Tiny Town Tour

As it turns out I have neglected to update in a couple of months, but not only that, I have also not written a single word about moving to the mountain.  Perfect timing for me to finally write considering I will be moving back down to the valley in the next couple of days.  In my defense I would like to state that sunny days were spent outside, snowy days didn’t always have functioning internet, and I have been updating on Facebook a little.  None of those are very good reasons for not writing, but I can’t do anything about that now.  So here we go.  I will introduce you to the small village on a mountain in the Italian Alps the way I got to know it. 

(If I mention ‘we’ and haven’t said another name then you can assume that it is me and Jess- an au pair and friend from VT.)

Snow Academy- Scuola Italiana Sci e Snowboard
At the beginning of the season a lot of days were spent here hanging out and getting my balancing act together.  The sun would set early (as most of you know this happens in the winter) so it was too cold to stay outside.  The ski school is great and even better if you intend on learning to ski- since that is what they do best!  I was prepared to teach English a couple of times but since it was the first year to have language/ski lessons not many people knew about it.  Next year I’m sure it will be full of participants. 

me in one of the ski school jackets - Jess playing on the board

Peter’s Coffee House
Hot Chocolate heaven.  Let’s start from the beginning.  Peter’s isn’t your average cafe in Italy.  It is def. more of a coffee house feeling.  Back to the hot chocolate.  Some of you may remember my descriptions of hot chocolate in Italy and how wonderful it is.  For those of you who haven’t heard… Italian hot chocolate is like warm pudding/soup but chocolate so already this is the best thing ever.  Then at Peter’s Coffee House Peter himself makes fresh whipped cream.  Although I think he may have angels in the back whipping it up for him because it is heavenly.  Yes, I know I used ‘heaven/ly’ as a description a lot in this paragraph but it is true and I don’t feel like using a thesaurus to find another word that means the same thing so deal.

The front of Peter's Coffee House - my have finished hot chocolate

Sporting Pub
Many evenings were spent here for a glass of wine or a beer.  It is fun to look back and see how we progressed from having to pay when we got our drinks and full price to the night we could pay at the bar and started getting a discount.  Jess: we’re regulars now!  There was one night in the middle where our server obviously didn’t know who we were and we had to suffer the full price for the last time.  Since that night we have only sat at the bar which happens to be nicer anyway.  Usually the Pub was a stop after a night of skiing.  I would walk down since I could ski home (and I didn’t want to wear ski boots to walk home) and Jess would walk up from the ski school and we’d meet for a drink.  The best nights were of course when others would buy them for us...  we met Paolo Meneguzzi (opening act for Ricky Martin) one Friday night while he was here to perform the next day, and the DJ from Radio 105 out of Milan took a liking to us (ok me) but that was a little awkward.  Once spring arrived we would meet at Sporting with with others for aperitivo and sit in the sun for as long as possible before going home for dinner.

birthday drink - first night at the pub with wine, beer, and pizza

The Crai
Prato Nevoso’s ‘super’ market.  This tiny little market was a walk down the one street in town, around the parking lot, and up a small hill.  We would frequent the Crai a couple of times a week.  Usually for coca cola light, wine, gummies, ritz or maybe fruit-- no, nothing italian except for the wine.  We have even gone to the Crai dressed for carnival-- for me that included wings a wig.  After Jess participated in MangiaSki (mangia = eat) -- should be BeveSki (beve = drink) since eating is the least of what takes place-- the last stop on the path was next to the market and we needed supplies for the evening soooo in her condition there was nothing to do but cheers a guy... in the Crai- champagne and all!
Jess: Cheers!  Guy: Cin! Cin! (Italian version of cheers)  Jess: No, Cheers! 
This is probably my favorite memory of the Crai.

dressed up for carnival at the Crai

Pratolandia
This could be the most hilarious place on the mountain.  Please remember that we are in Prato Nevoso so this is translated as Prato Land!  This wonderful patch of snow is for the kids... and me and Jess.  Mattia could get in b/c it was included in his ski group so we took advantage of this on several occasions.  My first trip was just me and Mattia and we jumped around in one of the big blow up balloons and of course down the dino slide.  There are sleds and all kinds of things to do-- at least to a 3 year old!  I later found out that I probably wasn’t supposed to be on the toys but honestly no one else was around so it would have just been Mattia jumping by himself and it looked like too much fun so I joined in.  Later we would go with Jess and Beatrice too (she is 1) and have a blast!

