Construction Has Started! Or, at Least, DEstruction!

We returned from our wonderful Thanksgiving with Eleanor yesterday to discover that the workers were actually beginning the job as planned! I hesitate to say "as originally planned," since the initial idea was to start work the day of closing. However, it took a while to get the estimates, contracts, and so on in gear. One of the reasons we chose our builder is because he could start quickly.

Guest room: no more ugly chase!

The primary reason we chose him? Because we adore him. His name is Umberto Perugini, and he has helped us in numerous ways throughout our years here. He is an angel in a builder's overalls. His love of humanity in general and us in particular absolutely shines.

Bathroom block going away

Dining room clear!

So far, they have torn down the dividing wall between the landing and the dining room. We would like to put a very large defining archway rather than having the simple wall, because that will provide much more light to the space and will give us the option of extending the table when/if we have larger groups.

They are currently working on the bathroom(s) on the main floor: first step, of course, was to rip out the existing block, since we are moving the whole piece about 30 cm to allow a larger living room.

Waste Chute!

And we have our waste chute! These make us insanely happy, for some reason.

Love,

Alexandra

Bonus photo: ramp onto truck for tank removal

Bonus photo: I have removed these tiles for use in the front hall

Girls' room with torn-out paving

Girls' room: a bit more to go!

Jeremy and I found the method of tying-in door frames to be pretty interesting:
Looks like they insert angled pins into the mortar, then later attach the frames.

Tee hee hee!

You ſeemed to need a bit more to chew on...

House Update

Given that we're still in the planning phases, there's not a whole lot to report. That said, our carpenter Enrico has been working steadily to remove the interior doors and all the shutters (some are interior, others exterior) for stripping and refinishing. At least one of the sets of doors date to the mid-1800s, according to the local carpenters (including the simple brass handle!), and the others are relatively new, being 1920s or so. Nonetheless, they have mostly been deemed of sufficiently high aulity to warrant keeping them.

On my way home from an errand, though, I couldn't resist stopping by to check out the view from our balcony on this rather misty afternoon. I wasn't disappointed.

Love,

Alexandra

All Souls' Day...time to make cookies!

All Souls' Day comes on November 2, and is generally celebrated with a Mass at the local cemeteries. As is common with holidays, there is a special food associated with the event: fave dei morti. Literally, "beans of the dead"...as in, used to weight down eyelids, I suspect, these are not actually beans but rather oval-ish cookies made with almonds and cinnamon.

This year, I decided to make my own, since I'd found ground almonds in my pantry (originally purchased for a different reason, and then forgotten about quite promptly). Consisting of butter, sugar, ground almonds, flour, a couple of eggs, and cinnamon, it's actually a pretty easy thing to bake. And at the end, if you're lucky, you get a morsel that is lighter than marzipan but just as scrumptious.

Love,

Alexandra

Shoe-in

The "action" end; the threading action
is very familiar

I'm making progress on my shoe, and every session am feeling more confident with the machine. A word about it: it is a 1925 Singer, purchased by his father the year my maestro was born. The bobbin is a vertical-inset construction with the bobbin holder thingy that has to be inserted with major wrist contortions (most seamstresses will know the kind I mean). Interestingly, and amazingly, the aperture in the metal bobbin holder thingy has enlarged through years of friction with the thread. Who would have expected that?

On the shoe itself, we added stiffening in the front section (the leather is too delicate to withstand wear), and we're starting to put it on the form! While totally wrinkly in the photo, it stretches out nicely and doesn't look TOO wonky when put on the form. Hurray!

Interestingly, the machine has the "reverse" orientation from
today's sewing machines

To wind the bobbin, you place it vertically on the
horizontal screw to the left (with the white part that touches
the action wheel) and use some hand movements to ensure
an even wind. The screw in the middle of the photo
is the stitch length: lower = shorter stitches.

Stiffener inside the front part of the shoe

Not looking good quite yet, but...on its way!

Sr. Zoppini is holding this really nifty tool:
the pliers end is used to stretch the leather over the form,
but the little knobby thing towards the tip makes a
small hammer for placing nails into the form.

I've started the cutting out for the next upper!

Love,

Alexandra

Driving more to reduce global warming

Ah, October, season of mists and mellow fruitfulness...and time to get the cars checked out for emissions and roadworthiness. This is the first time that the Panda (our dual-fuel gas/methane “big” car) needed to be checked, as it is just now four years old.

My helpful inspector told me that the methane tank requires a separate “inspection”, performed by a mechanic in town. I went to the mechanic to book my spot, and was told that actually, the “inspection” = “complete replacement with a certified tank” and my tank would then be sent for testing and certification, then to be placed in someone else’s vehicle. Huh.

The thing is, though, that they aren’t equipped to do methane recovery at the mechanic’s. So all methane in our (full!) tank would be released into the atmosphere. Since methane is a much more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide and water vapor (the byproducts of its combustion), it actually made more sense from the environmental standpoint to empty the gas tank.

Making the best of the situation, Michael and I both had the brainwave of driving to Montefalco to have lunch at the best restaurant in Umbria (seriously: it won that award this summer! Yay for them!) which would allow for good eating and fuel burning.

The leaves on the vines were just turning, and looked stunning against a backdrop of silvery green olives, green wheat (? Grass?), and brown fields. We had a somewhat hazy drive, with lovely, soft light.

And we made it back home just in time for dinner, which none of us is ready for.

Love,

Alexandra

An old craft, new to me

The middle section, blue

We have two shoemakers in town, one of whom is expert and rather pricy (but makes outstanding shoes), and the other of whom is more of a “workhorse” shoemaker...less emphasis on elegance and style and more on “get it done, now, and don’t charge too much” type of artisan. I’ve used him for several of my beloved pairs of shoes, but must confess that (I suspect due to his advancing age), they are getting rather less expert with time.

The toe cap, grey

However, I have always wanted to learn how to make shoes, and I know how to sew garments. I had a brilliant idea: ask Signor Zoppini if he would teach me how to make shoes! I figured my younger eyesight and steady hands combined with his experience could be a good combination. The good news? He agreed! The bad news? Not much...he’s clearly never taught anyone before, and would really rather do it himself than let me learn by making mistakes. But he’s an absolute darling, and I’m having a great time.

The paper pattern

He’s now 93 years old, still goes to work every day (six days a week), despite the fact that his wife’s increasing infirmity means he now has to do the shopping, cooking, etc. He told me today that they eloped to Rome 72 years ago because her family thought she was too young (at 21). He confessed that married life was way more fun in the beginning, especially at night; now, it’s all complaints about being too hot or too cold! But we could agree that long-term companionship was a wonderful thing.

Yes, we sniff glue together

I’ve only gone three times so far, and I have done (or watched Sr. Zoppini do) the leather selection, form tracing, and cutting out of one shoe (the one-at-a-time approach might also explain some of the vagaries of his work). I’ve also sewn together the back portion with the lining, the toe cap to the middle and the back portion to the middle. Essentially, at this point I have the upper nearly done, but not so soon! I still have to do the toe reinforcement, the lining of the front, and I’m sure more before we can connect the upper to the sole.

The pattern for the back and lacing section, black

My maestro

Ribbon for reinforcement of the edge

You glue a tiny selvedge underneath

The back seam plus the blue heel reinforcement

Signor Zoppini really wants me to come every day, “That way they’re done more quickly!” Unfortunately, my time really only permits twice a week. Plus, I feel bad taking him away from his other work. In any case, I hope that perhaps my second shoe will require a minimum of intervention from him and he’ll be able to do his own thing while I’m in the workshop.

Love,

Alexandra