank you so much for including us on your honeymoon itinerary....it’s a gift that will keep giving.

So, what have you done this morning?

Yep, it’s that glorious time of the year when a big truck comes up the road to Maberga carrying 3 months of cozy winter warmth right there in its bed.

30 quintale or 3 tons of stackable firewood. We are officially ready for winter. Assuming these pieces fit in our stove. My excellent skills at conservation (aka: does that fit in there?) say it’ll be close for a lot of them. And these ones here...

Yeah, forget about it. If anyone is wondering why R2-D2 came to help, we’ll, he didn’t.

That would be David’s newest toy, I mean tool, to complete the outdoor kitchen triumvirate. Bread oven, grill, and smoker.yep, we got it all here in Maberga. So, after stacking all that wood and canning a winter’s worth of sugo

I’m ready for a proper Ligurian breakfast.

Good morning. Ps. I didn’t really can all that sugo this morning. I didn’t even do it at all. David did that back in July when our tomatoes were ready. I just wanted to show off our stash.

Vendemmia

This guy did his grape harvest last week and we got to go!

Yeah, finally after 16 years of living here I went to my first vendemmia. Technically, I went to the lunch after the grape harvest because David made some grape bread, and I was in the studio with Ernie, and we were late and they finished early and this and that and the other.... But my hopes are high for next year

I’m not wrong....

Often. But about this, well, I was. As it turns out, digging in the earth and finding food doesn’t get old. Just as glorious this time as it was the first time.

Firsts

first harvest....

First glads

First handmade picnic napkins 

First sugo

Happy 4h of July.

23 years is a long time

for a carnival goldfish.

But it’s just a flash when living with this guy.

Happy anniversary, love. You’ve made a lot of good things in your life - like roads and bread and kids. And you make me happy every day.. well, you know, not all day every day, but every day for sure. I love you.