Plazza Della Signoria - Florence

The Plazza Della Signoria is a lovely square surrounded with a gallery of sculpture. It was considered to be the heart of Florence.

The plazza is directly in front of the Plazzo Vecchio which was the palace for the Medici Family. Vanessa and I was drawn to this square many times during our two week visit in May. We found the best gelato here and ate dinners and lunch at the outside cafes. I've made the risotto that I tasted here a couple of times since coming home.

Originally Michelangelo's David was placed in the square, but now a copy of the David stands in it's place. The David was moved to protect it from weather damage and vandal to a more secure inside location at the Galleria dell'Accademia (which roughly translates to the "the learning gallery").

Below are some of the sculpture we saw here:

The copy of the David statue, a close-up of part of the bronze statue on the Neptune Fountain, The Rape of the Sabine Women (not know for it's subject, but for the beautiful form of three flowing bodies molded together - the statue was carved from a single stone - unheard of at the time), Perseus, a shot of the whole Neptune Fountain. The last two are pictures of the square where the cafes are.

Composting

My next garden project will be to start a composting system. This will provide me with needed nutrients to add to my garden soil perhaps by fall, or at very latest by next spring. I've done some research on the subject and found several different types of composters. It can be as simple as a pile in the corner of your yard to a system where you move compost from bin to bin as it deteriorates. You do not need to build your own system, there are many different styles of composters all ready made, but this option can be very costly (plus it takes all the fun away for building something yourself). I like the style here at this link http://www.composting101.com/building-a-bin-article.html . Now I need to sweet talk Bill into helping me build it...lol.

Some may ask what is composting and why should I bother. Ingredients of a compost include grass clippings, dead leaves, and vegetable kitchen waste. This is a great way of disposing of these items that is more natural than sending them to the landfill. It is very import that you do not add diseased plants, plant parts that contain thorns, weed seed heads, or meat, fat, or bones from the kitchen. To aid in the speed of the deterioration in the compost, ingredients can be chop or shred. The compost should be turned several times during the season and watered. What you have at the end is a rich dirt consistency that is spread and turned into the garden. It is the most natural way to add nutrients and fertilizer into your garden.

Andrew's Grad Party

We celebrated Andrew's graduation on Saturday, July 18th. It was a marvelous time! We had about 50 people visit the open house. It am really starting to get to know Bill's family.

I was really worried about the weather (when we planned the date - who would have thought it would be so cool and rainy in July!). It was definitely a little "ify". But, thanks to God, it held off the rain until the next day!

We had a pig roasted for the occasion. Andrew had asked for the ears (why I do not know) but when they couple who cooked the pig gave them to him, he realized he really did not want them. Not sure where they ended up, but at least I did not see them in my refrigerator. I would highly recommend the people who prepared the meat...if you need a number, give me a call and I will share with you the contact info.

Here are some pictures of our set-up before a lot of people started arriving.

Zucchini

I've prepared for freezing my first batch of Zucchini. I had three huge squash which provided me with 6 quart bags. I followed the same procedures as for the summer squash. First I blanched the zucchini in boiling water (I added some salt after the water came to a boil.), rinced in cool water and baged the squash. I will let them cool a little more before I place them in the freezer.

Preserving Summer's Bounty

I've been harvesting summer squash for a couple of weeks now, and the plants are still loaded. So, I thought I should started doing research on how to freeze some.

I've never preserved squash before - I've canned tomatoes, beans, beets, pickles (just to name a few) and made lots of jams and jellies...but have never froze squash, this will be a new experience for me. I think it will be nice come winter when the snow is flying (and boy does it fly up here in Michigan) and we are still enjoying the bounty from our garden.

I used my favorite tool...and googled "how to freeze summer squash"...I found a website with instructions...click this link, they have full instructions with pictures. http://www.pickyourown.org/freezing_summer_squash.htm

I am going to try this method later this week, will keep you posted on how it works.

Oh, btw...for those who are hoping for some squash from my garden, don't fret...I have your back, I will not put it all up in the freezer (Lord knows, I do not have enough freezer space for it) I will have fresh squash for you too!!

What do you see?

Hey Dean....what do you see out the window?

Oh, a big fat baby bird. Can you say "What's for dinner"?...lol

Lions and Tigers and Bears...Oh My

My 8 year old grandson Tyler is here for a 10 day visit. Bill and I have enjoyed spending time with Tyler and have done alot of fun activities. On Monday Tyler and I visited the John Ball Zoo here in Grand Rapids. For those who do not know the zoo, it is small (we went through it in 2 hours) but very nice. The newest exhibit is the monkey island which Tyler and I enjoyed sitting and watching the monkeys climb around.

Italy Pictures - from day 1

Here are a few more pictures from Italy. These were taken on our first day there. Picture 1 is a close-up of one of the statues on Michelangelo's tomb. Picture two is of the bronze David which is at the Michelangelo Plaza. Picture 3 is of the Uffizi Art Museum. And picture 4 is a close up of one of the many frescoes found in Santa Croce (which means Holy Cross).