April showers bring…floods

road closed, originally uploaded by The Rambling Rountrees.

Yes, what you see is right. When I went to bed last night I knew the water was rising due to yesterday’s heavy rains and snow melt. Over the last two weeks the temps have soared up into the 70′s and the snow has been melting nicely, but then it had to rain. So my basement is flooded and the sump pump ran all night. My yard is a mess with debris that floated into it it over night. In Maine we have, Winter, Flood Season, Mud Season , and Black Fly Season

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CARIBOU MAINE HAS ISSUED A

* FLOOD WARNING FOR URBAN AREAS AND SMALL STREAMS IN… PENOBSCOT COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL MAINE…

* UNTIL 400 PM EDT WEDNESDAY…

* AT 600 AM EDT…THE RECENT HEAVY RAINFALL HAS ENDED…HOWEVER SEVERAL AREAS CONTINUE TO REPORT FLOODED ROADWAYS EARLY THIS MORNING. MINOR ROAD FLOODING WAS REPORTED.

A FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR HAS BEEN REPORTED. STREAM RISES WILL BE SLOW AND FLASH FLOODING IS NOT EXPECTED. HOWEVER…ALL INTERESTED PARTIES SHOULD TAKE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS IMMEDIATELY.

MOST FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. NEVER DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. FLOOD WATERS ARE USUALLY DEEPER THAN THEY APPEAR. JUST ONE FOOT OF FLOWING WATER IS POWERFUL ENOUGH TO SWEEP VEHICLES OFF THE ROAD. WHEN ENCOUNTERING FLOODED ROADS MAKE THE SMART CHOICE…TURN AROUND…DON’T DROWN.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS SAFELY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

I should have stayed in bed this morning!

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Anticipation…..

the best beef, originally uploaded by The Rambling Rountrees.

Well I am so very excited to be actively planning and waiting to execute our trip to Italy 2008. What can I say…we ARE foodies. Our travels revolve around planning our fodder Italy is a culinary treasure of food markets, trattorias, osterias, ristorantes and other delights.. With this being our fifth trip to Italy we have grown fond of “usual” dining places. But this year we are reaching for more. I am waiting anxiously for a reservation to Dario’s

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I see you!

i see you!, originally uploaded by The Rambling Rountrees.

Well another week has come and gone. My Great niece Emma, spent last week for a holiday from her usual daycare. I can honestly say I am exhausted. She wore me ragged, playing non-stop. But I’m so lucky to have this child in my lie. She brings me such pleasure of watching her discover things. Being three is such an inquisitive age for learning. When her mother was this age, I used to take her for school vacations as well. This time is different, I am older and time is so precious. To have a child of this age in one’s life, is a valuable lesson for all of us. Take time to enjoy the moment, because time changes things rapidly. Savor the day through the eyes of a child, and perhaps we will all learn something from them. Perhaps something we overlooked in our own life.

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Earth Day 2008

local deer, originally uploaded by The Rambling Rountrees.

Well, spring is finally here and today we celebrate Mother Earth’s Day. A day to rejoice for the earth that we have. If we all take today to be more cognizant of how we treat eh earth, we can only hope to help preserve it’s existence.

According to Encarta, Earth Day is a day dedicated to the environmental health of our planet. It’s observed in the United States, Canada, and many other countries around the world with programs designed to educate people about Earth’s environment and threats to the environment. Activities intended to improve the environment also take place. Earth Day is most often celebrated on April 22, but some people observe it on March 21, the first day of spring. Activities surrounding Earth Day may continue for weeks or months.

ORIGIN OF EARTH DAY

Earth Day was first observed on April 22, 1970. The idea for a nationwide demonstration in support of Earth’s environment came from Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin. Nelson is considered the founder of Earth Day. On the first Earth Day in 1970 as many as 20 million Americans in schools and communities across the country participated in rallies and demonstrations on behalf of Earth. In New York City, Mayor John Lindsay closed Fifth Avenue to automobile traffic, and thousands of people attended a fair on ecology in Central Park.

Today is a day when we all can make a difference. Conserve water, electricity, and fuel. Walk to work instead of ride. Plant a tree or some flowers. Help to celebrate the importance of our planet. Lastly but not least take the time to enjoy the moment and share it’s beauty with a child.

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Photo of the Day

wild clover, originally uploaded by The Rambling Rountrees.

In honor of this week’s Earth Day 2008, I am dreaming about green grass and wild clovers once more. The snow is rapidly melting and spring is here. Here’s hoping to greener grass in the near future….now if only the nasty bugs would stay away. Countdown: 50 days till Italy!

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Pizza margherita in Firenze

pizza maragarita in firenze, originally uploaded by The Rambling Rountrees.

