MORE SHOPPING
Did I mention that the replacement dresser was scheduled to arrive, then cancelled? The store called the day after the bedroom furniture had been delivered, and said the new dresser would be delivered on Friday morning. Since Sig. Moretti had been on the phone with the factory within thirty minutes of discovering the damage, we weren’t totally shocked. He had said it should arrive within ten days, but three days was amazing! We got another phone call on Thursday saying that the dresser would NOT be delivered on Friday, because is wouldn’t be in until December 22nd. I’m sure she explained all the reasons why, but all I understood was the bottom line: we wouldn’t have the dresser until we returned from the States.
We did have a successful shopping day yesterday. It wasn’t until later in the day, when our credit card was taking forever to print out, that I realized it was the day after Thanksgiving, therefore the busiest shopping day of the year. We participated in the ritual, but things were slightly less hectic in Italy.
Yesterday we set out to buy a lot of odds and ends. Wendy and her friends had been at the house in the morning, moving the furniture out of the garage. We had lunch and I worked on the computer. Art called Cristina to ask her about some peppery oil. Turns out the oil she recommended is one we already have in our pantry. What we didn’t realize was that this oil was now on sale at the Coop, for an amazing price. We decided to get a 5 liter tin, and also to stop in MediaWorld. The refrigerator with the scratched door had arrived, and the scratch was so small, and was on the hinged side of the door, making it practically unnoticeable. Art was hoping that if we agreed to keep the door, and since they didn’t give us any discount on the floor model dryer, they would give us some sort of discount on something else we needed.
Art explained the problem to the girl who had helped us before...the one who spoke some English. We knew we wanted another telephone for the new kitchen, and possible a third one for the bedroom. The salesgirl took us to the phone department, and introduced us to a guy who also spoke English. After deciding which phones would work with the one we have now, the salesman went to ask his boss about a possible discount. When he returned, we were told no, it wasn’t possible…the door was being replaced by the manufacturer, so it wasn’t costing the store anything. Oh well.
We went to the IperCoop, and Art was disappointed to find that the 32” Phillips TV we had seen on Monday was no longer available. Apparently once they sold what they had, that was it. But we are seeing what we want at a price we like, so at least we know that with a little patience, we will eventually get what we want.
We also found the oil, and put three five liter jugs in the cart. When we got to the checkout, we discovered that the special price is only a one-time offer for those who belong to the Coop Society…which is sort of like having a Kroger Plus card. So, we just got one jug for now…we’ll probably pick up another one later, just because this is the new oil. We can store it in the garage, where it will be cool and dark.
Lamps seem to present a special challenge for me here in Italy. I have looked at lamps at every imaginable lamp store within an hours drive. Finding WHAT I want is the first challenge, and then finding it at a price I will pay is another. We still needed a couple of lamps, and were finally ready to make our final choices.
By the time we got to Mercatone Uno, they had just reopened for the afternoon. We didn’t find the wicker waste basket I wanted. Or the towel rack, but we did find a light for the pantry. Art saw a fixture with two lights on a mini-track, and the lights were positionable. We decided that one of the lights could be pointed all the way under the stairs, and the other could be pointed whichever way gave us the best light.
We then found a really cool floor lamp for the bedroom. It had two glass shades, one pointing up, and one pointing down. The shades are sort of flower shaped and at first Art didn’t like the lamp at all. Then I turned it on, and that made a huge difference. I liked the fact that the lamp does have just a little bit of a funky design…Italy has so many cool design ideas, and although I am very traditional in my decorating, it seems appropriate to have something a little different. I made sure we got the right light bulbs before we left the store. In addition to the price, there are two other things about Italian lamps that I don’t like. One is the switch being on the cord, not at the base of the bulb. The second is the different types of light bulbs…there are lamps that use bulbs with SMALL bases, and lamps that use bulbs with LARGE bases. Our new lamp needed a small base bulb, no larger than 40 watts, for the downward facing light, and a large base bulb for the upward facing light, no larger than 60 watts.
Next stop was the fabric store. They had some cute olive oil containers, much like we had seen at GiorGetti for 30 euro. These were 9.90. I also found a wicker basket to use as a wastebasket. I think it’s really made to put a potted plant in, but it will work for me. We found a new door mat for the front door. With all the construction, the one that’s there now is worthless. I then showed Art some fabric I had seen that I thought might work as a throw for the couch. When we bought the dark blue couch, we had agreed to the color, but asked if we could find some sort of throw to lighten it up a bit. He liked the fabric, and we got two meters. The fabric is a loose weave, and I plan to fringe the edges. I have never done this before, but how hard can it be?
We then find a fabric for the living room door that is sheerer than the one we have now. As we are leaving, I spy a scarf with a beautiful design. This is Italy; you can never have too many scarves. I’m not a scarf person, but this is a large one that I will use under my winter coat, and it can also be used as a shawl. As we are checking out, the owner smiles and says he remembers us. That would be from the curtain rod fiasco.
By the time we get to Gran Casa. It is pretty crowded. We find the floor lamp we had seen the other day. We had just seen this same lamp at Mercatone Uno for 90+ euro, but luckily I remembered that Gran Casa had it for 66 euro. The prices are just like in the states…one store is never lower on everything. We had bought shelf paper at Gran Casa for 7 euro, then I found the exact same paper at the IperCoop for 5.55.
We look at a TV, and it has been reduced from €999 to €879. I tell Art that I think the ad we just received for Euronics has the same TV for €749. He goes to the car to look at the ad, and when he returns tells me that Euronics has it for €789. By this time it has gotten much more crowded. People are stopping in on their way home, I guess. The lines are long and the one we are in is the slowest moving of all. Finally, we check out! Now we can stop by Ternana’s for dinner.
Pino suggests the chicken with peppers and black olives. Of course it’s delicious. Art has mushrooms and I have a salad. Some red wine and a bottle of water complete our dinner. Art has coffee after dinner. Italian coffee. Last night he tried it with just a little sugar, and discovered that a little sugar helps a lot. We tell Marco that our new kitchen will be finished next week, so we will be eating more meals at home. As much as I love to cook, I know we will miss being here every night…this has become our home away from home.
We both are badly in need of a gelato fix. It’s been quite a while since we have indulged, and Art justifies this by reminding me that we won‘t be able to get gelato when we are in the States. I really don’t need an excuse. Once we enter the gelateria, I am happy to see that they have banana tonight, so of course I get two flavors, the banana and chocolate. I wish there were words to describe how good it tastes!
THANKSGIVING IN ITALY
Our Thanksgiving in Italy was pretty low-key. Since our cooking facilities are limited to a microwave and an electric oven, we opted for dinner at Ternana’s. Instead of our usual pizza or chicken, we decided to get pasta. Art wants me to try to make pasta in the microwave, and so far, I’ve resisted that idea. First of all, how would you keep water at a constant boil? And where would all the steam go? And wouldn’t that much steam damage the microwave? I hope I never find out the answers to these questions…much as I love to cook, this just doesn’t seem like a good idea. So…back to Ternana’s. We got there around seven, which is late for us. Now I will have to digress again, and explain why we were running so late that night.
Now that everything is ALMOST finished, this is when things start to get complicated. You know what I mean…trying to coordinate everything and everyone so that one day, you just get up and have everything ready to go…a complete and functional kitchen/bathroom/laundry room, etc. I know I’m living in a dream world, but this is what I would like. So, every day, we are asking the geometra, “What’s happening today? When will the painter return? When will we have soft water? When will the light fixtures be hung?” And so on and so on.
I expected to have the water softener hooked up, and the washing machine back in place, LAST Wednesday. And then again, I expected it back in place THIS Wednesday. And for some reason, it wasn’t happening. I told Mauro that I had LOTS of laundry to do! I was hoping he’d show his understanding by sending the plumber over subito! Instead, he invited us to come to his house for coffee and laundry. At first, I didn’t get it…I thought he was just having us for coffee, then Art explained, no, we were supposed to bring our laundry too! Okay, it was a nice gesture, what the heck. I’ll take some of the laundry, we’ll meet his wife, and as an added bonus, I’ll get to see HIS house! For those of you who don’t know, I guess I am just the world’s nosiest person, at least when it comes to houses. I could go to open houses every Sunday, just looking for ideas, seeing how other people decorate, etc. So we were supposed to go to his house at 2:30 on Thursday.
On Thursday morning, Art saw the electrician, and we thought we were supposed to meet him at Mauro’s office about ten minutes later to select the colors for the switch plate/outlet covers. When we walked down to Mauro’s office, the electrician was nowhere to be found, Shortly after we returned home, the electrician showed up with the catalog and sample covers, and we asked him when he was going to finish. We have two wall sconces for the upstairs hall, plus a new entry light waiting to be hung. The light for over the kitchen table is here, but I think we’re going to have to wait for the kitchen to be installed and the table to get here so that I can see exactly where I want the light. In the course of this conversation, we discovered that WE were supposed to buy the light fixtures for the bathroom and laundry room, and that he was waiting for us! Of course, we had no idea…we would have bought the stuff weeks ago had we known. Now we’ll have to make a trip to Self/Obi/Gran Casa to find the light fixtures.
Since it’s after noon, I send Art to the flower shop to buy a small bouquet to take to Mauro’s. I don’t want to make a bad impression on Mauro’s wife, although I’m sure she’s heard what a headache we are! Art returns with a beautiful bouquet of bright yellow lilies…he caught the owner of the flower shop just as she was locking the door, and she was only too happy to reopen for him. Of course, once she knocked over the two vases filled with water and soaked herself, I’m not sure she was still happy about it!
