139,422 positives in Italy. Up 2.4%. 17,669 deaths.
1,289 positives in Umbria. Up 2%. 50 deaths total.
Still dropping.

419,975 cases in the US. 14,262 deaths.
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I am sad. We ordered wine from our friend and Enoteca Wine Club owner, (formerly a restaurant, before this pandemic), Patrick. He drops the wine at our house. He told Luther he thinks he will be shutting down his business. He can’t afford to stay closed until June, which is best case scenario right now. He just can’t survive by selling wine. I have such good memories of many lunches and wine tasting dinners there. I would hate to see it end. I fear for our friends who own places, and I am sad for our town. And all the towns everywhere… To lose all these places is discouraging to say the least.
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But on the better news side, Corriere della Sera had more information on the transition. Of course nothing is set yet but here’s what they are thinking about.

April 14 is the day after Easter and called Pasquetta here. It has always been a big holiday…Easter is past and Lent is done and it’s time to party. Traditionally with a picnic outside. Anyway, April 13 was the time for the government to reassess our situation here. They are thinking of letting some stores and businesses open on April 15. Things like pasticceria, clothing shops, stationary stores, farm stores, gift shops were mentioned as allowed to open. One customer at a time.

Then on May 4 they talked of the Italian government reassessing by region the restriction rules. I would hope, a region like Umbria, would be more able to allow more movement since we have few cases per capita.

Finally, on May 18 they will assess the situation in each region and will consider softening the travel restrictions based on level of infection in each region. The areas hardest hit, with the most immunities, and those which had less infection overall will be the most likely to begin to have relaxation of the rules. This may allow people to begin to travel outside their comunes. Sadly, there is no mention of when Bars and Restaurants will be allowed to reopen.😢

How will it be enforced? Who knows! But anyway. These are the milestones as they stand today.
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Dinner last night was Chicken with Slow Roasted Lemons and Capers. It was quite good. It took some time to roast the lemons but hey! I got nothin’ but time! I served it with rice and green beans…I put the recipe under the recipe tab in the main menu.

I had my kitchen door open to the terrace. It is just so pretty out there at the moment. The terrace is messy but I liked how it looked. Temperatures are hitting around 70 now.

Jill said things up on the mountain where they live are really starting to burst. She sent several pictures but this one was my favorite.

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Ciao for now! Stay safe, don’t let down your guard. 🌈 Andrà tutto bene…

119,827 positives in Italy. Up 3.9%. 14,681 deaths.
1,179 positives in Umbria. Up 4.5%.
Umbertide had 25 cases and 2 deaths (as of March 30).

266,671 cases in the US. 6,921 deaths.
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Reading newspapers. Grabbed a few quotes. The problem in the US is pretty enormous…these are random comments/quotes from random governors and mayors and officials around the country.

This thing is going to come for us all…

“While we do not know for certain what the future holds, or how long this disruption will last, we can all rest in knowing that God is in control”

“I feel like the entire country ought to be under a stay-at-home order..”

Current and former emergency management officials said the delay would cost lives.

….the fact that the numbers could get that bad that fast,

He singled out the South, saying, “It’s almost a different approach, waiting to know it’s bad. I’m afraid that by the time they have reports of cases, it’s already too late.”

“We needed to be where we are now three weeks ago,” said the official

The series of new orders announced this week leave about a dozen states without sweeping restrictions limiting travel to essential needs.

Kemp (Georgia governor) said he learned Tuesday that the virus was “transmitting before people see signs.”

Um but… Governor Kemp…do you not know how to read? It was clear. No excuses…For weeks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others have been warning about the disease’s spread in the absence of symptoms. – Nancy

“It would have made sense to start substantial social distancing in early March,” the mayor said. “But there was no messaging for that. And no one saw the threat it became literally days later.”

…many are now left to wait and wonder if the latest restrictions came in time, and what lies ahead for the Sunshine State.

“I have zero doubt that there are hundreds if not thousands of cases we don’t know about,” Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said in an interview.

Hanage, the Harvard epidemiologist, worries that many areas of the country no longer have enough time to dodge the viral freight train that is coming, including the Sunshine State.

If the message from trump and his administration, had been clear, unambiguous and succinct the US would be in a different place now. But the messages from the top could not be MORE confusing or misleading. So a lot of people are being confused. Sadly, maybe leading to their demise or their family members demise, from the virus.
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Tonight we are eating something Luther bought on his hunting and gathering trip a couple of weeks ago. It is a whole chicken stuffed with pork. It was surprisingly good. I would not normally buy this, but I had asked for a chicken and apparently it was the only one they had.

Before cooking

After cooking

Surprise! It was boned

On the plate.

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So, Saturday…another day, just like the other day. It’s sunny out. No clouds to be seen. It is cold but it will warm up. It is greening in the fields and the trees by the river are leafing out. Afternoons I’ve been opening the terrace door. I put the lemon tree back outside. Maybe we are past the freezing at night stage. I’ve done my morning chores and had a cup of coffee. It’s 9:30. Now what shall I do? 

Actually I have a few plans. I will continue my kitchen work. I’ve finished the spice cabinets and now I’m going to move to the upper cabinets and the drawers. We did get a nice call from Vera yesterday. She is going crazy too. The town where she lives, Mercatale, is small. It has one small grocery store. Plus a butcher. There are probably other things but she is pretty much limited since we are all stuck in our town or Comune. Now that I think of it, her town is in the Comune of Cortona. It’s a pretty big area. If I were her, I’d be venturing a bit farther. But maybe not. If the cops stopped her she’d have to justify being far from home.

