Better Times Will Come – Andrà Tutto Bene
I’ve been a Janis Ian fan since I was a teenager. When she recently put out a request for musicians, professional and amateur, to record her song Better Times Will Come, I thought it was a GREAT idea. I had no idea what it would turn into though. My goal was to make it relevant for Italy, so I asked Janis if I could translate the song into Italian. She graciously agreed.
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Risotto con Squacquerone e Pancetta
Tonight I had some odds and ends in the fridge that needed using up. If you’ve ever had squacquerone, you might wonder how I had squacquerone that needs using up! But it is what it is. I had squacquerone, pancetta, a shallot and Carnaroli rice and chicken broth hanging around, so this is what we got!
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Vino e Prosciutto – it reminds us that we are in quarantine
I frequently say that we are “home bodies”. Joe and I can spend days at home, with just the two of us for human contact, and not be “bored”. But that is not really telling the entire story. In the US, we each had a car, and we could (and would) come and go as we pleased. I’d head out to shop for my Amazon business, shop for groceries, drive 20 miles to have lunch with friends, and Joe would do the same. In Italy we are more of a single unit. We rent a car when we want to do something that requires one. Yes, we go out independently. Hair salons, massages, yoga, a run to the store, or for me, an “aperitivo with the girls”, etc. But by and large, we are a single unit. We enjoy each other’s company. We have lived alone, without a car, in a town where everything is within walking distance. Together for four years. If any one has been training for a quarantine, it’s us! Thus, our loses might seem trivial to some people. And yet, we feel them deeply.
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Quarantena – il quarantesimo giorno
Day 40. So we’re officially MORE than a quarantine! Quarantena was a practice in Venice during the Black Death to hold ships in isolation before allowing passengers and crew to enter the city. Joe says he doesn’t even feel like we’re at anchor yet!
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We’re still here!
A friend recently reached out and said “you haven’t had any new posts in two weeks, are you okay?” Thank you for thinking of us. Yes, we’re doing just fine. I guess we’ve settled into our routine now so that “doing nothing” seems normal, and there isn’t a lot new to report. I HAVE been working on some fun stuff though, so here’s a post from my genealogy blog that might interest you!
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Can’t reach to your heart
I’m not crying! Who knew this would be so touching!
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We’re having our groceries delivered now
We received our first home delivery from Conad (supermarket) this weekend. Next week we will use Carrefour, as it’s the closest to us, but I couldn’t bear trying to make an order over the phone, and Conad had an order by email option. Today our local library posted the WhatsApp numbers of all of the places in our town that deliver. The two supermarkets, three butchers, the Polleria (who also has rotisserie chickens), a baker, a fresh pasta/gastronomia shop, AND the local brewery!
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The town rang the bells today to bring us smiles
Today at 11:00 a.m., both churches and our town hall in the town center rang their bells as a “message of hope” for our residents. Many were out on the balconies watching and listening. Here’s a little video for you!
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Hmm – I’m not sure the US quite gets the situation here!
Today I watched the press conference with Mayor Andrew Cuomo of New York. For the most part, I saw his understanding of the situation to be so much clearer and more concisely stated that the Federal Government’s. I do have one beef that I’ll state up-front. I know when US officials say “we don’t want to be like Italy”, they really mean that they see our plight, and would love to avoid some of the consequences of not acting as quickly as you can. However, in reality, outside of maybe China, which is an AUTHORITARIAN country, Italy has actually done a pretty stellar job! I know that what they mean is that they would like to avoid the outcomes we’ve had in Italy, but they way it is said is highly offensive to me, because I think Italy has really taken the lead in understanding how serious this situation is, and has taken extraordinary, exemplary action in this crisis. You DO want to be like Italy when it comes to your dedication to stopping this virus. You just want to act more quickly, take lessons from what we’ve learned, and try to avoid some of the dire consequences of not acting quickly enough!
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