Thinking of Florence again

This morning is not nearly as nippy as yesterday’s was, presently 44 above zero just after dawn. My friend, Jennifer, has become a den mother and was camping overnight with her little scouts. Oh, I can hardly imagine anything less enjoyable than sleeping outside or not in the comfort of one’s home on such a cold night.

In watching the news this a.m. I realized that “oops!”, I missed a debate last night. How did that happen? Usually I am on top of these things and really would have liked to have seen this one, based on foreign policy questions. Last week’s was about the economy and folks are discussing that debate even yet.

Before I forget, I have to report my delicious dinner from last night. When at Longhorn with Martie for dinner Thursday, I ordered the smaller cut rib-eye with a sweet potato. About half of each item came home with me for another meal. I had the brainstorm to reheat those leftovers plus a potato baked last weekend in the oven. In my stone baking pan (Pampered Chef product) after putting some olive oil in the bottom, I laid the steak and opened the potatoes. The oven was set for less than 300 degrees and I covered the dish with foil, reheating for about an hour. Perfection!! The meat was tender and needed no steak knife to cut it. When the microwave reheats it, the meat is tougher and loses some of its flavor, it seems. This other way of reheating was just dandy and warmed the house a little bit at the same time!

When Joanne lived with me, her favorite dinner to make, often at 9:30 pm, was to layer raw veggies and fingerling potatoes in a jelly roll pan, bathe them in olive oil and seasoning, and then baking them. Oh my goodness, did that ever smell delicious!?! It would make quite a portion, and while she offered to share, I never accepted. What a meal that made for her!

Monday when I was going to Ladies’ Group, I noticed that Joanne’s car was parked in the same place it had been for several days, appearing to have not moved. Since in the past, it happened that she would end up in the hospital with some strangle malady and not let me know right away. I called and got the answering machine, so I left a message expressing my concern for her and her car. In a few minutes she called back, not yet hearing the message. I told her I was wondering if she was alright, since her car had not moved and she was moved that I cared enough to call. She was in Atlanta visiting her sisters, and was headed to Ohio to spend time with her daughters. She had left the car there in case her daughter, Christine, needed to use it. It did not occur for me to ask why she was down here since Christine lives in Ohio….hmmmm….I need to have an extended conversation with Joanne, not one cut short by Ladies’ Group!

This morning’s e-mail brought an announcement from Amazon informing me of a new book published about Hemingway, letters he had written prior to 1920, I believe. I am half through reading “On Paris” which is a compilation of essays or articles he wrote when living there in the very early 1920’s, after WWI. He tells how cheaply Americans (USA and Canadians) can live there due to the strong dollar, estimating getting by on $1000 a year for a decent existence, as long as they stayed away from the tourist hotels and restaurants. That tickled me as I recall Justin and me sitting at the bistro in Florence, enjoying our $9 Diet Cokes and sharing a treat of strawberries with cream. It cost me $36 but I would not have missed it for the world!

Another reason Florence was on my mind is because Marlena came over yesterday when she was done working at The Club. She is going to do the dusting for me prior to ThanksLiving and my CHRISTmas party for the Ladies’ Group. Her hours have been cut, though that is cutting off one’s nose to spite their face, if you ask me, since she is such a vital employee there. She is quite ambitious and has the best interest of The Club at heart, not like some of the others that work there. If I still was a business owner, I would want a roomful of such people as she!

Anyway, she asked me if I needed any cleaning done and since I am having two events rather close together, I gladly accepted her offer. She came over to size the job, not her first visit here, and again expressed her love for my chandelier. And she really loves the glass flowers and vase that Justin gave me for CHRISTmas that year, too, which he matched to the chandelier. The other day I was admiring the two little amphoras he gave me and he said, “I did all my shopping on e-Bay that year…” It is so great that he knows what will tickle my fancy in that fashion.

Usually he struggles with what to get his father for gifts but Thursday, when Victory was all set up for their yard sale which takes place in the church, he found something right off the bat. Since the items were not yet priced, Judy A. just threw out a price to us, and I paid it. I know it seems odd for me to be buying it, but I know how Justin agonizes over these things otherwise. Having something just right and at a good price, and helping the church, well, it had to be done!

When they were taking in items for the sale, Ed, Judy A.’s hubby, sent me a message via Facebook reporting an “Italianesqe” piece of art someone had donated. He put it on the side for me to look at when there for Bible study. It was perfect and would have gone great in my dining room, but I did not take it. First of all, the size was large and secondly, it very closely mirrored the mural already in the dining room so would have been redundant. I have my own art not yet hung and it didn’t make sense to bring in another piece. It pleased me, though, that he knew what I would like and set it aside for me to view. It was almost like being there, the Italian countryside. For now, my travel will take place through my scrapbooks while sitting in my dining room!