Mattia on the Dino slide

Pizza I Metri
Jess and I enjoyed afternoons in the sun being ‘townies’.  The trouble with being a townie in Italy is you must first find a place such as a bench to sit on.  There are a lack of benches in Italy; unless you are in a park or maybe piazza (although even there they are scarce) you will find it hard to come by a place to sit and enjoy life for free. We were thrilled to find a bench perfectly situated in the sun outside of a ‘pizza by the meter’ place.  We would occasionally buy a piece of focaccia and enjoy the afternoon.  One day I noticed that something had been written on our bench.  A little notice in blue permanent marker saying that the bench was reserved for clients only.  Luckily on this day I wanted to be a client but we were a little disappointed that we were no longer welcome to sit on the bench without buying some bread.  It was on this bench that we were first invited to aperitivo at Brucaliffo…..

Brucaliffo!!
One afternoon/evening as Jess and I were relaxing in the sun at Pizza I Metri some of the ski instructors were headed next door to Brucaliffo for aperitivo.  Andrea mentioned that they usually came after work and we should come.  Life got better after that.  Glass of wine and light snacks before dinner is the way to go.  Our first day was initiated by breaking a bottle of wine (that was hidden in Jess’s coat) and making a nice mess all over the floor although there is a chance they don’t know who it was.  Fede and his handle bar mustache made Brucaliffo awesome not to mention we got a discount which was fantastic as well.  On cooler days we would sit inside, then the more recent sunny days were spent outside on the couch by the front door or the patio visiting with friends.  The best days involved live music but everyday was in good company.

wall inside - couch outside - patio the last night it was open.. live music and all

Snow Fever
There may be two ‘clubs’ in Prato Nevoso but we were frequent visitors of Snow Fever.  I must say that my first trip to Snow Fever was anything but special.  So boring in fact that we left Snow Fever and went back to the Pub; probably in part because of the numerous teenagers that decided to show up that night.  Since then Snow Fever has had it’s ups and downs depending on day of course but we always made it fun.  There were days where we started the party and then I’m pretty sure Jess even shut it down another night.  The music was usually good and at times way too random but luckily it was in english so as old as the song might be we could always sing and dance along.  A few songs from the season are: Stereo Love, No Stress, In the House, and Candy on the Dance Floor.  Of course there were others but these in particular meant that no matter where we were we must get to the dance floor pronto.
    Hitchhiking was always apart of evenings out.  Living on a mountain means that when you hit the wee hours of the morning the last thing you want to do is walk up to your house.  Also living in this village means you can generally trust just about everyone and so we did.  Jess was the thumb-- I just couldn’t do it.  There were very few nights when we didn’t get a ride home and later on we even started getting rides down.  Our most proud nights were getting a ride down and then in between locations and then a ride home.  To top the 3 rides in one night was if the driver was willing to stop at Jess’s house and then again at mine… we had our regulars by the end of the season and then a few who would just stop and know.  It’s a shame you can’t do this everywhere.

me and Jess at Snow Fever - PRATOLANDIA (the guy) - dancing ski instructors

Malanotte/Verde
Malanotte is the top of the mountain.. I had no idea this place existed until one day I was riding in the car with Mattia and Nonno Nanni (his grandfather) and we went to Verde and Malanotte.  I never knew how high the mountain went past our house either and wondered if we would ever make it up there.  The view from the top is spectacular.  On the left you can see Cuneo (the bigger city around) and on the right you can see Mondovi.  On each side of Prato Nevoso there is another ski resort and both are someone visible from Malanotte.  Verde is on the opposite side of the mountain from where I am.  We drove here too but I have walked to both places a couple of times.  Verde is down my street/mountain around and up and then as the road wraps around the mountain some more you can finally get there--- the 6 man chair lift.  It isn’t really too far away but it’s long enough when large hills are involved.  On a nice spring day you couldn’t ask for better places to walk.

 mount viso - mount viso - ruins on the way to Verde - Mts. from Malanotte - Sunset from Malanotte

Jess and I are fairly certain that we are the only Americans (along with her sister who visited) to ever set foot in Prato Nevoso, but if you would like to be the next you can visit the website online. Getting here is a little difficult but the skiing is nice.... I will write more about both of these in the next post.  Enjoy!

