Spring Time!

Yesterday was the first day of spring and that means more gardening posts!  I planted a bunch of daffodil bulbs in February.  I was worried that they weren't cold long enough to come up (usually they're planted in the fall), but they're coming up and have buds!  Fabri and I have both been delighted watching they grow taller and taller.  Everyday there is a substantial increase in height!  I also have a bunch of lettuce planted that I hope to keep around until the hottest part of summer when they'll probably wilt.  Check out the slide show to see some photos of our additional living space!  It's still too early for some things, but I plan on having a nice little vegetable garden out there.  I'm going to have a grape or cherry tomato plant and then I hope to find an eggplant & a zucchini that can thrive in containers.  Also Fabri and I are going to get a trellis and transfer the ivy to the back balcony that doesn't get any direct sunlight.  Any ideas of other vines that do well in only indirect sunlight?  

Tonight we're doing the Melting Pot in Saluzzo again.  This time we're taking it a bit easier though.  Antonio and Laura are coming over and bringing the appetizer AND dessert.  Fabri and I are just doing the broth this time with sausage, beef, chicken, shrimp, cauliflower and broccoli.  That seems like plenty!  I feel like I'm missing a couple good vegetables though.  

In our apartment complex there are (in general) two apartments per floor.  Our next door neighbors are two single brothers in their late 60's & early 70's.  One had a medical issue one night and came over to get advise from Fabri.  Fabri checked him out and told he needed to go to the hospital to have something done.  The next day Fabri checked up on him and our neighbor was very grateful.  Last week our neighbor brought his medical test results over for Fabri to look at.  When Fabri brought them back on Tuesday night, our neighbors invited us over for some dessert.  It was about 8:30 in the evening and we hadn't had dinner yet, but we went on over to make a good impression.  The guys were very nice and their niece was over as well.  We deduced that they are a rich country family that owns a lot of land and rents it to cow herders.  They gave us a bottle of rum from Santo Domingo.  One of the brothers has been to the DR 21 times!  We told them that Nebbiolo is my favorite wine and they said next time we'll have a tasting of their nebbiolo.  Whoot whoot!