Italia: Day 3

I feel profoundly happy to not be covered in pet hair right now. This is a surprising aspect of my happiness right now, and one of which I'm enormously aware. I have not had to lint-roll myself since Monday morning! Tremendous. Happy Thanksgiving, American family and friends. Elia loves Thanksgiving so we are having a small one here. This morning, we went back to Mercado Centrale to pick up a few remaining items for tonight's meal, including our turkey from the turkey guy. Look at the sign they have hanging over the stall.

I inquired about the somewhat odd placement of the Stella di Davide, and the guy said, "I don't know. I'm Palestinian so it's not mine." His colleague said, "I think an American girl made this for us. It's about 15 years old now."

The whole thing tickled my funny bone.

Artichokes and porcini mushrooms are in season now- can you even get over the size of these mushrooms?? And the artichokes could not be fresher or more stunning, yes?

For lunch we decided on lemon and ricotta ravioli and a kale salad with apples, Parmesan and walnuts. These ravioli render you certain of dying of bliss. Dressed with a simple lemon butter sauce, each bite is a cloud of perfection.

Our apple pie is cooked, the veggies are roasted, the turkey is in. I made a cipollini confit, and we're making a cornbread dressing too. Hope you are all happy, healthy and well. Warmest wishes from across the pond.

Here: Italia

Via Munich (a great airport), I arrived in Florence around 12:30p EST today, Tuesday. Elia (sister) and Leone (new nephew) picked me up, and immediately I fell in love with little L. Newborns are just the cat's meow, especially when they have perfect lips, a cleft chin and are related to you. More than twelve hours, one nap, two meals, a trip to the market and some wine later, I am finally in bed in my rental apartment, just down the block from Elia's. My mom was here for twenty-six days, until yesterday; when I entered this place and found her notes and leftovers, coffee and gluten-free items, the adaptor shed'd left for me and the hair dryer hanging over a towel rack in her signature, looped-cord fashion, I felt her presence and wished she were still here.

How odd to overlap with your own mother in a singular apartment on a different continent. How strange and familiar to see her handwriting in a kitchen to which neither of us may ever return. How funny-sad to consider that our planes may have passed in the cloud-smocked skies somewhere between here and there.

Both of us came to do what family so often does: to help, to tend, to love, to be with in the moment. And today was so lovely in all of those respects.

El made me lunch while Leone napped and I briefly crashed. She concocted a glorious spaghetti with artichokes sautéed with garlic, parsley and white wine (above). I changed Leone's diapers, held and sang to him, helped bathe him, made a salad and some dessert for dinner tonight.

Michele, El's husband, arrived home just after we returned from an epic trip to Esse Lunga, a grocery store, laden with bags. He popped Prosecco and we "chin-chin'ed" each other happily.

He cooked his homemade pumpkin ravioli after we enjoyed appetizers of mozzarella di bufala, sundried tomatoes, and smoked salmon with toasts and creme fraiche. I face-timed with the boys, missing them dearly when I saw their sweet faces.

We took turns with the baby, just three weeks new and oblivious to adult schedules and patterns of time. It was easy and delightful, and suddenly, plum tart still in the oven, we realized the hour, and I realized my fatigue, and I kissed everyone Buona Notte and headed back to my empty apartment, an experience I've not had since I was a bachelorette in New York more than a decade ago.

Perfetta!

Full of...

Love: for my husband, sons, extended family, dear friends, home, pets, blog, readers, health and good fortune. Gratitude: for all the help I kindly received today, my family, great babysitters, amazing books, having an empty seat next to me on this overnight flight, J.Brand jeans.

The warmest of wishes to you all!