Palmabella's Passions

As a perk of premium membership on Slow Travel. I get this cool blog! Travel, planning more travel, especially to Italy, reading about travel, cooking, eating, entertaining, jewelry-making, scrapbooking, and endless hours on Slow Travel/Slow Talk, keep me busy enough. I also am a licensed Marriage, Family Therapist, and I supervise a number of interns who are working toward their license.

I have no idea how to begin a blog, so I will jump right in with a major event, a Slow Travel Desert GTG at our home in Palm Desert.

As I had such a good time attending my first couple of GTGs and meeting other Slow Travelers face-to-face, Brad and I decided to host on October 28. Preparations began when we returned from Italy in September. I posted the idea, set a date, and soon I had over twenty people saying they would attend. I planned the menu, and asked guests to bring an appetizer or wine/prosecco.

I had lots of fun thinking up creative ways to decorate for this fall party, using fall colors Italian dishes, and the Slow Trav logo whenever possible. I painted pumpkins for the table with nametags, and set three tables for dinner in the back yard. There was the “Sunflower Table”, the “Lemon Table” (the first dinner served on the Positano tabletop!), and another sunflower themed table for six.

I decided we needed something “extra” to do for fun. We planned a Slow Travel version of “People Bingo” as a game, I wrote new words to old songs for entertainment, and when I heard that Kathy Wood was able to fly in from Tennessee, the idea of a “Mystery Guest” evolved. Everyone could guess who would be attending that was not local, and it would be a contest with a prize.

Now, about those songs! I didn’t want to get up in front of everyone and sing by myself. I needed backup girls! I asked Kathy (Teachick), Kathy (Kaydee), and our neighbor, Diana, to “sway” behind me, and sing the chorus. Gail flew in for the party, and made the perfect fourth, and at our first (and only) rehearsal that morning, Palmabella and the Slowchicks came about. Kathy B. choreographed the group, I provided blue and green scarves, we all wore ST hats, and taped the letters S-L-O-W on the backs of the “Chicks”.

The party was a great success, with great food, a wonderful group of fun people, and Pauline’s video camera to introduce the Slowchicks to the world!

Party photos

href="http://www.slowtrav.com/about/slowchicks.htm">http://www.slowtrav.com/about/slowchicks.htm

The weekend after Thanksgiving, and it was time to put up all our trees. Last year I "settled" for four, and launched the "Sunflower Tree" to match my therapy office in the casita. This year, a new tree evolved from my collection of "shopping" ornaments.
We started in the Great Room with the gold/green/bronze tree with lots of jeweled fruit.

Next after Brad added the red and green lights, I decorated the "Italy Tree" in our Master Bedroom. Here is a link to a photo album:

http://http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/showgallery.php?cat=4029

The Casita has the "Sunflower Tree". Next year I need to work on a treeskirt for this.
Maybe an Italian tablecloth would work!

Our biggest and most traditional tree is in the dining room. There are ornaments on here that are more than 30 years old! Each year we love adding a few new ones, and Brad and I exchange a special one every Christmas.

The new tree this year is the "Shopping Tree", with shopping bag ornaments from Nordstrom, Gumps, Macy's, Neiman Marcus, Bloomies, Gucci, and assorted gift cards.
I need an ornament that says "Chico's"! How appropriate that my "shopping sister", Joy, will be sleeping in here next week!

The trees are all up, but there is more decorating to do! I get a little carried away, but the Christmas theme continues throughout the house. The Great room mantle has bronze, gold, and green ornaments and poinsetta added.

I added Holiday silk flowers to this topiery basket on the coffee table.

Santa is 54 years old this year. I got him on my first Christmas. His hat has lost its pom-pom, his beard is yellowing, he's as bowlegged as ever, but I still love him with his sock reindeer.

The entry hall has a lit forest.

Three "wine bottle Santas" preside over the kitchen bar.

The Hummel Nativity Scene is in the hall, but I can't find the star to light it!

This musicbox was sent to me on my first Christmas, by my wonderful Godmother, Grace. It still plays "Jingle Bells".

These are a few favorites. Of course, even ther bathrooms get a hint of Christmas.
And that's just the INSIDE of the house!

Today I posted an edited version of our Christmas newsletter. They do seem to get longer, but this year included two trips to Italy! Reading back on the poem really strikes me as how important this community has become to me.

I have made so many new friends, some still virtual, some of whom I have met, and continue to look forward to meeting! Though I have learned so much about travel, and found out about places in Italy I might not have ever know to visit, it is the daily banter on the boards, and the GTGs I love! In a little over a year, I have met too many to list, and have formed friendships with Kathy, Leslie, Diana, Kathy, Gail, Jane, Sheena, Terry, Judy, Marcia, Nancy, and so many more! I have gotten to hang out with Pauline and Steve, Shannon, Mods Colleen and Chris, Wendy and Rob, and in February, I will get to meet Krista, Marian, and reconnect with Eden and Kathy at the Paso Robles GTG!

This summer in Italy, we hope to see Jane, Ken and Casey, meet the Dusis in Montalcino, see Diva (Judy) if she is in Florence, meet Barb and Art, and see Judith in Umbria! What a fabulous experience!

Here is the ST version of our Holiday Greeting:

Happy Holidays Slow Talkers!
My Slow Travel Holiday Card:
(excerpts from my Holiday Newsletter)

It’s that time of the year for our annual letter;
Here’s another that rhymes, they get longer, not better!
During 2006, we were blessed once again,
With good health and good friends, and a trip now and then.
Back in March, Brad and I took a weekend retreat,
Where our first group of friends from Slow Travel we’d meet.
www.Slowtrav.com
Cooking class for fresh pasta we both took in Sonoma,
From Chef Judy, the “Diva”, oh ,the taste and aroma!
Sipping wine, then some shopping, with cool, rainy weather,
But we met some great folks at our first get-together!

On the 18th of May, I flew cross the Atlantic;
I started in Palm Springs, and ended at Gatwick.
Just a brief stop in London, where I spent the night;
Then met my friend Ida for our short Pisa flight.
Ida’s village, named Vico, is tiny and sweet;
Aunts and uncles and cousins of hers I did meet.
Local towns we explored, and the food was so good;
I managed some shopping, was there doubt that I would?
We went down to Pienza, at ‘L Olmo we stayed;
We stopped at St.Antimo, in Montalcino we played.
The following week, practicing Italiano,
I shopped the whole day, back in San Gimignano!
I really missed Brad for these two weeks away;
On my Italy cell phone we spoke twice a day.
Travel without him was stressful, I think ;
If you want some more details, you can copy this link:
Trip Report
A big thank you to Ida, her home she did share;
I’m glad I was able to visit her there.

The summer flew by as we lounged by the pool;
The weather was hot, so we tried to stay cool.
To a Slow Travel picnic, I am so glad I went;
Such a fun afternoon under redwoods we spent!
Friends, old and new, meeting Steve and Pauline;
Sharing great travel stories about places we’ve seen.
What a wonderful visit with good friends I had!
But I was way past due for some travel with Brad!

In Vancouver, Washington, we both did appear,
For our week with the Wolf’s that we take every year.
The weather was perfect, around 80 degrees;
And at night on the patio, a lovely cool breeze.
Cannon Beach for two nights was a part of the deal;
We relaxed by the sea and had wonderful meals.
Did some shopping in Portland, lovely dinners each night;
A nice bead store, some naps, the whole trip was just right!
Only two weeks to wait ‘til the first of September;
This year’s trip to Italy we’ll always remember.

We flew into Milan, had a quick cappuccino,
And in less than 2 hours, Brad drove to Torino.
Our hotel was quite charming, we walked everywhere;
Nice piazzas, great food, we were one happy pair!
We had fun at the market, then stopped for some wine;
In the cinema museo, with its’ views we spent time.
It’s a wonderful city, we’d love to come back,
But our weekend flew quickly, it was time to repack.

We drove on through Piemonte, every hilltown had towers.
We arrived at our B&B with a bouquet of flowers.
We met Micha, Diana, and Max, all of the Baurs;
Got acquainted, like old friends, sat talking for hours.
Our first night we enjoyed a great meal with our hosts;
Several bottles of wine allowed multiple toasts!

Our guest room was amazing, all the comforts of home,
In a picturebook setting, lots of places to roam.
We took daytrips to Asti, Barolo and Bra;
Lots of photos we took of the places we saw.
We wandered the streets by the sea in Camogli;
We ate wonderful pastas, some like ravioli.
Barbaresco, Nieve, La Morra, Mombaruzzo;
The vineyards were gorgeous, we drank vino with gusto!
Every day we set out, did whatever we’d please.
We might stop for gelato, or some wine with more cheese.
Our home base was so magical, we loved puppy Max;
It’s the most perfect place to explore or relax!

The Baurs arranged a wine tasting, perfetto,
At an organic winery with the greatest Dolcetto!
We topped off our stay with an “endless food” meal;
And a pot that I made on Diana’s pottery wheel!
Seven days was just right, and with tearful good-byes,
We drove off to Bologna under clear, sunny skies.
Bologna, we found was a wonderful city;
We explored several neighborhoods, all of them pretty.
The food was incredible, the shopping divine;
We continued to have such a delightful time!
In Ferarra, a castle, complete with a moat;
And the fashions I bought really “floated my boat”!
Ravenna’s mosaics were stunning to see;
We’re so glad we discovered this part of Italy!
Our whole 18-day trip, we had wonderful weather;
But the best part for us was just being together.
Perfect Piemonte and Bella Bologna Trip Report

All vacations must end, we flew back to L.A.
Reality is hard, when it’s more work than play!
I needed an outlet, something big I could plan;
So the Slow Travel party preparations began.
Let me try to explain what’s this group means to me.
It is not just a website where we talk “Italy.”
These people all “get it”, the passion we share;
It is quite a community, people who care.
I am now quite a “regular” part of the crowd;
Posting daily on travel or food, I am proud.
There’s a book club, a chat room, and oh ,so much more:
Slow Photos, Slow Talk and…well, you get the score!

So back to this party, I planned and I shopped;
I painted, and decorated, I was “over the top”!
I made nametags and placecards, I cooked and I froze.
I had prizes and gimmicks, it was fun, goodness knows!
Appetizers,and pasta, dinner, and wine,
Prosecco, dessert, chairs and tables to dine.
Entertaining we love, Brad helped out with the rest.
We even had our very own “Mystery Guest”!
I then wrote new words to old songs just for kicks;
An idea came to life, and the birth of “Slowchicks”.
I needed backup singers, every fool needs her pals;
And soon I had four funny, fabulous gals!
Kathy, Diana, and Kathy and Gail;
Choreographed to the smallest detail!

The “BIG weekend” arrived, and on Friday we all met.
For dinner at Tommy Bahama’s, we were set,
‘Til our Mystery Guest’s plans changed, when she missed her flight! Gail arrived from Atlanta, she was such a delight!
We went back to the airport,‘cause the guests couldn’t wait;
They waited for “Mystery” at our house until late!
We got back at 11, with “Mystery” in tow;
Chris and Sheena won prizes, guessing Kathy (Kaydee), you know.
On Saturday, last minute details were done,
And at 3:30 guests started joining the fun!
We ate appetizers, and had a great time.
We laughed and we drank our Prosecco and wine.
By 6:30, we rounded up all of “the team”;
And the Slowchicks emerged in their scarves, blue and green.
The first number brought lots of laughter and joy;
Pauline captured it all with her new video toy.
A quick “costume change”, and the Slowchicks returned;
All the cameras were flashing, the applause was well-earned!
We had dinner and games, and dessert, and more wine;
We all agreed we’d had a very good time!
We’re all looking forward to meeting again;
It doesn’t much matter where we’ll go or when.
We just know that Slow Travelers as a group are quite hearty;
And seem to be ready to plan the next party!
A whole year away, a BIG ST weekend we're planning,
The Great Gathering in Savannah will be quite enchanting!

Thanksgiving, to Oakland, we flew on Southwest;
With no cooking for Palma, just a happy houseguest!
At 8 a.m. Friday, we rode in on BART;
To join shoppers at Bloomie’s, we must do our part.
Met my friend, Joy, at Nordstrom, shopped some more, took a break; By noon on my third pair of shoes my feet did ache!
We met all the others at Kuletto’s for wine;
This is such a tradition, it’s now Christmastime!
Crate & Barrel, then Neiman, a latte, then Gumps;
How do these women walk all day in pumps?
“Charge and ship” all the ornaments, then Union Square;
At the St. Francis we gathered, all meeting up there.
We had cocktails and rested, they lit the big tree;
It was really a wonderful day there for me!
We took off in three taxis, to North Beach we went,
And our Italian dinner was quite an event.
Saturday, Ferry Building market and shops;
A bakery, a deli, the cheese store was tops!
A quite special evening on Saturday night,
With dinner at Boulevard, a “foodie” delight!

Back at home it was time to put up wreaths and lights,
To sit by the fire and write cards at night.
Five trees shining brightly with baubles and balls;
I made lots of goodies as Brad decked the halls.
We look forward to sharing good food and good wine,
With those that we love during holiday time.
After Christmas, more guests will arrive at our door,
For some laughter and cheer, and I’m sure a lot more.
Now the gifts are all wrapped, and the baking is done.
The tables are set for some holiday fun.
The cookies are iced, and the candles are lit;
We think back on the year, take a moment to sit.
Entertaining and travel are the things we love best;
Throughout 2006, with both we were blessed.
Again, it is time to reflect on the reason,
As we gather to celebrate this holy season.
Whether it's Chanukah, or Christmas you do,
May this season be wonderful and happy for you!

We have fabulous plans for this upcoming year;
And we hope to see all of our friends, far and near.
Buon Natale, good health, love, and joy we wish you.
And may all of your ‘07 wishes come true!

Palma and Brad

On December 16, we had friends, Louise and Dave to dinner. Louise is an MFT intern I supervise. She is a pre-licensed therapist for Family Services for the Agua Caliente tribe of Native Americans. We meet weekly for two enjoyable hours, and discuss her clients (as well as a few minutes about office personalities, shopping, and our lives!) This dinner was the first time we met each other's husbands.

We started with lively conversation, prosecco/pomegranite spritzers, and brie with fig jam and almonds.

The table was set with jeweled fruit and the Lenox Holiday dishes.

Everyone loved the jeweled nametags and new stocking silver holders!

The primmi piatti: Crab lasagna with guryere cheese and bechamel.

The next course was a salad of baby greens, red pears, blue cheese, candied pecans, and cranberries with a pear-gorgonzola vinigarette.

The entree was veal saltimbocca and grilled asparagas.

We returned to the great room for coffee and dessert: Cream cheese pie with raspberry sauce.

It was a delightful evening, great company, and an easy dinner menu!

In 2005, I agreed to facilitate two men's domestic violence groups for Family Services of the Desert. Men are referred by Probation, Parole, or Child Protective Services, because there was a reported incident of domestic violence. Besides jail time, a felony record, and a disrupted, or sometimes ended relationship, many lose their children, and are only allowed supervised weekly visits. Domestic violence has a HUGE impact and serious consequences for those involved. These men must attend 52 weeks of 2-hour sessions, or they will return to jail for a violation of probation. I did these men's groups from May, 2005 to May 2006.

This year, I agreed to substitute for 2 weeks, as the group facilitator, was out having surgery. The first week, There were still seven of the guys I knew from my old group. I was greeted warmly with hugs, and smiles, and a huge "Welcome Back". The men that were new to me, seemed to trust that I was "OK", given the easy relationship I had with their peers. I learned why the "newer" group members had done to get there, and found out what my "old clients" had been up to for the last seven months.
I was especially happy to find that one group member had reunited with his wife, and it was going well, and to learn that another group member had gone through a residential treatment center, and was now sober! After check-in, we drew genograms, (a therapist word for a multi-generational "family tree"). I collected these to continue the lesson the following week.

When I returned to the group last night, after discussing everyone's holiday plans, cultural and family traditions, I passed out their genograms and 4 felt pens per person. They made a "Key" or "Legend", like on a map, and circled family members with the following: hereditary health problems, difficulties managing anger or an incident of violence, alcohol or drug abuse, and other "Mental Health" issues (depression, anxiety, bi-polar disorder, etc.). During this process, a group member (who had been absent last week), began to act out. When I said, "Circle anyone with a history of anger or violence in the next color", he became very sarcastic.

Group member: "Can we circle our ex"?
Palma: "Anyone, male or female with anger problems"
Group Member: "Oh, it's is MIRACLE! It's a WOMAN, admitting women have anger
problems!"
Palma: "Many people, of either gender, can have problems managing their feelings,
especially anger."
Group member: "I can't believe she is admitting women are violent too!"
Palma: "One of the things you are here to learn is to respect women. Tonight, you can practice that with ME. You may speak respectfully, and only when you are called on, if you would like to stay in this group tonight. You are also in this group to learn how to take responsibility for and deal with YOUR anger problems, not to blame them on your ex. If there is a question somewhere in your comments about women and viloence, I will tell you that we also have women's domestic violence groups. They also learn to take responsibility for their past poor choices, deal with their consequences, and stop blaming their spouses and children for their lack of control."

The group member was well-behaved for the next hour. When I asked the group to share how it felt to look at patterns of behavior in their family, he made another inappropriate comment.

One of my "old guys" had lost his young son last spring. He has made incredible steps and gone from homeless, and jobless, raising three young children, to sober, employed (with a recent promotion), and appropriately dealing with his grief. He shared that he felt quilty looking at his family tree because he was circled in three colors: anger, depression, and substance use. He shared occasionally smoking marijuana to "chill out" after work, but said he didn't do it in front of his kids, and has cut down on his use, and wanted to know if I thought he had an "addiction".

The acting out group member said, "Like it matters to you what she thinks...!"

Before I could even open my mouth to respond, my client turned to him and said,
"You have no idea what she taught us!" Then he looked at a couple other of my past guys who had been with me in May. "Do you remember those things she gave us?
(On my last night, I gave each group member a small pewter stone with a word etched on it, talked about their strengths, how they had grown during their time in group, and I told them my hopes for them in the future.)
He contnued, "Mine said, "HOPE". I had very little, but I put in in a frame above my bed. I look at it EVERY morning, and remember the faith in me that Palma had. I carry her card in my wallet, and two weeks ago, my wallet was stolen. It was a hassle to replace my driver's license and a credit card, but I was most upset about losing her card, because someday, I want to call her and tell her that I have changed all the negative things that were in my life!"

I was speechless for a second, as the others said, "I still have mine too." I gave the client a new card, answered his questions about addiction, and others shared their experiences looking at their family tree. I brought them Christmas cookies, and the group ended. As they were leaving, the "acting out client" walked up to me and shook my hand, saying, "Merry Christmas. I'm sorry I was a jerk."

We never know, what impact we may have on a client, a family, a friend, or even a stranger. It is the season for HOPE, for PEACE, and hopefully for these men, a new year ahead without violence.

Yes, last night we had friends Fiona, Steve, May, Diane and Marti to dinner. We began with appetizers of hot artichoke dip and filo tarts with brie, fig jam and almonds.
Our first course was a re-run of freshly made pasta made into crab-guryere lasagna.

Here is the production line with me in the kitchen plating salads.

Diane, Fiona and Brad look like they are having fun!

Our main course was a Fillet mignon strip encrusted with herbs and parmesano cheese, Cheddar-zucchini bake, and Carmelized figs with honey and seasalt.

Back to the kitchen to plate dessert!

This lovely creation was a diagonal layer of pomegranite jell with vanilla bean panna cotta, garnished with fresh currants and figs.

I also made a 6 layer flourless chocolate cake with white chocolate ganache. No one had room to put another bite, so I "donated it" to Fiona's Christmas Eve party tomorrow night!

After dinner, we opened 25 presents! Marti and May had Ego by them all night.

Fiona LOVED her Italian purse, and Steve was quite pleased with Brad's selections of Brunello and Barbera!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

True to form, Brad spent a couple hours today wrapping my gifts. I put away dishes from last night's dinner party, relaxed, made an appetizer to take to Fiona's, and made a necklace to wear tonight. We even had time for a two-hour nap!

Fiona and Steve's party was lovely. Her kitchen table was filled with appetizers, and the dining room table held the dinner entrees.

We hunted for that great ceramic set all over Tuscany, and she finally bought it in Orvieto! I think I need one. Sssssssshhhhhhhhh...don't tell Brad I said that!

The dessert table was set up in the living room, and was stunning. Recognize that chocolate cake?

I get SO excited at Christmas. We must go home, and get to sleep!

We were up early, and as excited as children for Christmas morning! After coffee, and some eggnog, in our new pj's, we were ready to see what Santa had under the tree!

Brad had quite a haul of gifts to open: He got books, a 24 game, 6 bottles of Italian wine, 2 shirts, a Santa martini ornament, bar tools, a year of TIVO and more...

I did quite well myself! I got an ornament, Ginger-Almond kitchen soap, diswashing liquid, candle and lotion; a Chico's gift certificate, Deruta salt and pepper mill, Deruta lasagna server and serving spoon, a beautiful Christmas tree candle, a large Le Cruset dutch oven, and more...

We took hours to open our presents. We took a brunch break at 1:00 for Brad's Eggs Benedict.

It was happy, lazy, Christmas Day. We napped, read, played with our presents, and snacked that evening.

