GUESTS AND GIFTS

Our friends Palma and Brad stopped by yesterday morning, and they came bearing gifts! We knew they were bringing us some Better Than Bouillon (chicken flavor) since I'd requested it on the SlowTrav message board a few weeks back. I'd dropped my only jar of chicken stock on my very hard, very unforgiving ceramic tile floor, and was quite upset!

We're planning to see lots of our ST friends at a get together next week in Assisi, so I asked if anyone might have room in their suitcase for a jar of bouillon. The bouillon cubes here in Italy are just as disgustingly salty as those in the states, and chicken stock isn't found here on the shelf in handy boxes or cans like it is in the states. Having this concentrated stock base allows me to use what I need, when I need it, although I do try to keep some homemade chicken stock in the freezer too.

So....Marcia graciously offered to bring me a jur of stock, then Palma posted that she had two jars for me as well! Palma also said she had a surprise for me, and I was so anxious to find out what it was! Yesterday morning when she and Brad arrived for coffee she had a huge bag of stuff for us! It was like Christmas! Out came a box of quart size ZipLock bags! Then Gallon size ZipLock bags! Then a few cans of chilies! Some flour tortillas! The bouillon of course, and last but CERTAINLY not least......CHEDDAR CHEESE!!!!!! do I even have to tell you that we were both doin' the 'happy dance" around the kitchen?!

After enjoying our morning snack and giving Palma and Brad a tour of the house, the garden and the park, they took off to spend the day in Todi. We wanted to show them how to get there the back way, and thought we'd stop by the HUGE field of sunflowers that's blooming just outside of town.

They returned later in the day for a nice dinner, meaning that we had a chance to talk even more. We'll see them again next week in Assisi, but then not until next April at the big Slow Travel get together in Savannah. I wasn't sure we could make our schedule work to include the Savannah gtg, but of course Art assures me that everything will work out perfectly. Since he's been right so many times before, I'll trust that he's right about this too!