AT LONG LAST .... GERMANY HAS CLEARED WWI DEBT

It has taken 92 long years ....but Germany has reached its goal of completely paying the reparation bill from WWI. 

When the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, Germany accepted blame for the war and agreed to pay 226 billion Reichsmarks, a sum that was later reduced in 1921 to 132 billion Reichsmarks.  Part of the rationale for the large fine was to prevent Germany becoming a major power in Europe after WWI.  Instead, the aftermath of the Treaty of Versailles ended up providing Hitler support for his views and his rise to power in the 1930s.

Up until 1952 Germany had paid some 1.5 billion Reichsmarks in war reparations to Allied countries. But in 1953 the balance was suspended pending a reunification of East and West Germany.

When the payments started back up again in 1990, it was publicised that everything would be paid off by 3 October 2010 .... and that goal has been reached with 4 days to spare.

If they can pay off their debt ... then the rest of us should be able to as well.  I realize that there will always be extenuating circumstances that will pop up ... but for the most part, it can be done.  Think of the freedom you would have if you didn't have to continually "live in the past" (spending your today money paying off bills from the past).

AMAZING HUBBLE TELESCOPE

A dear friend shared this with me recently ... I found it thought provoking.

SINGAPORE TURKEY STEW

Clearing out my recipe folders ..tossing ones that no longer sound appealing, trying others to see if they are keepers.  Tonight I made SINGAPORE TURKEY STEW.  Though the list of ingredients is long, it only took about 1/2 hour to make...mostly the making of the meatballs.

1-lb ground turkey

1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice (or can use equal parts of ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground ginger and ground anise ... I didn't have anise, so used a smidge of jerk seasoning)

1/2 teaspoon hot chili flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons flour

1 Tablespoon oil

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced (in Spain, it is called a tooth of garlic)

1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger (had part of a root in the frig from another recipe)

1 can (13 oz) coconut milk

1 can (14 oz) chicken broth

1 head (12 oz) bok choy, cut into 1-inch pieces (used Napa cabbage, next time I'll try spinach)

1 can (14 oz) baby corn, drained

2 Roma tomatoes, rinsed, cored and chopped (picked up a few cherry tomatoes at the Belpasso market today - used those)

1/4 cup drained canned sliced water chestnuts (will probably skip this next time or use jicama -- the ones I use had a metallic taste)

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

1 Tablespoon lime juice

3 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

In bowl, mix ground turkey, five spice, chili flakes and salt.  Shape into 1-inch balls. Put flour on a plate and roll the meatballs in the flour to lightly coat them.

Pour oil in 4 or 5-quart non-stick pan over medium-high heat.  Add meatballs in single layer.  Cook turning frequently, until lightly brown all over and barely pink in the middle (I cut a couple open to check - mine took about 8 minutes to get cooked through).  Remove from pan into a bowl and set aside for now.

Add garlic and ginger to pan and stir just until fragrant - 30 seconds or so.  Add coconut milk, broth and meatballs; bring to a simmer.  Adjust heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook until meatballs are no longer pink in center - another 5 minutes or so.

Stir in bok choy, baby corn, tomatoes, water chestnuts, green onions and lime juice and cook, stirring often, until bok choy leaves are wilted and stems are slightly tender - another 5 minutes or so.  Sprinkle with chopped cilantro leaves and eat!

4 servings.   I don't know where I got this recipe from .. I copied it from something, but there is no page number on the sheet as if it came from a book, nor did I write a reference on the page anywhere ... normally I do that.

DH said he would like to have it again ...

SEAFOOD PASTA ON OUR DAY SAIL

DH and I went on a day sail the other day ... it was a nice way to spend a warm day .... drifting along the coast, swimming in the (cold!) water, enjoying the breeze ...the crew provided lunch for us.  Fresh seafood pasta!  DH ate his share AND mine!

Catania and Mt Etna

Cyclops Rocks

He's turning blue!  He's wrinkling up!
He's a blue raisin!

GRILLED EGGPLANT PARMA

Had an eggplant left from our market trip the other day ... DH was grilling hamburgers....so tossed this together.  Turned out fairly well.  Will add more garlic next time and use fresh basil.

Slice eggplant and soak in salted water.  Weigh down using a salad plate with cans on top so the slices are completely submerged.  Drain and brush both sides with olive oil.  Grill on both sides until done ... today, DH grilled them for about 5-8 minutes per side.  When the first side was done, flip them over and grill until almost done.  Top with a mixture of grated mozzarella and parmesan cheese, basil (all I had was dried, but fresh would have been much better) and some chopped garlic.   Grill a few more minutes until the cheeses are melted.