The phone rang, and it was my good friend, Louise, from the Bay Area. I have not seen her in at least three years, and she was in Palm Desert for a couple of days, on the way to Las Vegas, with her new beau, Mike.

We had a house full of company, but we decided she MUST stop by for at least a drink!

I first "met" Louise during one of my early classes in Grad school in 1991. She came to our campus to recruit interns for her agency, Project FOCYS. Four years later, I was at my interview for an internship at Project FOCYS, and Louise came in announcing to staff that she had passed her second oral licensing exam, and was a full-fledged Licensed Marriage Family Therapist! That day, I thought, I want to be like HER when I grow up!

I was selected as one of 10 interns at Project FOCYS that school year, and has an opportunity to work with and develop a friendship with Louise. She was like a "big sister" or mentor to me during my time as an intern. The following year, I was hired as a paid staff member, and we worked together again. Then Louise left the agency, but we stayed in touch.

During my second year on staff, I became the "Family Group Program Coordinator". I encouraged Louise to come back a few hours a week, to do a "Grandparents raising Grandchildren" group in my program.

My third year at Project FOCYS, I passed both my licensing exams, and during an insane moment, agreed to be the Director of the agency. Louise had been so supportive and encouraging during my countless hours of studying and preparing for my tests. She even gave me a "mock oral exam" a few days before my real one.

Funny how life works, sometimes. I was now director, and hired Louise back to be a supervisor for MY group of 10 new interns! I was technically now "her boss", but continued to learn from her on how to be a good supervisor. She did "Group Supervision" in my office every week, and I sat in, until I had been licensed the required two years to do supervision myself.

Louise came by this afternoon, we enjoyed meeting Mike, and had a great, if short visit, catching up on life!

On December 28, a houseful of company arrived: Sorority sisters Connie and Joy, Connie's dad, Frosty, Connie's new boyfriend, John came in one car from Fresno. Casey, my 29 year-old Godson, arrived first from Carlsbad. He and I had a chance to visit for over an hour before the crowds arrived.

The first night, we had a lovely formal dinner. We began with a hot crab dip appetizer while waiting for Brad to arrive from Pasadena. Dinner was pesto lasagna (from the freezer), pear/gorgonzola/cranberry/pecan salad with pear-gorgonzola vinegarette, and pork loin with fig reduction sauce. For dessert, we had chocolate ganache cake.

On Friday, we had a big brunch:cranberry-orange bread with Grand Marnier Glaze, cherry-almond bread with Amaretto glaze, fruit salad, and Harry's Eggs (requested by Joy)!

Friday night we began with hot artichoke dip appetizer, pumpkin ravioli (from the freezer), Italian sausage, and Cheddar-Baked Zucchini. For dessert we had a Slow Travel Favorite: Tina's Cajun Bread Pudding with vanilla ice cream and Rum Sauce:

Bartenders Casey and Brad also made up a few batches of Chocolate-Peppermint Martinis:

We played a new game called "Would You Rather?" It gives forced-choice questions like, "Would you rather live in a country governed by supermodels or professional football players?" When it is your turn, you choose a question, write down your answer, then the rest of the group has 90 seconds to reach a unanamous choice, and you get a point if you match their answer.

When the "food coma" hit, we decided to postpone the present opening until the next morning.

Saturday, December 30, we all got up early, as the presents were to be opened at 8 a.m.. Casey had to leave at 10:00, and Joy and I had shopping plans! I put out fruit and breadfast breads, and in varying states of dress, we gathered in the Great Room and Santas Brad and Casey passed out gifts.
I had another huge pile to open!

Ego was sniffing out his new treats and toy!

Frosty generously bought us all tickets to the Palm Springs Follies tonight. He was quite happy with his six new decks of Italian playing cards with scenes of Tuscany, beautiful new socks, and a gift card to Barnes and Noble!

Casey opening Joy's gift is hoping what feel like golf balls are NOT heavy socks!

Connie and Joy like their new ornaments!

One of our traditions is when opening gifts, you must find a way to WEAR each ribbon. We all use ribbon (no purchased bows), so you may find yourself with a headband, thigh bow, "bracelet", upper arm bow, or even a "toe bow". Then we set the camera timers for the annual group BOW PICTURE! This year's is a great one!

At 10:00, Casey left, Joy and I headed to the bead store and shopping, and the rest of the group took turns showering, getting dressed, and watching the Navy football game!

We picked up Connie at noon, and my "sisters" took me out for a lovely lunch. Brad took Frosty and John out for burgers. We had to be home and dressed by 5:00 for cocktails before the FOLLIES!

Frosty generously bought us all tickets to the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies! This is an unusual show that is a Palm Springs institution for over 15 years and 3300 performances. It is a 3-hour singing, dancing comedy review with the twist...the cast are "seniors". The youngest cast member is 59, and many are in their 70s or even older. The women are gorgeous, and have firm, buff, voluptious bodies that anyone decades younger would be proud of. It is quite a fun evening's entertainment!

http://www.psfollies.com/index.php

We were ready for Pomegranite martinis and appetizers at 5:00.

Another sorority sister, Tammy, and her husband Dennis, were in town for a week of golf, so they joined us for the pre-show happy hour. Just think, we were all college roomates in 1970! That is...THIRTY-SIX years ago!

After the show, everyone, including Connie's cousin Sharon and her husband, Jack, returned to our house for dessert. The caramels were a hit along with more chocolate ganache cake, bread pudding, cookies, and toffee.

I got to bed at 2:15 a.m.. One Tired Puppy!

Our guests left on New Year's Eve at 11:00 a.m.. We cleaned up the kitchen, ate some lunch and looked at each other. We both said, "NAP?" We slept from 1:30 p.m. until 6:30. We skipped dinner, and ate leftover artichoke dip while watching "The Devil Wears Prada". I was asleep by 10:30. This may the the first New Year's Eve as an adult I didn't make it until midnight (our usual bedtime).

New Year's Day wasn't much more energetic. We had breakfast, put away holiday dishes, and I was ready for a nap ny 11:30. My cold is back, my arm hurts, and I still need sleep! Brad washed 5 sets of towels, 3 days of dinner napkins, and lots of sheets! I missed the Rose Parade, and slept through a football game.

Here is a photo of Saint Brad and I before we crashed over New Year's. He has put up with all the trees, shopping, schlepping, shipping, entertaining, houseguests, dinners, and work they all entail. Maybe I can keep it a little more simple in 2007?

No resolutions, as I never keep them. They would be the same as every other year:
Lose weight
Exercise more

Instead, I will post some January goals:

Schedule some medical appointments/tests I have been putting off and dreading.
Eat healthier after a quick start week of soup.
Catch up on paperwork.
Clean out/organize my closet
Go for walks

YUCK! Right there are 5 reasons I HATE January every year. And it is cold!

On the brighter side, I look forward to our Las Vegas trip at the end of the month, and following that is the Slow Travel Paso Robles GTG which will be a blast!

I look forward to making lots of new jewelry from all the beads I bought in Orange County.

I look forward to a new season of 24 and American Idol.

I look forward to winter and spring Slow Travel GTGs and our Italy trip this summer!

I just have to make it through JANUARY!

I am an 80's and 90's girl! We are talking temperatures (farenheit), not the decades.
My comfort level BEGINS at 68 (sweater weather). It goes up considerably to the high 90s, or even low 100s, but anything below 64 degrees is NOT OK! That is one of the reasons we live in the southern California desert, and don't travel much in the winter.

The past few days and nights here have been unbearable. I want to stay under the covers in my 70 degree house, and not get up until spring (or 70 degree NORMAL days, which ever happens first).

Here I am on Saturday night.

This was to walk out the door to have a cigarette, since I don't smoke in my house, but can't go more than a couple of hours (unless I'm asleep) without craving a smoke.
This is especially true when dieting, so this was double hell. It was 33 degrees. WHERE AM I?

I am wearing socks over tights, leggings, a turtleneck, sweatshirt, cashmire jacket, hat, scarf, (neither of my two pair of gloves matched...) and I am sitting inches away from one of our outdoor fireplaces. I am screaming "OH MY GOD" it is cold. Saint Brad is shivering next to me as I am blocking most of the heat from the fire.
BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

On Sunday night, we were scheduled to have dinner with good friends who were not at their desert home during the holidays. It was a post-Christmas dinner and gift exchange. I had to leave the house and venture out...low 40s at 5:00.

I walked into the bar dressed as Nanuck of the North. Jan said I looked like the Pillsbury Dough Girl. Les asked if the seatbelt fit around me. I had on socks, UGGs, cords, a cashmire turtleneck, a heavy wool sweater, my warmest coat, scarf, and gloves. (None of my hats matched, and my ears and nose were ice cubes.)
No alcohol on the diet, so I drank coffee...lots of coffee!

I hear it is going to be like this all week.
I am a whining cold whimp. I am in HELL!

The diet started last Monday with "Magic Muffins" and a pot of chicken-vegetable soup.

I lost FIVE POUNDS!!!

Last week was a pretty strict "quick start" program, with little room for cheating. I was VERY GOOD! (The therapist part of me is screaming, "Do not measure your value on what you eat!" Oh well...)

I ate a muffin every morning, two fruits a day, soup three nights for dinner, salads daily, and fish twice. I ate nothing fun. I felt determined and motivated.

Today begins week two. I love changing dishes and decorating my dining room table. I do it AT LEAST once a month. There will be no dinner parties in January. I do not do low fat healthy meals for entertaining (well, I HAVE, but it is not my preference, or usually a request of my guests). Friends who come for dinner figure they are going to eat well.

After the Christmas stuff was put away, my dining room table looked sad and empty.
I decided on a bronze, copper and gold theme, as I wanted to use my new table runner.

You may notice there is no silverware. That is because this is strictly decorative. Accessorizing tables is like "house jewelry". The table reminds me that I need to stay on my diet before there can be wine in those bronze glasses, food on those gold and silver dotted plates, or ANYTHING cleared off those copper chargers.

This week, I will continue with the muffins and two fruits. I am adding broccoli, meat one night, fish again, and chicken to the menu. Every other day, I may have one ounce of cheese for lunch instead of yogurt. Coffee is free. I have two weeks before our weekend in Vegas. I can behave there. The following weekend is the Slow Travel Paso Robles Get Together. That weekend, I will taste decadent food, and drink wine!
I can't wait! And JANUARY will be OVER!

It is still January! I'm cold, bored, slightly depressed, and cranky. I'm dieting! I'm waiting...for upcoming weeknds away, warm weather and Spring!

I have a number of activities I do when I am hibernating. I'm NOT a big TV watcher, I do love to read, shop, cook, and entertain. So we know I am on "Shopping Probation", I'm back on the diet, which eliminates most cooking, and I spend a lot of time on the Slow Talk boards, or reading trip reports on Slow Travel. I STILL have time on my hands!

Though our summer Italy trip is six months away, I have gotten out all my books on Umbria, and I am starting to print out restaurant reviews for Florence and Tuscany.
Working less than 20 hours a week, I still have time on my hands. This blog takes up a few hours more. Email, voicemail, snail mail, a few more hours pass.

During the January hibernation, we can add daily naps and my annual jigsaw puzzle blowout to the schedule. Two weeks ago, I did this vineyard scene that was a Christmas gift:

Last week, I completed a Tuscan looking stone house with green shutters and pots of flowers. The good news is it is a distraction from food. The bad news is I need another Italy puzzle!

Last Friday, I packed and loaded up (10 trips to the car), picked Brad up in Pasadena, and we headed north to Paso Robles for a Slow Travel wine weekend GTG. We arrived at the rental cottage, and unloaded clothes, ice chest, scrapbooks, food, etc. and settled in to our lovely room. We had a large bedroom with a fireplace and bath! (I forgot to take a picture!)

Our housemates were Shannon, Colleen, Marta, George, Beth, Marcia and David.
Shannon had shopped for everything we needed for the weekend for breakfast and snacks. Others arrived, and a pizza party was underway. Kathy, Sue, Joan, Fred, Marian, Jill, Kate, Gloria, Angie, Luisa, Sheri and Sharon joined the party!

Joan and Fred were busy with a pizza production line! Fred worked hard and turned out 7 different pizzas to try.

Colleen, Sue, Dave and Linda arrived late in the evening. It was really fun to see old friends, Kathy, Marcia and David, Shannon, Colleen, Joan and Fred, Sharon, Luisa, Gloria, Dave and Sue. I loved meeting and chatting for the first time with Marta, George, Jill, Kate, Marian, Angie, Sheri, Sue and Beth!

We were off to an awesome start, as we headed downstairs to sleep!

I attended a lovely luncheon in honor of my friend Fiona's mom's birthday. May arrived for her annual visit in December, and will be visiting Fiona and Steve until the end of March. Her home is in Wales, so she is enjoying our mild winter climate! I know this is hard to believe, as she is peppy, fun, lively, and quick, but May is celebrating 88 years!

Fiona used a Valentine's Day theme for all of the festivities. Here are some gorgeous appetizers.

21 women enjoyed the lovely luncheon. Champagne flowed freely, and the weather was 76 degrees, so, some of us ate on the patio. The menu included salad with pine nuts and mandarine oranges, quiches, chicken salad, fruit, couscous, smoked salmon, and asparagas! The Valentine theme made a fun buffet table!

The heart-shaped quiches were a hit! The first was artichoke, and the second was corn, and red pepper!

Dessert??? Of COURSE!

May, Happy Birthday, and many, many more visits to the desert!

It's February, and as many of my friends know, I get bored easily with table settings, and change them constantly, in both my kitchen and dining room. Here is the kitchen table right now.

For the centerpiece, I took a vase, filled it with candy conversation hearts and a candle in the center. The boy bear sings "My Girl", and the girl bear sings, "My Guy". Silly, but fun. I found the large hanging glitter heart two years ago, after Valentine's Day!

On to the dining room! I decided on a romantic theme, as I am hosting my book club lunch this month, and in honor of Valentines Day, we read (or re-read) "The Wedding" by Nicholas Sparks. I wanted something formal, but with fun Valentine's touches to go with my menu. (You'll have to wait til the 22 for that blog!)

I used a silver/gold damask runner, with silver beaded placemats, and my silver/gold glass plates. I found silver and gold glittered candles (at Bristol Farms, of course), and took out my gold brushstroke goblets for water. Simple, but elegant.

The beaded hearts I tucked into the napkins were actually Christmas ornaments from Crate and Barrel. The red heart-shaped "marbles" were $1.00 a bunch at Michaels last year.

Now that I added the red accents, I don't like the flowers! They were on sale at the grocery store last week, but this table is still a work in progress. I will come up with SOMETHING before the luncheon!

How to fold a napkin into a "Bishop's Hat":

1. Fold a napkin in half diagonally.

2. Bring each long point to center, making a square.

3. Bring bottom point up to about an inch from the top, and crease.

4. Fold down point even with bottom.

5. Turn napkin over, overlapping points, tucking one inside the other.

6. Turn napkin over to front, and pull down both top points, tucking them in to bottom "envelope".

7. You have a Bishop's Hat! Depending on stiffness of fabric, these should now stand up on their own, OR you can tuck something (an ornament, flower, even silverware) into the "envelope". Here is mine with a beaded heart ornament.

Love is in the Air! Or is it Valentine's Day hype? This commercialized holiday is this week. I hate all those commercials on TV with the ugly diamond jewelry, the piles of chocolates in every store, and the roses everywhere. Many women (and young girls) wait to see what "they will get". I have had clients say, "I can't break up with him until AFTER Valentine's Day!"

I teach couples that come to counseling about "Palma's Triangle" of a healthy relationship/marriage. Picture an equalateral triangle (I don't have a scanner to show you my handout.) One corner is "FRIENDSHIP", one is "PASSION", and one is "INTIMACY".

The friendship side is the "I LIKE YOU" part of sharing with each other, enjoying just being together, laughing, having fun, enjoying common interests and activities.

The passion side is the "I LOVE YOU", and includes romance, a physical chemistry, sex (I wrote "sex" on my blog???), closeness, touch, and connection on a both physical and spiritual level.

The intimacy side is the "I TRUST YOU", and is about honest communication, respect, and being vulnerable with each other. This is the person (or should be) you can be the "safest" with to be COMPLETELY yourself...the good, the bad, and the ugly. They accept you the way you are, and you are "completed" when together. And Vice-versa! (Brad's definition of intimacy!)

I am blessed in my marriage, so it feels like "Valentine's Day", all through the year. It would take too many blogs to give examples of the "romantic things" Brad and I have done for each other! But here are a few examples from the most simple to some over-the- top gestures!

When we were dating, Brad said the lyrics to the old song, "Once in a Lifetime" perfectly reminded him of how he felt shortly after we met. ("Once in a lifetime, a man knows a moment - A wonderful moment, when fate takes his hand. And this is my moment - My once in a lifetime - When I can explore a new and exciting land. For once in my lifetime - I fee like a giant, I soar like an eagle - as though I had wings. For this is my moment - My destiny call me, And tho' it may be just once in my lifetime - I'm going to do great things.") I found the sheet music in an old music store, and had it matted with a heart-shaped photo of us. It still hangs in the hallway to our bedroom.

Brad writes the most amazing words in his cards to me. He is a good writer, and writes beautiful (but not sickening) words about our love. They are very personal and sweet. (For example, he has written in an Easter card, how I remind him of the colors of spring, and how, like the symbols of spring in the life cycle, our love is renewed, and changes during the seasons.) WHile we're on the subject of cards, we NEVER give each other just ONE card. For every occasion, we give each other several. Sometimes they are handmade (raid the scrapbook supplies...)!

I always know I am in Brad's thoughts when we are apart (and we are apart three days each week!) Last week, he was in a Pasadena bookstore, and saw the new issue of "Tastes of Italia". He picked it up for me, as he hadn't seen it around the house yet!
Thoughtful! Another week, he brought home an Italian newspaper to help me practice reading in Italian.

One trip to Italy (our honeymoon), we invented a different kiss in each town. We had the "Venice Kiss", the "Rome Kiss", the "Positano Kiss", etc. THAT was fun!

I probably create special meals (or desserts) for Brad as a way of showing affection. They are loving gestures, but not usually good for the diet! I am safe when I make him chocolate desserts, as they don't tempt me at all!

Over-the -top examples include our very first Valentine's Day when Brad planned a whole surprise weekend to Mendocino at a charming B&B, with a fantastic dinner, and walks on the beach. For his 50th birthday, I packed, took him to the airport, didn't tell him where we were going, and faked which gates we might be departing from up to the last second. We finally had to board, and got on a flight to Orange County. He thought, "Disneyland". I kept driving, and he was quite surprised when we arrived at the Ritz Carlton, Laguna Nigel, and checked into a suite on the concierge floor that was filled with flowers and champagne!

That reminds me of a Saturday in the Bay Area, a few years ago, that my single friend, Joy, was visiting us for the weekend. The three of us went into San Francisco for a "marathon shopping day" around Union Square. Brad stuck it out through Nordstrom, Macy's, Neiman Marcus, Crate and Barrel, a "girly lunch", a coffee break at a Maiden Lane cafe, and finally we ended up having a drink at the Saint Francis Hotel.
It was a little after 4 p.m.. We were leaving the bar ready to go home for the day. As we were walking out, Brad said he was "stopping at the rest room", and would meet us outside. We waited, and waited! It seemed like a long restroom stop (about 10 minutes). Finally he came running around the corner with two gorgeous bouguets of flowers wrapped in cellophane with streaming ribbons! There were white Casablanca lilies for me and pink Stargazers for Joy. He had "run" two blocks each way to a street stand we had passed earlier!

Maybe the way Brad treats my girlfriends is not "romantic" to others, but I love how he is with them. He totally respects our "girltime", joins us when invited, and then carries our bags! He is a gentleman, welcoming, accepting, and enjoys their uniqueness and even their quirks. Though I never met his mom, I'd sure like to thank her on her lessons during his youth about, "how to treat a girl".

Travelling together is one of most romantic things we do! We love exploring a new Italian hilltown, or taking a weekend away near home. We are both fairly easy-going, and enjoy seeing new places. We seem to talk non-stop on car trips, or can snuggle quietly and happily beside each other for an afternoon nap or some "downtime" to read our books.

Though Brad allows me lots of room to plan our days, we both try to include things we know the other enjoys. Brad is my shopping SAINT, and I occasionally attend an Air Force Academy football game, or spend a day wine tasting, or going to a music event of his choice. Brad has put up with countless scrapbook stores, bead shops, and even whole day Bead and Scrapbook Expos! We both love the beach, pool time, and FOOD. We also like just hanging out at home. It's SO EASY!

Wow, this is getting LONG! Let me cut to the chase. It's the simple stuff that is most important. The backrub when one is tired or sore, the cup of coffee waiting when you get home. There is no magic formula for love and romance. Be yourself, enjoy your partner. Trust, respect, laughter, honesty, kindness. That's it! Keep the flame alive.

When I first moved to the desert from tha Bay Area, I owned five Valentine's sweaters. Each year or so, I get rid of one. This last one will be put to pasture tomorrow!

Since I started with this silly topic, I might as well continue.
This "holiday wardrobe" collection started during my teaching years. Don't even ASK about Christmas sweaters. Yesterday, I wore black pants, and a red top. Today, I am wearing a black skirt and a red/black top. Brad is not here to take my photo. I have on heart earrings. What shall I wear tomorrow?

