Roses in the Vineyards

This past weekend, in our little corner of the world, we had "Cantine Aperte" or Open Wineries to enjoy. About 40 wineries in our province of Abruzzo opened their doors for folks to come and sample their wines, their food and their hospitality. I went with my husband and some friends to see our beautiful countryside on glorious, clear, warm days and get to know the wines in our region better. 

Many of these wineries are family owned and handed father to son or daughter down the generations. Wines were shared proudly and information was given so that we could appreciate the subtleties we might miss otherwise. This grandfather, in business with his two daughters, posed with obvious pride with his granddaughter who gave us the tour of their winery and has decided to pursue their business as well. She was a delight.

They had items  showcasing their hands - on approach to wine making and aging in bottles rather than casks. Their label is added at the end by the 80 year old grandmother who first decants the wine to another bottle to eliminate any sediment. Now that's a family affair. I thought about how wonderful it is to have a business that the next generation can get excited about and work alongside elders while developing their own passion and expertise. 

One of the things I noticed as we went from winery to winery were the roses planted either at the end of each row of grapevines or, at least, in the vicinity. Do you know why these roses are planted in or near vineyards? It turns out that roses are susceptible, but more so, to the same type of fungus (powdery mildew and downy mildew) as the grapevines. If the roses show signs of disease, the vines are quickly treated (with sulfur or copper sulphate) lest they become infected, too. An elegant early warning system. Roses also attract beneficial insects that prey upon the insects that are harmful to the grapevines. Plus, of course, they're beautiful in their own right.

The soil and grapevines are monitored scientifically, nowadays, making the roses probably unnecessary and there are some who say that this tradition is based on a myth. But the tradition persists in some vineyards and certainly adds an extra touch of beauty. What a lovely tradition.

What a lovely weekend.

10 on 10/10/10 at 10:10

Yep, I did. In training for my next marathon, I ran 10 kilometers today, 10/10/10 at 10:10.

What were you doing?

The Importance of Aunties

During our family gathering, the various nieces and nephews (grandchildren to the 2 crones) have access to 8 aunties (there are 9 altogether) for endless entertainment, constant companionship and general dancing attendance on their every request. They obviously revel in one another and it's also obviously good for all involved. New people to interact with and learn from, new expectations to respond to, new games or activities to engage in. The energy (and noise) level goes way up and the fun times roll.  Parents get a break and grandparents aren't the only alternatives to them. Mornings become "let's pounce the aunties" to start the day with giggles and hilarity.

Next to my parents, my aunt Franny (out of 6 aunts) was the most important person in my younger years and I loved her dearly. She opened  a world to me different than my parents' world. She was influential in such a good way in my life. I think of her when I see this 4th generation cavorting with their aunties. I wonder which will be the life-changing relationship for each of them. Hooray for aunties!

Let's Dance

Some of my nieces are seriously into physical fitness and set up various activities for our family week together. Makes me realize how fun fitness can be. Today, for instance, we did Zumba with a personal trainer. It's a great combo of aerobics and dancing. She cranked up the volume of the CD played through her truck speakers and we boogied! The steps were simple but challenging and we danced to 5 different lively songs. I run 3 times weekly and amuse myself by listening to a combination of music and talks by interesting authors on my I-Pod, but this was just fun! Try it- when a catchy tune comes on the radio, get up and dance! See if it doesn't lift your mood.

p.s. The grandchildren, in a rare decision,  decided to watch despite the invitation to join in. Usually, we can't keep them still!

Wonder Woman and The Jedi Knight

When I was visiting my grandchildren recently in the Rain Forest of Trinidad, I had a day with them all to myself. It was delicious! We played dress up, ran races, read stories, swam in the river, raced twig boats in the river, danced to favorite songs and just in general had a ball! Kahlil, age 7 1/2 and Kamala, one week from her 4th birthday agreed to write a story to read later to their parents. To fully involve the younger one, I suggested that Kahlil start a sentence and Kamala finish it and then Kamala start a sentence and Kahlil finish it. We had great laughs as the story took turns that neither one would have taken on their own. I told them I would write exactly what they dictated. The following is what they came up with:

Wonder Woman and The Jedi Knight
by Kahlil and Kamala Fitzjames
27/2/10

Once upon a time there was a peaceful village but the wind came and knocked down the trees. There lived a king in that land who went to his garden to gather christofene and dasheen to eat.

Then, one day, war broke out in the land and on the same day, the dog broke out of his yard. When the war broke out, a village, not so far away, heard that there was fighting and they told two powerful knights, Wonder Woman and the Jedi Knight: "A ship will be flying soon." The ship did fly soon and while it was flying, it came under attack. So the ship went under the sea since ships can fly under the sea. Under the sea the ship was attacked again and, this time, it wasn't just any attack. It was attacked by Martians who live under the sea.

But, this ship could fly in the sky, too, and the people who come on the ship would sit and fly over the sea. The Martians were fierce underwater knights. They had gills so they could not breathe out of water. So, as the ship flew out of the water, they died coming after it. But the Martians who dunked their heads under water again could breathe and they would not die.

Now the two real heroes were the Jedi Knight and Wonder Woman. While the ship was under the water, Wonder Woman and the Jedi Knight jumped off the ship and swam across to the Martians' cave to get the treasure of the Titanic. But the treasure couldn't be opened until they got the key. In the cave the Jedi Knight and Wonder Woman saw lots of Martians and Wonder Woman saw lots of people spirits.

The key was hidden in the top of the castle in the cave and a poem unlocked the secret of the key:
Dive under the sea
you will see the key.
By the key is a table.
Don't you dare eat anything
but take the key from the table
at the top of the castle in the cave.
The secret code is 020306.

The Jedi Knight used his light saber to cut open the box. Wonder Woman, with her magic lasso, twirled it above her head and brought the Titanic treasure up to open with the key.
The End

This was such a fun activity and generated such energy and enthusiasm in the kids! I especially loved the poem.
What fun things do you do with your kids or grandkids?

Take Time

Today was a lovely day. It's the last day of September and we went to the beach. It started busy with shopping at the open market in town, meeting friends for coffee and putting up the LAST light fixture in our apartment (what a great satisfaction that brought!). Then John said: "let's go to the beach". So we took the time to go to the beach, take a long walk, have a swim and collect sea glass.
Made me realize the importance of taking time for favorite things. It was so relaxing at the now uncrowded beach. I've always loved collecting sea glass. I have some from every place we've ever lived. When I came home I took a photo of the pieces I found today because they were just so pretty. Then I added it to some I already have. I bought a hand made glass jar, filled it with the beach glass and put it on the top shelf of the bookcase to catch the sun during the day.
I felt happy when I looked at it and remembered the beaches we've walked, the treasures we've found and the memories we've made. They're the things I take with me always.