we got the tractor

today is/was a very special day. the tractor arrived! how long were we looking for the right one, took us a while,actually Jon started looking in march last year, many tractors got rejected- even for very good prices - but this one has a joystick! i have not tried it - yet, but that was one of the main reasons we choose this one. the 2 tracks can be moved with !1! handle. all the other crawlers need 2 hands (right/left side) and a third hand for the clutch. our neighbor has a very strong arm, because he pulls the 2 handles at once while he moves this clutch-stick with the left hand. i hope i will get used to all this. after all this is another life-time-dream -- to drive a tractor up and down the fields.

we started the day with a long quiet walk off our strada bianca and found some hidden waterfalls and gorgeous views to the mountains. as soon we were home and Jon started the sourdough, the wonderful couple from the close-to-us-house came to prune a big maulberry tree. before we realized it, the 75 year old Giovanni was up in the tree with a chainsaw and cut the leg-thick branches off. the rubber boots he wore he kicked off for better traction in the tree. and Erminia was pulling this heavy branches aside, with getting hit here and there. Jon could not get fast enough in his overall and shoes to help them.
Luigi our helpful neighbor from the other end of the road came over with his tractor to give us a hand/scooper to help move a stack of wood at the bottom of the trail. that was a big thing to get taken care off. right after that our new/old trattori arrived and we got a picture taken.
after a very fast cooked italian pasta dish, enjoyed together with our adopted italian parents, we got the branches sorted and cut in pizza-oven sized pieces, Jon got somehow the bread raised and baked and it tastes fantastic. a long wonderful day.

A Very Happy 2009! to everybody!und jeden

just 1 year ago - we had no idea how and actually where we will celebrate christmas and the beginning of the new year.

we got snow on the christmas day, (so pretty on the kakitree), a lot, or better, too much for our little car to drive around much, so our invitations to real italian celebrations were a bit cut short. but we had a wonderful dinner time at our new german friends in penna san giovanni on christmas evening, including singing at the beautiful and all natural decorated tree (everything out of their garden) and on Jon's b-day we were at our dear neighbors and made some original iowan *popcorn*. the most difficult part was to get the transformer hooked up. at the change of the years we could have gone to the exciting party on the streets in sarnano, but we were to lazy and just had a great time at our friends with grilled fish in the open fireplace and boardgames and italia-tv (showing a huge entertaining party with pouring rain in rimini, just north of le marche). and we wre so glad sitting in front of the hige fire and slurping homemade wine and nibbeling all the good foods away.
and at the day of the 3 kings we were at a live christmas scene in falerone, just 20 minutes drive from here. the village has some very big and well kept roman structures and the whole village is dressed as romans and visitors can follow the 2 km long parcours and watch them doing their daily work as blacksmith, carpenters, shepherds....and than the last shed, in a roman wall, at the end of the trail, a stall with the most beautiful cow and the calmest donkey i have ever seen. Maria even had a real baby on her arm. all the romans gathered around there and celebrated the day.........

i have to say it is a bit disturbend when you see an old guy in the shed where the pottery is done picking up his cellphone and gives instructions of whateverkind. on the other hand it did look just like 2000 years ago (you have to make sure you focus on the right spots). a "time machine" -we just celebrated in icy iowa and now we are back in time.....
i researched on the this cattle breed marchigiana and figured out that this is a speacial breed from le marche. it comes from the chianinas and that porcelan white breed is in this part of italy since 3000 years, helping the farmers..

we started to plan for spring, we are shopping for a greenhouse and seeds for the warmer season to get started. i found some little spring flowers right next to the house in the woods. and the very next is the so longed for TRACTOR - soon.

have the most wonderful year to come - now!