I haven’t had a lot to talk about, hence the silence. Today I was out and about working a shift at Books for Dogs/Libri per i cani — the charity that supports several animal rescues and sanctuaries. It is a glorious fall day with brilliant sunshine after huge and devastating storms crossed the peninsula the last two days. I am so glad the storms have passed.

I parked just across the bridge over the Tiber from the Centro Storico. I immediately noticed all the pretty flora that signifies autumn. There are big pomegranate trees beside the lot where I parked. Along with trees with pretty red berries. There was a man taking some of the pomegranates. Many were past their prime. The good ones were too high to reach. But they are free for the taking if you can get to them!

Over beside the bridge is a cachi tree. That is persimmons in Italian. These are very abundant here and also free for the taking. Many houses have a tree loaded with the fruit which often falls to the ground uneaten.

I always like it if I meet people in the street that I know. Makes me feel more connected to the town. First I ran into Ely and Albi from Calagrana with their brand new puppy Attilio. He is so darn cute. All 3 kilos of him! Then I met Antoinetta, one of my first acquaintances in Umbertide. She is la momma of our first geometra. She always is invited to our thanksgiving celebration so I’ll see her again soon.

Speaking of our Thanksgiving coming up. I reached out to Fabio, another friend who will attend the celebration. He has a big olive grove and sells his oil to us every year. This year around here was a huge and plentiful crop. Everyone got big yields. He also told me his quality is extraordinary. I believe him because about four or five years ago he also had the most extraordinary oil. So I ordered about 20 liters for us. He will bring it to Thanksgiving where we will do the exchange.

Umbrian olive oil is prized as some of the best in the world. And it flows freely here which is a bounty that I never take for granted. I know how people in other countries covet good olive oil and use it in miserly portions. If you visit Umbria you’ll find it is poured copiously over soups, into salads and onto crunchy toasted bread. No stinting on the amount. We are very fortunate here.

Finally, I harvested the last of the green tomatoes from the orto. Fortuitously David Leibowitz, one of my favorite subscription’s published a recipe for green tomato chutney so I decided to try it. It is yummy. I added cayenne for some extra spice with the sweet.

Ciao a tutti, buon weekend!