Christmas time in the City & Countryside

So my internet is not working today and I have already had a nap which means I can finally not be distracted by everything else and write a long overdue update.  After I went to Rome I headed to Florence and Prato of course.  I spent most of my time in the countryside and outside the city center but really enjoyed visiting with horses and other animals.

One of my favorite things in Florence is Christmas time well and Spring time… but it was Christmas season when I was there.  The streets are all decorated with lights, the street artists have chalk drawings of Santa and other holiday scenes, and the store shops are decorated too.  Ok it sounds like plenty of towns in the USA and everywhere else but you have to understand my love for Florence to begin with.  I also like to visit the German Christmas Market in Piazza Santa Croce.  Here there are booths of herbs and spices, so many booths of foods like strudel, pretzels, brats, french fries, beer, cheeses, meats, and of course the booths with gifts to buy for friends and family.  I saw a few neat things but either didn’t have the money or the space to bring it back with me.  I did however have plenty of time and money to stand in line and get a brat with sauerkraut, french fries, and a beer.  I think Ritvan even enjoyed it.  Usually around Christmas time it is rather cold and gelato would make one freeze, but the beauty of it is that it doesn’t melt; although normally I would get a hot chocolate and savor its thick soupy goodness with whipped cream on top, but I can get those in Prato Nevoso- so I opted for the gelato and didn’t regret it one bit!  (I think that sentence is far too long.. oh well I’ve already typed it so no sense in changing it now)

 

Another fun adventure I went on included a kebab… best kebab I’ve ever had-- it was a panino form and the bread was made at the shop.  I don’t know where this heavenly place is but I know it is Prato.  Oops I was actually meaning to write about the horse race I went to but I had just remembered the kebab.  Really it was divine (if you like kebabs that is).  So the horse race was exciting.  Apparently there are two tracks in the park that I used to live near-- this is a park that I would visit frequently and some how I never knew about the horses.  Oh well, I do now!  It was a rainy/sunny day, the clouds were fighting with the sun but in the end he sun won.  Please excuse my lack of knowledge about the technical terms of what kind of racing this is but it is the one where the jockey sits behind the horse- not chariot b/c they aren’t standing or maybe it is but a newer form. It was neat to see since I have only been to the races in Hot Springs.  I will say that I am not a big fan of all the gear the horses have to wear but it doesn’t seem to hurt them too much and they don’t wear it for too long.  I would love to say that the horse I know came in 1st place but something happened and it messed up so it didn’t get to finish.  Maybe next time!

WOAH this is a short post… but actually Christmas should be it’s own so I’ll let you all go for now and I’ll be back with a Christmas update and My New Home update.  Hope everyone is doing well

Pasta without Wine is like a Day without Sun.... (translated)

wet leaves on the bridge to a small island in Rome

I would go into extreme detail about what I have been doing for the past few weeks but not only would that take forever it would also bore you and myself.  Plus all I really want to do right now is take a nap along with everyone else in this house.  Of course with the bit of quiet and time it is also perfect for writing a little about my trip to Rome.  This may be a little different than previous posts because I am tired of the day-to-day writing.  I would rather mention different events in particular or observations I have made-- such as how there should be a heavy fine for anyone that has an urge to sing on a train and goes through with it!  This fine can be wavered if it is one of those times where most everyone is involved or maybe it is a small group of people in their own cabin and not bothering anyone else.  If it is anything like what I endured I don’t know if a fine is enough.  I was enjoying my train ride to Rome (a day late but more on that in a min.) and toward the end wanted to save some battery in my phone for calls when I arrived- I had been using it for music and needed to get ahold of my cousin upon my arrival in Rome.  At this point one of the other occupants in my cabin on the train found this to be the perfect time put on headphones and rock with her cd player.  The beauty of headphones is generally no one else is forced to listen to what you are listening to, but when the person wearing them decides to sing along with the music you are not only forced to listen to it but depending on who is doing the singing you may lose your hearing.  I was blessed with a voice that couldn’t manage to hit the right notes and a person who couldn’t manage to catch all of the words.  She went from humming to all of the sudden a burst of emotion as she could sing along with the chorus.  Instead of getting angry though all I could do was hide my laughter and try to record it. 

