1/11/2009
Hello everyone. What is there to do in the Marche in January? Not much this year as outdoor work has been stymied by a continual drizzle for what seems like weeks. I did finish trimming all the olive trees, but am anxious to get started on the myriad grapevines which await protected from me now by a quagmire of muddy ground.
I have watched Blazing Saddles, gotten hooked by a couple of downloadable computer games, read everything from Les Miserables to Revelations and now look forward to a night out with R&R Hall of Famer Patti Smith, who is coming to Ascoli tomorrow.
Last night, to break the monotony, we invited 12 people for dinner here at Nascondiglio di Bacco. I made a chicken, almond, basil pate' to go on my Pugliese bread and carrot cake cupcakes which ended up being the "vegetable side dish" since 4 other people brought desserts. Raffaele added roasted potatoes and a turkey/leek casserole and then we offered the usual prosciutto from our friend in Visso at Pettarci and 42 month aged Parmigiano reggiano cheese dressed up with balsamic vinegar. We washed that down with some of our 2007 montepulciano and our passito for dessert.
We have 2 new additions here at the agriturismo: a new dishwasher, heaven sent, which doesn't eat, mangle and spit out wine glasses and actually cleans the dishes and a cover for the pool-9 months after the start of that infamous project.
No more dawn pix of ice on the cement pond, unfortunately.
I would like to provide a link for one of my favorite blogs by a pulitzer prize winning movie critic. If this post doesn't make you want to get away from it all and hide from your daily stress, I don't know what will. His views are not always coincident with mine politically or religiously, but man, can he write well and this post is a gem!
http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2009/01/theres_a_small_cafe.html#more
If you like this post, you should put a bookmark for his blog on your computer and follow along, as he posts once or twice a week. There, you will find a link to his movie reviews which are written in the same, erudite style as his blog musings.
Have a wonderful week and despite my disappointment in the Big 12 football bowl game results, I had to be tickled by Kurt Warner's Cardinals winning their playoff game. It couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
The photos are to cheer me up as this Marche winter is trying to mimic Kansas City's. The final foto is for Silvia-when are you coming to visit, lost classmate? :)
dds
4 comments:
I like the new look for the blog...good to refurbish every now and then.
thanks. still trying to figure out how to fill up the upper space. beh. dds
btw I saw Patti Smith open for U2 at Madison Square Garden a few years ago, and she got booed lustily when she started talking politics. different audience in Ascoli though.
maybe in the empty space put a "wine of the week"
they ust have really hurt her feelings, because the concert here was cancelled. i don't know how to put anything into that space above... but a wine of the week is Ch. di Beaucastel chateauneuf du pape blanc!
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