We eat lunch, and Mauro stops by. We tell him that we finally made the connection with the electrician, and Mauro tells us that the plumber will come tonight at 6 o’clock to install the washer and dryer. As he is leaving, we say, “see you at 2:30!”, and Mauro says, very patiently, “No, the plumber is coming to night to hook up the washing machine, so you can do your laundry here.” So we got uninvited for coffee and laundry. And now I have a beautiful bouquet of yellow lilies in my kitchen. After lunch we head to Gran Casa, and are waiting at the door when they re-open at 3:30. Luckily we find a bathroom mirror with lights that we both like, and, unbelievably, it’s on sale! We also find a light that we hope will work for the laundry room. And then we have to get back to the house, so we don’t miss the plumber, just in case he comes early!
When the plumber arrives, he and Art have to carry the washing machine up from the garage. For those of you who don’t know, front loaders are heavy. I am concerned about Art’s back, but there doesn’t seem to be an alternative. When I am upstairs, I hear water running and know that I will be able to do some laundry tonight! My plan it to do one load of laundry, hang it up on the portable clothes rack in the guest room, then put it in the dryer for about 10 minutes after a day or two. Then I’ll do another load of laundry, following the same plan. To dry an entire load would just be too expensive, and since we aren’t in a big hurry, why waste the electricity and money?
NOW we are finally able to leave for Ternana’s. Bet you thought I’d never get back to that, didn’t you? As I said before, it was later than usual for us, but what we found when we arrived must have another explanation. Inside Ternana’s were at least 30, if not 40 teenagers. Needless to say, the atmosphere was loud and boisterous! We waited in line for a few minutes, then decide to just sit and wait for the crowd to clear. There is a group of five men who have been eating dinner at Ternana’s every night about the same time we are there. They were already eating when we arrived, and we thought if we couldn’t find a place to sit, we would ask it we could share their table. The small table just behind them, which is where we usually sit, was available, so we made our way to it and just sat down.
After a few minutes, Art walked up to the counter to place our order. The place was STILL packed with kids, and Pino, Rita, and Marco were having a hard time keeping up! Pino turned to Art, grabbed his face and said “One minute nothing, the next minute, we’re FULL!” What could Art do but nod in agreement?! There must have been some sort of school/social/sports activity to bring this many kids out together at the same time. We ordered spaghetti with ragu, and a mixed salad. A large bottle of water and a quarter liter of red wine, and we were set! We are constantly amazed at how delicious this simple food is, and how much we continue to enjoy it.
Once home (driving in the dark AND in the rain, as is standard). I start a load of laundry before I call my sister. We have a nice chat, until my phone card runs out! I have already had this happen before, and tonight I warned Terri that I only had thirty two minutes left when we started. Once the call is over, I go back to check the laundry.
For some reason, the lights on the front of the machine are blinking, and nothing is happening. I push the button to clear and restart the machine, and water starts coming out the front where the soap dispenser is. I turn the machine off, and for reasons, unknown, open the door. Water rushes out. I scream! I try to close the door as quickly as I can, but there are lots and lots of socks in this load, and one or two are blocking the door. I yell to Art to bring a mop. The water is about ½ or ¾ inches deep…I know that doesn’t sound like much, but when you are standing in it, in your slippers, it might as well be a foot. I mop and mop. Art gets a towel and just soaks up and wrings out. I finally get brave enough to re-open the door (BE QUICK!) so that I can shove the problem socks back in and stop the water that continues to trickle out of the machine. This time I am successful, so now all we have to do is keep mopping until all the water is up. I am able to dump the mop bucket down the toilet, and Art wrings out the towel in the shower base. He had been aggravated to see that the plumber hadn’t finished putting the shower walls up. In retrospect, this was actually a good thing, since we didn’t have to worry about bumping into those walls: they really would have been in our way.
After mopping and mopping and mopping, we are finally finished. And we decide to see if the washer will work. The first thing I want to do is to make sure the water will spin out of the machine. I don’t think this was the original problem, but since I have no idea why the lights were blinking, thanks to no help from the instruction manual!, this is the most important thing for now. And of course, the water spins out without a problem. Now I guess I may as well go ahead and wash this load of clothes…the fabric softener was still in its compartment, so I know the cycle wasn’t complete. I decide to wait for the entire cycle to finish, before I go to bed. And of course, the entire cycle, although taking an eternity, completes without a problem. It’s after midnight when we go to bed.
On Friday, Wendy and her friends arrive around 10 to finish moving the furniture out of the garage. Of course we tell her about our laundry fiasco, and as we are moving stuff, Mauro stops by. We tell him about our late night, how we were mopping at midnight, and he turns to Art, extends his hand, and says, “Welcome to Italy!” Then he tells us how it’s good luck, the same thing they told us when we picked up our new car in the rain. All I can say is, I hope this luck covers the entire ground floor, because I sure don’t want to go through something like again!
MAKING CURTAINS...THE HARD WAY
Shortly after we arrived in Italy, I found a great fabric shop and bought material to make curtains for most of the windows. The great thing about fabric in Italy is that it comes in many different widths. Because there are many narrow windows here, the fabric comes in more narrow widths. You can make curtains with these fabrics by simply putting a rod pocket in the top and hemming the bottom. The edges are nicely finished, and in some cases are even color coordinated. So, this seemed like a fairly easy project. A simple rod pocket, a quick hem, and VOILA! Curtains!, or so I thought!
I was going to borrow a sewing machine from a friend, but she had lent it to someone else, and they were still using it. No rush. I ironed the edges over, and had all the pieces waiting for the sewing machine. For the master bedroom, we had picked out a gold sheer, then a darker fabric for the outer curtain. The more I thought about trying to sew this very sheer material on an unfamiliar machine, the more nervous I got. Tension is one of the most important things on a sewing machine, especially when you are sewing very sheer fabric. With my mom no longer here to help me with those delicate adjustments, I just knew I would make a mess of things.
One day while we were in Self, one of the Home Depot type stores, I saw some ready made curtains. It’s fairly unusual to find ready made curtains in Italy, and these were the first I’d seen. As luck would have it, there were some gold sheers that would work in the bedroom, and all I had to do was hem them. Since the material was cotton batiste, I felt confident I could handle the project.
The curtains had a tab top, and I decided the easiest way to create my new curtains would be to simple cut them off from the top, then I wouldn’t have to re-hem them. I could add a rod pocket at the top or simply finish the top edge. I was glad we had the curtains when we had to move into the guest room, since they were long enough (and then some!) to cover the window. Once we moved back into the master bedroom, we hung the rod and I put the curtains up. At first I thought I would try the “puddling” effect, but then decided the fabric was too heavy. Or maybe that’s just the sort of thing that only looks good when you see it on HGTV or in some fancy decorating magazine.
Anyway, I played around with several lengths, ironing and pinning the fabric over and over and over. Once I decided that normal, floor length worked best for me, I was ready to cut the material. That’s when I discovered that the rod wasn’t quite level. So now I had to make my adjustments from the top, and believe me, that is NOT the way you want to make curtains. Had I been making these from fabric, I would have put in the rod pocket, hung the curtains up, and then I would have marked the hem. This way I could make allowances for any differences. Trying to do it from the top made things a lot more complicated. And of course, my original goal had been to make things easier, not more difficult!
Eventually, I managed to get the hem right, and the sheers, along with the curtains, are now hanging in the bedroom, waiting for the sewing machine. If I had some “stitch witchery”, I could use that to finish the curtains, but I don’t know if they have stitch witchery in Italy. Since I have never actually used it before, I’m not even sure how well it would work. I went ahead and hung all the other curtains too, making rod pockets with pins. Once I get the machine, things should go quickly! And of course now that we have been here a while, we have decided that we would like a more sheer fabric for the window in the living room, which means I will probably have to sew on some type of sheer material sooner or later. The good news is we really like both the sheers and the curtains in the master bedroom. It’s starting to look like a home, not just a house.
REFRIGERATOR PROBLEMS!
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2003 (ANGELA'S BIRTHDAY!)
When we ordered our refrigerator (over three weeks ago), we ordered a Whirlpool that was totally frost-free. Apparently this is still a relatively new, or at least uncommon, feature. We had wanted to buy a refrigerator with an “A” energy rating, but this model was rated “B”, and I would guess that it’s because of the frost-free feature. Anyway, this refrigerator was also available in INOX, which is a fancy name for brushed metal, as far as I can tell. It’s not aluminum, but what the difference is, I’m not sure. Since everything else is also in this finish, we wanted the refrigerator to match. Originally, this wouldn’t have been a problem since the refrigerator doors were going to be covered with doors that matched the cabinets. When I realized that the freezer part of the refrigerator was NOT frost-free, I contacted Rosella to make the change. That wasn’t a problem, except that the frost-free refrigerator, for whatever reason, was unable to have the matching doors. Maybe the unit was too big.
We ordered the refrigerator from MediaWorld, and bought a dryer at the same time. The dryer we bought was the last one they had, but the refrigerator had to be ordered. Our salesman, Max, told us it would be “two weeks max”…his words. We assured him that this would be fine, and that we probably wouldn’t be able to take delivery for three or four weeks due to all the work. We checked back with MediaWorld earlier this week, and they gave us that patient, “no, it’s not here yet. When it comes in, we’ll call you” speech. Last Saturday, THREE weeks after the original order, we stopped in again, to see if there was a problem. And as it turned out, there WAS a problem.