Since the countdown to Italy 2008 has began, I have an incorrigible craving for pizza margherita. In Italy pizza is an art. Much like the work of Donatello, Da Vinci, and others. It is an experience to be truly enjoyed sitting outside at a traditional pizzeria sipping a local vino. Here is a recipe for my favorite!

14 ounces pizza flour (recommende: 00)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch sea salt
1 ounce fresh yeast
1 1/4 cups tepid water
Topping, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Shape flour into a mound and make an indentation on the top. Pour the oil into the indentation and add the salt. Melt the yeast in a cup of tepid water and pour it into the middle. Start kneading the dough with your hands until all the yeast is absorbed and the dough feels elastic, firm, and looks shiny.

Roll it into a ball, sprinkle with flour and place in a bowl. Make a cross on the top. Cover with a cloth and leave it to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour in winter and 30 minutes in summer.

Stretch the dough and then roll it out with a rolling pin on a floury surface, until it is about 1/4-inch thick. Cover the surface of a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of oil. Sprinkle with sea salt. Place dough on baking sheet and press the edges in firmly with your fingers. Add tomatoes, reserving a little of the juice, and drizzle with olive oil. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and add chopped mozzarella. Tear the remaining basil leaves and scatter over mozzarella. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with Parmesan and the rest of the tomato juice. Cook for 5 minutes. Eat immediately.

Topping:
1 pound pendula tomatoes or 2 1/2 cups fresh tomato sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed in garlic press
Extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Salt
10 ounces of fresh Buffalo mozzarella, roughly chopped
12 basil leaves
1 cup Parmesan, optional

Cut the tomatoes in half. As you drop them into a medium-sized bowl squeeze them with your hands so that the juice comes out. Add garlic, olive oil, salt, and half the basil leaves. Leave to marinate while the dough rises.

ENJOY!!!

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Boun Compleanno mi Momma

mom & emma, originally uploaded by The Rambling Rountrees.

Happy Birthday to my Mom. My friend, my shopping partner, my person to care for, the one that brought me into this world. I love you very much. I hope you have a wonderful day and many more to come! Enjoy your special day, after all you are only 73 years young! I wish you the best!

On another note, please keep the families of students and staff of Virginia Tech in your hearts and prayers today, after they suffered such a terrible tragedy one year ago today.  You are all in my heart and prayers.

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My calling back to Tuscany

So this year we are returning to Italy. Florence/Tuscany will once again be our home base as the Rambling Rountrees take off on another traveling adventure! We will return to our home away from home and will once again visit our Italian friends Cyndi and Danilo. This season we will be staying out in the Italian countryside in Tavernelle De Pesa. The hotel looks like a delightful place to stay.

At only 15km from Florence, Park Hotel Chianti is the perfect accommodation, an ideal place, to spend a few days of absolute relax, immersed in the charming natural beauty of Chianti hills, surrounded by small lanes, vineyards and endless green fields.

You can relax in the outdoor swimming pool with solarium, taste the wine and typical dishes of Tuscan tradition in the best farm, cellars and rustic restaurants, enjoy romantic excursions to discover the atmosphere of the ancient villages of the Chianti area.

In the evocative background of Tuscany countryside, Park Hotel Chianti combines modern services, as the Internet Wi-Fi and the safe in all the rooms, and the warmth of a welcoming and friendly atmosphere…

With lots to do:
When you stay at Park Hotel Chianti there are many activities that you can choose during your holiday: visits to farms and local cellars where you can taste olive oil, wine and all the best typical products of the territory, personalized itineraries to discover the most beautiful cities of Tuscany and the small villages of Chianti…and much more!
Restaurants and Taverns – In the surroundings of Park Hotel Chianti you can taste the typical Tuscan cuisine in characteristic restaurants where you will discover ancient tastes, enriched by natural ingredients as oil and wine produced directly from the hills of Chianti.

You can dine outdoors and try the artisan pasta, meats as the wild boar, the suckling roasted pig and the true Florentine steak… and end you dinner with the typical “Vin Santo”.

Chianti Wine tasting – By visiting the cellars and the vineyards of the area, that from centuries cultivate the art of wine production, you will know all the stages, from the harvest to the oak casks, which give birth to the best Chianti Classico. The wine tasting itineraries, with bottles that date back as far as 1948, will satisfy the needs of the most demanding experts.

Tuscan cuisine courses – Do you want to discover all the secrets of the typical Tuscan cuisine? A few metres from Park Hotel Chianti you can participate to exclusive cookery courses, learn the art of home-made pasta, gnocchi and noodles, and then taste your creation accompanied by a good glass of Chianti wine.

55 More days til departure!

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When you’re smiling!

emma smiles, originally uploaded by The Rambling Rountrees.

The whole world smiles with you! Through the eyes of a three year old….

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Has Spring Arrived?

spring sky, originally uploaded by The Rambling Rountrees.

Blue skies, what more could one ask for……

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