How about my "heart" skirt, and a black top?

If we were going out, I could wear this:

If we were going out somewhere dressy, I could wear this:

Valentine's Jewelry?? Of course!

What does one do for a Valentine's purse?
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Oh ye of little faith!

I will finish with my last clients at 7 p.m.. By the time Brad gets home for dinner around 8:30, my bet is I will be in my black jeans, and a comfy red top!

Have a Happy Valentine's Day. Be loving to YOURSELF too!

Just two years ago I was planning our trips to Italy with a stack of guidebooks in front of me. I was led to a site called slowtrav.com a couple of years before I actually showed up on the scene and "investigated" it for myself. I had occasionally "browsed" the AOL Italy boards, but found their format confusing and non-user friendly. I didn't know how to download our digital pictures, and had little desire to learn. Brad would download, and I would print them for scrapbooks, sharing those only with good friends who "put up with" looking at our vacation memories.

Slow Travel changed a lot about how we travel (a longer time in each place, staying in an occasional rental house or apartment instead of a hotel, etc.), how we plan our trips (pages of wonderful recommendations for restaurants and out-of-the-way places, GTGs), and added a wonderful perk to our travel: the possibility of getting together with friends from the Slow Talk message boards! We have met over 70 people so far at ST Get Togethers!

We began to meet Slow Travelers last March at our first GTG after Diva's pasta class in Sonoma. Gloria and Alex hosted a lovely pot luck at her home, and we met 16! I met Alessandra in Cortona, and attended lunch for 12! We met Nancy and Bill in Montalcino. Teachick and I began our weekend visits by my pool! I attended a wonderful picnic in the redwoods in July, 2006, meeting Pauline, Steve, and many others for the first time. Then Brad met 11 in Santa Barbara. We hosted the Desert GTG in October, and had 21 attend. I met "Vegas Ms" and her mom for coffee at the Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas in January. The Paso Robles SLOW BOWL brought us back together with 19 "old friends", and we met 21 new ones!

Coming up are lots more opportunities to visit with Slow Travel members! February 24, 10 of us will meet for lunch at Mozza in Los Angeles. "Love Italy" is visiting Palm Desert for a few days in March, and we will have dinner. March 21, I will meet my "twin", Jerry for dinner in Pasadena! In April, I will get to meet Sheena and her husband, Terry, when they visit the desert, and the whole Southeast gang in Brevard!!!

This summer, we will be able to see many ST friends in Italy. Jane, Ken and Casey will still be in Greve while we are visiting Chianti, and we will meet for dinner. I hope to connect with Alessandra and her family, Tania and Keith while in Cortona. As luck would have it, Janet is hosting a GTG in Umbria with Pauline and Steve as her guests. I may get to meet much of the Italy gang including: Barb and Art, Judith, Judy, Letezia, Giulia, KimC, Corinna, Anne, Diane...and who knows, by July?

Internet friendships are fascinating to me.

After communicating with Diana for almost a year through the Slow Talk message boards, or PMs (private messaging), I felt like I knew her. When we finally met the day we arrived at her B&B in Piemonte, it felt like we were old friends. The same has been true for other Slow Travel members I have become friends with. In this community, people seem to be just as they represent themselves on the boards...REAL!

The first time I met Kathy (Teachick), was when she arrived at my home for the weekend! I had friends of mine say, "How do you know she's not some whacko?" "How do you know she'll be safe?" Kathy had similar warnings. "You don't even KNOW this woman or her husband, and you're going to stay at THEIR HOUSE??? Are you crazy?"

We knew. We just knew with 99% certainty that we would "click", and it would all be OK! And it was even better than we had hoped!

I know the same thing will happen when I meet Jerry in March, Sheena in April, Jane in July... new, but ongoing friendships!

Tomorrow...another example of a Slow Travel friend , and exciting news about our future collaboration!

There are so many little crossroads in life!

I joined Slow Travel.
I went to some GTG's.
We hosted a GTG.
Gail H. knew Kaydee was my "Mystery Guest".
Gail had some FF miles, and PM'd me with a last minute idea to come from Atlanta.
I'll be "in Gail's kitchen" in Montisi, Italy in May 2008!

Gail and I met when I picked her up at the airport after her delayed flight. By the time we got back to Palm Desert from the Palm Springs airport, we knew lots about each other's lives. We "bonded instantly", felt like we had been friends for years, and we both shared a deep understanding of how Italy fills our souls. We have kept in touch since that GTG, and are so excited to see each other in April, when Brad and I travel to North Carolina for the Brevard Slow Travel GTG!

Here are Gail and Brad on her first night in the desert:

Gail instantly became a Slowchick the next morning at "rehearsal"!

Gail has been leading groups in Italy, with her husband, John, for six years. These groups used to stay at a farmhouse near Montisi. In 2008, she will move the groups to a beautiful villa right in town.

http://www.gailsgreatescapes.com/

When Gail offered me a very generous proposal to come help her cook a few meals during the week in the villa's GORGEOUS kitchen, I was speechless. Well speechless, except for a loud and clear YES!

Brad and I are so excited! There will also be time in Cortona, and we will get to cook in Alessandra's kitchen too! The Slow Travel kitchen tour! It sounds like a wonderful week in a wonderful place with wonderful people!

Don't you all want to join us?

On Saturday, we had a wonderful afternoon with our friends, Ubaldo and Dennee. We first met Ubaldo at L'Olmo, our lovely Tuscan home for our first visit to the Val d'Orcia in 2003. Ubaldo took great care of us, from recommending restaurants and wineries, to overseeing great breakfasts, finding me coffee at odd hours of the day or night, to keeping the grounds beautiful, and locking the gate when we came stumbling in late some nights.

Around the time of our visit, he met a lovely woman, travelling alone, and their beautiful love story began.

We saw Ubaldo again on a Tuscany visit in 2005. New Year's Eve, that year, we had a surprise visit at our home when Ubaldo and Dennee visited Eidlewild, a tiny nearby mountain community, and came over for a glass of wine. We were able to meet Dennee in person, and immediately see why they make such a great couple!

I again stayed at L'Olmo for a couple nights on a brief visit last summer, during my trip with Ida. Dennee was visiting Ubaldo, and I spent an evening with them, sharing local vino.

Saturday, we filled them in on all our most recent Italian adventures, shared photos of our Piemonte trip (Ubaldo is Piemontese), and picked their brains about great food and restaurants all over Italy. It really is a small world. We shared our plans to visit Montisi, on "Gail's Great Escapes", and they knew everyone we mentioned! Here we are after lunch:

Later Saturday evening, we had friends over for a drink before going out to dinner, and I made Jerry's "Prosciutto-wrapped Pears with Blue Cheese Cream" recipe.
Perfect with a glass of wine or two!

Today I hosted our monthly Book Club Lunch. Even though Valentine's Day has past, I kept the theme, as we read a love story for February: "The Wedding" by Nicholas Sparks.
My table was set with gold and silver, with red Valentine touches. Each guest got a "party favor" of a pink Murano glass heart pendant.

We started our "meeting" with prosecco and an appetizer of cherry brie with sour cherry preserves on crackers. We discussed "The Wedding", and decided on next month's book of "Beach Music" by Pat Conroy.

Time to eat and visit! I tried a new recipe from Slow Talk's food board. Dana posted this Asparagas-Gruyere Tart a while back. It turned out to be a delicious crust, and an attractive meatless entree! I also got to use my "new" pizza pan that I bought at the market in Acqui Terme!

Here is the recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/104744

Along with the tart, we had Mango-Shrimp Salad, assorted breads, and a green salad with pears, pecans, gorgonzola and dried cranberries.

For dessert, I made individual tiny almond-Amaretto cake bites, mini lemon curd cheesecakes, and served frozen strawberries stuffed with vanilla ice cream and strawberry truffles.

We had a lovely afternoon, and here are more pictures of food and people!

http://http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/showgallery.php?si=&limit=&thumbsonly=2&perpage=12&cat=4074&ppuser=0&thumbcheck=1&page=1&sortby=f&sorttime=999&way=asc&cat=4074

Last summer on a daytrip to Cortona, I visited "Il Girasole", a lovely shop owned by Slow Travel friend, Alessandra Federici. http://www.il-girasole.com/ There were several delightful things that happened that day. The first was getting acquainted with Alex, and her directness, warmth, and wonderdul sense of humor. I walked into the shop and she said, "You are PALMA! I know you from your photo!"

Another highlight was the lovely lunch she arranged at Osteria del Teatro with other Slow Travel folks who were also visiting Cortona. There were 12 of us for this impromptu GTG, and the food was outstanding!

Finally, some wonderful shopping! I chose a set of linens for my dining room table. I bought a runner, and 6 placemats and napkins. Alex shipped them to me when the order arrived. Here they are with a set of Fitz and Floyd china and coordinating floral accent plates. I think they are as pretty as a peach!

Thanks, Alex! We'll see you in Cortona this summer!

I haven't posted much, because for the past 8 days, I've been dealing with a health scare.

The world almost stops, and it is hard to think of much else.

The word "fears" takes on new meaning.

You just WAIT, go through the day, WAIT, try to get some sleep, and WAIT some more.

I'm ALL GOOD! Nothing is wrong! I'm FINE! Whoo Hoo!

Thanks to my friends and wonderful husband who kept me sane (mostly)! These tulips are for you! Thanks for your love and support!

For several months, Slow Travel friend, Jerry, from Canada and I have joked about being "twins separated at birth". We both enjoy travel to Italy, cooking, baking, shopping, entertaining, and seem to think alike on various topics. Around the holidays, several people pointed out these similarities, and we coincidentally both started blogs, besides sharing recipes on the Food Forum. It is always fun to meet a Slow Travel friend in person, and find that they are exactly the way you think and hope they will be from your message board, trip report, chat room experiences. Today I had the pleasure of meeting Jerry in person.

I drove to Pasadena right after work, to the Westin Hotel, across the street from where Brad works. Brad checked us in, unloaded the car (I had wine protectors for Jerry, and three scrapbooks to share), and returned to work. Jerry met me a few minutes later in ther lobby, and we talked non-stop for the next two hours, barely coming up for air! He brought a wonderful "Canadian Goodie Bag" full of treats, maple syrup, and even Ice Wine! Soon, Brad joined us after work, and we walked to the Heratige Wine Bar/Wine Shop.

We met Marcia and David for a glass of vino, and just as we were leaving, we were joined by Kathy as we walked a block to Cafe Bizou for dinner. We arrived at 7, and "closed the place", at 11 p.m.. Three bottles of red wine were enjoyed by everyone but me, the token white wine drinker. David shared a favorite from Paso Robles, Jerry brought a bottle from Canada, and Brad shared a Pinot Noir. I drank a wee bit too much Pinot Grigio, passing my two glass usual comsumption!

Our food was wonderful, but the conversation at the table was even better! We laughed, told travel stories, discussed past and future GTGs, and talked about our favorite obsession...Slow Travel, that brought us all together!

What a delightful evening!

Check out more photos of us and our entrees!

We attended a fabulous 50th birthday party last night, for our friend, Fiona. Her husband, Steve, offered her a trip ANYWHERE instead of a party, but she wanted a bash for all her friends, and a grand PARTY, she had!

It was cold (59), and windy, last night, so a shawl wasn't going to cut it for me! I dragged out my "killer gold leather coat" from the back of our hall closet, threw on my "Acqui Terme glitzy top" with a black skirt, and we were off!

70 of Fiona's friends arrived close to 6 p.m. for an open bar and passed hors d'oeurves cocktail hour. A fabulous band played dance music all night. A buffet dinner followed by a big pink chocolate cake with "shoe ornaments" adorning the top were served later in the evening. This group loves a good party, and Fiona's wish of plenty of drinks and dancing for all came true! We wore neon pink "disco necklaces" to go with the theme.

As you can see, good friends, lots of laughter, and cocktails flowed throughout the evening! Here we are enjoying the festivities with friends, Jan and Les.

Easter is one of my favorite times of the year. I love the happy bright colors, the flowers, eggs, chicks, bunnies...ALL of it! The marblized blown out eggs on my table are still unbroken from when I taught 4th grade in 1978! Amazing!
We are going to Easter dinner at Fiona and Steve's, so I won't be cooking this year, but I HAD to set an Easter table! That lovely fabric down the center is actually one of my Italy shawls. Why not??? I'm not wearing it this week, so my table might as well get accessorized!

I have WAY TOO MANY CLOTHES! No argument from me. I shop, shop, shop, then I accessorize!

I decided it was time to EMPTY, and then ORGANIZE my crowded closet. I started last weekend. In two hours, I got rid of (oh this is embarrassing...)15 pair of shoes, 68 tops, 38 pants/capris, 3 skirts, 4 jackets, 16 sweaters, and 6 old nightgowns/p.j.s! It was wonderful and freeing!

The next thing I did was organize my shoes. I still have about 10 pair on the floor that don't fit on these shelves! And the top four shelves are not even shone in this photo!

Then Ida told me about some new "space-saving" hangers she bought at Bed, Bath & Beyond. I dragged Brad there during our Saturday errands. I really liked the hangers in the lime green color. $9.99 for 10. If you buy the box of 50, they are $39.99, but they only come in black. Brad said, "Try them first, to see if you like them".

Like them??? I LOVE THEM! I went back and bought 4 more boxes. I am now into this for $238.00 (I had a coupon)! I have completed the switch in 5 and a half of the 10 sections of my closet, and yes, I am OUT OF HANGERS! I also want to use them in my coat closet! According to my calculations... I need about 200 more! I am nuts!

I will post some photos of this ongoing project as I make a little more progress. I HATE spending another$160 for hangers, BUT everything now fits (and most of my clothes fit ME as well...), and I can find what I want! The next challenge will be my purses and then the jewelry!

The lightweight jacket section is done! (I moved the wool blazers, winter stuff to the guest room closet where Brad's whole wardrobe resides.)

Happy Easter!

Brad and I had a light breakfast and opened our Easter cards.

I did some food prep, making 4 salads for tomorrow night, and frosted a Limoncello Torta to take to Fiona and Steve's this afternoon.

Fiona had a lovely Easter spread. We started with numerous appetizers, then a big dinner with a delicious ham, and lots of side-dishes. My lemon cake was appreciated by all.
http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/showgallery.php?cat=4115" Click here for the party photos!

Sheena, Nikki and Jen came over for a very casual outdoor supper of salads. We began with a couple bottles of prosecco, and some parmagiano with Italian lemon honey. We moved out to the patio for dinner. We took NO photos, as we were too busy talking all evening. I will "borrow" this photo from Wednesday night.

Meeting Slow Travelers is like seeing old friends you have known for years!
Here are the evening's recipes.

Curry chicken salad:

4 chicken breasts, cubed
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can water chestnuts, chopped
one large bunch red seedless grapes
cashews (add just before serving)

Dressing: combine mayo with a splash of Worstershire and curry powder to taste.

Pasta Salad

Rotini pasta
shredded zucchini
grape tomatoes (cut in half)
mozzarella balls marinated in red pepper, garlic and olive oil

Toss all of the ingredients with some basil pesto mixed with a large spoon of sour cream.

Broccoli Salad

1 bag of broccoli slaw OR chopped broccoli flowerettes
1 "chunk" of smoked gouda, grated
4 slices of bacon, crumbled
1/2 a red onion, chopped
dried cranberries (or raisins)

Dressing: Mix together: 3/4 c. mayo. Add 2 T red wine vinegar and 3T. sugar. Toss with above ingredients.

Fresh Fruit

Paula Deen's Fruit Tart

Crust:
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened and sliced
Filling: 
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened 
1/2 cup granulated sugar 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping: 
Fresh strawberries, kiwi slices, blueberries, raspberries, peaches, or whatever fruit is in season.
Glaze: 
1 (6-ounce) can frozen limeade concentrate, thawed 
1 tablespoon cornstarch 
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Whipped cream, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the crust: In a food processor, combine the confectioners' sugar, flour, and butter, and process until the mixture forms a ball. With your fingers, press the dough into a 12-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, taking care to push the crust into the indentations in the sides. Pat until the crust is even. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until very lightly browned. Set aside to cool.
For the filling and topping: Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla together until smooth. Spread over the cooled crust. Cut the strawberries into 1/4-inch slices and arrange around the edge of the crust. For the next circle, use kiwi slices. Add another circle of strawberries, filling in any spaces with blueberries. Cluster the raspberries in the center of the tart.
For the glaze: Combine the limeade, cornstarch, lime juice, and sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until clear and thick, about 2 minutes. Let cool. With a pastry brush, glaze the entire tart. You will not use all of the glaze.
Keep the tart in the refrigerator. Remove about 15 minutes before serving.

Sheena, Nikki and Jen came to dinner on Wednesday night. With our prosecco or wine, we munched on appetizers until Brad (our BBQ chef) came home at 8 from Pasadena. We had quite a lot of wind, but it seemed to calm down around 7, so we decided to eat on the "Positano Table", outside.

Look at Sheena and Nikki's mother-daughter smiles!

Here are "the blonds": Palma and Jen

Here was the menu:

Hot crab dip
Brie-prosciutto-fig jam tarts
cherry brie with dried cherries and crackers

Salad with pears, blue cheese, cranberries and candied walnuts

Artichoke-Gruyere Lasagna
Lamb kebobs (marinated in olive oil/rosemary/garlic

Lemon-Blueberry Trifle

After our salad, the wind came back, cooling thigs down considerably. I brought our a shawl for all the women (matching, of course), and we moved inside for dessert!

Brad enjoyed his evening with "all the lovely ladies".

Our friends, Fiona and Steve, hosted a wonderful dinner party to celebrate (a week early) my birthday and Brad's birthday. The theme for the table was "Lemons and Roses". Fiona gets very creative with her fun tablesettings, and this one was quite festive.

There was a center glass of citrus and yellow roses, with large ceramic lemons down the center of the table, lemon napkins, candles, and party favors at each placesetting. The boys got wine stoppers, and the women got tiny photo frames.

To keep with the theme, we began with refreshing champagne flutes of prosecco with some lemonade, and smashed sour lemon candies rimming the glass.

There were eight friends in attendance for our pre-birthday dinner at the Altman's. We all share a love of travel. We spent 3 weeks in Italy with Fiona and Steve in 2003, and are returning with them next year, where we will be their "tourguides" in northern Italy. Here are our gracious hosts, Fiona and Steve:

Jan and Les were there to share in the fun. We travelled to Italy with them in 2005 and have another trip plannned for September 2008.

Sue and Russ joined in as two more who love travel.They will be vacationing in France this summer.

Dinner began with a platter of imported cheeses, salami, and red pepper spread with lettuce wraps. Brad and I volunteered to make individual artichoke-lemon lasagnas for the first course. They were a big hit, and Brad thought it was his best dough ever!
Fiona prepared a juicy grilled salmon, marinated in raspberry beer. There was asparagas with dried cherries (soaked in Ouzo), rice with cashews, and a Caesar salad. Delicious!

Jan and Les provided dessert for our "Pre-birthday Party". Brad, the chocolate lover, was thrilled with his double chocolate creation (ALL the guys picked this choice.).

I was just as happy with my pretty white cake, bursting with berries and an almond marzipan topping.

The gift portion of the evening was outrageous! Our friends are much too generous, and have great taste! We were SHOWERED with an array of perfect presents. Brad received Italian wine, an Italy travel video, and a joke book about sex over 50. I received a necklace, a book on wire beading, Tuscany scene note cards, and a beautiful painted box with scenes of Tuscany on all sides. Both of us were given a lovely gift certificate to one of our favorite Italian restaurants in the area. Our friends certainly "get it" that we love Italy! It will be an amazing trip in 2008 to have all of us there together and drinking some great vino!

Thank you Fiona, Steve, Jan, Les, Sue, and Russ for a wonderful birthday celebration!

I left for Scottsdale at 7:30 a.m., and arrived at our Marriott Suites by 11:30 (with one Starbucks stop). After checking in, I hit Nordstrom and bought two skirts and a pair of black sandals. From there I visited favorite shops in the Borgota (a shopping center modeled after an Italian village), Seville Center, and the Marketplace. It was 105 degrees, and by 4, I headed back to my room and cranked down the air conditioning. After ordering a snack and a drink from room service, I joined the Slow Travel Thursday chat, then took a nap. I got a phone call from Brad at 6:15 saying he had missed his flight to Phoenix! (This happened two years ago when we also came to Scottsdale for our birthdays.) He would be on the 7:30 flight, which was running late! So much for our 8:30 dinner reservation. I settled in by the pool with a diet coke and my book (after Googling restaurants under "late night dining"). Brad also did some research, and came up with plan B for dinner. He arrived at 9:50, and we were at "Twisted" by 10:15.

Twisted has been open only three months. We ordered wine, and were brought a complementary pretzel appetizer.

Our appetizers were both great. I had ravioli gnudi in basil olive oil, and Brad had a spicy gazpacho with "Pueblo pesto".

Our entrees both could be categorized as "jazzed up comfort food". Brad had "Pepper, Coriander Crusted Pork Tenderloin" stuffed with goat cheese and cranberries, with carmalized sweet garlic green apples and pomegranate red wine reduction.