Our salesman was there, and available, when we arrived. He went to check on our order. Then he checked something else. Then he made a phone call. Then he disappeared for a few minutes. More searching. More calling. This can only mean trouble! He finally came to us with another salesperson, a girl who spoke a little English. She began to explain that they didn’t have the refrigerator yet, that there was a problem with the Whirlpool factory. I asked the bottom line question…..WHEN?! And she said, “I don’t know”. Great! Here we were, a week before our kitchen was finished, and now I’m going to have to find a new refrigerator.
The salesgirl asked if we would accept another refrigerator, and I said possibly. I explained that another refrigerator must be in inox, and must be completely frost-free. If they had something that met those two requirements, I would take a look. So we all marched over to the refrigerator area. The salespeople are searching through their inventory lists. We are waiting. I tell Art they don’t have another model that is both frost-free and in inox. I tell him that we paid MORE to have the oven in inox, rather than brushed aluminum. He tells me to be patient; they are going to show me what they have. I say I’ll believe it when I see it. And of course, I am right…they DON’T have any other models that meet both my requirements. I hate it when I’m right.
Then the salesgirl says, “But we do have this refrigerator, the same one you want, but there is a scratch in the door. If you want, we can deliver this one to you, and when the replacement door comes in, we will come to your house and replace it.” Of course this is okay with me!!! What difference can a scratch make, especially since it’s only going to be temporary?! We agree, and since the dryer is already there, we schedule delivery. Unfortunately, the day they are delivering in our area is Tuesday, so tomorrow we will get the bedroom suite AND the refrigerator and dryer. And Rosella is supposed to start building the fireplace tomorrow.
Oh, and did I mention that we didn’t see the electrician at all today? We thought he was supposed to here today, and were hoping that he would be finished in the master bedroom before the furniture arrived. It may be very crowded in there tomorrow!
NEW BEDROOM FURNITURE ARRIVES!
November 25, 2003
Today was the day everything was going to happen, and some of it actually did! The first bit of good news came early when Fabio called from the Post Office to say that our loan money was FINALLY in the bank! And only what... five weeks after we began the process? Anyway, that is an ordeal I hope we never have to go through again, and I'm sure Fabio feels the same way!
The electrician had already arrived by that time. The head electrician had left two of his workers in charge of finishing up the electrical work so that the painter could finish his work tonight. There were still fixtures to be hung and switches and outlets to be changed. We have three different sized outlets in our house...the basic two prong, the regular three prong, and then the heavy duty three prong. It seems that no matter what I am trying to plug in, it never fits in the outlet I want to use. We have quite a collection of adaptors, and I usually need to try every one before I find a match. Art had asked that all the outlets be changed to the new universal type, so that we could avoid this problem in the future. We had a few questions for the head electrician, and asked if the bedroom could be finished first, since new furniture was due to arrive.
The furniture store called shortly after that to say they would arrive at 10:30. We called to find out why we hadn't heard about the refrigerator and the dryer, and discovered that these were scheduled for tomorrow! Then Rosella called to say that the fireplace work wouldn't begin until tomorrow either! Luckily, the excitement of receiving our bedroom furniture helped to ease my disappointment about the fireplace. The appliances were no big deal...I can't use the refrigerator OR the dryer until next week anyway.
And then the bedroom furniture arrived! And most of it stayed! The very first piece they brought in was the dresser. I was in the living room, trying to stay out of the way, but Art was in there, watching them unwrap and set up the furniture. All of a sudden, I hear, "BARBARA, GET IN HERE NOW!!!!!" Uh oh, this can't be good. So I rush into the bedroom, and Art is about to explode. "You need to be in here! I can't believe you aren't in here! What are you doing?! LOOK at this!!!" And I look at the first piece of this beautiful furniture I have been waiting for, and I see that is has a huge dent/scratch right in the middle of the front edge. And Art is saying "No, via!" over and over, and the owner of the store, who has come to supervise, is talking a mile a minute, and I can't tell if he is trying to make us keep it, or if he is apologizing, or what! We finally determine that yes, the owner realizes this is not acceptable. He says he will order another one. More good news/bad news...now I'll have to wait AGAIN! The owner goes to his car to get his cell phone, and begins the process for replacement. He says that a new one should arrive within ten days. Okay, on to the rest of the furniture!
Luckily, everything else has survived the trip unscathed. The bed is put together, and it's interesting to see how well this stuff is made. The side rails of the bed have dowels, in addition to the screws used to hold it together, and the drawers are beautifully finished, inside and out. I discover a pamphlet inside each piece, and it's written in both Italian and English. I have never heard of this company before, but my knowledge of furniture is pretty limited. The name of the company is Marchetti, if that means anything to anyone else.
Then they bring up the larger chest of drawers, and it's beautiful too. We have only seen this piece in the catalog. Of course, it's much more beautiful in person. Now the only thing left is to hang the mirror. The (damaged) dresser is moved into place so that the mirror height can be determined. Sig. Moretti asks if I would like it mounted with the bottom of the mirror at the same height as the dresser, of if I would prefer it a bit higher. Since I'm short, my initial reaction is to have it hung lower, but once we start to move it and look at it, I really like it about ten centimeters above the dresser, as Sig. Moretti suggests. This allows just a bit of the paint to show through, which really accents the mirror. I'm sold.
Then, as they begin to drill the holes for the wall anchors, a problem develops. For whatever reason, there seems to be a hollow spot just where one of the anchors needs to be. The back of the mirror has two pre-installed hooks at either end. If I knew where to get piano wire, I would have suggested just putting in two eye-hooks on the sides of the frame, running the wire through them, and then hanging the mirror on hooks that could now be installed at the correct height, but closer together, thus avoiding the problem hollow spot. Since I have no idea if this is even an option in Italy, I don't even mention it. Sig. Moretti says that they can try to drill, and see what happens, so we say, "sure, why not?" And of course, the hollow spot turns into a hole large enough for a baseball. After much discussion, it is decided that when the painter comes tonight, since he would have to patch the holes anyway, he can just set the anchors into the wall with the plaster, and after a day or two, the mirror can be safely hung.
Art and I later decide that now would be a good time to hang the wrought iron curtain rod for the drapes that are still waiting to be made. Since these walls are so old, drilling can create problems such as larger than expected holes, and extra chunks of wall and paint missing, Since Roland has to patch and touch-up anyway, we may as well get everything done now. And then WE start to drill. We just bought a cordless drill, and I'm not too impressed. It's a Black and Decker, but I've never had a cordless drill before, and never will again. The power is just not as strong, even fully charged, and when Art drills the first hole, the wall practically crumbles away. Of course we realize we have used a bit that is WAY too big, but this drill, and the bits we are using, just aren't working. We decide to give up and take the car to Ford. We need to pick up some paperwork, and also to find out why the phone charger won't work.
After a quick stop at Ford, we return home. Ford was quick because #1, the paperwork wasn't ready, and #2, the guy fixed our phone charger in about ten seconds. I don't know what he did to it, but apparently this is a fairly common problem.
When we returned home, we discovered that the electricians had gone for the day, but that they had not finished, as promised. Again. And also, we have no electricity in one of the bathrooms. The only functioning bathroom. And the electric water has been turned back on, after the new plug was installed. Guess no one told the electrician's helpers that we weren't using it any more. I try to turn the switch off and it makes a loud "POP!" I turn it back on, and it pops again! Art just unplugs it.
The painter and his helper arrive, and we sheepishly show them the holes that will need to be repaired. It is now six o'clock. The painter has waited until this time so the electrical work could be completed. HAH! Anyway, he patches and fastens the places for the mirror, then patches the holes we have made trying to install the curtain rod, and with his GOOD drill, makes the holes for the brackets. We we'll have to walk down to the iron shop and have larger holes drilled in the brackets tomorrow. But at least the holes are drilled, and the holes are the right size!
The painter knows he will have to return tomorrow to (hopefully) finish up. He will need to touch-up in the hall, where all of the new switch plates and outlet covers are smaller than the ones that were there before. And of course the patched spots in the bedroom will need touching up. The plumber is supposed to arrive tomorrow to install the water softener and put the washer back. The refrigerator and dryer should be delivered. The fireplace work is supposed to start, or so they say. We are still waiting for the new back door'that is supposed to happen this week, but we don't know what day. We are so close, but since nothing downstairs is useable, it may as well be the first day. I know it's all going to come together soon, but certainly not soon enough for me!
OUR FAVORITE PIZZA PLACE!
Many of you may remember that we found the greatest pizzeria in the world in Marsciano. The name is Ternana's. We just happened to find this place the day the lights went out in Italy. The first pizzas were getting ready to come out of the wood-fired oven, and we were hungry. The rest is history. Mom and Dad, Rita and Pino, and son Marco and his wife Marusca, are the nicest people in the world! they always greet us, and everyone, as long lost friends, and give us the best service AND the best food at the best prices around. Marco told us that food is his passion, and it shows. He has a farm where everything is organic, and he loves to create new dishes. The nut bread that he makes on Sunday is out of this world! His pizza placed second in a countrywide competition, and we can't figure out why he didn't finish first! Anyway, we just realized that they have a website, so we decided to check it out, and now we want to share it with you. If you are ever in this area, be sure to stop by Ternana's. If you ever visit us, you can be sure we will take you there, at least once, maybe more! The site is :
http://www.pizzeriaternana.it/primapagina.htm
BUYING A MICROWAVE
November 23, 2003
Yesterday we bought a microwave. This was the result of one of those good news/bad news situations. The good news is, the work in the kitchen continues. The painter is almost finished, but in order for him to completely finish, the gas pipe leading upstairs had to be removed. Since we won’t need the gas line, no reason to have that ugly pipe on the wall. Now comes the bad news part…this means we won’t have a cook top for at least a week. The oven is electric, but the burners are gas. Rosella and her crew start work on the fireplace on Tuesday, and she said the entire kitchen should be finished by Dec 2nd. Until then, no gas.
