Week 2 at the Farmhouse

This place is magical. We wake up to the sun rising over the olive orchards and rolling hills off in the distance. There are often jack rabbits on the lawn also watching the sun come up. We thought the girls would be sleeping in since it is so quiet and the wood shutters make the rooms pitch black. But no, they've actually been waking up between 5:00-6:15am......yikes! The first 20 minutes of the early rise is a bit torturous but once the coffee's in hand all is good and well. Our days consist of relaxing, reading books, playing matching games, running through the olive groves and puddles, playing soccer on the lawn between storms, painting, cooking (a lot!) and of course, roll playing. Georgia's favorite movies are the Toy Story series so we see a lot of Jessie and Buzz around here. Yesterday, Georgia came out of the bathroom with no pants or underwear on, her elephant pajama top, down jacket, ski hat, a beaded necklace that she strung earlier that morning, her butterfly backpack, a plastic bag on each foot (the kind that are next to most Italian toilets for feminine hygiene disposal), and yelling, "Yeeeeee Haaawww!" She was apparently Jessie but we didn't see a resemblance. I think I know what her Halloween costume will be next year!
Last week we drove to the town of Cortona (where Under The Tuscan Sun took place). It sits on top a very high hill and is just beautiful! It just happen to be one of those days where Georgia was whining about everything and when she didn't get her way she would cry. And cry. And cry. Francesca did not want to be in the stroller and when she walks, she does NOT want to be told where to go (hmmmm, wonder where she get that?). When you try to guide her, she just quietly lays on the ground. First of all..........YUCK! Second of all..........  we have our hands full! But then she smiles and melts our hearts (ya, we're suckers!). For whatever the reason, on this day, I did not have the patients I am known to have. I WAS DONE, to put it lightly. I had to keep telling myself that every mother has these days and it's okay. I think I'll go back with my mom when she comes next week. It was such a charming walled town with views of vineyards, olive farms, churches, and rolling hills filled with Italian cypress trees that lined driveways to old villas. Autumn in Tuscany is full of passionate and energetic reds, yellows and oranges, so the rolling hills are pieces of art right now.

We are heading into Siena now. I'll post more in the next two days.

Much love to you all.
xoxo
Pictures of our adventure.....
http://web.me.com/tquackenbush/Site_3/Italy.html

Farmhouse outside Siena

We've arrived at our new home. We are living in a cottage/farmhouse that sits on a 15 acre olive farm on top a hill that looks out over the valleys of Tuscany. We got a little lost on our way from Lucca to here, so when we arrived it was pitch dark and pouring rain. This morning we woke up to birds singing and rabbits outside our door. We are about 20 miles south of Siena. When you pull off the road to head up our driveway you almost have to put the car in 4-wheel drive to get to the top. It's a long, windy dirt road.....about a mile and half to the top. When we get to the top, there's a giant iron gate to the farmhouse. Once we get through the gate there's a long driveway lined with Italian cypress trees. It's truly picture perfect. Our cottage/farmhouse is two bedrooms, one bath. It's small and cozy, just the way I like it. And......IT'S CLEAN!!! Yahooooooo! The last place was so dirty, no matter how much we cleaned it, it never felt clean. Although, I am thankful for that experience. Every place we stay at now will seem like a gem in comparison. Plus, it was in the perfect location in Lucca. I loved my morning cappuccino place, Cafe Montecatini. The couple who own it have owned it since the early 70's. It's the two of them from 7am-9pm, 6 days a week and they always seem so happy to be together. It felt good to be a part of that. Plus, only locals went to this particular cafe. All the tourist went to the fancy one across the street. I loved getting to know the people and seeing the same ones every morning. The wife would give Georgia a Hello Kitty chocolate square every time she came with me. If she wasn't with me, they gave me a Lindt (Italian chocolate) chocolate umbrella to bring home to her.  I loved my produce place that was actually a couple doors down from the cafe. This place is also owned by a husband and wife team (as I think most businesses in Lucca are). The husband worked the morning shift. As I would sit under the red umbrella at Cafe Montecatini drinking my cappuccino and eating my croissant, the husband of the produce market would be unloading all the produce from his van and wheeling it into the shop. He couldn't have been but 5 feet tall (if that) and would check out every woman, from head to toe, as they walked by. His wife, who worked the afternoon shift was at least 6 inches taller, about 50 pounds heavier, and hardly ever cracked a smile. I guess I'd be checking them out too. He was such a nice guy. When I bought tomatoes he would throw a handful of basil in the bag and tell me (in very fast Italian) that the tomatoes would taste much better with a touch of basil. When I bought raw beans he would throw a couple bay leaves in the bag and tell me (again, in very fast Italian) that it would be perfection if I cooked the beans with the bay leaves. He would always talk to me with such passion, as if I understood Italian. I would just smile and nod and occasionally laugh out loud wishing someone were there to witness this experience. I loved being able to walk out the door and be with in a 5 minute walk from anything and everything we needed. I loved the cobble stone streets and getting our drinking water from the lions mouth (the fountains were lions with the water spewing from their mouths). I loved the 3 mile walk around the wall, especially as fall arrived. The yellows, golds, and reds were so vibrant and abundant. I loved having Isa (I've been spelling it wrong.......it's Isa not Esa) and Benny around. Isa calls us her "adopted family". I loved going to the parks with Georgia and Francesca and watching Georgia interact with children that spoke only Italian. It's fascinating to watch children interact with no language............they don't need the language to connect. Now we have a giant park just outside our front door (minus all the kids). This morning we woke up, put on our rain boots, walked through the olive orchard and stomped in some really big puddles that the last storm left behind. Actually, Georgia stomped in the puddles, Francesca stomped on a very large ant farm. There's no cafe for miles so I've learned (actually, Aric has) to make an exceptional cup of coffee using the Italian style coffee pot (a cast-iron percolator). We went to the farmers market in Siena and stocked up on fruits and veggies and the grocery store for everything else. It's the first time we've "stocked up". We are thoroughly relaxing and enjoying this experience. I've been cooking lunches of homemade beans and zucchini frittata and dinners of homemade marinara sauce, soups and sauteed veggies. Aric and I've both lost a few pounds and we can't figure out how. We eat like kings and queens and drink a bottle of vino a night. The best part is eating fabulous cheeses, sipping on exceptional wine, listening to a combination of David Gray, Norah Jones, Bobby D, Diana Krall, Rusted Root, Eddie Vedder and hints of Kanye West, Jay-Z, Timberland, and B.o.B while making dinner for my family.
Aric and the girls are outside now playing in the puddles, running through the olive orchards and picking finferli/giannnarelle mushrooms with Clezia (the property manager). Looks like I'll be making some kind of mushroom dish tonight.
Much love to you.........wishing you a day full of love and laughter.

I've posted more pics under October and added a November page, so you can check out our new pad........ here's the site.....

http://web.me.com/tquackenbush/Site_3/November_2010.html