The Day Is Soon To Come

This morning I took a walk to Giovanni's soon to be pre-school.
I knew this day was going to arrive.

It was a wonderful joy to see him at the center of all the other children. Pre-school in Italy, I wonder how different it will be then pre-school in America. I am sure to find out.

The first difference I already have, in Italy, religion in school is vastly present.

The huge day arrives in September. I am sure it will be harder on me, not to spend my days with him, then it will be for him. He is certainly ready, he was so excited this morning, he didn't want to leave!

---

Hotmail® has a new way to see what's up with your friends. Check it out.

A Photo

I was searching though some of my photo disks and I encountered this photo.

It doesn't matter how long ago this was taken, or how many times I have seen it, it always makes me smile!

This photo was taken the first few months we were here in Italy, we were in Florence visiting family friends.

There is just something about this image of my husband's face, how my son is sticking out his tongue, and the horse. All the poses at the same time, and it was not planned, or staged.

It wonderfully displays the spirit of our family and the wonderful playful characteristics of my husband and son!

I love this photo!

An Addition To Our Family!

Here name is CheChe and she is the new addition to our family.
She came into our home at 40 days old! She is a cutie!
(Her name was chosen mostly by our son, it was either that or Baby.)

My son, Giovanni is already smitten with her!

The Basil is Growing!!

The Basil is growing! As I mentioned before I am attempting to see if I have a green thumb.
It's a beauty! From only a seed, now my basil has grown to this!


As you can tell, I am really excited! This gardening thing can be something wonderful!

The first rose!

This is the first rose of the season. Wow, I am so excited to have rosebushes. It will be a beautiful spring and summer season. Our yard is basically a forest floral, herb garden!!

I can not take full credit for the rosebushes, which are situated sporadically through our yard, they had already been planted when we moved in.

Once a Year Celebration!

Imagine if you will street performers and artist markets non-stop for five days in a row!

This will be my third "Artisti in Piazza" in a row. Artists and artisans travel from around the world to Pennibilli to participate.

With various venues for performances, numerous artisans, talented musicans, and a photo contest, these are just a few of the activities that make up the five day celebration.

It is so familiar to the Promanade in Santa Monica, the Artist Markets in Los Angeles, walking down Hollywood Boulavard, or even that little cobbled street in Bolder, Colorado, and music festivals.

It reminds me of the States. Take a more in depth look at Pennabilli's Artisti in Piazza!

A Fountain

The garden is called, L'orto dei Fruitti Dimenticati or The Orchard of Forgotten Fruits. My son and I have been avid fans of this garden since we have lived in Italy.

It contains fruits, flowers, trees from around the world that have been placed together in this orchard.

This orchard is my favorite spot for two reasons:

When we first moved to Italy as Fabio (my husband) worked , Giovanni (my son) and I would spend hours laying on the grass under the tree planted by the Dali Lama.

Second, the orchard contains a bronze statue of a mother snail with her child on her back. As Giovanni has grow, I have taken pictures of him with the statue. The stages of his growth have been documented with this statue.

The pictured fountain had never contained water. It has just been a structure made of wood in the shape of a fig leaf, with metal pipes as veins. Yesterday was the first time I had seen it with running water.

It was a beautiful sight!

Growing Basil

My attempts to have a green thumb continue. I thought it would be wonderful to grow basil in our herb garden. So my father-in-law gave me some seeds to begin. I made sure to take some notes from him regarding the process.

I want to add how amazing he is as a gardener. He grows his own vegtables and fruits, he also has his own chickens for fresh eggs. It is amazing how he build his own green house and irrigation system on his land.

So, we will see what happens. Wish me luck!!

Do I Have a Green Thumb??

This is the first time that I have lived in a house with the freedom to maintain a garden. My gardening research has already began.

And one day last week my husband brought home some gardening tools, my first tools! I had another surprise this weekend when he built the pictured box, to keep my tools organized. (On the bottom left you can see the two plastic gardening tools for my son to help me in the garden!)

The house we moved into had some remnants of a herb garden, some lavender, and some sporadic rose bushes.

I began by cleaning out the herb garden. I found that we had rosemary, and sage growing. My plan is now to add arugula, and basilico.

I would also love to grow more flowers along the walk way. I have to keep in mind though I am new at this, so I shouldn't plant more than I can handle.