I thought Art would go crazy yesterday without his morning coffee. Even though he drinks half decaf/half regular, he was a basket case. He even tried filling his coffee cup from the hot water faucet, then sitting the cup on the radiator!!! Desperation creates unusual situations! He finally decided to walk down to the post office and get a coffee (or two) along the way.
So yesterday we went shopping for a microwave. We knew that we would prefer one with a brushed metal finish like the rest of our appliances. Of course all the less expensive models come in white only. I would have settled for black, but we only saw one in black, and for whatever reason, we didn’t like it. Some of the models had doors that were hinged on the bottom, and these would not work for me at all. Since I am short, and since the microwave will be on top of the oven, it would be much too difficult for me to get stuff in and out, especially if it was heavy.
Another interesting feature that we saw on every microwave was a grilling feature. I’m not exactly sure what that is. Maybe it’s just the browning feature that we are starting to see in the U.S. Anyway, we looked at Gran Casa, and they had a microwave we liked, but it was white. We decided to look elsewhere first. We knew that MediaWorld had some microwaves with the brushed metal finish, but I couldn’t remember how expensive they were.
We decided to try our luck at Euronics in Ponte San Giovanni. We wanted to look in there anyway for a DVD player that would play zone 1 DVD’s without having to be hacked. Or without having to pay $400+ for a multi-zone player. Someone on the SlowTalk message board had told us about Euronics, and that it might be possible to find DVD players that would play zone 1 DVD’s even though they were listed as only playing zone 2. We also learned from SlowTalk that it was possible to hack a DVD player for a little as 20 euro, or possibly even download something from the internet.
Euronics was much like EuroSpin, with major appliances, small appliances, fans, vacuum cleaners, irons, and assorted kitchen ware, even fine china and crystal. We quickly found the microwaves, narrowed our selection down to two, asked a few questions, then settled on a Whirlpool with a brushed metal finish. Since our Whirlpool dryer had come with multi-lingual instructions that included English, and since I had seen the same format for the Whirlpool refrigerator we were buying, I figured this would be an added bonus. I knew that basic microwave directions were easy, but I was curious about that grill feature. Of course, once we got home and opened the box, the directions were in Italian only. So, I probably would never use that feature anyway, right?
We also checked with a salesman about the DVD players, and he said they had two that should play our zone 1 DVD’s from the US, but we should bring one in just to make sure. The best part was they were both under 100 euro! We plan to return next week and check those out.
WE HAVE HEAT!!!!
NOVEMBER 21, 2003
The plumber got the new riscaldamento up and running today!!! We had to call him back because we discovered that the radiators in the back hall and the master bedroom weren’t working. He returned almost immediately, and apparently the previous owner had made some alterations and the line was very small. I’m not sure what he did, since I have no experience with radiators, but within thirty minutes they were both functioning. To have even heat is such a treat!!! And tonight, we don’t have to run a collection of extension cords from the bathroom to the bedroom, and more importantly, we don’t have to worry about tripping over the wires in the middle of the night.
Right now, he is working on the water softener, and tomorrow the electrician will finish installing the outlets and fixtures in our bedroom. The washing machine will return by the middle of next week…since we now have our new hot water supply, the laundry room is ready for it. We are making real progress! Oh, and we called Rosella, and she will be here on Tuesday with her people to build the fireplace. Once that is complete, the kitchen cabinets can be installed. It will seem strange to not have a house full of people, and to not have to live in one room with the door closed!
WOO HOO!!! As I was sitting here typing, the furniture store called…our bedroom furniture is in!!!! They are going to deliver it Tuesday morning! The bedroom will be well on the way, especially since we found two lamps we love for the dresser. Now all I have to do is find one more lamp for the chest of drawers! I did find one that I like, but it’s 149 EURO, and at the current exchange rate of $1.19, that works out to $177…a little too expensive for a bedroom lamp, at least for me!
Also, we spoke to the geometra about finding someone to build us an armadio for our bedroom, and he told us it would be the same man who will install our new back door. He should be here one day next week, so we can get that process started. I have made a sketch of the basic idea we want, and we’ll see what ideas he has.
We went with Mauro to the iron works shop, which is right here in San Venanzo. Mauro told us that whenever possible, he likes to use local people. We agree with him 100%, and were glad to meet the man who will make our new banister and the stairs to our garden. I had been under the mistaken impression that we would have a small porch, or landing, outside the new back door. Yesterday I realized that this was not the case. I couldn’t figure out how the steps would end up where Mauro said they would, but once I realized there would be no porch, it made more sense. Of course, I am disappointed that I won’t have some sort of landing at the back door…that may be the only place that gets enough sun to grow a few basil plants, and I could already picture my porch filled with potted plants and herbs. Damn! I guess I’ll just have to hope that the tree-trimming the commune is doing in the park behind us will give us a bit more sun. The new back door will be two doors instead of one…not sure if they call them “french doors” in Italy or not! Anyway, I expect it to look very elegant!
Maybe tomorrow I can take some pictures…today, the fog lifted! I know the pictures will not be as exciting for you to see as they are for us, but never-the-less, I’ll post them for the one or two people who are interested in seeing every detail!
FOG AND ITALIAN ID'S
November 20, 2003
Two interesting things:
Number one: THE FOG!!! We woke up yesterday to fog, which is not a total surprise, but since San Venanzo is so high up, it’s still a little unusual. As we drove down to Marsciano, the fog thickened, and stayed thick all the way to Perugia. What was really surprising was that it was foggy even up in Perugia! Amazingly, when we left school at 1:20, it was STILL foggy. And this was not wispy fog; this was thick, dense fog that required a lot more than our psuedo fog lights could handle. This fog required the REAL fog lights, the ones that are yellow. And the fog stayed, and stayed and stayed. We never saw the sun at all! Driving home was miserable! We were both extremely tense and tired when we got home! And this morning, more of the same…fog, thick fog, all day long, as high up as San Venanzo! We did get one amazing vista at sunset, when the fog cleared for a moment in San Venanzo, and we could look out over the surrounding hills just peeking out above the clouds. It was as if we were in an airplane! Mauro stopped by to show us the iron for the banister in the kitchen and the iron for the outside stairs. We asked him if this was normal, and he said yes, in the winter this was common, but up here in San Venanzo it shouldn’t last more that ten days or so!!! And that was the good news!
Number two: We got our Italian ID cards today!!! Since we are STILL waiting for the loan money to be deposited into our Postal bank account, we weren’t surprised to get a call from Fabio yesterday. The money was supposed to be in our account by Wednesday, FOR SURE, NO PROBLEM, ABSOLUTELY!!! Last Saturday, Wendy had asked Fabio if he was REALLY SURE this time, and he said yes. He then called us to tell us the good news. Being the doubting Thomas that I am, I suggested we call on to see if the money was really there. This was on Wednesday morning, and No, it wasn’t there yet. Then, a little later, Fabio called back and wanted to know if he could have something else. Since we weren’t quite sure what he wanted, we called Wendy for the translation. Turns out he wanted us to have four passport-type photographs taken and brought to the post office on Thursday. These photographs would be used for our Carta D’Identita. Okay, that wasn’t a problem. There are do-it-yourself photo booths everywhere…we had used one in Terni, for our Permesso di Sogiorno. I knew there was a photo booth is Marsciano, so we stopped there on our way home from Perugia and had the photos taken. This morning on the way to school we stopped by the Post Office and waited for Fabio to arrive. We gave him the photos and left. Around nine he called, and asked if we could possibly return to San Venanzo before one o’clock. Although I hated to miss our conversation class, we said yes. I figured they needed our signatures to complete the process. Once we got back to San Venanzo, we stopped by the Post Office, picked up the photos, and walked to the commune, or city hall. As soon as we arrived, it was obvious that Fabio had already told them what we wanted, and they were ready for us. The only question we weren’t prepared for was Art’s height in meters, but they were able to measure him on the spot. Okay, Hair? Gray. Eyes? Blue. Occupation? Retired. And so on, and within fifteen minutes, after signing on the dotted lines, we had our ID cards. We took them back to the Post Office where Fabio made photocopies, and that was it! He still ASSURES us that the loan is fine! We STILL haven’t seen the money, but at least we have our Italian ID’s!
MY FACE LIFT
MY FACE LIFT
This particular article has nothing to do with our life in Italy. If you have any interest in my face lift, read on. If not, check back another day.
Having any type of cosmetic surgery had never crossed my mind. Sure, when I gained weight, I wished for all-body liposuction, but I had never wanted to have larger or smaller breasts, or fuller lips, or a tummy tuck or butt lift. It’s not that I thought I looked perfect, because I certainly didn’t, but because cosmetic surgery is the sort of thing that very rich people have when they are bored. I was neither rich nor bored. I had talked about face lifts with a girl I used to work with, and she made me curious. After gaining and losing weight for many years, and also because of heredity, I was getting a “turkey neck”. When I realized that my mom, who had never weighed over 95 pounds, had a turkey neck, I knew there was no escaping my future.
