GAS PRICES AND A NEW GARDEN CENTER

Gas was all over the place while we were in the states….it was in the $2.20+ range when we arrived then dropped slowly to $1.89…..before it jumped back up 20 cents one night….than slowly declined back to the $1.89 range just before we left. What is up with that? And when and why did diesel fuel start costing more than regular gas?

We saw the movie “Crash” right before we left the states, and while it was in incredible powerful movie, it was also so incredibly sad. I guess the point the movie was trying to make explains why we moved to Italy. It’s so frustrating to see the world becoming more impersonal and more hardened. Sometimes when I have a problem with a store clerk or a flight attendant I really REALLY try to make a personal connection, but so often I’m just unable to break through the shell of self-defense and fear that these people have covered themselves with. When I deal with someone who really is trying to be helpful or who goes out of their way to be nice, it’s so unexpected, and that’s such a sad commentary on our lives today.

We had a great visit with the grandgirls in Florida. Siobhan is three going on thirty…and has quite a mind of her own. She’s a Capricorn too, so I understand the temperament. She’s also incredibly intelligent, and totally bi-lingual, although she hesitates to speak Spanish in public. Frank says he thinks that Siobhan thinks Spanish is just some sort of pig-latin that just the two of them share.

Maeve is absolutely adorable! She has these HUGE blue Betty Boop eyes and fat little cheeks. She’s a happy baby, crawling like crazy. We don’t know if she’ll walk of not….the spina bifida is very unpredictable. Almost surely she’ll have bowel and bladder issues, but to what degree no one knows. She’s trying to pull up now, and gets up as far as her knees. Because she won’t be one for another six or seven weeks, she could just be a slow starter.

I don’t know how Frank and Siobhan manage to keep such an optimistic outlook, but of course a positive attitude really helps everybody. Shannon is so good with the girls…patient and caring. I wish I’d been a better parent. Maybe if I’d waited until I was a little older I might have done a better job.
We stopped by the garden center this afternoon. I only have a few flowers out….I didn’t want to risk losing them while we were in the states. I needed some ivy geraniums, impatiens, and a few more basil plants.

We’ve lived here since September 2003, and we never knew there was a nursery in Marsciano! We found out about totally by accident. When Belinda and Giacomo drove us to Rome, Giacomo had to stop at his car insurance agent’s office to pay his premium. The office was right across the street from Ternana’s and once we were ready, Giacomo turned right towards the emergency room entrance rather than going through town. The road eventually took us to the road where the new large apartment building has just been completed. Along the way, we passed a nursery…perhaps not as large as VIP, but still, a LOT closer! And right next door was another furniture store!!!! Boy did I feel stupid!!!