We never expect bad things to happen. Even though we know they do happen, we tend to think they won’t happen to us. For example, I didn’t expect my first pregnancy to end in a miscarriage. Nor did I expect my husband to have a near-fatal chainsaw accident or for me to fall down the […]
In small Italian towns, anything can happen! Sometimes it doesn’t even matter if it’s true, as long as it makes for good gossip! Take the time they had my husband all but dead and buried for example! Or at best seriously ill. We were away most of the summer, as we often are, staying at […]
I’m a frugal grandmother and I’m proud of it! But we can become too frugal, in which case we need a wake-up call. Or in my case, maybe a sleeping pill! Because you see, I had these sheets. They were flannel, perfect for our cold and drafty Italian houses that never seem to heat up […]
So you’re on vacation in Italy, and you a break your leg… That would be the worst case scenario. Fortunately, when I broke my ankle a few years ago, I wasn’t on vacation, I was living here. But what should you do if it happens to you on vacation? Well, after recently helping an American […]
Doctors sometimes ask their patients, especially older patients, to take cognitive tests. Or a patient who is concerned about his or her own memory, may even ask to take the test. An inability to remember facts or solve problems could indicate memory loss or dementia. When things are not as they seem This was the […]
The Italian name for April Fool’s Day is Pesce d’Aprile, or April Fool’s Fish. It comes from the children’s custom of sticking a paper fish on the back of a classmate. Since that child is the only one who does not know about the fish, he or she becomes the April Fool or the fish. […]