Last February I went to see Dr Martin Fox, who had been highly recommended to me by several people. I knew I probably couldn’t afford it, but was curious enough to want to see just how expensive it was. After visiting Dr Fox’s office, I knew this was something I would never do…there is no way I could ever justify spending that kind of money for something totally elective. I did think that everyone in Dr Fox’s office was wonderful…very helpful and supportive in every way. They answered all my questions and really made me feel comfortable. I was afraid that I would feel out of place…an average person surrounded by a bunch of rich East-End housewives. Once I realized that this practice included not just elective surgery, but also reconstructive surgery, and that I was being a snob in reverse, I relaxed and felt very comfortable.
I immediately liked Dr Fox. We are the same age, and Dr Fox is originally from New York City. That alone is enough to make me like him…he just has that no-nonsense, New York attitude. He also has a beard and a ponytail, so he has that eccentric hippie look that I also like. His demeanor is so calming and so reassuring…you just KNOW that everything will be all right. He made me trust him implicitly from the first, and he was very specific to tell what WAS and what was NOT possible. I can’t say enough good things about him!
Anyway, that was February. I just sort of filed the information away, thinking I would never need it. I also knew that if I ever did have a face-lift, I would lose some weight first, so as to optimize the results. I have never been able to lose weight because it’s the healthy thing to do. I can only lose weight when I have a specific goal in mind, so I was sure that part wouldn’t be a problem. And when I did lose weight, it only made my neck look worse...which really didn’t seem fair…the more weight I lost, the worse I looked from the neck up!!
Then in May my Mom died, quite suddenly. I had already lost a little weight, and during the time she was in the hospital, I lost even more. It was a difficult time, but my sister and I grew closer, as we discovered how much alike we felt about the various aspects of settling Mom’s estate. One day Terri asked me what was going to be my “splurge”, once we received our inheritance, and I knew immediately that I would have the face lift. Art had encouraged me to have it done before, but being the fiscally responsible person that I am, I told him I just couldn’t do it. For the money my face lift would cost, we could take a wonderful trip to Italy, or anywhere we wanted, and to me, the travel was by far the more important of the two. Now I had the chance to have both the face lift AND the travel! Of course, we had already decided to move to Italy, and had already bought our house. This face lift would allow the “new” me to start a new life in a new country. It just seemed to be the right thing at the right time.
In order to maximize the results and lose as much weight as possible before the surgery, I started with the date we would leave the United States and asked Dr Fox and his staff to help me select an appropriate date for the surgery. I didn’t want to be foolish and have the surgery too close to our departure, just in case there were any unforeseen complications. A date in mid August was selected, and I went to the gym every day, and tried several diets before finally settling on the South Beach diet. I didn’t realize it was the hot new diet, and had to wait a week or so for the bookstore to get in more copies of the book. For me, it seems so common-sense and easy to follow. I think I had the McDonald’s salad with grilled chicken and low-cal balsamic vinaigrette dressing 6 days out of seven for weeks on end. Since I was preparing to move, trying to clean up Mom’s house, and take care of whatever else needed doing, I seemed to be on the road all the time, and this was an easy way to eat healthy. By the time the day of the surgery arrived, I was within ten pounds of my goal, and Dr Fox assured me that another ten pounds wouldn’t affect the results.
Unfortunately, when I went to the hospital on the day of surgery, it had to be postponed. The anesthesiologist thought that my heart rate was too slow…although he said if I was a 24 year old aerobics instructor, he wouldn’t be worried. I viewed it as discrimination for slightly overweight, middle-aged women! I explained to all concerned that I worked out every day, both aerobically and with free weights, and that my heart rate is always low. With the help of Dr Fox and his staff, I was able to have an EKG run the next week, along with a stress test, to prove that for me, a low heart rate was normal. Now came the difficult part…rescheduling the surgery on such short notice. I still wanted to have enough recovery time so that I didn’t have to worry about being overseas and developing problems. At one point I thought I might even have to wait until we returned in December to have the surgery, but because of the generosity and helpfulness of Dr Fox and his staff, the surgery was rescheduled for the second of September.
We arrived at Jewish Hospital early in the morning. The surgery was scheduled for nine a.m. It ended up taking a bit longer that Dr Fox had told us, but this wasn’t a surprise. The nurses at Jewish had already told us what a perfectionist he is…just the trait you want in a plastic surgeon!
I spent one night in the hospital, and went home the next day with the bandages still on. Some of you have seen those pictures of me with the huge foam collar around my neck and the drainage tubes filled with ooze and blood…not a pretty site! My face was puffy and swollen, and numb in many areas. I couldn’t even smile when I first woke up, but as the anesthesia wore off, and the nerves began re-grouping, my facial muscles started to work.
The next day Art took me to Dr Fox’s office, where he removed the foam collar and the drainage tubes. He told me to use warm compresses to help the blood drain, which would decrease the puffiness. I had to sleep sitting up for quite a while. Parts of my face and head were numb. Some parts felt tingly, other parts felt normal. Dr Fox told me that it could be up to six months for everything to return to normal.
I wouldn’t say that I ever had any “pain”. I did have LOTS of discomfort. The pain pills he prescribed kept any physical pain to a minimum, and after a week or so, I was able to decrease the frequency. The worst part was having to sleep sitting up, especially since we were now in the rental apartment, and we had a wrought iron headboard on our rental bed! Not much support there! I felt like a bird making a nest every time I went to bed… first this pillow had to go HERE, then that towel had to be folded up THERE, then THIS pillow went on top of THAT pillow, etc etc etc. And the worst of it was, I never did get comfortable. Being a stomach sleeper, this was definitely a big change.
One week after surgery, I returned to Dr Fox’s office to have some of the stitches removed. I was absolutely terrified! I took a pain pill just before my appointment, just to make sure. I had asked the receptionist about this when I was there the day after the surgery. Being a total baby about pain, I had asked if the would give me something, or if I should bring my own drugs. She laughed and thought I was joking! Not me! Give me drugs, heck, knock me out if possible. But Dr Fox had said that I could drive myself to his office, so all I could do was take a pain pill and hope for the best. Thank goodness all my worrying was for nothing! The stitches under my chin and in front of my ears were removed. This was done by Dr Fox’s assistant, a woman whose name I can’t remember. She and I discussed the fact that many patients insist that the stitches be removed by Dr Fox himself. I had no qualms at all about having someone else remove the stitches, especially since it was a woman. I think a woman just has a gentler touch, and because they generally have smaller hands, they can work more closely and delicately. This was certainly the case for me…although I was braced for the worst, I never even felt the slightest bit of pain. Yes, a few tugs and pulls, but if I can take it, then ANYONE can take it!
After the first week, Dr Fox said I could resume normal activities. I returned to the gym, and after a day or two was back to my regular routine. I guess the worst part was me worrying about bumping something, or finding the right way to put my headphones on! I had been using a headband to hold my in-the-ear headphones on, but this wasn’t possible now…the headband put too much pressure on my still sensitive face and head. Although it sounds contradictory, I’m not a vain person. If I was a vain person, I would never have gone out in public looking like I did! As the excess blood drained from my face, since I no longer had the drainage tubes, it simply responded to gravity, and my chest looked like one giant bruise! My hair, never very good to begin with, was now only able to be washed and dried…forget the curling iron.
Two weeks after surgery, I returned to Dr Fox’s office once more, this time to have the staples (YES!) removed from the back of my head. Although the previous week had been such a pleasant surprise, I just KNEW that having staples removed could not POSSIBLY be fun! After all, I know how you remove a staple from a piece of paper, so I was sure this would hurt. Although I wasn’t taking my pain pills by this time, I did take one just before my appointment, just to be sure. Once again, I was amazed! The same girl who had removed my stitches now removed the staples. I’m not exactly sure what she did, but I think she cut the staple in the middle, and then removed the two sections individually. Once or twice I felt a little “sting”, as the staple proved difficult to remove, but it was nothing unbearable, and it was over quickly. I had also been concerned about the stitches behind my ears…they were still crusted over with thick scabs, and I couldn’t imagine how they were going to remove these. I was quite relieved when I found out that these stitches were the kind that dissolved over time.
In the end, I slept sitting up for about six weeks….this was the worst part for me. I felt like I didn’t get a good night’s sleep for the entire six weeks, but maybe if I had been in my own house, in my own bed, it might not have seemed so bad. The stitches behind my ears took FOREVER to heal. I felt like I was in a horror movie called “The Scab Head”, and I was the star! The incisions on the side of my head and the back of me head were also slow to heal. In fact, today, nearly twelve weeks after the surgery, I still have a few scabby places on the back of my head. The incision on the left side seems to be the slowest to heal. I still have raised welts at the site of the staples. Immediately after the surgery, I had one spot on the top right side of my head that hurt. I don’t know how to describe it, but it was very sensitive…so much so, that I would say that my hair actually hurt! Part of the reason I couldn’t sleep on my stomach was that my face was still bruised, but only to the touch. It doesn’t LOOK bruised, it just feels that way. Even now, it is still somewhat tender to the touch. As I said earlier, nothing really painful, just a lot of discomfort and inconvenience.