I had "Rocky Mountain Range Meatloaf". At the bottom of the stack was a thick gorgonzola stuffed crostini, served open face with a large serving of meatloaf of organic buffalo, lamb, and wild boar; with Serrano bacon and Creole Sauce.

Brad cleaned his dessert plate of a Triple Layer Ancho chili chocolate cake with chipolte chocolate mousse and dark chocolate ganache. I had one of his berries and coffee! It was after midnight, and I was in a food coma!

Even with the delay, Brad had a very nice birthday!

After coffee, we set off for Scottsdale Bead Supply, one of my favorite bead shops! It has an almost overwhelming selection of beads, stones, pearls, crystals, clasps, and beading supplies. An hour goes by so quickly there, and even Brad wass entertained with the choices and variety.

By 11:00, we were off to shop at Hilton Village, Gainey Village, lunch and another bead shop. We stopped at the Borgata where I bought cards and a gift for another friend with a May birthday. Naptime was quickly approaching, but first, a stop at the gelato store near our hotel. The Almond-Snickers and carmelo were as good as real Italian gelato.

Brad is a wonderful shopper, and I "help" him, by giving him a list of ideas for things I'd like. This year, he bought me a new Mary Francis handbag. Doesn't it look just perfect for the Amalfi coast or Liguria? I can see carrying it next year on our trip to Portovenere!

He also surprised me with this lovely pendant to use with some citrine beads I bought earlier this year in L.A.

We had a lovely birthday dinner at Maestro's, one of the best steak houses in the Scottsdale area. A lemon drop, chopped salad, ribeye steak, and loaded potato was my dinner of choice. I passed on the chocolate cake, and held out for a scoop of passionfruit gelato later in the evening!

I attended an annual professional conference in San Jose, put on by the California Association of Marriage Fammily Therapists. On Thursday, all of my workshops were on couples therapy, and given by Terry Real, LCSW. He had some great techniques on Relationship Enpowered Therapy, on how to work with clinets in crisis, and discussed, " The New Rules of Marriage". I also attended workshops on Multiple Addictions and Helping Couples on the brink of divorce.

What was most fascinating to me in the Addiction training, was how our brain's level of dopamine increase by various activities. Dopamine gives us a "happy feeling". A good meal increases our levels by 50%. A drink, or an orgasm increase dopamine levels by 100%. A cigarette increases it by 150% (no surprise to the smokers), and meth amphetamine increases it by 1100%! It is any wonder there is such a HUGE meth problem?

Sort of makes you want to have a great meal with a glass of wine, followed by sex and a smoke afterwards! He didn't mention a nice cappuccino!

I enjoyed my two days in San Jose, attending some of the same workshops with my friend and colleague, Louise. I enjoyed a visit with my friend, Roxanne, on Thursday night, lunches and dinners at the restaurants in the conference hotel, and seeing friends who live in the Bay area.

I was one of two guest speakers at a luncheon called, "Inspiring Women". The first speaker spoke on "Women Managing Money", and my topic (during dessert), was "Women and Relationships".

Women in our mothers' and grandmothers' generation, for the most part, wanted a "Companionable Marriage". They hoped for a good guy, who would earn a living, help raise children, and as long as he didn't beat them, or blatently cheat on them, they stayed forever. (I know this is a gross generalization.) Women today (who choose to marry) want an "Intimate Marriage"... a partner, a best friend, a lover, someone who communicates, shares feelings, and someone they can trust to be their most vulnerable selves with. We're not asking much!

We have changed, and men have not. We have been "liberated", empowered, are less dependent, and have redefined what we want. We have also been confusing men with what we want for decades. Remember "Happy Days"? Did we want responsible, nice guy, Richie Cunningham? or funny Ralph? or cute Potzie? NO! We wanted the FONZ!
We may have grown up watching "Father Knows Best", Ozzie and Harriett, and Ward and June Cleaver, but now we'd like our partners to be a cross between George Clooney and Jack Baur! The group cracked up when I said we may have closer to a Fred Flintstone on viagra at home! (not MY Brad, or course!)

I gave examples of what women try, or do when they are frustrated with a relationship, as well as several strategies that are more effective. Then I had ten minutes of anonymous questions from the audience collected in a box during lunch.
It was a very well-received talk, and quite fun to give!

Here is the lovely lunch:
chicken, salmon, spinach and fruit salad

Dessert Sampler:

Ego has always loved being in the pool. It used to be difficult to get him out. He loved to dive, swim around the edge, barking with delight, and had to be "dragged out" when it was time to dry off on his towel. Alas, he is getting old! At 14 1/2, he is not as active as he once was. Two weeks ago, at about 10 p.m., I was outside reading, and heard a splash. Ego had fallen in the the pool in the dark. He swam to the steps and climbed out, and I didn't think much of it. He swam with me last week, but was back out in about 2 minutes. Friday, he went in the water with me, but seemed to be struggling, and spending WAY too much energy, just treading water to keep his head up. He returned to the steps, and climbed out. It broke my heart to seem him struggle to do what was once his FAVORITE daily summer activity.

I asked Brad to see if the pet store had something to help. Ego LOVES his new "Fido Float". He is swimming around the edge again, with no problem (once we coaxed him into it for the first time, and set him in the water...)

Yesterday was my last visit to my "home away from home", Palm Desert Physical Therapy.
I have been going there three times a week since the beginning of April. What a GREAT group of people!

From left to right, physical therapists: Danny (the head honcho), Jessica, Andre, Brandy, and Office Manager, Barbara, on the phone:

Last October 28, I hosted a party for Slow Travel friends. I tried to lift a HUGE heavy pan of 14 dozen ravioli in sauce to pour it into a chafing dish. I felt a crunch in my shoulder, and got Brad to pour the contents of the pan for me. On November 1, 2006, my shoulder started hurting. I thought I might have pulled a muscle, so I waited for a few weeks to see if it would go away. Then it was Christmas, and a busy holiday time. In January, I began TRYING to get an appointment with my doctor at Kaiser Permanente (THAT is a whole other story...). The pain got worse in February, and I was FINALLY seen by a doctor on April 2, 2007. I was diagnosed with "frozen shoulder" and immediately began physical therapy.

The treatments include an hour and 15 minutes of supervised exercises, stretching by one of the therapists, and then a treatment of ice, heat, or ultra sound, and eletronic stimulation.

Here is Brandy, STRETCHING my arm after an ultrasound treatment.

When I started therapy, I could raise my arm only 30 degrees (90 is straight up like raising your hand in school). I am now at a painful 86 degrees, and 91 degrees out to the side. I have a ways to go. I also have a routine of exercises and stretches to do at home each day. I can now close the trunk of my car, put coffee in my high microwave, and shut the door of my top oven (all simple things I couldn't do for a while). Drying my hair and hooking a bra behind my back are still TOUGH! The biggest problem has been SLEEP! I am not a pill person, but once or twice a week, I need an Aleve or three Advil and an ice blanket to get to sleep. I have packed a stack of pain patches for our Italy trip. When we get back, I will battle the doctor/insurance for either a cortizone shot, or an MRI to see where we are with treatment.

I have been asked about storage for my hobbies. When we moved to Palm Desert, I got rid of all my old dollhouse/miniature supplies/ tools (Although I still have a HUGE 3 story Tudor dollhouse in the garage that is as big as a sofa...).

In my last house, I had a "Scrapbook ROOM" with all of my art/craft supplies, and a large desk/shelf/drawer area that filled a corner and two walls of the room for my scrapbooking. It doubled as a second guest room. In our current house, that all got condensed to our second guest room closet, where my supplies for scrapbooking and mosiacs still reside.

When I began beading, I knew I could get myself in trouble. A few beads are no big deal, but then you start buying more, and MORE, and...you get the idea.

The smaller beads go into these nifty plastic containers with dividers:

I organize my beads by color:

I found this handy dandy bead storage/travel bag on our April trip to Brevard, NC.

All four bead boxes fold up securely into a tote the size of a 9x12x6" bag.

No, this does NOT go to Italy with me!

We're home, and I survived a long day at work. I am very jet-lagged, and having major Italy withdrawal and Brad withdrawal, as he is back at work in Pasadena. We had such a wonderful trip, and I wish we had another week or 10!

As efficient as I am about packing for a trip, I totally flunk unpacking. I've done two loads of laundry, and the rest of the stuff can sit there for a week for all I care.

It is great to be back with Ego. He missed us a lot, and apparently was a good boy for our dogsitter. The house was nice and clean when we returned.

My feet are still fat! I'm drinking lots of water, and walking as much as I can. I am elevating them in bed, but I can only get on the Italy flip-flops.

Warning: don't look if you have a weak stomach!

Where did my ankles go?

I'll spare you the blister photo! It's better, but not healed yet.

I want gelato, or pasta, or risotto. I want cheese. I am eating fruit and yogurt. I want salami, and pecorino with honey. I have melon, but no prosciutto. Did I mention gelato?

I've been up since 4:30. I need a nap. Reality/re-entry is hard.

The Italian music is on the Ipod, I've been printing my favorite sunflower photos (obviously going to have to stock up on yellow ink cartridges for my printer), and I'm getting back to "almost normal". Tonight I may begin scrapbooking our trip since I have now unpacked the beautiful photo album I bought in Florence.

The first box of ceramics arrived today from Orvieto.

I love my Cinghale Bianco pitcher with some tiny blooms from the yard.

These crappy sunflowers from the grocery store don't look ANYTHING like the girasoli. Why is that?

I am so at peace in Italy. I am not stressed out at home, but I am certainly more restless. I must figure that one out. Is it just being on vacation? Or is it really more to do with Italy itself?

I've been googling recipes. This weekend, we will have an Italian dinner. I need a "fix".

There were so many wonderful people we met in person on our Italy trip! I like to think of them as "new old friends". It is an interesting phenomenon to correspond with people on Slow Travel, read about their life, maybe follow their blog, and have an on-line relationship. Finally, you get to meet in person, but feel like you've known them for a long time.

We met Judith in her charming town of CItta di Castello in northern Umbria. Judith picked up and moved to Italy without looking back. She is a gutsy, talented woman with style, pizazz, and an appreciation of art, fashion, and food. An accomplished chef, she is also a designer, a mom, and a lovely friend.

If you haven't already, check out her blog and her website:
http://judithgreenwood.com/thinkonit/
http://www.judithgreenwood.com/

I've already written about our day with Judith, our LONG lunch, chosing custom shirts for Brad (the cute model on her website), and we were able to visit with her again at the Umbria GTG at Villa Rosy. Judith has a warm heart, and a generous spirt. Forgive me, Judith, but she also has an impish sense of humor that is quick and to the point.

Judith gave us this lovely bowl from a local crafsman. It looks like an eutrscan artifact, and is safe for food. I encased it in my pillow in my carry-on bag to protect it on our way home. I like how it looks in my kitchen with ripe fruit, and I think of Judith every day when I see it!

We've been home a week. My body is on California time, my ankles are "normal", and I have survived a week of work and usual errands. My heart, soul, and most of the time, my brain, remain in Italy. Brad is as bad as I am in his Italy withdrawal. Normal things annoy us that didn't used to...like drivers, like competitiveness, like neighbors who don't say hello.

Friday night, Brad got home late, so we went out for a quick bite at 9 p.m.. As we were leaving the restaurant at 10:00, we looked at the traffic on a busy street. There was a tattoo parlour open, on the block where we parked our car. There were fast food restaurants on two corners. We both got the same sad look in our eyes. I said, "Let's go to the piazza. Oh, there ISN'T one!" No passiagiata for us. We went home and talked about some of the things we missed: the attitude, the beauty, the simplicity, the people, the warmth, the fresh local food, the sharing, the wine, the families out at night... I could go on for pages.

OK, so we live HERE! I decided to have an Italian evening at home on Saturday...and Sunday. I need to stop whining!

We had a truely lovely meal. We sat on our "terrazza" by the pool, with soft Italian music, wine, and twinkling lights in our olive trees. We made strozzapreti together (recipe to follow). We had a wonderful watermelon salad with watermelon, mozzarella, fresh basil, red onion, drizzled with Mauro's wonderful Umbrian olive oil. We drank wine. We laughed. We smelled the rosemary bushes next to us. We planned future trips. We sat outside until we had enough room to eat panna cotta with fresh peaches soaked in Ameretto. We WERE Italian.

Tuesday I began scrapbooking our rercent Italy trip. I have been an enthusiastic scrapper for 7 years. This project will take over the kitchen table for a couple of weeks, as we took lots of photos. I kept a journal during my trip, which when typed, becomes a trip report on Slow Travel. This year I also blogged along the way, though blogs were usually an abbreviated version of my journal. The point is, each day of the trip has text as well as photos to paste into the scrapbook. Then there are the background papers, captions, stickers, adornments, etc. for each page layout. The bonus is that when my scrapbook is finished, my trip report will be written too.

I usually start scrapping around 7 a.m. (after sufficient coffee), and do it on and off all day, between clients, laundry, meals, phone calls, and computer time, until 11 or 12 at night. Except Mondays, when I work 9 hours straight, I can usually figure one day for each day of vacation. I think on this trip, I need to add an extra day or two just for sunflower photos. This is only my third scrapbook day, and I'm on our third day in Florence (page 16 of the album). I print my photos as I go along, so depending on the layout, I can decide what size each photo needs to be. I print most at 5x7 inches, but some at 4x5, or occasionally an 8x10.

This year, I bought a beautiful red leather album at Livium (recommended by Colleen K. in her "Florence Shopping Notes"). There is a watercolor of Florence on the cover. Most of my Italy trips have taken 3-4 albums (volumes) to complete. I will probably have to order another one on-line. I bring an empty folder to collect ticket stubs, maps, brochures, business cards, postcards, etc. to use in my scrapbooking layouts. Then when someone asks me, "Where did you buy...?", I can go back and look.

It should be no surprise to those of you who know me, that when I am in the middle of a project (beading, scrapbooking, baking, party planning, etc.), I tend to obsess. Believe it or not, I have forgotten to eat dinner on nights that Brad is not home. I used to call it, "The Scrapbook Diet".

Back to the kitchen table I go (But I MAY have lunch first!)

The weekend has officially begun.

Brad will be home tonight, and we're having pasta with zucchini.

The clouds and humidity are gone.

The scrapbook is going well.

I get to read Harry Potter this weekend.

I got "SCHMOOZED"! (More on that soon!)

We saw this car on a walk in Montalcino. Have a great weekend!

Valerie, a Slow Travel friend I met in person two weeks ago in Italy, has bestowed me with the honor of a "Schmooze Award"! Valerie and her husband, Bryan moved from New Mexico to Ascoli Piceno, Italy in 2006. Her blog, 2 Baci in a Pinon Tree is a well-written journal of her new life in Le Marche.

Here is the definition of a "Schmoozer".

"This award goes to bloggers “who effortlessly weave their way in and out of the blogosphere, leaving friendly trails and smiles, happily making new friends along the way. They don’t limit their visits to only the rich and successful, but spend some time to say hello to new blogs as well. They are the ones who engage others in meaningful conversations, refusing to let it end at a mere hello - all the while fostering a sense of closeness and friendship.”

My "nominees" are the following:

1. Jerry, my friend, who is affectionately referred to as "my twin" has a great blog for recipes, rants, and other fascinating information. Every night is a dinner party in his kitchen! Jerry is coming to visit me in October, and we are looking forward to a week together in Montisi next May. Jerry's Rants, Musings and Recipes

2. Kathy, or "Teachick", another Slow Travel friend and I have whiled away many hours by my pool with wine, prosecco, tea and coffee. She loves yoga, travel, her cats, and of course, tea. She's a chick who is not afraid to say what's on her mind! Her new blog is definitely worth checking out! Persnickity Tutu

3. Sandi, a southern gal, is always cookin' up something good in her Alabama kitchen. Known as "Bugalu" on Slow Travel, she loves to cook, bead jewelry, and travel. I met Sandi and her husband (Brad's twin) in Brevard last April. She will be joining the group in Montisi next May, so there will be zuccherino in the kitchen at the villa! Whistlestop Cafe Cooking

4. Leslie is my Slow Travel friend from "down under". She teaches computing and third graders in Canberra, Australia. She loves to travel to Italy, play with her cats, and shares beautiful photos and stories of her journeys to bella Italia. Kaleidoscope

5. This Kathy is known as "Kaydee" on the Slow Travel boards. I met Kathy last fall when she flew to Palm Desert and was my "mystery guest" at a Slow Travel Get-Together. Kathy and her family have traveled extensively in Europe, but if you love France, here is a blog for you! She takes groups to the Luberon during the year, and is currently spending the summer with her family in France with fabulous photos of beautiful villages. She may even get me to take a "not Italy" trip someday! The Trail's Our Thing

If you’ve been schmoozed above, here’s what to do:

1. Write a post with links to 5 blogs that have schmoozed you into submission.

2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the award.

3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Power of Schmooze Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote.
* I'm working on this one...I'll post the award as soon as I get the link!

This morning at 8 a.m., Brad and I were having coffee by the pool when our gardner arrived and said there was a woman's purse on the side of the house near the gate where the garbage cans are.

It is true that I have WAY too many handbags, but I have not yet had to store them outside! We looked, and found this scene:

The contents included a SS card, but no wallet, money, or credit cards. There was some broken glass on the street a few houses away. We called the police.

A Palm Desert Police officer arrived promptly, and took a report. Within a half an hour, she called back saying the purse belonged to a guest of our neighbor. She had left it in her car. Someone had broken in to her car, stolen the purse, taken what was of value, and tossed the remains...into our yard. The owner was glad to get her purse, SS card, and photos back!

Crime in suburbia! So much for the "safe gated community".

Most movie critics were not impressed.

Melissa Anderson of Time Out NY slams Catherine Zeta-Jones:

"in this fatally bland star vehicle, CZJ is piquant no more. Based on Mostly Martha, the 2001 German diversion, No Reservations has Welsh Spice playing control freak, awkward maternal figure, insecure suitor—and queen bee in the kitchen of a Bleecker Street bistro. Chef’s whites are not this extravagant diva’s color. Nothing in No Reservations (directed by Shine’s Scott Hicks and written by first-timer Carol Fuchs) allows the actor to bare her fangs à la Joan Crawford as the pie-baking Mildred Pierce. In fact, nothing that comes out of the actor’s mouth sounds even passably like authentic speech. Worse, CZJ and slab of meat Aaron Eckhart exhibit no chemistry (only Little Miss Sunshine registers as a plausible sentient being). But there’s hope: CZJ has been busy lately dismissing rumors that she washes her hair with caviar. If she wanted to save her career, she’d keep mum."

Victoria ALexander of FILMSINREVIEW.com calls it "inconsequential and predictable".

Lou Lumenick of the Washington Post calls it "a soufflé of a romantic and family comedy that stubbornly refuses to rise."

Yet, I thought this was a PERFECT PALMA MOVIE!

Take a sweet love story between two chefs, (who happen to be gorgeous), lots of photography of upscale food, add a cute (and sometimes annoying) precocious child, foodie conversations throughout, and throw in a therapist for good measure. These were the indregients for a delightful, if somewhat predictable, "feel good movie". I thought it was great to see Catherine without makeup, low-cut dresses and bare thighs. I'd like to see a lot more of Aaron Eckhart.

Brad and I enjoyed the movie. It won't win an Oscar, but it was cute and entertaining. We found the "secret" to "Kate's" signature saffron sauce. My favorite part was when perfectionistic "Chef Kate", brought a complete meal to her therapist's appointment. Wonder if any of my clients saw it?

For more reviews, click here.

You know how kids and some adults love junky stuff with their names on it? Souvineer shops sell all kinds of mugs, notepads, magnets, holiday ornaments, bracelets, etc. with common names?

I NEVER see my name on anything. Except in Italy!

Yes, Palma is my REAL name. I get asked this a lot. It has nothing to do with living in Palm Desert. I did not make it up. My maternal grandmother was "Palmina" (little Palma). I have two first cousins named Palma or a derivitive. One goes by Polly, the other, is sometimes Pam at work, Palma in the family.

In Italy, my name pops up... on signs, funeral notices, doors.

This attorney is in Montalcino:

In Montefalco, we found a notice of this Palma's burial service:

Diva sent me a photo of this door in Torino:

Now, about how I came to live on Via Venezia...

Sunday was our "real" anniversary (7 years), and relentless taskmaster that I am, I kept Brad in the kitchen all morning! He had made pasta dough on Saturday, while I zested lemons, grated 6 bricks of gruyere, and made lemon-artichoke pesto/ricotta filling by the bucket! Sunday, I made a GALLON of bechemel, and we were ready to assembly line lasagna! Brad rolled sheets of fresh pasta, while I layered ingredients across the kitchen island. We were done by 12:30, where he got a break to watch Tiger win another golf tournament. The lasagnas are "happily napping" in the freezer until October's GTG.

After an afternoon nap, we headed to Aqua Caliente, our favorite local casino for a couple hours of 25 cent video poker. We do this 2-3 times a year, and I was feeling lucky! I must interject a story of our last "lucky casino day". It was Easter Sunday, 2004, and after a nice bruch out, we decided to have a stop at the casino. I was "feeling lucky" that day too. I asked Brad during brunch if he wanted to share winnings. I suggested, "I'll give you half if I win, and you give me half if you win." He said, "Nah...how about 25%?" I agreed. It was with some glee, that I handed him $500 an hour later, when I hit a Royal Flush, saying only, "You could have had $1000!"