THE MAN SONG

A friend sent me this ... I think it's funny (definitely not how life is in our house) ... my husband ,,, well, let's just stay the jury's still out on that one...

MEDIEVAL FESTICAL IN MOTTA

The Medieval Fest in Motta was held last week.  DH and I checked it out for a couple of hours on Tuesday.  Here is a clip of a dancing act held in the square in front of the castle at the top of town and another of one of the jousters.  The jousting was held on one of the two main streets -- the town brought in a bunch of dirt to cover the surface and lined one side with hay bales so the horses weren't at risk of clipping the edge of the sidewalk.    Lots of fun!

MOTTA AND THE MEDIEVAL FEST

DH and I went over to Motta the beginning of the week to see the jousting and some of the other events.

Will post clips shortly ... but here are a few snapshots...

Two falcons -- the right-hand one is asleep
They did demostrations during the day

Banners over the main street to the castle

A window and ironwork in lower Motta

OOPS! SHCOOL??

a freshly paved stretch of road near Southern Guilford High School in North Carolina -- sad to say, I've personally have seen other road markings with the same mistake in several other places. 

HUNDRED GOALS

Clearing out the in-box on one of my Email accounts - yes, I have multiples.  One for famly and friends, one for work, one for my blogs, one for some E-groups I belong to and the last for the junk mail and other things that want an Email listed.   

Found an link to a blog I sent myself months ago .. always meaning to check it out:  100 Goals  @  http://hundredgoals.com/   -- so went and looked at it today.  I really like how it is laid out and what Steven has to share.

DH and I have been working off and on over several years on a list of experiences we want to try and places we'd like to go.  I've been working on decluttering and purging out the "stuff" that just doesn't mean anything to me any longer.

Hundredgoals re-enforces the concept.

RAGUSA LION

DH and I took part in the WorldWidePhotoWalk in Ragusa Ibla on 24 July.  This lion was one of a pair on a building bordering the Piazza Duomo.  Until I could look at the picture blown up on my computer, I couldn't tell if the lion was sporting a mustache or a hair-lip.  Love the crossed paws.

PORK PICCATA FOR DINNER

Tried a new recipe last night ... other than reducing the amount of capers, it's a keeper.

1/2 pound of  boneless pork loin, sliced into four pieces

1-1/2 TB whole wheat flour

3/4 teas lemon pepper

1 TB butter (I added a splash of olive oil as well)

2 TB red wine

2 TB lemon juice

2 TB capers (turned out saltier than we like, next time will use 2 teas)

Pound the pork slices thin, I used a small saucepan.  Combine flour and lemon pepper; dredge pork slices on both sides.  Melt butter over medium-high heat; quickly saute porking, turning once until golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes.  Add wine and lemon juice to skillet; and cook for at most two minutes (I added a splash of water, most of the wine-juice evaporated when it hit the pan).  Remove pork and keep warm.  Scrape all the browned bits off bottom of pan and cook for a couple more minutes until sauce thickens a bit.  Add the capers and serve the sauce on top of each cutlet.  Serves two.

AND I'LL RAISE YOU ....

DH has been playing poker with friends the last few weeks ....

last night was probably the last game though.

BIRTHDAY BRANDY

DH celebrated his birthday recently ... our landlords brought him a bottle of brandy and a tray of cookies.

Looks to be really good brandy ... but neither of us drinks. 

Guess it will be used in Christmas cookies.

INDY IN HER KITTY-GRASS

Indy napping in her kitty-grass.

She's a Spanish Siamese and not the normal sleek, aloof Siamese one normally thinks of.  She likes people (after she gets to know you).

DID YOU KNOW SICILY HAS MAGNOLIA TREES?

These are on the tree growing in our front yard ... it is at least thirty-feet tall.  Took the second picture from our balcony.  I didn't know magnolias grew in  Sicily until we moved into our apartment.

With the heat here, most of the flowers are only lasting a day or so.

KATHY K'S TOMATO -- SMILES!

Kathy sent a picture of this guy from her garden ... she just added the eyes and mouth.   I like his curly hair!

PEEKS OF MALETTO'S STRAWBERRY FEST

Top to bottom:

Overlooking the town of Maletto

Strawberry cannoli (Maletto is famous throughout Italy for its strawberries)

Looking up and down the main street (flag bearers going to the parade site)

Fresh strawberry cake (about 2-feet[0.6 meters]) across

Strawberry vendor

Freshly made gelato (even has strawberry seeds in it)

A pretty balcony I passed heading for the main festival area ...

Yup... summer is here! 

I WISH YOU ENOUGH

I have been clearing out old Emails recently and found this item which my son had sent me ... I am truly blessed by this wonderful man who is my son.   

 

Recently I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure.  Standing by the security gate, as they hugged, the mother said "I love you and I wish you enough."   