One thing I forgot to mention was the day when I stopped by Dr Fox’s office because I was concerned about one of the incisions. I think I just over-reacted because I was sleep deprived! The back of me head was just so uncomfortable, and I just couldn’t seem to lie back against my pillow. I just wanted to ask Dr Fox if the incision was okay, and not infected. As luck would have it, Dr Fox wasn’t in the office that day, but the receptionist asked me to wait, and said that Laura would be right out to talk with me. She said that Laura would call Dr Fox for me, as soon as she was free. The receptionist took me too a quiet room, and within five minutes Laura arrived. I told her about my concerns, and she asked if I would like for one of the other doctors to take a look at me head. I said yes, and within another five minutes I was sitting in an examining room and being looked at by one of the other doctors! I’ve never been seen that quickly WITH an appointment, much less when I just walked in unannounced! I’m not sure it was because this office is so wonderful, or because I had paid this large sum of cash up front! In all fairness, they had already received their payment, so maybe this is the on last doctors’ office that truly cares!
Despite all of this, from the very beginning, it has been obvious that the surgery was a success! Well, maybe after the first week or two, anyway. I am very pleased with the results, and am glad I had it done. I think the best compliment I got was to have people tell me that I still looked like “me”, and that I didn’t have that “surprised” look…think Dyan Canon or Mary Tyler Moore. Just after the surgery, I told Dr Fox that I just didn’t understand people who have one cosmetic surgery after another. Then one day, I looked in the mirror and thought, “Hmmmm, my eyes are SO little, if my eyebrows were just a TINY bit higher, it would really open up my eyes”! Yikes! I had become one of “those people”! Not to worry, I won’t have any more surgery. What money remains will be spent on the house and put away for a rainy day. Besides that, I don’t want my hairline to be any higher than it already it. So, for those of you who have ever thought about it for yourselves, or for those of you who were just curious about my experience, here is it!
APE
APE (pronounced AH pay)
For those of you who don't know what an Ape is, here is a picture of the small three-wheeled cars/trucks that are everywhere. Altho they are very slow, they don't present as much of a problem on the road as regular cars for several reason. First of all, I don't think they are allowed on the bigger highways. Secondly, when you see an Ape, you KNOW it will be going slow. The problems start when you see a regular car and make the mistake of assuming that it is moving at a reasonable speed. For the most part, (I hate to generalize, but...), Italian drivers have two speeds: extremely fast, and extremely slow. There is no way to tell the difference by looking at the driver's sex or age, or by looking at the car. with an ape, there is never a doubt! And thirdly, the apes are small enough, and their drivers kind enough, to drive as far to the right as possible, which makes passing them a lot easier.
HOUSE UPDATES
November 17, 2003
Today the bathroom fixtures were installed, the kitchen was painted, and the new tile was laid outside. We had stopped by Collestrada (our mall) to pick up a few things, then ended up buying a small TV so that we can return Wendy's to her (finally!). By the time we got home it was after 3, and just as we walked in, the phone rang...it was Mercatone Uno, calling to say that our guestroom bed, the mattresses for it, and the new frame for our bed were all in. Could they be delivered tomorrow afternoon? We felt like we had to say yes, otherwise, we would have to have a longer conversation.
So...now we have to ask Rolando, the painter, if he is finished in the master bedroom. He says yes, but he still needs to clean up in there. We explain the problem to him, and tell him we will clean it ourselves. We then ask him if it will be possible for him to paint the guestroom tomorrow morning, since the new furniture will arrive in the afternoon. The armadio and dresser with mirror will be in there regardless, so we don't want it to be too crowded. If he can paint it in the morning, it would be so easy! Rolando is the sweetest, most easy-going guy, and he says yes. He also asks if we need to call Mauro to get the electrician there, since there is no electricity in the master bedroom. We think the electrician will be here tomorrow, but we call Mauro anyway.
We decided we'll keep the bed in the guest room for tonight, then move it to the master bedroom in the morning. That way, we can just stand the mattress up against the wall, and when they bring the new frame, we can place the mattress on it without having to remove the old frame. Right now our mattress is on two twin frames put together, and Art says the ridge in the middle drives him crazy. I don't even feel it, but I think this new frame will be better. In the morning we will have to move the mattress, the two nightstands, the carpets and take down the curtains. I wanted to hang the curtains in the new bedroom, but Art spent most of the evening trying to figure out how to program the TV and store the channels...and this was with the directions in English!!! I looked at the directions for about ten minutes and gave up...he persevered and finally got it to work.
Anyway, to clean up the bedroom we had to sweep up the fine dust, then vacuum, then mop. Hours later, the floor is still wet. Hopefully it will be dry by morning when we need to move the mattress in there. Mauro stopped by on his way home, and said the electrician will come either tomorrow or the next day. For us, it's really not a problem. Even if we don't have electricity, we'll just leave the shutters open and we'll have enough light to get into and out of bed. The alarm clock is battery operated, so no problems there.
THE NEW OIL IS READY!
We saw a poster in our town for a new oil festa, and it started this weekend. We immediately knew what we would be doing this weekend. We had asked the workmen where we could buy new oil, and they had sent us to a factory not far from San Venanzo. We went there the other day, but were told the new oil wasn't ready yet, and that we should call back after November 20th. So, when we saw this poster, we decided to check out this factory...it was in Montecchio, near Orvieto.
We really enjoy the drive on the ss448 road from Todi to Orvieto, and according to our map, Montecchio is easily accessible. After a pleasant drive, we reach the tiny city, park the car, and walk to the centro. From the looks of it, Montecchio might be just a bit smaller than San Venanzo, but not by much. We saw people milling about, and Art stuck his head in a small shop to ask where the festa was. When he emerged from the shop, he said, "She says it's not until December!" Disappointed, we returned to the car. We knew there was a poster for the festa just outside of town, so we decided to stop and re-read it, to see where we had gone wrong.
Once we read the poster again, we returned to town. The poster had confirmed what we thought: The festa starts on the 16th (today), and runs for a week. It promised bruschetta, a tour of the olive oil museum, and products typical of the area. When Art went back to the store and told the woman what we had seen and read, she was surprised. You would think in a town this size that everyone would know everything! It wasn't until he mentioned the oil museum that she realized what he was talking about...it was down at the factory, just outside of town! Some quick directions and we were on our way!
The factory was less than five minutes out of town, but when we got there, it appeared deserted. After looking around and ringing the bell, I decided to call the phone number painted on the truck that was parked in the lot. We heard the phone ring inside the factory, and then someone answered! Yes, they were closed now, but would re-open at two o'clock. Since it was one o'clock, we decided to head back to Montecchio for some lunch. It's a good thing we acted quickly...the one small restaurant filled up quickly after we arrived, and several people had to be turned away. We had a nice lunch, and then returned to the oil factory.
To advertise this event as a festa may be wishful thinking, or maybe just promotional hype. The museum was a quick walk-through of old equipment and photographs. Then we found the oil! In a separate room, actually the room where the oil was being pressed, we found the samples. A fire was going in the fireplace, and sliced bread was being toasted for bruschetta. (And just a quick note: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't say "bruschetta" with the SH sound...the "sch" is pronounced just like it is for "school", so it is pronounced "brusketta" thank you) The woman preparing the bruschetta asked Art is he wanted it rubbed with garlic. He practically jumped up and down with glee as he said "YES!!!" Then she placed the bread on a plate and covered it with oil. A quick dash of salt, and we headed for the picnic tables that were set up nearby. Needless to say, it was delicious!
The lady then came to the table to ask us if we would like to sample their wines....oh gosh, let me think about it...okay, YES!!!! They make both red and white wines, and both were delicious. After she had poured us each a glass of both red and white, she returned with a bowl of beans. Anyone who knows me knows that I am NOT a bean eater. Except when I am in Italy. I don't know what they did to these beans, or even what type of beans they were, but they were incredibly delicious! And this was after we had just finished lunch! Although we hated to leave the tasting area, we wanted to buy some of these great foods as soon as possible.
Not only did they sell oil, and wine, they also sold both green and black olive paste, artichokes packed in oil, and whole olives. We decided to buy one five liter tin of oil, not two, because we will buy another from the place near San Venanzo, and probably another one from the place in Spoleto. Just as we were leaving, I noticed that they also had canned tomatoes for sale, so we bought a case of those too. And did I mention that we bought several bottles of wine, both red and white? But you already knew that, I'm sure.
We took an alternate route home, and enjoyed the incredibly beautiful scenery that is Umbria. We were high up on a ridge, and had spectacular views of the olive groves and vineyards. We wound our way back through Todi, and headed home...a very successful, and delicious, day!
CAR RENTAL PROBLEMS
November 10, 2003
We are having a small problem with the car rental agency. We returned the rental car last Friday when we (finally) picked up our own car. It was raining that day, and we had lots of stuff from the rental car to move to the new car. So…I stayed in the car while Art and Wendy went in to return the rental. A man came out to verify the mileage and that the gas tank was full. When Art and Wendy returned, I discovered that we had been charged the road tax twice…they had charged us for the car that was totaled, then charged us again when we returned the replacement. When we looked more carefully, we saw that the tax for the first car had been credited back, but the VAT (tax) had not.
We had the invoice at home, and planned to give it to Wendy so that she could fax it to the Perugia office and get the problem corrected. It wasn’t until the next day that Wendy asked us why they had charged us for a tank of gas. She had been with us when we filled the tank. I hadn’t seen the invoice from the return, so I had no idea that we had been charged. When we called to ask about this charge, we were told that it was for the car that had been totaled in October!!!!! Once again, I said a few of my favorite, colorful American words.