Sunday, after 20 minutes of play, Brad walked up to me and handed me several bills. He was back an hour later with five more hundreds and a big grin. He got his first Royal Flush... in HEARTS, and shared HALF! Oh what fun!

I'm taking a brief break today from my usual blog topics of food, travel, and Italy. I thought I'd share the strange thoughts that struck me yesterday at an odd moment.

Brad and I were running typical Saturday morning errands. On our way to Costco, we stopped at the cleaners for the usual weekly drop-off and pick-up. I waited in the car while Brad went in to the cleaners.

I noticed lots of pigeons on the roof of the building. Actually, there were 57 of them. I was bored, so I counted them. In this moment of observing nature, I noticed a couple of things. The pigeons seemed to be clustered in groups, and some in pairs. They shared the rooftop space. Most of the pigeons were some shade of grey, some with more, or less, black or white feathers. Some were light, some were dark. There was one RED pigeon. Its feathers were the color of a carrot red-headed child with freckles. It stood alone the whole time. Pigeons came and went, flew off, and others joined the group. But no pigeon EVER came near the red one. For some reason, that made me sad. Was he/she lonely? Sick? Did it have a "personality disorder"? Was it ostricized because it was different? Was I just projecting human feelings on these birds? Before I could decide, an interesting thing happened.

ALL 57 pigeons began flapping, and flew off! They scattered in every direction. Then I saw the huge hawk. One of the white pigeons had flown south, and the hawk followed it. In seconds, 56 pigeons returned safely (no, I didn't count them again), but all stood alertly on the peak of the roof, watching toward the south. The red-head was back, and stood off by him/herself, also looking toward the south. They stood like that for a couple of minutes, and then a few went back to their naps, while the majority "stood guard".

By then Brad had returned with our clothes, but I asked him to wait. After another minute or so, I saw the hawk circling back from the north, but all the pigeons were still looking south! The hawk flew past the roof, high above it, on his way to wherever hawks go, as the pigeons continued to face south. The red-head was still alone.

As we drove away, I shared with Brad what I had seen, as well as my thoughts about how it reminded me of a metaphor for our country's "War on Terrorism". We all take our shoes off at the airport, and are not allowed water bottles before passing through security. Maybe we should also look around in other directions?

Anyone know a red-headed pigeon who is looking for a meaningful relationship?

I have nothing to report. I am SO ready! This must be the lull before the storm. My house is clean (except the windows will be done tomorrow). My yard looks nice. The weather is perfect. I bought every cippolini onion in the desert. I haven't run out of fridge space YET. Tomorrow I get to start cooking. Two potential disasters have been solved.

Potential disaster 1: One of my kitchen helpers flaked out. The other, Nina, found me a replacement, and even talked me into a third helper during the dinner "rush hour". Sure, why not? They will get more dishes washed before they leave, and we can party on into the night. (Actually, she asked if the famous "Slowchicks" were performing.)

Disaster 2: Brad and I decided since this has become an ANNUAL event, we might as well invest in buying 48 dinner forks, salad forks, and knives, instead of renting them every year. I ordered some from a restaurant supply company on the internet 2 weeks ago. They confirmed shipping charges, and said 10 days. I hadn't gotten a package yet, so I called their Customer Service # today. Not only have they not shipped, they don't HAVE them, and won't for 3 weeks! Their "automatic email" was not sent to let me know. I told them they had to fix this NOW. They did. We found a similar pattern, IN STOCK, and THEY paid for 1 day air Fed Ex from Colorado. I will have them Thursday morning. Allora!

All is good. I am going to take a nap. Brad will be home tonight. We are excited. OK, I am actually OVER THE TOP CRAZY excited! No more caffine until ...later. I LOVE parties!

Monday has been a VERY long day. I am tired. I worked 8 hours, then 2 more. I will have more coffee and time at home on Tuesday. I will sleep well tonight!

We met for dinner at Piero's Acqua Pazza at "The River", an upscale movie, dining, shopping complex with lots of water features.

Everyone seemed pleased with their menu selections. I didn't take food photos, but saw LOTS of pear-gorgonzola salads and seafood at my table, and many fontina and pancetta stuffed artichokes at Brad's table.

As we left, some of the ladies jumped on the "Babe Wagon" for a photo.

You can view more photos from Acqua Pazza

ALl the GTG photos have been posted on Slow Photos. You can see them here.

The "Something Italian in a bag" mixer was fun. People were very creative! I'll try to remember what people brought. We had olive oil, balsamic vinegar, 00flour, Pocket Coffee, Italian catfood and chocolate with chili pepper, an Italian I.D. card, a story about walking through Italy with a bunion (you had to be there), nail clippers, Italian cough drops, photo of an Italian ghost, an Italian bell and clothespins, a gorgeous liquore bottle, photos, miniature books on Florence museums, a mousepad, Italian comic book, autographed copy of "Best selling Chow Venice", photo of a pizza oven, authentic copy of Columbus' ship, Sue's Italian roomate, Piemonte brochure, Shannon's spray grappa, and many more creative items. Brad wore his Italian shirt, and I shared the secret photo of my pagent in Greve this summer:

How we could eat agin, I'm not sure, but we all met at Keedy's at 10:30 for breakfast.
Keedy's is a Palm Desert Favorite for breakfasts and lunches in an old diner setting with formica tables and a soda fountain counter from the 50's.

Here are the photos from Keedy's.

John and Brad seem to be having fun!

After breakfast, we all split up. Kathy and Terry took jackets up to the Palm Springs Tram, and found it to be 45 degrees and windy.

Gail, Sandi, Jerry, and I went to the College of the Desert Street Fair for a shopping fix, and then took Jerry on a field trip to Trader Joe's. Brad and John came home to nap in front of a football game. I took a much needed 45 minute power nap.

After a quick back yard/champagne flutes clean up, we dragged out ALL the leftovers for a very CASUAL last supper together. It was an evening of merryment, wine, paper plates, and much laughter. I love my Slow Travel buddies! We made some GREAT memories!

I have always loved Halloween! I remember dressing as a young child in a VERY politically incorrect costume as Aunt Jemima (I thought she was all about pancakes), and I loved my mask. Later, I remember being a ghost, a witch, an Oreo cookie, and a California dancing raisin!

Our neighborhood doesn't have too many kids (I think there were 9 or 10 last year), so I give the neighbor kids that I know, full size Snickers bars, and have a bag of mini size "just in case" (Brad is always hopeful they'll be his by 8:30).

My mom always fixed a special Halloween dinner, so I have continued that tradition. The menu varies each year, but dessert ALWAYS is something apple!

Tonight's Menu:

Mango martinis
Stuffed Veal Chops
Pumpkin Polenta
Roasted Acorn Squash with cornbread, chicken-apple sausage, apricot stuffing
Cheddar-crusted Apple Tart

Photos and recipes tomorrow. Have a fun, spooky night!

Every fall, I take out these favorite vases. In November, as "season" begins, and all the snowbirds return to the desert until spring, flowers are planted eveywhere in mass. The roses are in full bloom, along with gazillions of pansies, geraniums, snapdragons, impatients, Asian poppies, and the bouganvilla is quite happy! New lawns are at their greenest, and the palm trees flutter in the breeze. No fall color here. It looks a lot like spring. For those beautiful fall hues check out Mary's gorgeous photos on her blog from Umbria. These are the fall scenes I dream of:

Autumn colors in Umbria

I cut roses every day, and love to put a single flower in my "eggplant". One bloom works in the "pattypan squash", with Asian poppies that look like tissue paper in the "zucchini". Pansies look like little smiling faces in the yellow "crookneck". Yes, it is still 80 degrees here. I'm looking forward to some cool fall San Francisco weather for Thanksgiving!

Christmas came early when the Fed Ex man arrived with two large boxes! The Rampini ceramics I purchased in August arrived! They said it would be 3-4 months, and I was hoping to have them for the Desert GTG, but they are here now! Woo hoo! As they match my yellow chargers, I bought 8 plates, 8 salad plates, 8 pasta/cereal bowls, a platter, and a pasta serving bowl.

How cute are these bowls in my glass door cabinets?

The platter is so much fun, I might need to leave it on display all the time!

I REALLY hate garage sales. Only thing worse than going to a garage sale is HAVING a garage sale! I had one three years ago when we downsized homes. We are not allowed to have one in our gated community, so we rented a truck, and moved everything to a friend's garage for the weekend. I swore I would NEVER do it again, but here I was yesterday, up at 5, and hauling boxes our to the driveway at 6:00 in a very cold wind!

Our gated community decided to do a "one shot deal". 10 Families participated (each in their own garage or driveway). It went from 8-12. We had people there before 7:00. Hey, I'm all for getting up early to SHOP, but that would be only for a day at Nordies or if Saks had a blowout! OK, I'd go to Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, or William-Sonoma if they had a 50% off thing going on too!

We sold almost half our stuff in the first hour, much more by 10:00. The wind was killing me. By 11:00, we packed up the few things that were left for charity, took our $432 profit, and went in where it was warm! The truck arrived to take our leftovers at noon, and my garage is HALF empty and ready for a car!

A couple friends asked me home much stuff did I buy at other houses? I never even looked at other people's yards. I have enough stuff of my own. OK, while I didn't walk to any garages, my friend Diana, brought a couple of boxes of things over and sat with me. I traded her a game for a great grapevine cheese basket!

While I have enjoyed seeing all our east coast and Canadian friends' snow photos, I couldn't do it...not even for a gorgeous Christmas (well, maybe in Italy...).

It has hovered in the low 60s here, and at night and early morning it is in the 40s. This is way crisp enough for me, and I love wearing my cashmere turtlenecks, holiday sweaters, and wool jackets.

At this time of the year, we seem to have brilliant blue skies with gorgeous sunsets every night! There is still some of the frozen white stuff at the top of our nearest mountains. That is close enough to snow for me!

We spent a lovely evening out to dinner with friends and good food on New Year's Eve at The Chop House.

I began the evening with a Pomegranite "Martini".

My appetizer was a delicious plate of escargot!

I was able to eat half of my rack of lamb entree!

Brad polished off his WHOLE veal chop and the mushroom risotto!

I passed on the chocolate dessert shared by the table. (I don't do chocolate!) But I do love those square plates!

Here are Brad and Betsy:

Les and Palma:

I apologize to Mike and Jan, but trust me, you would NOT have wanted your picture posted!

We toasted to a Happy and Healthy 2008 with a luscious bottle of Veuve Clicquot.

We are looking forward to a great 2008!

I don't like New Year's Resolutions becuase mine always start out with "lose weight".
It seems like a set up for guilt. Of course there is always hope, and the annual soup diet!

This year I decided to just write the three things I KNOW I want to do:

1. Go on as many trips as possible.
2. Drink more wine (I am a lightweight.).
3. Bake more bread and pretty cakes.

I have a good start on #1.
January: Las Vegas
February: Slow Bowl in Paso Robles
March: Arizona weekend with Roxanne
April: Savannah Gathering
May: Rome and Montisi
September: Three more weeks in Italy (Liguria, Piemonte, Lake Como and Bologna)
November: Thanksgiving in San Francisco

I love being home in June, July and August when it is very hot. I mostly live in the pool, and can be rested and relaxed for Italy. October I'll be busy with the THIRD ANNUAL Desert GTG, and December is always busy with holiday fun. I just need a break from Christmas trees right now!

I hope everyone has a healthy, exciting and memorable 2008!

January has always been my least favorite month of the year. It is COLD. The bustle and company of holidays and celebrations is over. Spring is a distant wish. I often get bored.

This year, there will be no chance for either boredom or that mild winter depression. I am feeling pretty good about January. I have many fun "duties, tasks, and responsibilities" that need to get done for the Savannah Gathering to keep me occupied.

We are looking forward to a great weekend with Ida and Bill in Las Vegas later this month. The Slow Bowl is just a few weeks away! Italy is just a few months away!

January is traditionally a time for reflection. Yesterday, I spent quite a while pondering life and counting my blessings. I have so many blessings!

I have a loving, supportive spouse who puts up with my flaws and encourages my strengths.

We are both in relatively good health.

I have FABULOUS close friends who are like family.

I have a job that doen't feel like working, and I have amazing clients and eager interns to supervise.

I have people in my life who "get" how Italy fills my soul, and we will have not one, but TWO "fixes" this year!

I have a sweet, loving, dog, who at 15, still thinks he is a puppy.

I live in a safe, comfortable home that I am able to share with friends.

I have good food available to me, and MANY new recipes to try in 2008.

I have values that allow me to like and respect myself, my honesty, and my integrity.

I continue to work on eliminating a few things from my life: negativity, those who are judgemental, those who put down others to make themselves feel better, and those who misrepresent themselves. I cherish people who know they can just be REAL, and are not afraid to do so. I continue to work on "not sweating the small stuff".

I have learned as a therapist, that (though this is a HUGE generalization), most people's greatest fears are being abandoned, or being vulernable. Sure, there are many other fears in life, but most fall into one or the other of these biggies.

This weekend I am very grateful for my sorority sisters/old college roomates. We have stayed close for 38 years. One of our close knit "family" lost her father in December. We will all gather in Fresno to support our friend, and to celebrate her father's life at a memorial service tomorrow. We will then gather over food and wine, and give Tammy's dad a wonderful send-off. We will cry, and I'm sure, laugh together, as we have done with each other for 38 years. We are all so blessed to come together in happy and sad times.

I think January 2008 will be just fine!

It seems strange to say that is was "uplifting" to go to a Memorial service for my friend, Tammy's dad, but it was such a lovely celebration of his life!

As we entered the funeral home, we were given a red, white and green "Italian Ribbon" to wear.

Pete loved fast cars and boats. A family friend had flowers made into a sports car.

He loved music, and a few of his favorites were played throughout the service:
"Fly Me to the Moon", "Natural Man" by Lou Rawls, and the service ended with Sinatra singing "My Way". A fantastic slide show was put to music and made into a video with photos from Pete's life with his family and friends. We laughed and we cried at the beautiful tribute.

A few years ago, I made our close group of sorority sisters a photo bracelet with six tiny photos of us circling each wrist. Connie wore hers and , though we were right behind the family at the service, she put it on Tammy's wrist to remind her, we were right there with her, enbracing her with our love and support.

After the service, Tammy's mom and family welcomed all those who attended to a fabulous lunch reception at a favorite Fresno restaurant. There were huge platters of antipasti, salad, fruit, pasta, chicken, zucchini, and Italian sausage. There were dolci and plenty of red wine.

Tammy's mom, Ann, was beautiful and gracious. Her parents had been married for 58 years. The day was a truly wonderful tribute to Tammy's dad. Here we are with Tammy.

Peter Sciaroni has been well-loved, and will be missed by many.

Several blogs I read have recently posted "100 Things About Me". A first I thought it would be very difficult to think of that many things. It has taken me a couple of days to complete my list, (and they were BUSY days) but here we go:

1. I was born on my father's 65th birthday.
2. I am an only child.
3. I grew up in Fresno, CA
4. I was in drama and on the debate team in high school.
5. I majored in Child Development at CSUFresno.
6. I am an Alpha Xi Delta (alumnae).
7. My favorite color is green.
8. I am passionate about Italy (and all things Italian).
9. My first car was a '68 Camero.
10. I taught 4th and 8th grade, and was a Vice-principal.
11. I currently drive a green '97 Seabring convertible.
12. I met Brad in 1997 at a beach party GTG with a group from an AOL Divorce chat
room.
13. We dated for 3 years, and married in 2000.
14. I love to cook and bake, because
15. I love to EAT! (Obsessed with food is more accurate.)
16. I live in a "Tuscan" looking house in Palm Desert.
17. I make beaded jewelry.
18. I enjoy scrapbooking our trips and GTGs
19. I hate most exercise except swimming, shopping (hey, it's a sport...), and I walk
A LOT in Italy. When I force myself to exercise, I do feel virtuous afterwards.
20. I am in a book club (and love to read).
21. I like oldies, pop, classical and smooth jazz.
22. I have a 15 year old cockapoo dog named Ego. I miss his brother, Id.
23. I love to dress up, but live in my jeans or capris at home.
24. My favorite places are Umbria, Piemonte, and the Amalfi coast.
25. Favorite Italian cities are Rome, Bologna, Venice, and Florence (in that order)
26. Favorite smaller towns in Italy are Pienza, Montefalco, and Acqui Terme (soon to
add Montisi)
27. Favorite U.S. cities are Palm Desert, San Francisco, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and
Scottsdale, AZ (Guess I need to explore farther east!)
28. I have always lived in California.
29. My favorite comfort food is Mac and Cheese (mine).
30. I wear yellow gold jewelry.
31. I'm pretty much a girly-girl.
32. I watch very little TV, but DO watch the following: 24, American Idol, Top Chef,
Grey's Anatomy, Desparate Housewives, The Practice, the Food Network, Project
Runway, and the Travel Channel and PBS.
33. I love to entertain.
34. I like jigsaw puzzles.
35. My shower/hair/makeup routine takes me 15 minutes, and I hate to primp.
36. My favorite holidays are Christmas and Easter.
37. I change my dining room table settings at least once a month.
38. I have a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology.
39. As a licensed therapist, I specialize in working with couples.
40. I have great vision, lousy teeth, and bad feet.
41. I hate cauliflower, beets and all beans except green beans.
42. I love any cheese.
43. I drink only white wine: mostly Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc and am hooked on
Brachetto di Acqui. I am a lightweight, and don't drink very often.
44. I get up early, stay up late, and love naps.
45. If I can't be in Italy, I love the beach and warm weather destinations.
46. I have never been on ice skates, skis, roller skates, a skateboard, or rollerblades.
47. I have been to the following states: Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Washington,
Colorado, Louisiana, North Carolina, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Conneticut,
Massachusets, Pennsylvania, Alaska and Hawaii.
48. I drink LOTS of coffee.
49. I own a beachfront condo in Maui with my ex-husband.
50. I've never eaten a pickle, chili beans, or an avocado.
51. I love to sing!
52. I am tender-headed, and my feet are ticklish.
53. I will spend a total of 37 days in Italy this year.
54. I am an extrovert, but sometimes shy.
55. I have always struggled with my weight.
56. I don't like chocolate.
57. My favorite desserts are panna cotta, caramel things, lemon things and gelato.
58. I love snorkeling, especially with turtles.
59. I have never had a massage (except by spouse), pedicure, or facial.
60. I love to play board or card games.
61. My current favorite is "Catchphrase" (regular, or musical version)
62. In Las Vegas, I play 25 cent video poker...for hours!
63. My favorite places to shop for chothes are Nordstrom, Chicos, and a small local
boutique called "Complements".
64. My favorite children's book is Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No
Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst.
65. I love mysteries and psycological thrillers. Every once in a while I read a "girl
book".
66. I loved the Harry Potter books, and the Chronicles of
Narnia.
67. Some of my other favorite authors are: James Patterson, Janet Evanovich, Jodi
Picoult, David Baldacci, Steven King, Dean Koontz, and oh so many more!
68. Pet peeves: People who are inconsiderate, very negative, or judgemental.
69. I cry at sappy movies or even commercials.
70. Once I taught a water aerobics class.
71. I have two phobias: rodents and falling. (not heights, as I love scary rides, tall
buildings, and airplanes, but don't like balance beams, standing on ladders, or
climbing rocks. I like to be IN SOMETHING if I am more than a foot off the ground.
72. My favorite flowers are daffodils, tupips, and Casablanca lilies.
73. I don't like RED roses. I really like coral, yellow, and leonidas (our wedding) are
my favorite.
74. My favorite junk food is Cheetos or Hawaiian chips.
75. I would rather have NO popcorn, than popcorn without butter.
76. My only surgery or stay in the hospital was when I had my tonsils out at age 12.
77. I can hit a golf ball straight, but not very far.
78. Unfortunately (at times), my motto is: "If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing."
79. I love Merry-go-rounds.
80. Sometimes life is like a Merry-go-round!
81. I am organized about things I like: parties, Christmas, trip planning, my closet,
my house. But I hate paperwork, and I have no idea where last month's phone bill
is (maybe in that stack on the desk?).
82. I have been told I am very flexible.
83. I love surprises!
84. I collect Italian ceramics, and I have WAY too many sets of dishes. I like them.
85. One of my favorite charities is Gilda's Club (support for cancer patients and their
families).
86. Once I LITERALLY bumped into Candice Bergen walking down the street in San
Francisco.
87. I love to read on a raft in my pool (with sunscreen).
88. As a child I had crushes on Spin and Marty (Micky Mouse Club), David McCallum
(Man from U.N.C.L.E.), "Jeff" on Donna Reed, and I pretended Annette Funicello
lived in my room. I also had an imaginary dog named "Buster".
89. I display unusual martini glasses on our bar.
90. I have 41 evening bags.
91. My birthday is May 12 and Brad's is May 10.
92. I grew up and lived in Fresno until age 33, spent 18 years in the Bay Area, and
have lived in the desert since May, 2000.
93. I have always lived in a suburban neighborhood.
94. There was a time when I loved cruises. (That time is over.) I've been on 19.
95. I've lived in 7 houses (and two apartments, and a sorority house) in my 55 years.
96. I've worn Shalimar scent for 35 years.
97. I like watching basketball. I can do without football.
98. I speak Italian enough to get by, and keep getting better.
99. I've only seen snow (close enough to touch), 5 times in my life.
100. A perfect day would include: a warm sunny day in the Italian countryside,
overlooking a vineyard, a picnic with Brad, and some paint supplies. Later there
would be pasta.