The daughter replied, "Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed.

I wish you enough, too, Mom."

They kissed and the daughter left. The mother walked over to the window where I was seated.

Standing there I could see she wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on her privacy but she welcomed me in by asking "Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?"


"Yes, I have, " I replied "Forgive me for asking but why is this a forever good-bye?".


"I am old and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is - the next trip back will be for my funeral" she said.

"When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say 'I wish you enough'. May I ask what that means?"

She began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone". She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail and she smiled even more.

"When we said 'I wish you enough' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them". Then turning toward me she shared the following as if she were reciting it from memory

“I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.”


She then began to cry and walked away.

It has been said it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but an entire life to forget them.

Please share this thought with those who have a place in your heart or your life....
If you don't send it to anyone it may mean that you are in such a hurry that you have forgotten your friends.

TAKE TIME TO LIVE  .... 
To all my friends and loved ones, I WISH YOU ENOUGH!!!

GO AHEAD, DRINK AND DRIVE ....

Seems to me, that residents of many countries other than the U.S. are quite comfortable leaving a drink that may have been barely touched on the table .... the drink is a relatively minor part of the main activity which is spending time with friends and acquaintances. 

Many Americans, on the other hand, will finish the drink off when they leave, even if they are going to another place and can get another drink there ... the mentality being "don't want to let it go to waste" or "I spent good money on that".

This pattern of thinking is part of the reason behind signs like this ....

http://www.burbia.com/node/4354

OUR NEW TABLE ....

The visit with my DMIL and DFIL went well ... we explored lots of Sicily.  DH took DFIL-DMIL up to Venice for a couple days and we finished their visit with a week up in London. 
DH and I had ordered this table to be delivered before Easter ... unfortuantely it didn't get here until last week.
Beautiful lava table with a fruits and vines design in enamel on the top. 
I'd plan to order a few more chairs - only ordered four originally.

NEAT QUOTE

We have to abandon the idea that schooling is something restricted to youth. How can it be, in a world where half the things a man knows at 20 are no longer true at 40--and half the things he knows at 40 hadn't been discovered when he was 20?

Arthur C. Clarke

ORANGE FESTIVAL IN FRANCOFONTE

There are large orchards of Tarocco (blood) oranges south south of us. I've been told that after both the world wars, that veterans were given land and encouraged to grow oranges. The region is now famous for blood oranges -- I think they are a bit sweeter than the more common orange....though it still seems odd to pour red juice in the morning. The oranges in this picture isn't even very red ... lots are solidly red.
Poster advertising the festival...


...Cannoli filled with pistachio, orange, strawberry or white creme fillings....




....filling cannoli...


...yum... cannoli with orange filling....love Italian desserts! ...



Francofonte (Siracusa province), Land of the Best Oranges in the World ...


....little side corner of the town ...

BRITISH WW2 CEMETARY NEAR CATANIA

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder'd.
Honor the charge they made!
Honor the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!

.....................final stanzas of the Charge of the Light Brigrade by Lord Alfred Tennyson


Side of a building at the entrance of the cemetary -- there is a map inside of Sicily and the battles that happened here.


Looking over just one small section...



Royal Canadian Air Force Pilot Warrant Officer I F. R. Yance ... so young....



Private S. R. Watson, Durham Light Infantry....



...just one of the many unknown who are buried here ...



... as you leave...

WILL BE MIA NEXT TWO MONTHS -

Hello all.

I don't know how much I will be posting the next two months - my Dear In-Laws will be visiting and we will be out and about. Lots of pictures will be posted after they leave - but I don't want to be spending lots of time on the computer while they are here.

Will try to post a bit - but for the most part I won't be back until mid-May.

Chat later my friends!
Holly

WW2 MUSEUM IN CATANIA

Recently DH and I visited the the World War 2 Museum in Catania for the first time. It is fantastic! Pictures just don't do it justice --- you need to see it for yourself to get the true impact. This is the emblem of the museum -- took me a while (sometimes it takes me a while to "see" things), but it is a tank overlaid the outline of Sicily. 1943 was the year of the Allied liberation of Sicily.


This map shows the movements of English, American and German forces during the liberation. A calendar at the top (currently showing 20 July [Luglio]) scrolls June-July-August so you can see just how quickly things were changing here on the island.
There are lots of displays of uniforms, newspapers and magazines, photos, life-size figures (I was amazed at how short Victor Emmanual III actually was, just barely 5-foot tall) and several nearly life-size replicas of town squares, streets and bunkers that you can walk through. I wish more of my pictures had turned out ... maybe next time.



Quote by Pope John, XXIII, near the exit. .. roughly translated it reads "Peace is the supreme good. To forget this is the greatest madness".

We'll be going back soon ...