Be Sure Your.....

sins will find you out---or, mom is not all that clueless.

Teenagers, I think all of them, sincerely believe that mom and dad are inherently clueless, permanently equipped with blinders and mentally impaired by old age--regardless if those parents are 30 or 70. The corollary to this is that these teenagers, with the wisdom of their advanced years, believe they are smarter, more clever and totally immune from discovery. Have we not all been there?

The inescapable lesson is that ultimately all things come to light--later if not sooner. Sometimes the truth emerges long after the event has been relegated to forgotten status. When it does burst into the light, either the time of consequence has run its course or delayed justice will triumph. Oh, yes, teeners have so many lessons to learn before becoming the men and women they will grow into (oh yes sorry Winston...the men and women into which they will grow.)

Such a moment hit home the other night when, for some reason unknown, I needed my iPhone which should have been nested in its own little pocket in my purse. But...it wasn't there. Now if you have an iPhone or iPad, you know there is this handy convenience Apple has created called "Find my iPhone." By going to your account on the computer and running this program, the location of your phone or iPad shows right up on a map--where ever it is. I was concerned that I had left it at Sammy's Woodfire Pizzza where we had gone for dinner--pretending it was Italian fare.

However--a big however--the map showed that the phone was right at my very own address--somewhere. And, brilliantly, along with the locating feature of Find My iPhone, comes the convenience of allowing a push of a button to activate a two minute beep, giving time to locate the wandering device. Two minutes was really much longer than needed as it clearly was coming from child's bedroom.

Imagine his shock since it was now 11 o'clock and he was asleep (maybe) when suddenly loud beeps begin emanating from under his covers. This then continued the series of events that now has him on total restriction for the month of October, except for church activities---yeah, no halloween.

By now I am in his room as he dramatically wakes up, wonders what that noise is (it is quite different from a phone ring) and then wonders  how in the world the phone was in his room.

He just doesn't know where it is.

Oh, wait--maybe it is in his pant's pocket in his closet. Sure that must be it as he climbs out of bed, strangely holding the side of his pj's as he limps to the closet.

Now, as I am the proverbial "wasn't born yesterday mother," I figure his strangely placed hand and limp mean something but I was certainly not going to strip search a 13 year old... so called for Ken. Then--in a terrible stroke of bad luck, by the time Father got there, the phone slipped its way out of the pj's onto my feet. Oh my, oh my! Goose is totally cooked--as if it hadn't been from the beginning. Sometimes it is hard to keep that straight face and not begin the giggles.

As we have been having a series of  "you do not take the nintendo, the MP3 player, the DVD player, the computer and certainly not my iPad to bed with you discussions, this was the final moment and the boom needed to fall harder. So--for the month of October, no devices, games are off the computer (yes, I did that to his computer), no friends over and no yesses to evites define his life. He keeps his karate lessons, his Italian lessons, his serve the community day and his church activities (even the fun ones). Plus I have let him know that this is the month where he learns what "hit the books" really means.

With this great life learning moment, I am confident, with total certainty, that he will never see his parents as clueless again--at least whenever he knows that Apple has my back.

Pear Chutney Bruschetta

Once in a while, I post a recipe--if it is one that I truly think is good enough to share, is fairly easy to complete and has been a success with more than just me.  Last night I had a dinner party for 15 and so I was looking for something in the antipasti selection that would be a little different from most. I did have olives, cheeses, crackers and artichoke spreads but those are all so over used these days. So...hunt for something special to add.  This month's cooking light came to the rescue---love, love Cooking Light.

Pear Chutney with Pecans and Blue Cheese

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/4 cup finely chopped shallots

1 1/2 cups finely chopped peeled Anjou, Bartlett or Bosc Pears (I used Bartlett)

1/2 cup pear nector
1/4 cup finely chopped dried apricots
2 Tbs. sugar
1 1/2 Tbs. cider vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (3 inch) cinnamon stick
4 ounces French bread baguette, cut diagonally into 16 thin slices and toast
8 tsp chopped pecans, toasted
8 tsp crumbled plue cheese
1 Tbs chopped fresh chives
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1. Heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, swirl to coat. Add shallots and saute for 2 minutes or until soft. Add pear and next 6 ingredients (through cinnamon); bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook 20 minutes or until pear is tender and mixture is thick (I had to cook longer.) Cool to room temperature. Discard cinnamon stick. 
2. Spoon about 1 1/2 Tbs chutney over each baguette slice; top with 1/2 tsp pecans and 1/2 tsp cheese. Sprinkle with chives and thyme.

Notes: I made the chutney 3 days ahead of time and refrigerated it; then took it from the refrigerator a couple hours before using so it would not be too cold. It was perfect.  I did not pay attention to the amounts of stuff to put on each slice--just did what looked good. Also, just cut the bread as seems OK--rather than counting out 16 slices--waste of your time. I doubled this recipe which seemed perfect for 15 people along with the other appetizers.  I also mades a few with just the chutney in the event that not all guests would like the toppings.

These made a very attractive tray and the guests loved them!

I must say--this photo makes it look quite huge--they really aren't--just the right size to handle and eat.