When we got home, I called AutoEurope to see if they could help with the gas charge, or if I would need to deal directly with Europcar. The first guy at AutoEurope was very sympathetic, and connected me to customer service. The guy in customer service said that basically, Europcar was within their rights. He explained that they were just trying to get paid for the tank of gas they lost. We felt that the second car was a replacement for the first, and since we received a full tank and returned a full tank, we shouldn’t owe any more. We also felt that if Europcar wanted someone to pay for the other tank of gas, they should go after the guy who hit us…he was assigned 100% of the blame for the accident. The AutoEurope guy said we could write a letter of complaint, but he gave us the impression that it would be a waste of time.
I called the Europcar office in Perugia and spoke with Pamela. She had talked to Wendy earlier about the double taxing, and also about the gas. She understood my point, but said that she wasn’t able to reverse those charges. She gave me the address for the main office in Rome.
So, I wrote a nice letter and emailed copies to AutoEurope, Europcar in the US and also Europcar in Italy. In it I said that if the tank of gas was not covered by the 100% deductible offered by AutoEurope, then it should be covered by the driver at fault. It seems unreasonable that we should have to be further inconvenienced due to some idiot’s lapse of attention. We will wait to see what happens.
We were told by some that we should contact a lawyer. Others have said it’s a waste of time. Italy is not sue crazy like the US is, but in this case, I think a small amount of compensation would be justified. We would like to pay Wendy for her time in taking us from the hospital to San Venanzo, and then for coming up to San Venanzo the next day and taking us in to Perugia to pick up the replacement. The fact that our injuries were minor is a miracle, but we were definitely inconvenienced for several days due to our aches and pains.
We’ll let you know when, or IF, we hear anything about this!
November 15, 2003
Not much to report, and what news there is isn’t good. So far the only response we have received was from Troy in Customer Service at AutoEurope. He basically said, “So sad, too bad”. End of story. We of course responded by saying how disappointed we were with AutoEurope. This was the first time we had ever asked for their help, and they aren’t even willing to intercede on our behalf.
Of course we don’t expect any good news for the people at Europecar either. They are the ones who initiated the charge, so it would be foolish to expect them to reverse it, especially when even AutoEurope thinks the charge is justified. As I have said repeatedly, in the phrase “innocent victim”, the key word is STILL victim
PROGRESS UPDATE
NOVEMBER 14, 2003
A lot was accomplished this week. The kitchen floor was laid and grouted. The tile in the new bathroom and laundry room was finished. The ceilings will need to be painted and the bathroom fixtures installed, but that should be finished by Tuesday. We will then have our washing machine back, although I’m not sure where I would hang the clothes if I did wash them. It’s a bit too cold to hang them outside, and our space inside is shrinking by the minute. The master bedroom and hallway are being painted, so it’s not possible to set up the clothes rack in those rooms. Our bedroom for now, the future guest room, is much too small for the clothes rack, and if we put much more in the kitchen/living room, we won’t be able to move. We did buy a dryer, but it will be delivered at the same time as the refrigerator, so that won’t be for another two weeks.
The painter has finished the master bedroom, and I think the electrician will be here next week to finish the wiring…the outlets and switches need to be installed, as well as the bedside wall lamps and the wall sconces for the hall. Once this is complete, we should be able to move back into the master bedroom…once the new bedroom furniture arrives! Of course, we are still waiting for the loan money from the Postal bank to be deposited in our account. On Monday it was promised for Thursday. Today, Friday, when we discovered that it had not yet been deposited, Art went to the Post Office to talk with the director, Fabio. Once again, he apologized profusely and said it should arrive next week. Part of the problem is that we are straneieri, and they just don’t know what to do with us! Since we have no income except for Art’s pension, I think they are having problems verifying our income. We try to maintain a balance between being aggravated enough to keep Fabio moving in the right direction, without being mad or disrespectful. We do understand that some of this is not his fault, but he keeps making promises he can’t keep! We hope it all works out, or we may ask for donations!
The painter has also finished both the front and the back hallways. The back hallway, leading to our bedroom, is the same color as the new kitchen will be. It’s a light shade of terra cotta, really a peach, I guess. Our bedroom is painted a darker shade of terra cotta…I just hope the shade we picked goes with the bedspread, curtains, etc.! I didn’t get as much time as I would have liked to pick out the colors. In fact, the hallway changed moments after the painter applied the first few strokes! The longer hall is painted a light shade of yellow, and the guest room and small bathroom will be painted the same color later. I wanted a pale, clear yellow. Just a wash, really. As soon as I saw the color I had selected on the wall, I knew it was wrong. I talked with the painter, (although talked may be a slight exaggeration), and explained that this yellow had too much green. We looked through the color strips, found what I wanted, and he made the change. He was so nice…I apologized profusely, but he insisted it was not a problem for him.
Work on the new door and steps continues. The geometra told us the steps will now be iron instead of concrete. This is because the porch and steps will be directly over the new laundry room, and the concrete would be too heavy. Why he didn’t realize this before, I don’t know. Anyway, the iron is fine with us. They have covered up the glass block skylight that was in the room that is now the bathroom, to prevent any possibility of leakage. The workmen are also digging a trench for drainage before the steps are built. The concrete at the base of the steps will be covered with a beautiful terra cotta tile.
We also bought a new mailbox, which the workmen will install next week. Being ex-postal employees, we noticed the mailboxes in the stores. Would you believe it…you can find the rural-style, Postmaster approved US mailboxes in Italy!!! We still haven’t figured that one out! The other night when we were shopping for the mailbox, we were standing next to another couple who were also looking at mailboxes. When they heard us speaking English, the spoke to us…the man was American and the woman Italian, but she also spoke English. The man told us they hade seen these mailboxes, with the “Approved by the US Postmaster General” stamped prominently on the front, and had thought it was a joke! Apparently he never saw a rural mailbox! We assured him that yes, these were really US mailboxes, exactly like the ones used in the states! We found the mailbox we wanted…the one that had “Cassette per le lettere” stamped on the front, but it cost 100 euro, and was much bigger than we needed, so we opted for the simpler, less expensive model. At 27.50 euro, it has to be the best bargain if you use the weight to cost ratio…I could barely pick up the box, it was that heavy. Even the workman today was amazed at how heavy it was. At least we shouldn’t have to worry about it rusting away.
Next week should bring even more changes…the fireplace building should begin on Wednesday or Thursday. The washing machine will be moved back. The fixtures for the new bathroom will be installed. The new caldaio is sitting in the kitchen and will be installed next week…then we will have heat, and plenty of hot water. The old water heater in the bathroom will be taken down. I’m not sure if the painter will paint the new kitchen before or after the fireplace work is finished.
We have discussed the changes we want to make to the smaller bathroom upstairs, and that work will be done in the spring. We aren’t yet sure when the old kitchen will be dismantled. We’ll wait until the new kitchen is completed before we worry about that! We have new light fixtures for the kitchen and entryway that will probably be the last things to be installed. I need to see exactly where I want the table to sit so the light can be centered over it. Eventually we plan to have shelves for storage and display built for the wall by the stairway. Oh, and we will also have a new wrought iron railing installed on the stairway.
With so much going on, I’m starting to get really excited! I am trying to remain calm because I know it will still be at least two weeks before everything is completed…assuming all goes as planned! The idea of having a new wonderful kitchen is overwhelming! We will have granite countertops, a counter-level corner fireplace, a wall oven, and built-in recycling bins! We will have a frost-free refrigerator/freezer, and a pantry under the stairs. I’m sure there will be things I forgot to consider, or things I might have done differently, but that happens no matter how much planning you do. For the two of us, it will be wonderful…a dream come true.
Pictures will be posted soon!
ITALIAN LANGUAGE SCHOOL
We can’t say enough good things about our language school, Comitato Linguistico (www.comitatolinguistico.com). These are the most patient and supportive people you will EVER find!!! No matter how many times I screw up, mispronounce, or use the wrong tense, they gently nudge me towards the right answer, and when I finally give the correct answer, they praise me as if I had mastered the entire language in one day!!
We begin at 9:20 each morning with the grammar class. Even though we are native English speakers, and consider ourselves to be of at least average intelligence, I couldn’t conjugate verbs in English to save my soul. That was a LONG time ago! Now I have to conjugate verbs in Italian, without a solid reference base, and I also have to contend with the masculine/feminine thing! When the grammar class is over at 11:10, it feels as if a weight has been lifted. The fact that I am the only student who is mono-lingual hurts me a lot. For anyone out there who has children who have the opportunity to study a second language, please encourage and support them! For you it might not seem important, but with our world growing ever smaller, it may come in handy one day. Additionally, who knows where your kids will end up? They may be like us and just love to travel, or they may have job opportunities in other countries.
During our 20 minute pausa, we usually walk to the coffee shop. This is strictly for Art…if it were up to me, I would just wander the streets and look in all the shops. Although I am not your typical love-to shop female, I am decorating and furnishing our house, so I need lots of ideas and lots of resources. I found two great fabric shops and hope to buy more fabric for table covers etc., once the furniture arrives.