down a Roman street

Now had I been able to get on my other train I wouldn’t have had this entertainment but I would have had extra time in Rome.  The day before I arrived in Genova with Simona and Mattia for the night.  I got to the train station with about 20-30 min of time before my desired train so I would have plenty of time to get a ticket and get settled before heading south.  There quite a long line at the ticket office so I headed to one of the ticket machines (I used to use these all the time and they are quite wonderful….well).  First machine wasn’t working so I went to another but passed it because of the line.  I spent at least 10 min trying to buy a ticket at another machine that wouldn’t process my payment.  Finally I went to the only one that seemed to be working and a lady approached and said would be out of order for a few min since she needed to reload the  money inside.  I tried another machine… it didn’t work.  I ran to the platform and asked if it would be possible to buy a ticket on the train with a response of ‘yes but it will cost you 50 euro extra’ HA I can’t afford that!  There must be another train.  I waited in line at the ticket office-- next train is at midnight.  I spent the night in Genova and left the next morning.

Pantheon-- one of my favorite buildings-- I have yet to figure out why.

I was on an Intercity Train (they don’t stop quite as often as some)-- this is where I had the cabin on the train.  Anytime someone left they would say bye or good day.  Even the afternoon singer saluted everyone when she left. I’ve been on trains where people occasionally offer to share some of their food with other members of the cabin but I had never heard everyone say bye.  Of course it is harder when there are a whole car full of people so sometimes it is just a small remark to someone you had a conversation with, but even in the cabins I hadn’t heard much from other passengers.  It was a nice addition to the journey.

Christmas market in Rome

Finally I arrived in Rome.  I was able to stay with my cousin and her roommates so that was nice.  Leann and I went out for a walk and met her boyfriend for an apertivo (drink and snack before dinner) followed by a nice Roman meal at the house that evening with some of their roommates and friends. 
The next day Leann and I explored part of Rome from a walking tour that I had printed out-- we kind of followed it then we just started to wander.  We wanted to wander toward the Pantheon and some good food but were having a bit of trouble with both.  We decided that when we would just know when we found the right place to eat.  After checking a few menus we finally turned a corner and spotted the perfect place.  There wasn’t a menu in the window or very many tables inside.  You could see a man and his wife were the only ones running the place and she was cooking in the back.  We were greeted by him and asked if we would like red or white wine with our meal.  Red of course.  After a few minutes our pasta arrived- simple and delicious!  Next question was if we would like chicken, veal or meat (red meat)- I went with the chicken and Leann opted for veal.  Dessert came later and it was slightly sweet biscotti (not what you buy at starbucks) these were round with a hole in the center -- just little cookies but wonderful.  Our wine ran low so we were brought some more and then after we snuck a few of the cookies in a bag to take with us (yes we are american) he brought a couple more so we finished the wine and grabbed a cookie to eat on the way out.  A splendid meal!  Shortly after we found the Pantheon and it started to rain.  Time for a coffee.  We paid for the coffee then ordered and had some water to wash it down.  Then we were surprised with a treat-- some sort of coffee ice shake poured into our empty cups.  Who is going to turn that down?  We thanked the bar tender and headed out.  We had a long walk and some crazy traffic to bypass to get to the San Lorenzo area for dinner-- Pizza!   Since most Italians are generally late we had a beer and watched the traffic on a Friday night.  Our pizza and appetizers were wonderful and followed by drinks at Blow. From there we got a ride home from some friends. 

roasted chestnuts in the market

Saturday was nice with the sun shining (finally) and a walk through the park before my train to Florence.  That story will be another day-- I think this is plenty long for now.

in piazza del pantheon

Day to Day

Amazingly it hasn’t been too terribly long since my last post. You all should be thrilled!
Tuesday the 24th I went for a walk into town- it was a nice day so I took some pictures of windows and things to draw when I got to the park.  I would draw them from life but it would be rather uncomfortable and there wasn’t much that interested me around the park.  I picked up Mattia from school and then got my iPhone back that night!  I was so excited.

Chopping limbs off the tree that had fallen over in the forest.

Wednesday I went to Prato Nevoso and helped chop limbs off a tree to use as garlands over the shops in part of the village.  Well I didn’t do any chopping but I did carry the limbs around.  I was happy to have something to do instead of feeling useless while everyone else worked around the office.  I also went to meet another girl who is a nanny for one of Simona’s friends.  She is from Germany but has been working in the States for the past couple of years.  We had a coffee and chatted for a bit.  I think we will be meeting up with the kiddos from time to time so they can play together a bit in the snow and we can have someone else to talk to.  I know another girl from Vermont is getting here this weekend so it will be good to meet her too. 