Reflections in Pictures--Finale

Reminiscing--what a gift the digital camera has been to the bitter-sweet joy of looking backward! Childhood memories, which are so soon lost, burst alive again in vivid, full screen pictures. It is as if the camera has been set to time exposure as children grow before our eyes.

Casey doesn't remember Ecuador until I bring out the picture books and suddenly he recalls minute details. God, in his unfathomable creativity, has given our minds filing cabinets where all is catalogued and stored to be reclaimed at some point in life's journey. Thank you, God.

So... the last three short slideshows of summer 2011. These pictures are our memories thus a little short on famous places and "must sees". They are family landmarks, so to speak which, if the internet lasts, Casey can show his children (and grandchildren) someday.  (Previous Three)

 (Heads up: There is music so you may want to turn down sound.)

Greve-in-Chianti--Our Italian Home Town

Cortona--Love it Here



Assisi--Last Stop 2011

Our memories of 2011--of course, each slide, for us, triggers so much more. Hope you can feel them, too.

Link to:  Reflections--Part 1

Music from Romantic Moments by André Rieu

Reflections in Pictures

...sitting here thinking about Italy this summer and pondering how vacation times fade into forgotten memories so quickly as the "now" takes over. Thank goodness for the magic of photography which captures memories for times of reflection and appreciation of what was.

So, forthwith here are some of this year's memories:

(these have music attached so you may want to turn down sound.)

Montepulciano--Good Friends--Bellissimo

Verona--Not Casey's Favorite Experience

Venice--A Place of Fantasy and Intrigue

Next up: Cortona, Greve and Assisi.  Stay tuned..

Music from Romantic Moments by André Rieu

Someone said.....

..if life gives you lemons, make lemonade (or something like that.) Traveling offers many life experiences and this year Casey has learned to make lemonade. Hopefully it is a lesson which will hold him in good stead throughout life.

If you have followed us for a few years, you know of the extraordinary relationship Casey has had with Camilla beginning when we lived at her family's farmhouse in 2006-2007. These two children were soulmates who bonded in a deep and meaningful way. They said they were more than friends, more than brother and sister, not "girlfriend/boyfriend." If you have read Casey's or my blogs over the years, you know.






It was with trepidation and curiousity that we returned to Italy this year after a two year absence. Now that they were older, what would the relationship be? Casey had become a teen-ager; Camilla not there yet but almost. How would their friendship reform itself?

The first day, after an initial awkwardness, it seemed as if all was well and, as usual, they had picked up where they had left off. But..somehow, by the second day, things were not good. Camilla pulled away and, inexplicatedly, rejected any interaction with Casey. Our boy was totally confused, devastated and profoundly hurt. We, he and her parents have no understanding of why or what. It was bizarrely strange. For several days, Casey would wake up with his usual optimism believing that things would be different. But, as days progressed, even he recognized that was not to be.

So, time for lemonade making...time to refocus and find new pleasures which were readily available. He just had to look and move on.

At Viticcio where we lived and were staying there was a family from Belgium who had been there several times when we were there. They had two girls whom Casey had now known for 5 years. So, it was easy to have fun with them, swimming, walking into the village, playing games, etc. Ken and I were happy to hear Casey laughing and happy. He still would wonder what had happened with his old friend but he was able to move out of his initial despondency.

Then we went to Cortona where he had a wonderful time with Matteo, the son of a friend of mine in that lovely, haunting hill town. He wrote all about it on his blog.Matteo and Me. Ken and I were so pleased to see some of the hurt dissipate as he had such a fun time with Matteo and his friends. He had no time to spare for thoughts of a little girl several villages away.




When we returned to Viticcio, it was time to have the birthday party we had planned to have when his very good friend Tomasso came home from camp. So, with Tomasso and the friends from Belgium who were still there we had quite a celebration. The absence of Camilla, who was in Cannes at a ballet school, was hardly felt.



The rest of the week Tommy and Casey were together constantly--either Tommy was with us and staying the night or Casey was at Tommy's. They went to the late showing of the Harry Potter movie (in Italian, of course), wandered around Greve connecting with other friends, just did what boys do together. No girls necessary.

We ended up leaving Viticcio a week early as Tommy was leaving and so there wasn't much reason to hang around being sad. We had already arranged to go to friend Rebecca's agriturismo Brigolante outside of Assisi for three nights and then were fortunate enough to be able to extend that for a whole week. So we waved goodbye to our friends Alessandro and Nicoletta and moved on.

At Brigolante, Casey had fun again with Rebecca's boys who are quite a bit younger than Casey but boys seem to be able to adjust to age--that plus the little house in the woods, the ATV, the open hills and the farm were enough for Casey to love the week there. Casey and Brigolante.

So, although we had expected a twist to the story of Casey and Camilla this year, we could never have anticipated the curve it took. I don't know if time will reverse this year--if it was just a blip in this fairy tale story of young children. It is very mysterious and strange.

Casey feels a loss of some magnitude. He is puzzled. I encourage him to feel the loss so that he doesn't react by hardening against hurt. Since ways of response can be formed so early in life, children need guidance as to how to handle disappointments. I tell him to remember the years of fun the two of them had as they can't be taken away. And we all hope that next time we return, the unique and special friendship will reestablish.

And this year the lemonade turned out pretty sweet after all.



Tommy and Casey


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