Ok, I admit, I have always been somewhat Francophobic. It must be genetic. I respect all cultures, but France is NOT a place I have ever yearned to visit. I have NO desire to ever see Paris, and I'm afraid if I ever went to Provence (and I'd probably love it), I would be wishing I was in Italy instead. French food is good. Italian food is wonderful. My friends who love to travel to France insist I need to give it a try. The language, though many think is the most beautiful romance language in the world, makes my skin crawl, and I don't think I could stand a visit for that reason alone. If Brad wants to REALLY bug me, he can scrape his nails on a blackboard, or speak a few words in French. The result is the same. I do give the French credit for good bread, cheese, and croissants.

Here I am in Las Vegas. I am actually feeling very French-friendly. This is good, because we are at the Paris Hotel! Our corner room (can't beat the $57 deal we got) is really lovely, and the view is wonderful. This is what we can see from our bed:

The other window:

We slept with all the drapes open, so this was the first sight I saw when I opened my eyes today:

I've been a Caesar's Palace girl for over 30 years. We have also frequented the Venetian, when we had enough points for a comp room. I love the Bellagio. The Italian -like surroundings, while done in "overdone" and sometimes even tacky Vegas style, work for me. So do the Forum Shops.

The gambling at Paris has allowed me to play for a long time and stay within my daily budget. That is always good! The shopping was weak, at best, but I did manage to find two pair of sandals. This month my book club got me to read a mystery set in the Jewish ghetto of Paris. (Murder in the Marais by Cara Black) I enjoyed the book. Maybe some champagne will help adjust my no-France attitude?

Nah...there's always Prosecco.

I took this photo, as it is not likely that I will ever see the REAL DEAL.

We had breakfast Saturday at the Terrace Restaurant over looking the pool at the Wynn.
Those sunny yellow cups are a great way to start the day. Ok, obviously, since I was dressed and walking, it was my FOURTH cup of coffee.

Then we had a great breakfast.

After breakfast we walked around by the pool.

We threw away $20 each into the video poker machines, and I went shopping. In 10 minutes, I had a VERY cute new bathing suit in a Wynn shopping bag.

Then we found the "Parasol Lounge". Giant parasols hang from the ceiling, but the view looks through a three-story glass to a lake with a huge marble wall of water cascading into it. The picture doesn't do it justice.

When in a casino, I ONLY play video poker. I have my own "system" and rules for myself.

1. I have a $100 limit (per day in Las Vegas), or per evening when we go to a local casino, and I do NOT go over this. We go to Las Vegas once or twice a year, and to local casinos 3 or 4 times a year.

2. I never drink alcohol when gambling. I nurse a diet Pepsi, or I would get sleepy and stupid.

3. I can usually play at LEAST 2-3 hours on this limit.

4. If I lose my money, I leave, or go do something else until Brad is done.

5. I always place the maximum bet. I play 25 cent machines, so it costs $1.25 per deal.

6. I play in casinos where I will get "points" for future stays, comps, or other "deals".

7. Brad and I both play under one name. For example, at the local casinos, we both play as Brad. In Las Vegas, when at Caesar's Palace(or any casino in the now Harrah's conglomerate), we both play as Palma. At the Venetian, we are both Brad. This allows a couple to combine their play for points.

8. I play for 4 of a kind, I almost never hold cards for a straight, unless I get a "feeling". I am often dealt a straight. I always go for 4 towards a flush. I expect to get 2-4 Four of a KInds in an evening.

9. Now we get to the part that is irrational, and has no logic, except "Palma logic".
If $100 is my limit for the day, I expect, and am prepared to lose it by the end of the evening without disappointment. However, if at the end of the evening, I then have $150, (in reality I have WON $50), I feel like I have WON $150 (having $150 more than I planned). Now $150 goes into the category of "free shopping money"!

10. Brad and I have a deal. We can individually win up to $100. If we win over $100, we split our winnings with our spouse. Two chances to win big. The first time I proposed this, was an Easter Sunday a couple of years ago. We had a nice brunch, and then went to a casino. I proposed the 50% split, and Brad said, "No, let's do 25%."
I won $2000 that day with a beautiful royal flush in hearts. I laughed as I handed him five $100 bills. Then we changed it to 50% for the future!.

On another visit to Las Vegas, we were gambling at Caesar's Palace. Brad won $700 at a machine right behind me. He handed me $350. I pulled my card out of my machine, cashed out, chugged my diet Coke, and grabbed my purse. He asked where I was going. He barely heard me say, "Duh....the Forum Shops, and I know EXACTLY what I'm getting." I was back in 10 minutes with my beautiful Stuart Weitzeman gold sandals (and change).

On a serious note, I am a responsible gambler, but understand the "rush" of winning. Gambling can be a serious addiction. It is quite a problem here in the desert. There are 6 Native American casinos close by. There are lots of retired seniors. Buses pick them up and take them to the casinos. It can be quite a compulsion, leading to financial ruin. Gamblers Anonymous has 20 question "test" to determine is someone's gambling is an addiction. Here is the link.
Other info and how to get help for compulsive gambling is available on their website here.

The new "Palazzo" Hotel opened in Las Vegas last Friday, and we visited it on Saturday. It is the newest luxury property on the Strip, next to it's sister property, the Venetian Hotel and Casino. We apparantly missed the VIP Grand Opening extravaganza, complete with star-studded events, music, fireworks, light show and a concert hosted by Wayne Brady, with performances by Seal, Andy Garcia, the Cineson All-Stars, the cast of Jersey Boys (permenantly playing in the theater) and a performance by Diana Ross. Our invitation must have been lost in the mail.

The hotel is designed to resemble an Italian palace. European ambience and luxury amenities are featured in the spacious suites. There is a stunning atrium, a two-story waterfall, a three-story Barneys New York, and 20 upscale shops and stores (connecting to the existing Venetion Canal Shoppes).

While I have no delusions of paying to STAY there, the restaurant choices are quite spectacular. Featured restaurants include CarneVino by Mario Batali, CUT by Wolfgang Puck, Table 10 by Emeril Lagasse, and Restaurant Charlie by Charlie Trotter!

The Palazzo also has the world's largest Canyon Ranch SpaClub, Jay-Z's signature 40/40 Club, and even the Strip's first Lamborghini dealership.

Rates for two nights in May in a room with a view would run around $900. The cost of a weekend would buy us several nights at a lovely accomodation in Italy. It is a beautiful property, but a no-brainer for our travel budget.

We first saw this one-man Broadway hit, by Rob Becker, ten or eleven years ago in San Francisco, when free tickets were given to all Marriage Family Therapists for a premiere performance. The theme is male-female differences. My jaw hurt from laughing. I went back and saw it again with friends.

We attended a Sunday matinee performance last weekend in Las Vegas, and it is still very funny. The Las Vegas production is performed by comedian, Kevin Burke.

The show has been updated, but is still a "feel good" hour and a half of humor, pointing out some of the reasons men and women have been different since the time of the "hunters and gatherers". You will see couples in the audience poking their spouses and looking at each other like, "Yeah, that's us!" Kevin, while following the script, still interacts with audience members. The description of a couple shopping always has me howling.

Though of course this is a comedy, it may hit very close to home for many couples, allowing us to laugh about gender differences, chuckle at the over-generalizations, and appreciate both our own gender and the opposite sex more than when you walked into the theater! The show is traveling around the country. Go with your spouse, partner, or a group of same-gender friends!

Happy Monday! This is a busy week...four work days, then we are off to the SlowBowl weekend in Paso Robles. For anyone living where it is stormy, cold, wet, or snowy, here is a little sign of spring and sunshine! Brad often runs Saturday errands, coming home with a non-caloric "treat" for me. He says it's "Just 'cause you deserve them!"

Last weekend we had a wonderful evening with our friends Fiona and Steve. Also at dinner were Richard and Ted. Some of you may have seen Richard the past two seasons on American Inventor. Richard designed and marketed his product, My Therapy Buddy, a theraputic doll that hugs you and says, "Everything is going to be alright."

Fiona always sets a spectacular table. She used black linens, gold cherubs, TONS of red candles, and a Valentine's theme. Notice the placecards, "crackers", and party favors at each placesetting. After appetizers, we began dinner with a heart-shaped plate of salad with raisins and goat cheese.

Our entree was rice and chicken curry.

I brought dessert, Gina's three cheese tart, with Jerry's Meyer Lemon-Blueberry preserves, that I made that morning. The wine flowed. The conversation and a "party mixer game" were lots of fun!

Today, February 1st, "National Wear Red Day", is the kickoff of American Heart Month.
We can help build awareness that women are at-risk for heart disease, BUT we can take steps to live healthier lives, and learn more about reducing the risks of heart disease.

The Red Dress is the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness. The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute is sponsering all kinds of events this month.

Wear something RED today!
Take a walk.
Eat some oatmeal.
Read this free booklet:

Here is a great reference, the Healthy Heart Handbook for Women.

Here is a quote I liked from the Handbook:
"The Heart Truth means taking care of yourself and your heart-inside and out. It is a long-term committment and goal to live a healthy life, one that is harmonious."
-Orlinda

My work deals more with the "broken heart", the "lonley heart", and sometimes the
"cold hearted", "chicken hearted", or life's "heartaches".
While you are being "heart smart" by watching cholesterol levels, and eating good food, it is also important to remember to take care of our mental health and "have a heart".

Call a friend you miss and tell them you miss them.
Say "I love you" all the people you want to know that.
Make 5 people smile today.
Tell someone why you appreciate them.
Hug yourself and at least three others.
Say "I'm sorry" to anyone you think should hear that from you.
Thank You for reading my blog!

I know this is "old news", but we had such a wonderful time at the Slow Bowl, I wanted to give everyone there a bunch of flowers, so here they are, from my yard. I appreciate every one of my Slow Bowl buddies, and here are some of the reasons why:

Shannon: REAL, funny, crazy, and so utterly herself and comfortable in her own skin, it is always refreshing! Besides her talents of organization, and gracious party hostess, Shannon is in the dictionary next to the word COOL (without trying to be).

Deborah: What a delightful treat to meet (again) Deborah's infectious laughter, generosity, and warmth is unparalleled. The "hootch" and gifts were frosting on the party cake. A St Louis GTG will be a must!

Sue and Dave: My "outdoor buds" and always a delight! Dave inspired me to make eggplant parm after 30 years of not eating any of my mom's. Keep cooking! The duckfat fried Mac & cheese, was a kick, (but I only got a bite, because I SHARED the last piece!).

Jill: I am really enjoying Jill's blog, and look forward to introducing her to some of my southern Slow Travel friends in Savannah!

Eden: My pre-ST friend, you are inspiring, encouraging, and always fun to see!

Judy and Bill: I love Judy's wit, dry humor, and I LOVE it when she speaks to me in Italian!!! Bill is just a sweetheart!

Wendy&Rob: The camera twins! Enthusiasm doesn't begin to cover it! I was touched on the ride home from the wineries, at how Wendy spent a good deal of time explaining the Slow Travel community to our trolley driver, Charlie. Friendly and welcoming!

Jerry& Paul: What can I say? I love my nutty bro! He brought me lattes at ungodly morning hours, shared treats and sweets, and it was a pleasure to meet gentle Paul, a wonderful balance to my "naughty twin".

Marcia and Dave: Always fun to know if I'm at a GTG, there will be time to relax and hang out with constant, easy-going friends! We will never run out of stuff to talk about!

Kim & Chris: WooHoo! I finally met Kim and Chris. Some people, though you have just "met", you feel you've known a long time. I enjoy Kim's quick retorts, enthusiasm for fun, and ability to be at ease with anyone. I also enjoyed a late night chat with Chris about the desert, and possible places to live.

Sharon: I love Sharon's smile. It gets even bigger and cuter with wine! She is also a fabulous cook, and we can count on amazing things coming from the kitchen when Sharon is around!

Gloria and Alex: If I was ever feeling lousy about myself, Gloria is who I would call. She ALWAYS makes me feel like a million bucks! It was nice to have Alex join the crowd this year.

Marcie and Pete: Fun, friendly, helpful, (Pete, I saw you do that sink full of dishes!), and I had the treat of seeing the darling cherub-faced kids in the parking lot of Melody Ranch!

Joan and Fred: I love to watch the way Joan and Fred are with each other. They are such a great example of a healthy, loving marriage. We should all watch their easy, calm, thoughtful attention to each other. We will have more fun together at the Gathering!

Colleen: She is SO thoughtful. (I will share on another blog the perfect little gift she brought me!) Fun, tactful, open, and empathetic...all perfect for a Mod!

Beth: Enthusiastic and so happy to be out and about with this group, and a real Slow Travel fan!

Marian:Our Slow Travel Matriarch: I enjoyed having more time to get to visit with Marian this year and also our time at Pasolivo. Thanks for the great cheeses.

Chris and Frank: I enjoy Chris's constant smile and calmness (and of course her yummy baked goods!) I had more of a chance to enjoy Frank and learn about his joy of reading in a discussion of favorite books and authors. I LOVE how he keeps track of books he has read!

Cathy T: What a delight for Brad to find that he and Cathy were classmates from the same high school in Daly City in 19__, well...enough said! We both enjoyed the walk through memory lane with Cathy!

Angie: Great to see you again with your charming guy!

Marta: Friendly, calm, easy Marta. She is always helpful and kind! I love counting on seeing her at the Slowbowl. Marta knows a lot about a LOT of things! I missed George this year.

Luisa and Rose: My closest "neighbor", so why do we only see each other at GTGs? I really enjoyed sipping wine and "hoarding the chair" with Louisa and Rose during our before-dinner chat!

Krista & Steve: Can it be that we met only one year ago at the SlowBowl 1??? They sure FEEL like old easy friends. Krista is a fabulous baker, a helpful friend, and Brad and I love to spend time hanging out with these two friendly "tech savvy" STers!

Darci:Funny, easy-going, and a contagious good mood!

Nancy and Joanne: Sweet, soft-spoken, thoughtful Nancy and Joanne brought me a delicious bottle of fig syrup. The apple salad was the BEST batch ever (and I've sampled three).

Cheryl: I love to listen to Cheryl talk...especially about Italy! Her natural warmth is always evident, from a hug hello, to a quiet conversation.

Charity & Bill: Interesting, curious, and great mixers! I was amazed I was able to resist taking that whole dish of brie and fig preserves to "disappear" into a bedroom somewhere. YUM!

Kathy (Teachick): Our zany "Yoga-Guatemala Girl" always has an adventure to share, a man in pursuit, and is guaranteed to entertain us.

Susa:It was fun to hear about Sue's recent Puglia adventure, and sneak outside in the rain on Saturday.

Stephanie and Greg:Brad and I both were able to enjoy a nice amount of time with Stephanie and Greg, in fun conversation. How cute are their dogs? We'd HAVE to get together when they are in the desert!

You guessed it...we go all out around our house for this day. In reality, I feel like every day is Valentine's Day. Brad and I have learned to show our love for each other in a way that keeps us constantly aware of how we complete each other, and we both appreciate how special that is and how lucky we are.

It's not ALL luck. Sure, we have our spats, disagreements, tired or irritable moods, and occasional hurt feelings. We handle them pretty well, and we learn from them. We were both blessed with families where we felt loved as children, and learned a lot about what a healthy relationship looked like from our parents' marriages. We weren't ALWAYS this "love smart", but we WERE both in long term first marriages that ended, and we learned what DOESN'T work.

What I teach my couples in therapy about healthy relationships is what we try to live each day. (THAT is at least a weeks worth of blog topics for sometime...) In a nutshell, I believe that there are three key areas in a great marriage:
1. Having a solid friendship: common goals and values, laughing and having fun together, enjoying some of the same things (and respecting different interests or passions), appreciating each other's strengths and accepting each other's limitations, easy companionship and joy of being together.
2. Passion and Romance: Attraction, romantic love, sex, playfulness
3. Intimacy: Trust, respect, communication, being able to feel safe - even when most vulnerable. Intimacy is knowing that you get to be completely yourself (the good, the bad and the ugly), and your partner will still love you, and vice versa.

*In contrast, what will KILL a relationship is criticism, contemptuous looks, blame, control, manipulation, disrespect, dishonesty, lack of responsibility, mistrust, withdrawing attention and affection, and avoiding difficult issues.

Nurture your love. Pay attention to each other. Think about what is good for the "us".
Love yourself. Appreciate. Share feelings. Air problems in a respectful way. "Fight" fairly. Take responsibility. It's really easy!

So lets get back to Valentine's Day festivities!
We give each other numerous cards, with beautiful, "mushy", heartfelt love notes written inside. We exchange a gift. We eat a lovely dinner. We are affectionate. I'll leave the rest to the imagination.

We had our "Valentine Dinner last night, as Brad is home on Wednesdays. I will post photos and recipes of it tomorrow. I promised Valentine food all week, so here is a preview of dessert:

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Last weekend, we went out to dinner with our friends, Fiona and Steve. We tried a new, upscale Italian restaurant in Palm Desert called "La Spiga". The building itself is beautiful, and looks like a lovely Tuscan villa.

We started with a cocktail in the comfortable lounge near the cozy fireplace. They made a great pomegranate martini.

We were seated for dinner on the terrace. It was quite comfortable, as the daytime high was 77 that day, and there were heaters on the patio as it cooled off. The restaurant has a huge "back yard", complete with Italian fountain, covered "smoking area" by an outdoor fireplace for cigar lovers and diehard smokers, and a large herb garden and lawn.

Brad and I shared an appetizer of the "house" homemade Italian sausage. It was spicy, and quite good. (Sorry about the blurry photo, but that was right after the martini and a glass of wine.)

Brad had the seabass, and enjoyed the preparation.

My veal medallions, topped with prawns, topped with mozzarella were fabulous!

Price per couple with a drink, wine and tip: $156.

We gathered just last month at another father's funeral. Yesterday we were in Oakland to say good-bye to Kim's dad.

Kim has been my friend since 1971. We were sorority sisters, roommates after college, and I was maid of honor in Kim and Ed's wedding 28 years ago. During our college years, and later, I often visited Kim's parents' home in Orinda. Kim's dad was always a joy to be around. He was bigger than life, a handsome businessman and ex-FBI agent, who welcomed Kim's friends and always had good stories to share. I have very fond memories of visits to Kim's family's home.

I was looking forward to a "mostly" day off yesterday. I booked just a couple of clients since the agency where I work on Mondays had the President's Day holiday. When I learned the funeral would be on Monday, it only took a few phone calls to rearrange the day. I booked flights in and out of Ontario to Oakland, cancelled clients, and called my other "sisters" to arrange pick-up and drop-off at the Oakland airport.

It was a long day. I left my house at 5:15 AM, drove to Ontario, and flew to Oakland. Joy picked me up at the airport, and we met the rest of the gang at the church. After the service, there was a very nice buffet lunch, and we had some time with Kim. I was back at the Oakland airport by 2:45, and got a 4 PM plane back to Ontario. I was home in the desert by 7.

I am SO glad I was able to be there for Kim. Our presence meant a lot to her. She was very close to her dad, and always a wonderful daughter to him. After a long illness, he is at peace and at rest. Our loyal group of sorority sisters are "the family we have chosen". We are there when one of us needs support or has an occasion to celebrate!

I was hooked completely after reading the first paragraph of Lori Lansen's book, The Girls:

"I have never looked into my sister's eyes. I have never bathed alone. I have never stood stood in the grass at night and raised my arms to a beguiling moon. I've never used an airplane bathroom. Or worn a hat. Or been kissed like that. I've never driven a car. Or slept through the night. Never a private talk. or a solo walk. I've never climbed a tree. Or faded into a crowd. So many things I've never done, but oh, how I've been loved. And, if such things were to be, I'd live a thousand lives as me, to be lived so exponentially."

The Girls was recommended to me by a friend. All I knew was that it was a story of twenty-nine year old conjoined twin women. I bought the book, but I was reading something else, and I like to read only one book at a time. I "snuck a peak" at the first page, and wanted to fling the book I WAS reading out the window, and read The Girls cover to cover!

This is the bittersweet story of the amazing relationship of twin sisters joined at the head. As I quickly finished my bookclub's mystery so I could get back to The Girls, I kept trying to imagine all the physical limitations this would create. How would their individual personalities and be effected by this genetic rarity? I found that the physical issues, while fascinating to imagine, were NOT what was so compelling about the story.

Ruby and Rose's relationship was unique and as close as any two individuals could physically or emotionally be. Their childhood was at times, heartbreaking. They were raised in a very special family and encouraged to pursue their different interests, use each other's strengths, and always to love each other. They grew up to be remarkable young women.