View of Prato Nevoso from the Bar/Cafe - View from the bottom of the slopes

Thursday-  We went to Mondovi to do a couple of things and while we were parked there was a Gelateria near by named ‘Sweet Balls’  -- this is by far my favorite thing that has happened all week.  I laughed for the longest time and took one photo from the car but HAD to get out and take one up close. (you can note my previous post for more information)  Also probably the most ‘I’m American’ I could have done.. oh well it made me happy!  So the other reason to go to town was to meet another girl who is working near by.  She is here from England and is Megan too.  We chatted over tea and hot chocolate then went to find out more information about the busses.  Now I know how to get to Mondovi without having to ask Simona to drive me or wait until she is going.  I just need a bus ticket (not too hard to come by).  OH yeah it’s Thanksgiving.. I made an apple pie!  The crust wasn’t as flaky as it should be but it was still good.. I had to use all kinds of different conversions to get the ingredients right.  I had dinner here but downstairs at Gian’s parents house b/c Simona went out for work.  Fresh pasta and sauce.  Then I waited until around 10:00pm so I could be skyped in to Thanksgiving Dinner at home with the family.  It was nice.  Maybe we can do the same for Christmas too-- that is if they don’t mind eating a little early again.

Apples! - Apple pie..

Saturday we went back to Prato Nevoso and I saw a Saint Bernard in person-- HUGE!!!  I don’t think I had ever seen one in person before.. it was awesome.  We took care of a few things at the house there and then had lunch.  Later Mattia and I played in the new Ski School office--- a lot of playing.  And sometime in the middle we went for cake and hot chocolate.. the cake was wonderful-- tart like with jam in the middle and my hot chocolate was divine-- the whipped cream was homemade.  Then more playing: spinning in circles and playing with flashing lights= a good time!  During dinner Mattia asked me if I would like a mandarin (he had just given his mom a piece of his) so I said yes of course thank you and he said that I could go and get one from the bowl.  It was hilarious… and he didn’t ask if I wanted part of his -- my assumption.

Light toy we played with for hours - my hot chocolate with cream looked better before I drank half of it.

Sunday- I didn’t feel so well and woke up too late to go to Prato Nevoso again so I watched a movie here and did some laundry.  It was yucky outside so it was nice to lounge a little bit.  Mattia and I played when he got home-- my water bottle squirts water so that was pretty fun.

 New hiding place!

Monday- cleaned and planned for my upcoming trip to Rome and Florence.  I leave Wednesday for Rome to visit my cousin there.  I haven’t seen her in about a year and a half when I left her in Rome- so it’s perfect really.  Then back to Florence because I like it there and to do a few things I didn’t get to do the time before PLUS I can do some Christmas shopping in the markets.  I’ll write more about that later but for now I have to go… someone is coming for dinner and I should probably clear out my stuff from the kitchen!

p.s. I'm sorry but I am lazy and have not edited any of the photos...

Snow & Chocolate

I was thinking last night while I couldn’t go to sleep… last year when I got home from Florence I was sleeping one night and suddenly in the morning I was awoken.  My immediate response was ‘What the f*%k is that noise?!?’ I came to realize that it was nature outside my window- birds and crickets.  I had gotten used to the sound of cars and scooters buzzing in the street below along and occasionally my rude neighbor that enjoyed the late night phone call and sharing the conversation with the neighborhood by  standing in the street while talking, but birds and crickets I hadn’t heard in over 6 months.  Where on earth did this come from you ask.. well I may live in the country here-- it smelled like cows this morning when I went out side, but there aren’t birds chirping in the morning or crickets talking all night (thank God).  There is a rooster that i occasionally hear in the afternoon (I think he might be from the States and still hasn’t grown accustomed to the time difference), but at night it is silent except for the very random car driving by.  It’s kind of strange… so I came to the realization I am ok with traffic noise or no noise.

Mattia playing with my luggage stickers

Wow all of that and I haven’t even told you what I have been up to.  I left last time ending with my trip to Florence.  I will skip a couple of days.  Saturday the 14th Mattia and I spent most of the day together playing.  He has gotten in a pretty good habit of taking a nap.. oh excuse me .. going camping after his afternoon cartoons.  Camping seemed like a much better way to take a nap in the afternoon.  We climb in his igloo and bundle up on pillows and under blankets and sometimes tell stories or just lay there until finally he falls asleep and I am about to.  Since there are several other things occupying space in the igloo I generally am only half of the way inside and with the sheet over the top to make a door over the front i think it is a pretty strange sight from anyone coming into the house.

