I suppose I consider myself lucky

While cooking dinner tonight, I thought about some of the things that I have here in Italy that I truly appreciate. Although living in a small agricultural town in Italy (as opposed to a fairly big American city) means I don't have immediate access to the theater, museums, libraries or unlimited shopping just to name a few, I do have many things to be happy about.

Knowing that many of the ingredients that I use are home grown really is wonderful, and unfortunately I find myself taking for granted. I am of course lucky to have a mother in law that is one of those rural Italian ladies, maybe not as old as the typical ones Americans imagine, but truly a traditional woman, without whom I wouldn't have many of these things. Today when I went to their house I found her preparing the chickens that she had just....well killed. Of course I receive the benefits of all of her hard labor, meaning fresh chicken, eggs, rabbit, and tomato puree, not to mention canned vegetables that she spends the summer afternoons preparing. This is of course not to leave out all of the hard work my husband and his brother and father put into it too. I am lucky to have a husband with a farm, though I complain a lot about his hours, there are plenty of things to be thankful for. In the summer we have a huge garden full of all of the vegetables you could possibly want, including those that are put away for the winter, I don't think I never have to buy onions, potatoes or garlic, and it is of course naturally organic. We are lucky to have our own olive groves and produce the most wonderful olive oil that my mother so fittingly calls liquid gold. Ah yes, one of the things that I truly love....our home grown food!