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Valentine’s Day
As a small child, I loved making valentines. We were given paper lace doilies, construction paper and glue. We made the very most beautiful valentines that we could, intricate and pleasingly bright. Lucky for me, I had parents, because they were really the only appreciative recipients of my childhood valentines. But this one is for…
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Maddalena’s admonishment
There are always social changes with each new generation. These differences can be great when generations span continents as well. As the grandchild of two sets of Italian grandparents, sometimes this became very apparent to me. Despite their greatest efforts to become Americans they still retained some of their old world ideas, particularly my grandmother…
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The curve of the hornist’s hand
To excel at any instrument requires practice and dedication, but there are some other physical qualities that can give you a real advantage with most instruments including: dexterity for the violin family, long fingers for the piano, a good embouchure for all wind instruments, which includes the French Horn. The French horn, however, is unique…
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Ilenia – Facebook is better than the telephone
I have had the good fortune to have found lots of really nice relatives in Italy but for years I have not had a good way to get in touch with them. I wrote letters that were never answered. I made phone calls and could not understand what people were saying because the lines were…
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Santina and the spatulas
Santina is a cousin by marriage. She was born in Sellia Marina and now lives in Sersale, where she was recently widowed. She has a heart of gold, is a little shy, but kind, hard working, and modest. On this last visit, I stayed with her at her house and she shared her daily routines…