An Update

Time for an update on my lately-neglected blog. It's not apathy that is causing the neglect, but a concrete development, which I hope to post about soon. Meanwhile, here's a little about what's up around here:

View from the farmhand's house in Garfagnana, Italy

• We're going to the music festival in Garfagnana again! This time, we're taking two teenaged friends along. I really like these friends, so they should be a fun addition to our trip. I'm looking forward to the same small town, the same refurbished farmhand's house owned by the kindly Bertolani family, the same town square with its small shops, proprietors, and medieval castle, the same great faculty, and the same slightly wacky concert schedule with a delayed grand finale across the street from our favorite restaurant in town.

A seasonal produce list from a previous spring.

• It's almost time for the farmers' markets to start selling good produce again. Presently I find myself in something of a culinary no man's land. I stare blankly at my little chalkboard, looking for ideas from the list of seasonal foods that are currently in my refrigerator, but there's nothing on it! Eventually, I shake out of my trance, get out my old recipe file or my Asian cookbooks, and find something perfectly suitable, but not necessarily seasonal.
  
  This somehow means that the checkout girls at the corner grocery see me daily at about 5 p.m. Not my usual way of planning a meal. But yesterday I did run into a woman speaking Italian to her baby in the store and had an entire conversation with her. As you can imagine, given my Italian skills, it was just chit chat, but I was glad I took the risk, and the baby smiled at me! Good practice for Garfagnana.

One of CZ's photos from last week. Blooming trees on a cold, gray day.

• Spring is finally arriving, however much delayed, in New York City. The tree outside our window is starting to bloom, and the robins have arrived and are singing enthusiastically. I can hear them all the way from Riverside Park!
  
  These first warm days always bring out the contrasts: A young woman in a pink and green strapless sundress walks down the street in one direction and old one in a heavy coat and wool scarf walks up it in the other. One day this week it got up into the high seventies and CZ and I took a walk along the river. There was the usual good weather sea of humanity surrounding us--on skateboards, bikes, walking and running--as all our fellow New Yorkers, like us, crawled out from under their metaphorical rocks, soft and pale as slugs. Favorite sight of the day: A young woman in a strapless sequined gown and high heeled mules, walking across the street by the park. She had a beat-up backpack over her shoulders, and carried a bicycle pump in one hand.

• Film trucks are on our street today, filming Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. They seem to be using the building next door.

• I finally activated my blank, dormant Facebook account. I have ambiguous feelings about Facebook. On the plus side, I now know what some of my extended family members are up to, especially the younger ones who are newly out on their own. And I like my brother-in-law's photos. On the downside, the medium promotes fragmented thinking and it tempts me to keep up with the pace of the newsfeed. I'm sure I'll come to peace with it eventually, likely by using it for what it's worth, and mostly ignoring it.

• It has been a challenging winter. I am being honed, taught by God, and pushed outside of my comfort zone. I have learned a lot about myself, not all of it pleasant. I've learned how very important it is to stay positive, even when everything inside screams the opposite; staying positive gives room for grace to grow. I've learned that thankfulness is often embodied in small things, but it's not just about the things themselves. It's about what they represent in concrete form, that God cares for us, and that we can use small things to care for others. Whenever we are still trying, still learning, there is hope. Joy comes in the morning.

More soon!