The ski lift, lights for night skiing, and the snowy mountain. - Mattia trying on a new hat at the store

On Sunday we went to PratoNevoso - the ski instructors went skiing for some photos for the website.  It was fun to see the villages.  We went to Gian’s parent’s for lunch (they have a tiny flat above the shop in Prato for the winter)-- lunch was great and I saved the garlic.  Apparently none one likes to eat cooked garlic so they keep it in whole cloves and just take it out of the dish when they are serving.  They eat it raw, which I have never tried, but not cooked..  so it works out well b/c I don’t have to share! 

The fog in PratoNevoso. - A very happy 'juice box' for grownups!- espresso and chocolate with a straw

Monday I took a walk into town since sadly hadn’t been before.  Cute and tiny- most shops were closed b/c it was Monday but I got to take a few photos.

ivy on the wall in beautiful fall colors. - I really like this door/balcony- both from my walk into town

Tuesday I finished the hat I was knitting- it’s too small, but it looks good!  At least now I know I can knit a hat.  Simona took me to a yarn shop in Mondovi so that I could get some supplies for my next project.  (this next portion of the story is taken from another message I sent please bare with me) I had the most awful time at the yarn shop. I didn’t know all of the words but tried to use the ones that I did know and pointing. Well the lady apparently didn't appreciate me trying. A girl walked in and she was like 'you know some english right? this girl only speaks english and I can't understand her.' I only used like 2 english words while I was in there and I understood exactly what she was telling everyone else! Which is how I can tell you what she said. So I tried to talk to her again and by now I am nervous then another lady comes in and she asks her if she can help b/c she took an english class once. Ok if you take an english class you probably didn't learn knitting terms if you did then I would probably know them in Italian by now and we wouldn't be in this mess!!!! Finally after I got my needles (which i don't need half of them now and the other isn't quite right which I told her I needed a longer circle needle but she didn't believe me) I asked about some cotton yarn and asked in Italian.. she showed me where it was but it was behind the counter so I didn't think I could go back there. She went to help someone else. I just bought some wool/lama yarn instead.  Next time I will take a list with me and make sure everything is right in advance.  It was good for me to try.  The lady at the pharmacy the day before was much more helpful- patient and understanding.  Oh well everyone is different. 

beautiful mounds of chocolate and all the wonderful flavor-creamy goodness but at a discounted price!

Wednesday I went to a wonderful place called Mondovicino-- vicino= close, Modovi is a the town near by and this place is near Modovi.  Also if you don’t know that it is near Mondovi- mondo= world so the world is close.  The place is a shopping outlet!  Very clever people made the name I think although they had a good base to start with.  They have all kinds of shops (not high end designers but that is fine b/c this is more affordable), nike, puma, bialetti, lindt!, and many more.  There were piles PILES of chocolate in the Lindt shop-- don’t worry I included a photo for your enjoyment.  OO speaking of chocolate we now have a 5 kilo jar of Nutella, that equals about 11 pounds of chocolately goodness.  The date on the top says we have less than a year to eat all of it but I was told that it won’t be a problem. 

5 kilos of Nutella- please keep in mind that the fork is the average adult size and I think the jar looks smaller on here.

The lifts at in Prato opened this weekend so I picked up Mattia from school yesterday and we walked home (he wanted to walk!! we were offered a ride from a friend going in our direction)-- we talked about how it smelled like cows, and there was a big tractor that drove by, and we made sure to stand really close to the buildings when a car came near.  It was a good walk.  While he was camping Simona’s parents got here-- they are helping out this weekend since she and Gian are busy with work-- opening weekend means Prato goes from 30 people to probably a few hundred… I hear it gets into the thousands during the holidays.  Anyway they brought focaccia from Genova (since that’s where the good stuff is) which made me quite happy!
Thanksgiving is this coming week and it generally isn’t celebrated here for obvious reasons.  I actually am not a big fan of Thanksgiving dinner- I like the theatrics that go along with it (from the family all being together) a bit more.  I am, however, going to try to bake an apple pie.  I really hope it works-- it’s my favorite part of the meal anyway.  OH… humm I got called away and now I have forgotten what I was going to say.  What are your holiday plans?  Anyone have a favorite dish they want to share?  I hope this finds you doing well and I love hearing from all of you!