Spring in Mercogliano

Getting Mail
The first real mail we received in Italy was a momentous occasion! It took a couple of months for the landlady to get us a mailbox key and in the meantime we missed several utility bills and who knows what else! Once we got the mailbox open, we cleaned out months worth of rotting, wet ads and circulars. So the arrival of real mail was quite an occasion!

We are now "on the  map" with the post office and receiving regular mail. It costs $1 for a card or letter from the US. It costs us 1,60 Euro to send a letter to the US. That is about $2. Go figure.

First mail

Johnnie has a friend visit


The first part of May, Johnnie's fishing buddy Mike came from the US for a visit. They toured Rome together and then around the Naples area. Since both of them are walkers, they did quite a bit of exploring around Mercogliano. Mike had difficulty finding food he likes here but they did find a pizza place that became their regular spot. The owners got to know them and what they wanted every time. They also made the gelateria a regular stop as well.

L-R Mike, Johnnie in Rome at the Colliseum

 They did the hike to the top of Mt. Vesuvius to get a look inside the crater of the volcano. From the description of their trip, it was a pretty strenuous hike. They jeep/buses take you part way up narrow winding roads, then you hike the rest of the way.

Looking into the mouth of Mt. Vesuvius volcano

Another view of the volcano

Johnnie's Wheels


We leased a car for Johnnie so he has transportation. He is not a car kind of guy -- he is a truck guy. Don't think he ever had a car since he was a teenager. No sooner did he get the car home, it died on him and had to go into the shop to replace one of the injectors. It was in the shop about a week but seems to run fine now. It is a 2007 Audi A3 with about 100K kilometers on it. It was previously leased by another Boeing expat. As you all know my husband, he immediately started polishing and working on his "new" car. It has "Napoli kisses", so will never be the perfect shiny specimen like his truck in Everett, however, it drives and handles nicely and the price is right!

Johnnie's ride

Of course, he had to get a GPS as well, or be perpetually lost. He had two different TomToms before he got one that worked. Must have been a bad batch. He managed to navigate everywhere while Mike was here and only got lost a few times. All part of the driving experience in Italy!

More flowers
In the bed between the stairs we have more flowers planted. With all the nice rain we are having, things are looking very pretty.

Cinco de Mayo Party in Italy

Hosting a party at the Villa

I intended on having a housewarming party several months ago but that never happened, so then it was to be a Cinco de Mayo party but there was a conflict with a Boeing event in Grottaglie, so finally on May 19 is the party. It is still a Cinco de Mayo party, just delayed a bit. This was for the Boeing expats that live in the Naples areas and the Italians that work for Boeing here. We try to have monthly events so that the spouses and families are able to connect.

I have been hoarding Mexican food ingredients for months now, and having everyone who comes from the US stash a few ingredients in their bags for me. Things that are hard to get in Italy are cheddar cheese, sour cream, refried beans, corn tortillas, salsa, Mexican seasonings and limes. Some of these things you see occasionally and in small quantities, but not regularly.

So stayed with the tried and true menu of Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas, Refried Beans, Nacho Cheese Dip, and cut up veggies for appetizers. Other people brought chips and salsa, a pot of chili, and beer.

Friends in the dining room

Hanging on the front porch

The most fun was the piñata we got for the kids. A friend at the Navy base was able to find one that looked like cowboy boot.

Our youngest competitor

The boot was swinging wildly

At last one of the older children got it down!

The rhythm of everyday life

Shopping for drapes and curtains
I am so blessed to have an Italian friend who is willing to help me shop for window coverings. It is a daunting task in a house with 12 windows and 4 french doors, and with precious little time to shop, and even less time to consider making them myself, or even to install the rods myself. So I determined to just buy ready-made drapes or get some made and installed and be done with it.

Now this may seem extravagant to some of you (and in other circumstances it would seem so for me too) but at this moment in time, it is the only thing that makes sense. I am so glad to have my friend who can help guide me to reputable people, help translate and explain the options I have, and then she also has excellent taste and a good eye for design so I am in good hands.

I have now selected the drapes for the two living rooms downstairs; I am still mulling over the options for the bedrooms upstairs. The shop where we went is owned by someone that my friend knows. The wife runs this shop with the fabrics for the drapes, and other assorted household soft goods. Her husband runs a warehouse showroom with the rods and other drapery hardware that primarily sells to retailers. Because of my large purchase and the friendship with my friends, I got a good price, really nice fabric and a custom design. Another one of those "first and last time" experiences for me having custom made drapes

Den area

Living Room

The Spring Garden
With the advent of nice weather, we are busy putting out flowers and vegetables in our large garden. We have yet to locate the full service greenhouse (like a Flower World or even Lowes) as it seems that Italy is geared more toward the smaller places specializing in certain things. We have the Alberoso which specializes in trees and large shrubs but doesn't have bedding plants of seedlings of any kind. Then the grocery stores have lots of flowers that are bigger than bedding plants but not yet full size so we have been getting those a few at a time to fill up our balcony railing baskets.

Flowers in the Winter Garden

Then for gardening tools and sacks of manure and potting soil, we are going to a place called Happy Casa which is kind of like a Dollar Store and Wal Mart combination. A friend at work brought me a few Eggplants that are already over a foot tall. We got tomato and pepper plants at another place a friend took Johnnie. So here, there and everywhere we are finding things.

We also started some seeds of our own but probably too late for a very good crop. Here the seedlings should be transplanted outdoors in February for the cool crops like broccoli,
cauliflower and leafy vegetables. Our seeds are just now coming up and are still a couple weeks away from moving to the garden so, there is always next year! We also might try a Fall crop when we get back from the US in late August as that will be the time for the cool crops again.

The villa already has some beautiful roses planted in the beds around the house. All they need is some TLC. When the weeds were removed and they got a little sun, they really came back.

Front porch

Upper story balcony railing

Johnnie also loves putting flowers along the porch and the balcony. This is very Italian having the flowers trailing from the balconies. Gernamiums are the most popular, probably because they tolerate the hot, dry weather. It is not as hot here as in other parts, but they also seem to tolerate the cool evenings as well.

I also have my herbs sitting on the ledge of the porch and our seedlings are there as well.