I laughed, I cried, I read parts aloud to Brad, and I was mesmerized by the amazing writing. I had to keep reminding myself that this was fiction, and NOT a memoir, yet the story was so believable, and so wonderful, you just FELT that it was based on real people. The balance of Rose and Ruby's "togetherness" and "individuality" was very well-done. Family members "Aunt Lovey" and "Uncle Stash" were also brought to life in their tiny farm community and on their stressful trip to Slovakia. The Girls was truly a novel about love, courage, incredible patience, acceptance and being "different". It is a book I will not forget.

It is raining today! It's a warm spring rain.

The flowers are happy.

It is such a rare event in the desert, that everyone gets very excited. People here (except those natives of the Pacific Northwest) seem to be clueless about how to drive when it is wet. We all have to figure out WHERE is that windsheild wiper knob thingy on the car? I put socks and closed-toed shoes on! (rarer than rain)

The flowers are REALLY happy! Spring is coming! I'm SO ready!

Weekend forecast. Rain gone and mid 70's. 80's by next weekend!

I THINK there is an umbrella somewhere in my hall closet. The last time I used it was sometime in 2003... (in Florence!)

We attended a fun Oscar Night party last night. A group of about 16 gathered for a great pot luck dinner. We all filled out our ballots, voting for our favorites in each category. We began with wine and appetizers at 5 PM, but the hosts had the TV off (taping) during this period, in order to give guests time to chat, eat, and mingle. Dinner was served, and we began watching the awards without commercials.

I sat in "the peanut gallery", and we had a running commentary on EVERY outfit and actor or actress. I defended the women who were called "too fat to wear that dress", commented on the "poor emaciated skinny waifs" (thank goodness Nicole Kidman was pregnant this year, and looked slightly healthier than usual), the over-abundance of pukey grey dresses, the over or under use of jewelry, and worst outfits of the night. That award went hands down to Tilda Swinton!

Favorites were those is red gowns: the beautiful Anne Hathaway, stunning Katherine Heigl, darling Miley Cyrus, and regal Helen Mirren. I also loved Jessica Alba's gown.

We ate great food, and there were a few surprises. I have a list of movies I want to see. The BIGGEST surprise of the evening was that at 9:10, we had "caught up with the tape" in real time, but the hosts had set the timer until 9 PM, thinking it would be over by then, and Barbara Walters would be on. We were just about to hear who won "Best Actor", when the tape ended!!! We missed "Best Actor", "Best Director", and "Best Movie"!!! Our host quickly ran to the internet to announce somewhat (anticlimactically) who had won these last top categories. The crowd was NOT gracious!

Desserts were a hit at the party, and those who were disappointed by the "abrupt" ending, could have another piece of cake!

This blogging EVERY DAY in February is a challenge. I am out of ideas, and I haven't cooked anything for a couple of days! I did read several blogs last night, and loved this meme from Krista's blog In and Out of the Garden.

This meme was started by bookbabie, and is based on the book: Not Quite What I Was Expecting: Six Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure.

I didn't think for more than a minute. I wrote my six words impulsively:

"Loving, laughing, passionate, Italian traveler, Palma"

It works as: Loving, laughing, passionate Italian traveler, Palma
OR as: Loving, laughing, passionate, Italian, traveler: Palma
OR even: Loving, laughing, passionate Italian, traveler, Palma

Brad suggested: "A warm, witty, wise, wonderful woman". (He said that during our wedding vows.)

If you would like to try it, sum up YOUR life in exactly six words.
Post it on your blog, and link to the person you got it from as well as bookbabie.

Yesterday was this month's book club lunch. We had a great spread for lunch.

You may remember my post of the asparagus tart around Valentine's Day. This time I tried it with zucchini and crumbled Italian sausage.

This month we read a fascinating memoir. I am not terribly fond of most non-fiction (except cookbooks), but this is an amazing story of Greg Mortenson's campaign to educate the children of Pakistan.

David Oliver Relin writes the story of Greg Mortenson, an American mountain climber, on a trek to K2, the most difficult mountain peak in the world. Greg became lost in the Karakoram mountains, and was finally rescued and nursed back to health in the tiny village of Korphe. He wanted to repay the kindness and generosity of these very poor villagers, and saw a young child trying to educate herself by writing with a stick in the dirt. Greg Mortenson vowed to return to build a school for the children of this village.

The remainder of the book tells the incredible story of Greg returning to Berkley, CA, selling everything he owned, and finding a way to fulfill his promise. His mission went from one school to a new career of building more than 55 schools in areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Mortenson's challenges were many! At first he deals with physically getting funding and building materials to this remote mountain village without bridges, transportation, through avalanches and freezing weather conditions. But these problems and the difficult terrain were the least of his challenges. He just wants to help these kids learn. He lived among the people of the region that gave birth to the Taliban and sanctuary to Al Queda. He was kidnapped and held hostage. He believed the road to peace was fighting ignorance and poverty through education for boys AND girls, one village at a time.

As his mission grew, and especially after 9/11, he met with negativity from many Americans for "helping the enemy". His relationships and endless cups of tea with Islamic village elders continued to build peace during a time when the U.S. talked of our "war on terrorism". Greg Mortenson fights the hatred and prejudice that are the causes terrorism by giving young Muslim children a chance to receive a balanced education rather than join an extremist group. He shows readers the spirit of the mass of peace-loving people in the Muslim world. He gives us a way to help too. Absolutely INSPIRATIONAL!

Greg Mortenson was in the desert a couple of weeks ago, and seveal of my book club friends attended his presentation at a local library. Someone in the audience challenged him by saying, "The suicide bombers in 9/11 were educated." Greg smiled and said, "Yes but their mother's weren't." He feels strongly about education for women, and how much influence the mothers have in the culture of these Muslim people. Check out more about Greg Mortenson and his projects!

By the way, dessert was a BIG hit!

We only get a leap year day every four years. What did YOU do with your "extra day"?
I have been going 90 miles an hour all of February with a couple of big projects, and a very busy time at work! I've been averaging 5 hours or less of sleep a night...not QUITE enough. I haven't had a day off since the Slow Bowl! I FINALLY had a free day!

6:15 AM: Morning Coffee

7:00AM: Time for blogging. I actually blogged EVERY DAY in February! Phew!

8:30AM: Showered, dressed, and ready for the day. It is a beautiful morning. Right now it is in the low 70s, and heading for 81 degrees. THIS is how I like my snow!

9:20 AM: A Slow Travel Fix: I was SO VERY SAD and upset at a new announcement!
The PMs are flying!

10:05AM: A quick stop at Trader Joe's

10:30AM: I also needed a few things at the grocery store. What to have for dinner? Then I mailed a package at the mailing store next door.

11:30AM: The flags are flying on EL Paseo, our main shopping street.

11:35AM: Nothing like a shopping fix when you are upset!

12:17PM: Not a bad laser strike at Chicos! Now I'm home and need to unload the car!

12:35PM: LUNCH! Glad I bought those strawberries! YUM

1:05PM: Ego contemplated a swim, but the water is still too cold! We read in the sunshine for a while instead.

2:04PM: I better give some water to my thirsty tulips!

2:14PM:Naptime! Ego spends most of the day like this, but I REALLY took an hour and a half "in bed, under the covers, down for the count, sleep"!

3:55PM-5:20PM: I worked on the centerpieces for one of the venues in Savannah. No sneak preview!

5:25PM: Prepping dinner. Crab cakes and broccoli slaw, but Brad won't be home for HOURS on a Friday.

5:45PM: A break at sunset. I'm STILL drinking coffee!

8:50PM: Brad is finally home after slow Friday night traffic. Time to relax with some wine by the fire! We had Blue Castello cheese, and pecorino with lemon honey.

10:15PM: We completely lost track of time. We had such a delightful conversation, sharing about upcoming fun events, our reactions to today's disturbing announcement, and looking forward to our May time in Rome and Montisi. We forgot to eat dinner! We were content with our cheese and vino. So we popped open another bottle, continued our conversation, and then had dessert at around 11:30PM. Those crab cakes in the fridge will be there tomorrow!

It's March! I love March as it is the beginning of "springy" things and colors!
I have always thought, "Thank God I'm Italian", but if I couldn't be Italian, I'd choose to be Irish. I already have the freckles and coloring for it! Let's bring on the green!

Enjoy an excerpt from one of my favorite childrens' books, If I Found a Wistful Unicorn by Ann Ashford and Bill Drath:

"If I found a wistful unicorn, and brought him to you all forlorn...
Would you pet him?

If I took an empty midnight train across the country in the rain...
Would you meet me?

If I picked a little flower up and put it in a paper cup...
Would you smell it?

If I found a secret place to go, with you the only one to know...
Would you be there?

If my cricket coughed and got the flu, and needed warmth and comfort too...
Would you hold him?

If my rainbow were to turn all gray, and wouldn't shine at all today...
Would you paint it?

If my soul were feeling all alone and wasn't near a telephone...
Would you write to it? (PM, email or text???)

If my clock developed nervous strain, and needed help to "tock" again...
Would you fix it?

If I were to dance for you, as hard as that would be to do...
Would you watch me?

If my pet turnip turned on me, and bit me fiercely on the knee...
Would you bandage it?

If my nightingale were a monotone and much too shy to sing alone,
Would you hum with him?

If all that I would want to do would be to sit and talk to you...
Would you listen?

If any of these things you'll do, I'll never have to say to you...
Do you love me?"

If everyday I blogged for you, and you liked to read it too...
Would you leave a comment?

Two years ago I didn't know what a blog was. Last year I couldn't download my digital camera into my computer without waiting for Brad to do it for me. Once there, I could size photos for printing (only because I HAD to learn Photoshop Elements for my scrapbooking). I have come a long way in the past year. I've learned to blog, and add links to my sidebar. We now have an i-pod, so I've learned to spend money on i-tunes. I'm better at manipulating photos. Now I know how to do special things with my digital camera (must be time for a new one). I have learned PowerPoint, i-MovieHD, and how to do fun things with my fabulous photo printer. I can even change the ringtones on my phone. We shop, plan trips, chat, find recipes and LIVE on the internet. I hate email, but read and answer 20-30 Private Messages a day on Slow Talk. We have a Garmin Nuvi 370 GPS I know how to use, (and keep the voice of "Parlabella" in Italian). I can talk to people on other continents for free with SKYPE with my very own headset and microphone.

I am still behind. My "filing system" on my laptop leaves a lot to be desired. It is only recently that I discovered that EVERYTHING on my computer doesn't have to live on my desktop. I can make FOLDERS and subfolders and keep them in places called things like "Documents", "hard drive", or "Palma's Stuff". Stop laughing. I am too old, and they didn't teach personal computers when I went to school in the olden days.
I have a "back up thingy box" so I don't lose anything (Brad calls it an external hard drive. I call it another friggin' thing on my desk.)

I don't know how to "burn a cd". I still haven't tried TIVO. We have an antique VCR (4 years old) I can't program. I still can't figure out how to get photos off my phone into the computer. I think I need an i-Phone.
Don't you think???

I love daylight savings time! I am a sucker for flowers at the grocery store. I treat myself about once a month, and couldn't pass these up. Tulips and daffodils are my favorite sign of spring!

Now I'm off to work on a busy Monday!

Click HERE.

Click your curser anywhere and see what happens. Even better, click and drag it!

Then have a very happy day!

Of course at my house we call today "Palma Sunday"!

Palm Sunday, the last Sunday in lent, marks the beginning of Holy Week and is always the Sunday before Easter. It marks the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem, and the crowds met him waving palm branches, and covering the path in them. The palm fronds represented victory and triumph.

As a child, my family celebrated Palm Sunday as my "feast day", since there was not a saint's day close to my name. There was a big dinner in my honor, and it was like having another birthday. Brad always honors the day for me with a card and small gift.

In the desert, all you have to do is go outside, and look up, and you will see various kinds of palm trees. I love being surrounded by the bright blue skies, sunshine and all kinds of palm trees.

Here are the four most common:
Date Palms

Queen Palm

Fan Palm

and my FAVORITES: The Royal Palms

I had a lovely weekend visit with my friend, Roxanne, and her parents, who were visiting the desert to escape the winter snow of Wisconsin. We enjoyed the nice weather, some shopping, and lots of good food!

My meal was as good as it looks! Audrey and I both had Filetto Gorgonzola:

Dave enjoyed this variation of veal saltimboca:

Roxanne raved about her linguini with shrimp and scallops in a pink sauce.

It was cooler than usual over the weekend, and dipped back down to the 60's and 70's. Today we will all enjoy a more typical low 80's week! The desert wildflowers are blooming!

I had quite a nice day on Friday. During school holidays, I always miss those "teacher holidays" like 2 weeks at Christmas, "Spring Break", etc. and I was thinking, I needed a real day off! I decided to take one! No clients, no big cooking for Easter, as I am just making a cake to take to Fiona's for Easter dinner, no long "to do" list, and my house was clean.

I lazed around most of the morning, (usually bustling by 6:30), and didn't even get dressed until 10! This is VERY rare for me! I had coffee, played on the internet, read my book outside, and really did nothing. By 11:00, I decided to look for shoes. In 40 minutes, I was home with 2 new pair of Cole Haan sandals for Italy! I even got $50 off from a promotion they were having. Those Nike Air soles are so comfy, I bought them in black and white!

I came home, had lunch, and took a two hour nap! Guess I was tired!

Then my friend Maria called, and came over to bring me a two lovely surprises: a Chico's "Friend's and Family" coupon for 25% off your entire purchase this weekend.That, together with my 50% off your most expensive item coupon will require a visit to Chico's on Saturday! Oh darn! Maria is quite an accomplished artist, and she brought me the beautiful watercolor Easter egg pictured above. She painted it on a HARD BOILED egg, so I will not be able to keep it forever, but it is an exquisite desert scene on an egg!

Maria and I shared a bottle of wine. As we were sipping some Pinot Grigio on my patio, the doorbell rang, and another amazing gift was delivered. Look at this beautiful edible arrangement of fruit and chocolate-covered strawberries from a wonderful couple who recently finished a few weeks of marriage therapy. They sent it to thank me for "saving their marriage". I promise you, they did ALL the work to make that happen! I just gave them a few tools to get them back on track. It was a LOVELY thank you gift, and I will share it with friends on Sunday!

Soon Brad was home, I didn't feel like cooking dinner, so we made tuna melts, finished the wine, and had a delightful rest of the evening!

I needed a quick, fun, "beach read", laugh out loud, girl book! My tastes range from psychological thrillers, to murder mysteries, courtroom dramas, historical fiction, memoirs, and what I call "pool books". Pool books include anything by Janet Evanovich, the Women's Murder Club series by Patterson, and anything else (usually paperback) that can risk getting slightly damp with salt water.

I have perfected reading on a raft in my pool. From YEARS of tanning, I have wrinkles, a few EXTRA freckles, and the ability to read on a raft (while lying on my front OR back comfortably). I have not yet submerged a book!

What Looks Like Crazy by Charlotte Hughes was the perfect book to read in 2 days while doing last-minute obsessive things for the Savannah Gathering! She has written a number of books with Janet Evanovich, and this one was right up my alley. It is a romantic comedy about a clinical psychologist in private practice with a crazy family, eccentric secretary, "interesting" clients, and a soon-to-be-ex-husband (a gorgeous firefighter who is almost perfect except when he keeps running into burning buildings and scaring her) she is still in love with. Our heroine is threatened, and herself "over the edge", while trying to treat her challenging clients. Perfect for Palmabella!

Here are two of my favorite quotes (which will not ruin the story line, so go ahead and enjoy them):

First paragraph of Chapter 1:
"As a clinical psychologist, I've spent most of my time trying to convince my clients they're not crazy. The truth is, everybody is a little bit crazy; it's just a matter of degree. Take me, for example: I'm not exactly the poster lady for mental wellness, and I'm the one treating these people. I find that scary.
Even scarier is the well-dressed thirtysomething guy threatening to jump from the rooftop of the ten-story North Atlanta building housing my office. He's a new patient, referred to me by a psychiatrist I once dated."

Another chapter that had me chuckling out loud, (I could SO see myself in the character) was when Kate decides she needs to "live a healthier lifestyle" (exercise and diet). She heads to the grocery store with good intentions to eat better, and maybe even become a vegetarian:

"With my list of wholesome foods in hand, I drove to the grocery store and loaded my cart with fresh fruits and vegetables: cauliflower, broccoli, baby carrots, nice purplish asparagus spears that were ridiculously over-priced, and plump, ripe tomatoes. I added bananas, a container of giant strawberries, Red Delicious apples, and a plastic bag filled with seedless grapes.

I found a box of cereal that promised to lower my cholesterol, prevent heart disease and cancer, and provide me with enough nutrients that I would never again have to worry about taking my multivitamin tablet before I left for the office.

At the meat counter, I turned my nose up at the steaks and tossed in a pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

I bought skim milk, whole wheat bread, and olive oil that wore a seal of approval from the American Heart Association. I figured that at this rate, I was going to live until age 110.

I headed toward the front of the store to check out and skidded to a dead halt when I saw the "buy one get one free" offer from Ben & Jerry's ice cream. I gave myself a mental smack on the forehead. What was I thinking?

It hadn't occurred to me that the healthy new diet and lifestyle I'd planned might be a little extreme. Extremes don't work, especially when it comes to diet and exercise. You can have the best of intentions, but if you're not at all flexible, you can sabotage your best efforts and set yourself up for one huge failure. Which leads only to low self-esteem, of course, and maybe even an eating disorder, I reminded myself.

There are times when it helps to be an expert in human behavior. I promptly turned my cart around and headed for the freezer section."

From April through October, I will be on my raft for an hour a day. It is my reward for swimming laps and doing pool exercises. I look forward to the sequel, Nutcase.

We went for a ride up Highway 74 to see the desert flowers in bloom. It was loveliest about 3 weeks ago, but still a pretty drive.

Desert plants are in bloom.

Even the rocks look like they are blooming.

AMAZING STORY

Then we met Ubaldo and Denee for brunch in Palm Springs. I LOVE the story of this couple! We met Ubaldo in Pienza when we stayed at L'Olmo in 2003. He did everything there to make guests comfortable: help with bags, breakfast room, coffee, concierge, pool, grounds, etc.

Ubaldo, an Italian originally from Torino, met Denee, a lovely California guest, who was traveling alone. He helped her with dinner reservations for Easter Sunday. They talked in the lounge afterwards, and, well, they fell in love! A year and a half later, on New Year's Eve, we had a phone call at our home in Palm Desert, saying they were in town. They came over, we met the lovely Denee, Ubaldo was on a vacation while L'Olmo was closed for winter, and of course I wrote about it on Slow Travel.

Fast forward: The couple's relationship grew and they could no longer live on two continents. Ubaldo began the LONG task of getting a "green card" to come permanently to the U.S.. We have gotten together with Denee and Ubaldo each year since then, either in Italy, Palm Desert or Los Angeles.

I just love happy endings! Ubaldo is "legal", he and Denee were married last summer, and are coming up on their first wedding anniversary. They live in Los Angeles. I invited them to the October Desert GTG.

Here is the corker: In order to prove their "story" with Immigration, they used all of my posts and photos on Slow Travel! This verified the dates on Ubaldo's passport stamps, and "proved" that their love story/relationship was legit!

Moral of the story:Keep blogging and posting! You just NEVER KNOW!

Saturday night, after the official opening of "Pool Season" (I got raft time today, and oh, it feels SO good to be in that 87 degree water!), we gathered at Fiona and Steve's with Jan and Les to watch the Slow Travel movie. I am sure we will have four more Slow Travel members soon! They wanted to know when the next GTG is?

Jan and Les are going to Savannah in May for their anniversary, so, we gave them the full report of everything they MUST do and see there. I can't wait to return to Savannah, but it was fun to bring them maps, brochures, and recommendations!

Then we all went out to dinner. We began with a large Greek salad for the whole table:

I ordered halibut, and Brad had sea bass. Both were great!

We always have a good time with this bunch! We have also traveled to Italy with both couples. Fiona and Steve will be exploring northern Italy with us in September, and Jan and Les will be on the maiden PalmabellasItaly adventure!

Dessert was so huge, the six of us shared one apple strudel!

Yesterday, Sandi made my day with this:

Spring is a beautiful time for flowers. As I save for Italy, I have to FORCE myself to walk by the gorgeous flowers in the grocery store. Sometimes, I give in and by some daffodils at Trader Joe's fro $1.29 a bunch. Sometimes I just cut roses from my yard!

Sometimes, my camera is with me, and I snap a shot of some beautiful blooms when I am out and about.

This just makes me laugh. It is true. I don't have a "nothing box", but Brad does!

Did you know:

It is estimated that nearly one-third of all American women have been hit, beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused during her lifetime.

30% of Americans say they know a woman who has been physically abused by her husband or boyfriend in the past year.

Women of all races are equally vulnerable to abuse by an intimate partner.

One in five high school girls report being physically or sexually abused by a dating partner.

In a national survey, 50% of men who frequently abused their wife, also abused their children.

Studies report that between 3.3-10 million children witness some sort of domestic violence annually.

For more startling facts, see endabuse.org.

What can we do?

Teach children early about violence, and how to express anger appropriately.

Be there and listen. Encourage children to express feelings of frustration, anger and hurt (walk it out, talk it out, or take a "time-out")

Be a role model. SHOW boys how to respect women. SHOW girls how to be assertive.