When we return to the school at 11:30, we have a conversation class. This is where we learn practical tings like the names of rooms in the house, articles of clothing, body parts, etc. I can now describe all my bad personality traits to you in Italian, as well as describe myself, my hair color, etc. We also learn about shopping…the names of the various specialty shops, and how to order food or ask for 5 tomatoes and 3 apples. Usually this class is more fun than the grammar class, because there is more interaction. Our teacher, Marilena will ask us questions…of course everyone else understands the question long before I do, but I just keep asking until I finally get it. We play games and do crossword puzzles in Italian. We ask each other questions. Yesterday, we had to ask each other “come si dice….. in inglese?” (“How do you say ….in English?”) We were leaning the names of the various parts of the body in Italian, and several of us couldn’t remember the corresponding English word! Needless to say, I felt like a complete dummy…now I was stupid in not one, but TWO languages!
The conversation class ends for us at 1:10. For the people taking the intensive course, they return after lunch for 2 more hours of practice. We decided not to do this right now for two reasons. Number 1, we need to be here in San Venanzo while the work is going on. There is always a question that we have for the workmen, or they have for us. And of course, I just like to see each step…today the hall is being painted, the kitchen floor was grouted, the caldaio arrived, and work has begun in the backyard in preparation for the new steps. Reason number 2 is that it would just be too much for our brains to hold right now! Perhaps once we get a better grasp of the language, the intensive course would help us to perfect our skills. Now we are still learning the basics, and any more new information just wouldn’t fit in our heads.
Next week is the last week of our four week course. The classes are set up in two week segments, with absolute beginners starting at the first of each month. Because Art was more advanced than I, he has been in the next level, but next week he will move down to my class to learn some basic grammar rules before he moves on. We plan to return in February, and we will probably be in the same classes that we have been in this time. Hopefully the next time will be a little easier and will make more sense. In addition to the masculine/feminine thing, Italian is phrased differently than English, so I have to think long and hard about how to phrase each sentence. Of course I probably still get it wrong, but if I can just manage to get my point across, for now that will be enough
BARBARA'S ITALIAN CLASS
Here is a picture of my teacher and classmates.
In the back row, from left to right:
Andreas (Germany), Kris (New Mexico/Italy), Cristian (Germany), Elizabeth (from Virginia)
and in the front row:
me, Roberta (our teacher), Marin (Switzerland), Corin (Sweden)
kitchen/house update
Just a quick update...no pictures yet...they have finished the tile in the new bathroom and laundry. The tile is down for the kitchen, and will be grouted tomorrow!!! The painter arrived this morning and we now have a painted bedroom, and he is now painting the hall!!!! The geomtra stopped by and said we will have heat next week. The steps to the backyard will now be iron instead of concrete, because of the weight. Why this was changed, i don't know. The fireplace will be built next week, then the kitchen will follow the next week. I will take pictures this weekend and post them.
OUR NEW CAR...AND IT'S A FORD!!!!
Can you believe we bought a Ford!? And can you believe how excited we are to have a station wagon?!
 
CAR RENTAL PROBLEMS!
NOVEMBER 10, 2003
We are having a small problem with the car rental agency. We returned the rental car last Friday when we (finally) picked up our own car. It was raining that day, and we had lots of stuff from the rental car to move to the new car. So…I stayed in the car while Art and Wendy went in to return the rental. A man came out to verify the mileage and that the gas tank was full. When Art and Wendy returned, I discovered that we had been charged the road tax twice…they had charged us for the car that was totaled, then charged us again when we returned the replacement.
We had the invoice at home, and planned to give it to Wendy so that she could fax it to the Perugia office and get the problem corrected. It wasn’t until the next day that Wendy asked us why they had charged us for a tank of gas. She had been with us when we filled the tank. I hadn’t seen the invoice from the return, so I had no idea that we had been charged. When we called to ask about this charge, we were told that it was for the car that had been totaled in October!!!!! Once again, I said a few of my favorite American-style cuss words.
When we got home, I called AutoEurope to see if they could help, or if I would need to deal directly with Europcar. The first guy at AutoEurope was very sympathetic, and connected me to customer service. The guy in customer service said that basically, Europcar was within their rights. He explained that they were just trying to get paid for the tank of gas they lost. We felt that the second car was a replacement for the first, and since we received a full tank and returned a full tank, we shouldn’t owe any more. We also felt that if Europcar wanted someone to pay for the other tank of gas, they should go after the guy who hit us…he was assigned 100% of the blame for the accident.
The AutoEurope guy said we could write a letter of complaint, but he gave us the impression that it would be a waste of time.
I called the Europcar office in Perugia and spoke with Pamela. She had talked to Wendy earlier about the double taxing, and also about the gas. She understood my point, but said that she wasn’t able to reverse those charges. She gave me the address for the main office in Rome.
So, I wrote a nice letter and sent copies to AutoEurope, Europcar in the US and also Europcar in Italy. In it I said that if the tank of gas was not covered by the 100% deductible offered by AutoEurope, then it should be covered by the driver at fault. It seems unreasonable that we should have to be further inconvenienced due to some idiot’s lapse of attention. We will wait to see what happens.
We were told by some that we should contact a lawyer. Others have said it’s a waste of time. Italy is not sue crazy like the US is, but in this case, I think a small amount of compensation would be justified. We would like to pay Wendy for her time in taking us from the hospital to San Venanzo, and then for coming up to San Venanzo the next day and taking us in to Perugia to pick up the replacement. The fact that our injuries were minor is a miracle, but we were definitely inconvenienced for several days due to our aches and pains.
We’ll let you know when, or IF, we hear anything about this!
NO RETURNS
There is no such thing as a return desk in Italian stores. If there is a problem, or if you don’t like it, too bad. If it is an obvious defect, you will be issued a store credit. We discovered this fact when we bought material and rods for curtains last month. We chose a wrought iron rod for the bedroom, and decided on the one hanging in the middle, or the third down from the top, out of five total. As the rod was being wrapped in a large cardboard tube, the clerks were careful to check for all the necessary parts. Then they began putting stuff in another cardboard tube, and then another, so that we had now had three large cardboard tubes. Art and I both asked repeatedly…”Solo uno?”, and were assured each time, yes it was just one.
I just didn’t have a good feeling about the whole deal. Since I didn’t check in the store, I opened up the tubes as soon as we got home. My only hope was that the hardware to hang the rod was in two of the three tubes. But no. We had three rods, all different. They had given us the first, and the second, and the third rod!!! We knew we would be in for a hard time, so we asked Wendy to meet us at the store the next day. We explained to her that we had both asked repeatedly if it was only one rod, and they had repeatedly assured us that it was. We explained how the misunderstanding must have happened…when we said we wanted rod number three, they thought we wanted the first, second and third rods!!!
Thank goodness Wendy was with us! Of course the store understood the problem, and realized how it had happened. And of course, they were willing to right their wrong. But they wanted to give us a store credit, not a credit to our Visa. We explained that no, we probably wouldn’t spend another 80 euro there, since we had bought the material for all the curtains, as well as chair pads. Then was a long explanation in Italian, and a lot of discussion. They were telling Wendy that if they gave us a cash refund, it would create a problem for their books. They would have to sell 80 euro worth of merchandise and not ring it up. Wendy just gave them that look…the one that says, “Come on guys….like you’ve never done THAT before?” So we got the 80 euro in cash.
Fast forward to last week. We found a complete set of matrimoniale sized flannel sheets for about 24 euro at the IperCoop. What a deal! This morning we changed the sheets, and were going to put the new flannel sheets on. And the bottom sheets even had elastic! Then we started to put the bottom sheet on, and saw that it was for a single bed, or maybe a one and a half person bed. The top sheet was fine. There were two pillowcases. But there was no way this bottom sheet was going to fit our bed. Since it’s Sunday, the IperCoop won’t be open. Monday we need to come back to San Venanzo right after school so that we can see what the problem is with our PostalBank bancomat cards. So, Tuesday after school, we will be at the IperCoop, and will try to explain in broken Italian what the problem is. We really would like to just get another set of the same sheets, and hope they still have some. Watch this space for further developments!
AND EVEN MORE RANDOM THOUGHTS
NOVEMBER 6. 2003
Car insurance in Italy has an unusual choice…the sociopolitical coverage. I knew what the term meant when I saw it on the application, but couldn’t figure out how that term could apply to car insurance. Now we know that if you have this coverage, and there is a riot or demonstration, and your car gets damaged as a result, you will be reimbursed for the damage. We decide to skip this coverage…I think it cost about 80 euro per year. The chance of a riot or demonstration in San Venanzo is slim to none, and if there were to be some sort of demonstration scheduled in Perugia, or any other large city, we would certainly not take our car there…we probably wouldn’t go at all. But it is available for those who think this might be a problem.
Reason # 472 WHY WE LOVE LIVING IN ITALY
Today we stopped by the grocery store to pick up some bread. We had used the last of ours to make bruschetta, and since all the stores will be closed on Sunday, we needed to get bread tonight. The bakery in San Venanzo is open on Saturday morning, but closed in the afternoon. This gives them two full days off, since most stores are closed on Monday morning also. But I digress. Once in the Coop (pronounced coop, as in “chicken”), we found the sample girl, much like you would find in any stateside grocery store on Saturday. The major difference was, our sample girl was giving our free samples of 4 different types of new wine! We sampled, picked our favorite, and she put the bottle in our basket. It was only after we turned the corner that we discovered the price…2.70 euro!!!! Maybe this should be reason # 472 AND 473!
MISC
I think Art is becoming “Italianized” in some respects. He is starting to park crooked, facing the wrong direction, straddling the line, and in general, anyway he can. He is |
