January is a quiet time here. Plenty of folks going about their everyday business, but nothing much else is going on. At least here all the restaurants and stores stay open all winter. This town doesn’t shut down because the tourists are gone like so many do. That should always be a consideration if you intend to move here. Some places are shut tight!
The weather, after our two week cold snap, is pretty nice. Highs in the 50s, lows in the 30s and 40s. My lemon tree did get frost bitten, even though I brought it and the persimmon inside. I have trimmed off the dead bits. I’m sure it will recover once it’s back outside. I’m following the big winter storm hitting much of the U.S. right now. Stay warm everyone. Our stufa keeping us warm. 🔥
I’ve been making lots of soups and comfort food. We have a good friend here who had a medical crisis a couple weeks ago. Thankfully he is better and home now. Seems there is a syndrome called acute haemolytic anemia or favism. Apparently a person can develop this G6PD deficiency triggered by components in fava beans. He was in the hospital for a week and had four transfusions. Very sick boy. Now he can’t eat any legumes like beans, chickpeas, lentils, etc. for a couple of months. I was trying to find recipes of mine in my soups and it was a surprise that almost all of mine have one of those forbidden items. I did find two. Anyway, I’m very glad he is on the mend. Get well soon Steve!
I don’t have much else to report. Hang in everyone. Hunker down for the storm. La primavera sta arrivando!
Hi Noel, you probably know DC is my hometown 🙂. I know it can get pretty darn cold. It is much milder here. January and February are our coldest months and your observations were correct, the towns slow down in winter. But not completely Mormon is not a tourist town. Your recipe sounds great. Thanks! Stay warm.
Ciao, Nancy. We returned home (DC area) a week ago Thursday from Spoleto and our sense of the place was that the city was entering a period of quiet after the holidays. It was cold when we left, but nothing like what we found here. Enjoy la stufa and try offering a brodo di gallina e carne con capelletti to your friend. Buon Anno.
Oh yes James! One of my go-to soups! Love it.
Hi Nancy, there’s always potato-leek soup. Also, I love making soup with butternut squash. Ah, also chicken and rice!!!
Be careful Matt. My sister and her husband live in central VA. Colder there than it is at your house. The snow will be heavy and wet. My sister and hubby for the first time hired a service to remove the snow. Maybe you can do that.
It was 4 degrees F here this morning, and has made it up to a balmy 10 at 10:30. It’s supposed to begin snowing this evening and will continue into Monday. Up to 18″ expected, so I’ll have my work cut out for me. I’m getting too old for this!!!