4/100 Driving Through the Countryside
Well, it is starting to appear like all of my happiness is reserved for Sundays, but this is entirely untrue! I have plenty of happy moments during the week as well, in this picture here is actually proof of that--this photo is from driving in the countryside last Tuesday. I take country roads all the time here (I'm still learning the shortcuts), and as I was making my way home to Macerata on Tuesday afternoon, I pulled over to snap this picture.
Summer months are beautiful here, when the fields change color--some of them dappled with the red of poppies, others painted yellow with sunflowers. Here I was blessed with the glow of a golden field, and the view of my city in the background.
Yep. That's pretty happy stuff :).
3/100 : Sundays in Macerata
Well, I typically don't like Sundays in Macerata very much (as in, I don't like the way that the city centre practically empties out and nobody is on the streets, due to the fact that all of the shops are closed) but it's summer now, which means that it stays light well into what we would normally consider night (well, I would. For me "night" starts at 7:30 pm), and so when we arrived in MC with our camera in tow, 30 minutes early for our dinner reservations, we decided to wander the streets and shoot pictures, all tourist-like. It was fun! We laughed like a couple of idiots as people walked by wondering what we were taking pictures of ("this is my favorite street! Or maybe it's that one?" I asked myself aloud, or, to Antonello, "I love this look-out, where you can see the stars at night!"), but we used up a good half an hour happily snapping photos and visiting our city. Tourists in our own town for a day. That's something to be happy about, isn't it? :)
- Jackie
2/100 : Summer Dinners
So, we've started talking about how happy we are (which, like Corrie said, is totally a thing!), and therefore, considering its mid-June (so, summer is in full swing here in Italy), my first happy post has to do with two things I like very much: food (yay!) and summer :).
So tonight was one of those nights--A's family was over here for a summer dinner in the middle of a heat wave, talking and eating and watching Spain lose to the Netherlands (world cup). These kind of evenings make me happy, and of course our after dinner photo (some people were not aware of what was happening in this photo) has the smiles to prove it.
Good night, and have a happy summer evening. :) - Jackie
1/100 days of happy
It's a thing, a real thing. 100 days of happy: http://100happydays.com And we thought we'd give it a try.
So tonight, I had to pull over to take a pic of the pink. It's late (9:30 sunsets in Indy these days), and I'm tired on my way home from a work event. That pink cloud reminded me to be happy and remember that it was a fun event with good wine & even better people.
Cabin Feverish: not so much
Snow.
That's the word these days in Indy. A "polar vortex" swirled around Naptown, leaving the city under a white blanket that brought record setting cold.
Leaving the house was illegal for a day. When it wasn't a crime anymore, the mayor warned against it. And then the sliding semis in our front yard suggested we aught not to venture.
After days at home, the story usually leads to cabin fever. But I haven't felt it yet... (God bless the internet and a job that I can do online for a rare but perfectly-timed stretch.) We're lucky that the power stayed on and the wine never dried up and that we bought cat food ahead of the storm. So all those practical concerns addressed, I kinda wish I could hole up in this cabin a bit longer.
Ah, but then there's the dream of italia in the spring...and the garden to put in (and eat from)...and...
To Paris and Back
We are just now home from Paris. 4 days there was not enough, and Antonello and I spent time with our nieces and met up with my dad too. We saw Manet at the Musee d'Orsay, we visited Montematre and walked in the footsteps of Picasso and his pals, we gazed up at the Eiffel Tower while drinking vin chaud, we spoke (very) broken French. We ate pastries every morning (well, almost), and we had dinner and coffee (and more pastries) among family each night. We counted the stars. It was the perfect getaway.
Resolving
It's definitely the time of year... With fresh Christmas memories still tickling our daily routine, we're starting to think of what we hope for in the new year. "Let's make a list!" Bowden exclaimed. (Jackie will know how happy that statement makes me. Lists!!!)
During trips this weekend to the Matisse exhibit at the IMA and a walk in the warmer-than-usual Eagle Creek Park (they said it was over 50F on Saturday!), we started talking about items for the 2014 list. So far, we've got... (in no particular order)
1. New waffle iron: ours gave out this weekend
2. Get more exercise: we're starting with a six week intro-to-yoga class
3. Visit Roma: Bowden's never been ed io non vedo l'ora!
Yup, we're starting with some pretty specific targets, even if they might seem to conflict (more waffles may kind of negate more exercise, but both sound fun). And the prospect of Italia in 2014...well, it's going to be a very good year. ☺️👏🇮🇹
- Corrie
