Buying Euros . . . .

So basically when oil trades at 100 bucks a barrel the dollar drops and the euro rises. At least that is my pathetic understanding of it. So the question is, will this trend continue?

(The question is, who cares? )

Answer is that I do. I wish I knew more about money and finances and intrest rates and the federal reserve, oil prices, OPEC, and the whole rotten lot of it because if the dollar is only going to continue to drop this year than I sure as heck better transfer all the money I intend to spend in euros now and save myself some money. RRRRrrrrrrr. finances. . . .


On a lighter note Julia has gone to bed at nine tonight and since for the first time in many weeks my hands are free I am blogging again. Huzzah. I have been packing up our apartment and getting so exited for Gravagna. Exited for walks to the cemetary, walks to the campo, walks to San Rocco, to Marietta, to the waterfall and to all the dear dear familiar places. I can't wait to sit in Cafe Bellotti on a rainy market day and sip a hot chocolate or cafe-late. It will probably be really cold for our first month there but that's okay. I'll have Julia snug as a bug in her little sling,. THe Wingates are coming to Gravangna for the month of August and Henry and Ben will paint landscapes while Mary and I sunbathe and the children frolic in the fields. Well that's my fantasy of it anyway . . .its easy to get carried away especially when you think of summertime in February.

Ben and I have been watching the BBC series "Foyles' War" in the evenings and they are so good that I want to ration them out to myself so I can savour and relish each one. They are without a doubt the BEST murder mystery series I have ever watched and I am absolutley in love with Michael Kitchen. Ben and I agreee too without a doubt that Samantha the driver, played by Honeysuckle Weeks is simply the cutest little British girl ever and we wish she was our friend. And I LOVE THAT NAME! Why didn't my parents name ME "Honeysuckle Weeks"? Oh and here they are together, the sweeties.

Happy single's awareness day!

My husband wins the Valentines day prize though because he just sprinted three blocks to the library with six minutes to closing and checked out a DVD for us. That's got to be some kind of record.

Wayfarers all. . .

It was so cold this morning that outside of mass I saw three little sparrows huddled up against the rectory window in the southern sunlight trying to aquire as much warmth as possible. I am always so grateful for the birds that stay in the winter and stick it out, in a season where there are so few living things outside.

The posts are rare right now, because all those precious free moments are getting caught up with things like personal hygiene, spending time hugging my five year old. interacting with real people instead of the internet. . . . and planning the big event of the year, our voyage overseas.

The Hatke gypsy clan will once again pack up our things and hit the open road this spring. Ben has been accepted back at the studio in Florence and we are going to be back in dear dear Gravagna again for a few months as well. So I have been running around getting the five week old babe her passport which arrived in the mail yesterday and purchasing our tickets, going through the girls clothes. etc.

WHY DO WE HAVE SO MANY CLOTHES??? I like to blame it on so many outside factors like the fact that I am always either nursing or pregnant, or the fact that we don't live in the tropics and could run around in sarongs all the time, but really it is my shameless thift store habits.

Lent is here again and as always I am so happy when it arrives. At this time of year it is so good to have quiet thoughtful times. I havne't made it to stations yet but am hoping to go next week. I have been having fun planning the lenten menu and doing lots of vegetarian food and steering clear of richer things (accepting Sundays of course) as we attempt to cleanse our bodies as well as our souls.



Julia has started to smile. It is beautiful.

So the other day, three days ago to be precise. . . I practically burned down the entire Northside Music building, by leaving my pot of stock on the stove. Remember folks? The time when the entire apartment smelled like charred chicken remains and smoke was coming from every window in our apartment? Were it not for brave Mr. Mills, the entire place would have given up its soul in a scene reminiscent of Manderly in flames--- Well nobody called the fire deparment that day. . . .

But this morning when the the snow was falling gentley outside, Ben lit a cosy fire in the woodstove. The same little column of smoke merrily exited the chimney just as it always does and the Lafayette fire deparment shows up at back window because somebody reported smelling smoke!!!!!


What I want to know is WHERE WAS THIS PERSON THREE DAYS AGO?