Support local Domestic Violence prevention programs, and shelters. Educate yourself on what is available in your community.

I supervise a community Domestic Violence Program at Family Services of the Desert. We have several groups for both victims of domestic violence, and male perpetrators of domestic violence and child abuse. These are people JUST like you and your neighbors. The problem crosses all socioeconomic, racial and age boundaries.

Friends often ask me, "Aren't you afraid to work with those guys?" I am afraid NOT to!

These clients are regular men (and women) without the skills to control anger, and express feelings. They are not sociopaths. Often, alcohol or drug use was a factor. Often they witnessed domestic violence in their own families while growing up. They CAN and DO break the cycle, after completing their 52 week mandated counseling program. They learn what a healthy relationship can look like. They learn to respect women as equal partners. They learn how to change manipulative, controlling behaviors and how to show respect, and empathy toward their partners and children. They learn to communicate their feelings, listen, and build (or rebuild) trust and intimacy. Victims learn to be assertive instead of passive. They learn to keep themselves and their children safe. Some marriages are "saved", and families remain together. Others lose everything that was important to them.

If you know someone in this situation (I bet you do!), let them know help is available!

I'm still on the soapbox, but I really think these are important graphic videos on an important topic. I will go back to food, fun and travel tomorrow.

I enjoyed lunch with Nancy on Wednesday. She came to my house first to watch the Slow Travel dvd, and then we enjoyed salads at a close-by golf culb, Desert Willow.
We had three hours to catch up on Slow Travel, Savannah, and everything else in our lives!

I had my favorite pear, gorgonzola, pecan salad with chicken (and the other half last night for dinner).

Nancy had chicken salad in a papaya with nut bread.

Tonight I am giving a training to new or unlicensed therapists (we call them Marriage Family Therapist Interns in California) on how to work with couples. It is a two-hour training at my house.

My handouts are printed, I have lots of good info for them on assessment and treatment, techniques to build communication, manage anger and build intimacy with couples, and how to work with couples on the verge of divorce. We will also discuss how to "end well", if a couple decides to split up.

Here are the four things guaranteed to harm a marriage:

criticism
contempt and lack of respect
defensiveness and blaming
Ignoring issues by avoiding them

There are "solutions" to all of these!

The big question is what will I bake to serve for dessert?

Have you ever longed for a special spot, a quiet retreat, a relaxing hide-away? I remember building a "secret fort" with neighborhood friends (right there in my neighbor's back yard), when I was a child.

In the desert, many homes come with a "casita", intended as a detached guest room with bath. My casita is my private practice office where I see clients for therapy. I have often fantasized how it would look as my "art and craft studio" instead. My friend often sends her husband to their casita, when annoyed with him! That is desert lingo for "in the doghouse".

We were in Redlands, CA today, and passed this home in a quiet residential neighborhood. How cool is this tree house? I wonder if it is for the kids, the grandchildren, or a spouse's private spot to get away from the world?

I don't have a cocktail very often, but when I do, I have a couple favorites.

If I'm not drinking wine, I prefer something light and tasty, but not too sweet.

My all time favorite drink is a Lemon Drop. Here is my recipe for a PERFECT batch:

1/2 c. Citron vodka
1/2 c. Triple Sec
3 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 c. Sweet and Sour
a splash of 7-up of other citrus soda

Rim glass with sugar (I use lemon sugar), Shake with ice, and pour.

I also love what I call a "Buona Sera" (very similar to a pomegranate "martini", but lighter, bubbly, and with fewer calories).

1 shot of Pomegranate vodka
5 oz of Trader Joe's Sparkling Pomegranate Juice
a squeeze of fresh lemon juice

After dinner drink? I usually go straight to coffee after dinner. Once a Las Vegas bartender made me one of these: (I call it a "Buona Notte")

1 shot Vanilla Vodka
1 Shot Kahlua
Coffee or espresso

Stay tuned tomorrow for the drinks we "created" for the gang in Montisi.

When I am cooking in Montisi for Gail's group, Brad is happy to take on bartender duties. Last Sunday, Brad and I created some cocktails with our friends in mind.

The "Great Escape":
1/2 ounce Amaretto
1/2 ounce Grand Marnier
1 ounce orange juice
Fill glass with Prosecco

How about a "Bella Bugalu"? Fun and "slightly twisted"!

1 oz. Grand Marnier or other orange liquore
1 oz. cranberry juice
fill glass with prosecco and twist of orange

Jerry was more of a challenge. I know he likes rum and gin. Brad decided since we would be in Italy, Campari would be in order. So.......... "Le DeQuetteville":

Dash of gin (or vodka)
2 dashes Campari
Top with 5 oz. of Prosecco. Twist a mint leaf and discard. Garnish with a twist of orange and lemon.

We have lots to celebrate! Today is Brad''s 60th birthday. We leave for Italy on Friday, and Brad accepted a wonderful job offer in the desert this week! Beginning June 9, he will no longer be schlepping his bag and laptop back and forth to Pasadena, and renting a room. He will be home by 6:30 every night, and be off on Fridays!

SInce we have lived in the desert, (8 years this month), Brad has always worked in another place. He has commuted to both the Bay Area, and Pasadena, and now, first the first time, he will "live at home" 7 days a week!

Some of my friends think I had the perfect deal. They'd love their husband "out of their hair" three nights a week, and no dinner to cook. We still miss each other. I'm actually hoping Brad will fix dinner once a week, as he is becoming quite a good cook. I really don't think it will be much of an adjustment. We see a wonderful summer ahead, evening swims, walks, and all those three-day weekends!

Tonight we will celebrate our birthdays at a special dinner out. The rest of the celebrating will happen in Rome and Montisi.

An 18 year old Italian girl tells her Mom that she has missed her period for 2 months. Very worried, the mother goes to the drugstore and buys a pregnancy kit. The test result shows that the girl is pregnant.

Shouting, cursing, crying, the mother says, "Who was the pig that did this to you? I want to know!" The girl picks up telephone and makes a call.

Half an hour later, a Ferrari stops in front of their house. A mature and
distinguished man with grey hair and impeccably dressed in an Armani suit steps out of the of the Ferrari and enters the house. He sits in the living room with the father, mother, and the girl and tells them:

"Good morning, your daughter has informed me of the problem. I can't marry her because of my personal family situation but I'll take charge. I will pay all costs and provide for your daughter for the rest of her life. Additionally, if a girl is born, I will bequeath a Ferrari, 2 retail stores, a townhouse, a beachfront villa, and a $2,000,000 bank account. If a boy is born, my legacy will be a couple of factories and a $4,000,000 bank account. If twins, they will receive a factory and $2,000,000 each. However, if there is a miscarriage, what do you suggest I do?"

At this point, the father, who had remained silent, places a hand firmly on the man's shoulder and tells him ..

"You a gonna try again!"

Saturday, we celebrated Brad's birthday all day, and had a combined birthday dinner. I LOVE birthdays, and Brad's began with cards, a small gift and coffee!

He was quite excited (more about his new job, and leaving for Italy on Friday than about his new age...).

We had a relaxing afternoon in the pool and then went to Wally's Desert Turtle for dinner.

A few years ago, I volunteered at a mentoring program in Indio, called "Hermanas Intimas", (Intimate Sisters). After completing the screening process, because of my experience as a therapist and teacher, they gave me "their most challenging" mentee, a then 12 year old girl named Magnolia. She was in 7th grade at the time. There were about 20 girls and 20 mentors. I was the only non-Hispanic mentor.

Magnolia was the youngest girl of seven siblings. Her mother had been killed in a car accident when she was ten. Her dad worked two jobs as a bus boy, and was single parent to a handful of teens, all of whom had problems staying in school, or involvement with drugs, gangs, breaking the law, or teen pregnancies. They wanted to "save" Magnolia from repeating the mistakes of her older siblings.

The program was clear that we were to invest time, not money in our mentors. I saw Magnolia weekly, or we spoke on the phone. We went to the library, we went swimming, we baked cookies, we scrapbooked, we went to free places in the community, or out for ice cream or a burger. We read books, worked on homework, struggled with algebra, writing and geography. I went to school meetings with her dad, and got to know her principal and counselor. Magnolia had a temper that got her in trouble. She got in fights, but managed to stay away from drugs and sex...THAT year. She was a little "spitfire"... all 4' 10" of her.

The mentor program honored me at a luncheon as "Mentor of the Year". They lost funding, so they no longer monitored the program, but Magnolia and I continued our almost weekly get-togethers. Eighth grade was a challenge. She moved to an alternative school with fewer students in each class. She smoked pot. She asked lots of questions about sex. She hated school, and liked boys. She was caught with drugs. Her dad sent her to a tough love rehab program in Mexico for 6 months. She was "scared straight" by the staff there, and returned home drug-free.

Magnolia had a pregnancy scare, and wanted to run away from home. I made at least 25 phone calls to local agencies to find her a safe place to go. I finally found "Safe House" in Riverside that had space, and would take her, but it was an hour away. For personal liability reasons, I would not transport her, so I tried to get the local police department to help. They wouldn't take her, but they would buy her a bus ticket, knowing the staff would be there to receive her at the other end. She was allowed to bring a few clothes, and all personal items would be provided. She could have $10 for candy bars, and stamped envelopes to write letters, and a phone card to call me once a day. I finally got her to agree to meet me at the bus station (two blocks from her house). All was going well, until the police car drove up to give me the bus ticket. She got scared, and ran, as her boyfriend had told her to do in the first place. I didn't see or hear from Magnolia again for almost 2 years.

At age 16, Magnolia was pregnant, away from her family, alone much of the time, and not going to school. She was living with the baby's father, out in the middle of the hot desert, with few resources, little money, and soon, a new baby. She herself was still a naive child with few skills. She called me after the baby was born. I had created some distance, and wasn't getting sucked back into the same relationship we once had, but I did listen, and give her some advice. I had been hurt and angry after she took off. I set new boundaries on our relationship, but did want Magnolia to have someone she could talk to when she needed it. She began to call every couple of months when she was especially stressed, or had access to a phone. Our contact was, at best, sporadic.

In January, Magnolia called with a new big problem. Her boyfriend had been violent, drunk, and hit her. She called the police and he was charged with domestic violence. His family was pressuring her to drop the charges, and say it hadn't happened. He might be deported. After a few long conversations, I was able to help her make the right decision. It would happen again, and she could lose her child, as in California, if there is a minor in the home, Child Protective Services will remove a child from a home if there is violence, and the MOTHER (victim) can be charged with "failure to protect". Magnolia was strong, and refused to drop the charges. After the court hearing, her abusive partner was deported to Mexico, she moved home to live with her dad and her son. She went back to school and worked very hard to finish her high school requirements.

Shortly after we returned from Italy, Magnolia called to invite me to her Continuation High School graduation. The school is aptly called, "La Familia". I attended the ceremony on June 11, and met Magnolia's 17 month old son. Her sisters were all there with their babies. Her dad has 11 grandchildren. The graduation was unlike any I have ever seen. There were 60 graduates, many with babies in attendance. Some walked up to receive their diplomas with an infant in arms. I have never seen so many kids under 4 in one place in my life. There were over 100 toddlers in the room.

I am very proud of Magnolia's courage and perserverance. She has had many challenges and faced difficult situations. She has learned coping skills. She will be attending junior college in the fall. She will call me when she needs to talk.

Since we were leaving for Rome shortly after our REAL birthdays in May, our good friends postponed the big 60 birthday celebration for Brad until early June when we returned from Italy. They went all out for both of us, and took us out for a wonderful dinner at Rancho Mirage restaurant, Bing Crosby's.

After a round of cocktails, and a variety of salads we ordered dinner.

Les had his usual...a big juicy New York steak!

Jan had the roasted herb basted chicken with sugar pie pumpkin sauce, root vegetable ragout and red wine reduction.

Fiona enjoyed the paella.

Steve had veal scaloppini with lemon caper sauce with a roasted tomato, polenta napoleon and a parmesan crisp.

Brad had a special of blackened swordfish with fava bean risotto and asparagus.

I had Bing's signature dish of a grilled filet mignon with black truffle demi-glace, braised haricot vert and spinach with crispy potato cannellonis!

We consumed three bottles of wine with our dinner, then the waitress appeared with a dessert sampler to share, complete with birthday candles.

Another delayed celebration, postponed at our house until June, was a "Mother's Day" visit from my Godson, Casey and Sarah.

I was showered with the perfect "Fairy Godmother" card, and a coffee mug...JUST MY SIZE!

The most exciting news, however, is that Casey and Sarah are engaged! We met Sarah for the first time last year. I immediately knew, and hoped she would end up being my "Goddaughter-in-law"! What a happy couple. It was 118 that weekend, and we stayed in the pool for hours on both Saturday and Sunday.

Casey has been trying to coax his dog, Nero, to swim for two summers. NOT interested. We all tried to entice him into the pool, but he wouldn't. He DID learn that standing on the large top step, was cooler than the burning cement!

Soon, Ego went for a swim. That seemed to be what it took! Ego taught his new buddy to relax in the water and swim joyously too! Good boy, Nero!

We needed to be in Vegas for a surprise birthday celebration for Casey. We are saving money for Italy, which is tough enough since I quit my job last month. I am still paying for the last Italy trip on my credit card!

I get monthly offers in the mail from the Harrah's group of casinos: Caesar's, Paris, Bally's, Rio, etc. We needed a cheap room! I usually start at the top, and call Caesar's first, as I have been an "Empress" and a Caesar's fan for over 30 years. At somewhere around $350 a night... NO WAY! Next, I called Paris, as we had a wonderful time there last January. Their offer was $180 on Friday, and $150 on Saturday. This was better, but still not in the budget! Moving down the list, I decided we could "slum it" at Balley's if we had to. I called, and they said we could have THREE FREE nights if I played in the video tournament at the Rio. Sign me up!

I've never been in a tournament. We arrived late Thursday night, and were given a really lovely room at Balleys! There were room for three king size beds, as well as our sitting area. We got points for gambling (next door at the Paris). Friday, we hit the Fashion Show mall, and I had coffee with Beth at the Nordstrom Cafe, before finding EXACTLY the walking shoes I needed for September's Italy trip. After some gambling at Caesar's, we attended Casey's surprise party, but more on that later.

Saturday, we arrived at the Rio to register for the tournament. I was assigned a 1:30 play time on both Saturday and Sunday. You are assigned a machine, and given 850 credits you must play in TEN MINUTES! You must use all the credits. Your fingers are flying! That means you must deal, draw, and complete one poker hand every 3 and a half seconds! You are racing the clock, and it is an INTENSE ten minutes! I flew, and had a very good score for my first session. I had great cards, and scored over 1000 points!

Sunday, I was excited for the next round. I had lousy cards, but was able to monitor my time even better, and had an average score. We drove home, and called the number when the winners were posted. First prize was $3500. The next nine won $350. But the top 20% won a $100 prize, and I was one of them. We were also given two small gifts for being in the tournament, and $50 in food vouchers! Not bad for 10 minutes a day! Sign me up for the next tournament! THAT was fun!

Palmabella in hell? No! It is Red Hot Video Poker!

Sarah pulled it off with the help of her soon-to-be brother-in-law, Corey, and his wife, Chaudra! Casey's 30th birthday surprise party in Las Vegas was really a surprise to him. The two couples went to dinner, but family and friends were gathered at their suite at the Luxor Hotel and Casino.

The room was decorated, and filled with people, liquor, and party snacks. We gathered at 9:00, and started the celebration while we waited for the guest of honor.

Here is Casey's arrival. The hardest part was keeping us all quiet when Corey sent a text message that they were coming up to the room!

Here are BOTH of my Godsons, Casey on the left and Corey on the right.

Trailer:

If you need a lift, a huge smile put on your face, grab someone you love, or a friend, sister, neighbor, child, and go see Mama Mia...now! This movie version of the ABBA musical is a brilliant with an all-star cast.

Meryl Streep rarely disappoints, and is able to play any role with grace, but as "Donna", she gets to come out to play and really show off all of her stuff. Singing her way down hillsides of a Greek island village, with all the local women following her to the sea, mid-air splits off a mattress with her old girlfriends, an emotional version of "Winner Takes All" sung to former lover (Pierce Brosnan), and a heart-tugging

Streep plays a middle-aged mom of a spirited daughter, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), who is getting married at their run-down inn on an idyllic Greek island. She has invited her two former sick-kick friends, practical, down-to-earth Rosie (Julie Walters), and lusty, rich, divorcee, Tanya (Christine Baranski). Sophie has always wondered who her father is, and find's mom's diary with entrees about three possible candidates: mom's former lovers from a summer 20 years ago (Pierce Bronson, Colin Firth, and Stellan Skarsgayrd). Sophie secretly invites her three possible dads to the island. From there the fun and lots of music and luscious Mediterranean scenery take the ABBA hits to a life of their own.

I haven't had so much fun at a movie since, well, I can't remember. I thought the transition of the score from the on-stage version was BRILLIANT. My friend told me, "It is the kind of movie that you leave, and want to get right back in line and see again." I agree! It is a delightful 108 minutes of fun. I DARE you not to walk out with a grin on your face (humming "Dancing Queen")! BRAVA!

According to Wikipedia, the phrase "dog days of summer" refers to the hottest, most sultry days, usually between July and September, depending on the region. They describe a time that is "very hot and stagnant, or marked by dull lack of progress."
(Hmmmmmm, that could describe LOTS of my days in any month!) The term "dog days" was used by the Greeks and ancient Romans (days of the dogs), after Sirius, the "dog star". The ancients believed Sirius was the cause of the hot, sultry weather, and would even sacrifice a brown dog at the beginning of this period to appease the star.

Popularly believed to be an evil time "when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies" - Brady’s Clavis Calendarium,

Extreme heat can cause heat-related illnesses, or even death. Normally, we cool our bodies down by sweating, but in very extreme conditions, our bodies can lose the ability to regulate our temperature causing heat stroke. Heat exhaustion is a milder condition and occurs with prolonged exposure to heat and not enough body fluid. This condition often effects outdoor workers, the elderly, and people with high blood pressure.

Here are some tips to stay cool this summer:

Drink lots of water and non-alcoholic liquids. Don't wait until you are very thirsty. By then you are already dehydrating!

Pace yourself when working or playing outdoors. Find shade!

Wear light weight clothing, sunscreen and a hat!

Seek moderate air conditioning.

Take cooler showers of spray yourself with cool water.

Use common sense! Don't leave children or pets in a hot car. Use a windsheild protective screen, and be careful when getting into a hot car. Metal seat belt clasps become "branding irons". Crack your window when parking in the sun. (I know of two windsheilds that cracked shattered while parked last month in the heat in Palm Desert.)

My addition: eat more gelato!

Stay cool!

I saw this on Maria I's blog and am passing it on.

How many of YOU are there?

Check this out. I was unable to post the actual meter, but you can go here and enter your name to see how many others have your name in the United States.

I first entered "Palma" and my professional/maiden name.
There is only one of me. I was not surprised.

I WAS shocked to see that there are 4,572 Palmas in the U.S.!

When I entered "Palma" with my married last name...there were TWO!

There are 52 people with Brad's name in the U.S..

There are 115 people named Harry Potter. That cracked me up!
There are 511 people named George Bush. Can you imagine?
There are 1307 George Washingtons.
There are 300 people named John Doe and 23 Jane Does. I am assuming they are alive.
Three people are named Frank Sinatra.

I can see playing on this site for WAY TOO LONG. I must go get something done.
Have fun!

Believe it or not, I do not spend EVERY moment in the kitchen baking or cooking! Between pool time and several hours of work a week, I have enough time to read.

In July, I read these, and a few more books I have passed on to others.

One of my book clubs is off for the summer, but the other read this last month:

I really liked Double Bind, as it is a novel that deals with psychological issues, with quite a twist at the end. There was a very lively discussion at our book club, as there are three therapists and a psychiatrist in the group!

This month we read

This was a novel about a bi-racial east coast family, with quite interesting characters, that I also enjoyed.

Of course I have been thumbing through these, before our Italy trip!

And I always hoard up a few books I really want to read to take to Italy with me. I figure I can get through these in three weeks and two long flights! Brad will pack two to save the weight in my luggage, and two will be in carry-ons.

Right now I am half way through Simple Genius by David Balducci.
It's got something of interest for both Brad and Palmabella... murder and CIA/military secrets for him, and a mental institution and an autistic child for me.

Happy reading everyone!

I've been painting since our LAST Italy trip, and now it is time to PACK the paints and leave again!

We will start our vacation in Varenna, on Lake Como.

We hope to see some of the beautiful villas on the lake.

I'm working on a view of the Gulf of Poets right now, as we will be in Lerici for 5 days.

Then a week in Piemonte, where we will see the grapes just before the harvest.

I haven't painted anything that reminds me of Bologna (FOOD is what always comes to mind), but I'm sure we'll see a church or two! I plan to take lots of photos of porticos to paint when we return.

Yesterday, I tried to paint my own back yard!

I think I learn one tiny new thing with each painting I do. I'm learning about water, reflections, layers of leaves, what to paint first or last in a scene, or different uses for different brushes. My paintings aren't much better yet, but I really relax when I paint, and it keeps me out of the shops and the fridge! Lessons are definitely in the works for this winter!