The days seem to fly here in the Umbria countryside while under coronavirus lockdown. This morning started with a walk up our road… ….to the stall of our two donkeys and a few of our goats for a photo of Pino culling the cashmere wool of one of our cashmere goats: Odd tasks outside followed…
“We head home with the starry sky of this enchanting place in our eyes and in our hearts….and above all, the true cordiality of Anna made this vacation unforgettable. To travel is above all, to meet people and how lucky we have been!!” Rossella, mille grazie once again for your note to us the day…
On Palm Sunday, even our goats had a celebratory treat: instead of just their usual hay, also some fresh grass. Peppa called me just before noon on Palm Sunday, asking anxiously, “Anna, hai i vostri rami di olivi?” (“Do you have your olive branches?”). She was relieved to hear that I did and frantically urged…
As he rhthymically combs one of our cashmere goats, Pino’s full concentration certamente wards off any hint of a CPA (Coronavirus Panic Attack): Of our nineteen adult goats, fourteen are cashmere goats, noted for their wool. The other four goats are camosciate delle Alpi, generous producers of milk…… ….. and of a tawny color, similar…
The cheese I’m enjoying for breakfast these days is the result of a Pino project during this coronavirus lockdown: the making of goats’ milk cacioricotta. I enjoy it in the morning on bread toasted on our woodstove,… ….then topped with our cooked figs: A perfect way to start off the day – and to ward…
(*Today’s blog note is a gift to my brother, Tom Robichaud, celebrating his birthday today in Madison, Wisconsin. Alone. We’re there with you, Tom. In spirit). Wild chicory as a coronavirus antidote? Well, let’s just say that on a warm, sunny day, roaming the glorious Umbria hills picking wild chicory is guaranteed to ward off…
Wish a diversion to ward off a possible CPA (Coronavirus Panic Attack)? You might wish to make this new version of polpette (meatballs) – with a “Pino touch” – and then enjoy them with those sharing lockdown with you. For le polpette (for about 4- 5 persons), we used these ingredients (as we made enough…
Christmas gifts for our family members have often been wool or cashmere sweaters purchased at the outlet store at Novella Confezioni, in the valley below Assisi: Today, Pino stopped at the nearby alimentari (grocery store) of Ristorante Da Giovanni to pick up a gift, dropped off there by Monia Mancinelli, daughter of Novella (founder of…
On this blog, I’ve been writing daily (nearly) notes on ways to (hopefully) ward off what I’ve dubbed a CPA (Coronavirus Panic Attack). Nature provided us a distraction today, March 15, 2020: we woke up to our first snowfall. A bit late this year for snow, but as a napoletano friend wrote, “forse anche il…
At lunch today, Pino raised his vino rosso to every one of us, his closed fist affirming “lotta dura senza paura” (“a hard fight without fear”). Yes, we’re all affronting “a hard fight.” Many have discovered ways to ward off what I’ve dubbed a “CPA” (Coronavirus Panic Attack). On the Net, opera singers are singing…