Italian Food and Sights

The food in Italy is as advertised:  to die for.  From the simplest Pizzerias to the many small sandwich and sweets shops to the sit down, elbow to elbow restaurants, Italians take food seriously and it was appreciated by us!  Here are some pics and the best by far was i' Mangiarino, which is in Florence, on a little side street.  Incredibly unpretentious, the food is considered "slow food" which doesn't mean it takes forever to get it, rather it is complex and freshly made and you will want to drink their house wine (served in pitchers).  The 4 of us had all this incredible food and 3 pitchers of wine and the owner chef even served us his favorite pasta with different cheeses and later a wild boar sauce over another pasta.  Each platter was interesting and scrumptuous yet never over filling.  We walked around Florence the rest of the day with smiles and pure contentment!

Urinals and things potty

I admit it, I am fascinated with the design of bathroom fixtures and toilets.  I often wonder how the designers make their final decisions since there are so many variations.  And urinals.  What a great idea and any house with a male living in it should have a centrally located urinal.  Saves time and speeds up the process of peeing and moving on to more important man-type things (whatever they are, but they are important...).  So here are a few shots of fixtures I've taken during my travels.  No comments, just pictures and yes I wait until the restroom is vacant before taking the picture.  And the last one is from an eatery in Florence and there was no toilet seat and note there is no apparent way to attach one...

Italy 2011 pics part 2

Here are a few shots of  Rome and Florence.  Great weather, OLD stuff and fascinating history, wonderful food, too many cigarette smokers (even in restaurants), but any vacation without arguments is a "win" in my mind.  More food stories and statues and "old stuff" questions will follow.  Like who was this dude sitting on a turtle?  Only fat dude/dudette statue we saw.  He was correct in cautioning, "yo, don't take my picture....", but how can one resist?

They want to pick a fight over lightbulbs. Really?

Well, here continues the polarization of our country once again, led now by the House Republicans who want the energy efficient light bulb bill repealed.

This use of a squiggly compact fluorescent lightbulb (CFL) instead of the traditional incandescent is being called an infringement on our rights (although the incandescent bulb developed by Tommy Edison hasn't really changed much since 1879.  90% of the energy used is heat and 10% is light, kind of inefficient, no?).  Sigh...

And yes, I realize some give off different colors of light.  Some are more white or blue or even orangeish, but this is just something we have to get use to.  Automakers have mpg requirements and it indisputable that cost of energy is soaring (solar is one option but the Repubs don't want to get into that arena too deeply because big business would not make the same obscene profits like the oil companies.  That's why we need to continue to substutize them, right?), seatbelts are madatory.  But changing the light bulb?  Why, that's unAmerican and it's Prsident Obama's fault.  Really?  That has become the tea baggers party's rallying cry.

Read this: Republican presidential contender Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, in her freelance response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address earlier this year, said that under Obama “we bought a bureaucracy that now tells us which light bulbs to buy.”  Nice try Rep. Bonehead, but it was in 1993, when the last of the Bushies were in office that the bill was enacted. Georgie the Younger did sign the bill.  But, once again, it's easier to say things that suit your purpose rather than stating facts.

So, taken along with the US still having no energy policy, some elected leaders are choosing to fight about the freedom to choose what light bulb is used.  Again, never mind that many homes and most businesses use CFLs on a regular basis, it's just another issue that produces smoke so citizens can't see the real issues, like the deficit or 2-3 wars that are costing us trillions.

Geez, get a grip on reality people!

The Girls Have New Digs: Chickghetto part 2 (movin' on up!)

Finished(mostly), Completed (almost)
The work in progress is 90% complete and the remaining 10% will be done when I see how the girls use the new home. 

It brings home the age old question:  what came first?  The coop or the run?  The coop is where the chickens hang out at night.  Tightly fenced in with a covered area where eggs are laid.  The run is where the birds hang out during the day.

So the coop and run must be attached somehow so clean water and fresh food can be changed daily.  Their run these days is the yard which I thought would be a great idea since they have a few patches of woods to hunt for bugs and things and even the garden, where the tomatoes are protected.  But too often I find them and their um, presents, poop everywhere.  They are poop machines and it's amazing how much of the stuff can be produced by 3 birds. 

This, of course, is tempered by the incredible eggs they give us everyday.  I had an amazing 2 egg omelet with fresh spinach, a pinch of grated parmesian, tablespoon of shredded cheddar cheese, and freshly ground pepper.  So good, just so good.

Back to the new digs.  The coop and run are connected.    They can be secured in the coop at night and have a 4'x8' run to play in during the day.  I can leave them out when I choose.  I'm sure I will hear much complaining tomorrow but when I get them some wood chips next week I think they will adapt.  They really have no choice.