It is kind of the luck of the draw as to who has what resource. Our nearby Montone friends are stuck with one small Alimentari. And a butcher. And the police WILL stop them if they try to leave their hill. Too, bad because Umbertide is very close with all needs.
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Stay home my friends! Stay safe and well…

1095 cases in Umbria. Up 1.5%. 37 deaths, no change.
110,574 cases in Italy. Up 4.5%. 13,155 deaths.

210,271 cases in the US. 4,469 deaths.
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Dinner last night. Orecchiette pasta, one of my favorites from Puglia, way down south. The name means “little ears”. It has a nice chew to it and does well to hold sauce in its little cups. I had purchased a big batch of fava beans at the store last week and Luther shelled them. Then I parboiled them and peeled them. They are a pain to make but, oh so good. I put them in a frying pan with garlic and oil. I also had saved the stalk of a broccoli head. Hate to throw it away. And I cooked it until soft and whizzed it (with my emersion blender) with a little water to make a thickener which I added to the beans. I tossed in the cooked orecchiette and finally a couple handfuls of spinach leaves and tossed until wilted. Topped with Pecorino Romano (or Parmesan) it was a nice yummy springtime dinner.

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This morning dawned bright and clear. And cold. Did I mention cold? But that’s OK. Next week the weather we can’t go out into is supposed to be beautiful 😂.

Anyway, I always look out the window at the Piazza even though there is usually not much happening out there. But we do have a Unicredit bank. Now and then, I’m not sure what triggers it, there are a bunch of people waiting. I liked the composition of this with the bright sun casting shadows and the people, almost like pieces in a chess game scattered about.

So not a lot happening today. I will continue with my kitchen cleaning. I was pleased with my endeavors from yesterday.

I have also been really struggling with this WordPress interface. I upgraded and I so so so Hate the new knew one. Really hard to use IMO. I also managed to screw up my main menu and cannot figure out how to fix it. So, for the time being, if you want the recipe for the Lentil soup it is (stupidly) on the Main Menu. Please grab a copy.
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Stay safe everyone, stay home. Faremo insieme! 💕

1,078 positives in Umbria. 2.5% rise. 37 deaths.
105,792 positives in Italy. 4% rise. 12,428 deaths

Still dropping.

174,027 positives in the US. 3,415 deaths.
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I went to the pharmacy to refill my prescriptions. This is one of the three things we can leave our house to do. There was no one inside and no one waiting. They let one in at a time. There is a box marked in tape on the floor where you stand. You lean in with your boxes to refill. The pharmacist holds each new box up to see. You can’t pay in cash, only with a credit or debit card. Lean in to take the boxes. Arrivederci. And I’m on my way. Quick trip. Being outside in the cold air felt marvelous!! Too bad the pharmacy is so close to our house 😢
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I have to admit, yesterday, I hit a wall. I felt very tired, sad, discouraged. Up to now I have been OK, but the thought of another month (or more!) in this house. Well honestly, it is depressing. I can’t even get excited about cooking. Now, for me, that’s serious. I don’t want to be a downer to others. But I also want to be honest. And I think it will be a problem for all of us who are locked down, in their house, away from friends and family, unable even to go outside for a walk, for weeks. I’m sure what I’m feeling is/will be normal for many.

So, now my job is to figure out how to overcome this. I’ve got to try to pull myself out of this funk. And I will. I think I will start by coming up with a list of tasks to work on. Things to accomplish each day. A goal. And a schedule. Not too much, but something each day. I think this will help me feel like I’m doing something other than sitting here reading the news and Facebook. Something that will make me feel I’ve accomplished something.
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A new day. Clear and cold out. Slept a little longer than usual but then, where do I have to go? One thing I’ve read though, is that routine is important. Getting up at a normal time, dressing, bathing, chores…all good for the mood. For the sense of control. I feel a bit better today. I’m throwing myself at my kitchen cabinets 😀

I have a lot of spices and herbs. And I’ve got these cool cabinets with sliding glass that close some of them up. I suppose some would put pretty things in there. Not me, I put my spices and condiments and ingredients, near to hand. I’m taking everything out, making sure it’s cleaned off, cleaning the surface inside, and organizing them properly.

Spices. Glass is open.

To show you how the glass slides back to cover the bottles.

I buy a lot of my spices from Penzeys in the US. I have them sent to Cindy or a friend to bring over later. They have the best and biggest selection. Anyway, when I buy them they always put in extra stuff. And it is usually something hard to file among the other jars in an orderly way. Like Jerk seasoning, or steak seasoning. Usually blends which I don’t use so often. Anyway, I’ve got to figure out how to organize them.

The other cabinet, of the same type, is full of things for different foods and for baking. Balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, Worcester sauce, hot sauces, honeys, baking powder and soda, corn starch, vanilla etc. so it is next for this afternoon.

It has been a while since I made any soup and that is our normal lunch staple. So today I made Lentil soup with spinach. It smelled sooo good while cooking as it has cumin and cayenne in it 😋. I did fiddle with the recipe…no surprise there!

And, finally, lunch!

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Stay home guys. If I can do it…you can too! 🤞😉🙃🙂