My two weeks at home began ideally and never really stopped having a surreal air of pleasantness. Real breakfasts. Italians don't really fancy them. But a fresh omlette full of sauteed onions, ham, and melted cheese accompanied by rye toast let me know that I was back in the land of well... everything. I polished off my own and helped Mom with hers... I'm a good helper like that.
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The first day consisted of little major activity. I had a wonderful run around the town, enjoying the cool air on my skin, breathing it in as it almost intoxicated me with its clean aroma full of honeysuckle, freshly cut grass, I never really realized how amazing the air is in this small town, but after 3 years in D.C. and a year in an ancient (beautiful) city without plant life, the contrast smacked my olfactory senses and made my jaunt all feel all too short. The birds serenaded me and bullfrogs welcomed me back with their guttoral greetings. I never realized how big the cars were or how many pickup trucks and SUV's people own around here, and how few motorcycles and scooters, until that first day. I couldn't help but jump a bit when a loud Harley passed me!
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At beer o'clock, Mom and I headed out to her new backyard swing and I told her more stories about Italy and my adventures. She regaled me with tales of her activities and drama in her circle of friends. I enjoyed a blueberry ale from my favorite place in Maine and then took a nap, awaking to a splendid dinner with real, Idaho russet baked potatoes (completely absent in Europe).
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The next day, I got to see ol' Hanover again and sample some of its best features. After an amazing breakfast at Perkins, a trip to the Hanover Shoe Farm brought coos from Mom and me as we watched newly born horses struggling to stand on their wobbly legs and cautious mothers staying close. One of the horses had been born that morning and was clearly exhausted from the process. It stood only long enough to drink some milk and then tried clumbsily to fold its long, lanky legs under itself -how the heck do I work?- to lay comfortably.
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After this, we went to Snyders to pick up some local snacky goodness, (it's hard to live in a land of amazing fresh snack foods and then try to eat old packaged salty things away from there... it does incentivize healthy eating though...) and then did a very bad thing. We went to the enormous Giant supermarket. (I refer to the PA Giant, not those silly MD/VA ones which just can't compare)
And we said "Yes" to each other to EVERYTHING the two of us wanted. Hungry 5 year olds couldn't have done better than us...
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We returned home just before a big storm hit with a car full of 3 kinds of ice cream, oreos, tastee kakes (holla at ya, PA!), 4 boxes of cereal (but two were very healthy, I swear!) hot dogs, veggie burgers, fresh breads, Pennsylvania apples (still the best I've tasted)- oh the list goes on! Plus, there was a Dunkin Donuts stop on the way home (it's not fair! They lure you with cheap coffee and then expose you to dozens of fresh goodies!). Looking at the counter after we had unloaded the car, we just laughed as we rushed to get the ice cream to safety.
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I took the most exquisite run as the thunder roared and lightning illuminated the darkened sky just as twilight made its appearance. The air added to its bouquet the fresh rain smell and the froggies were excitedly chirping for the inevitable shower. A light spritz and a gentle breeze made the temperature simply perfect for a jog.
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I spent the next day, after having french toast that I actually liked for the first time in my life (Mom is magical- made it with a croissant and cooked it perfectly so it was crusted on the outside and custardy on the inside) catching up with my Aunt, cousin, and 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Hash, who I had not seen since I was in her class. Mom and I planned to swim in Aunt Lydia's pool, one of my favorite places to hang out since I moved to Stewartstown (when I was 5), but the cool day wouldn't allow for anything more than dipping in toes followed by shrieks. It certainly wasn't too cold for double chocolate brownie ice cream in fresh Snyder's pretzel cones though.
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The next day consisted of a run, some light housework, and after 12:000, nothing else. Mom insisted I needed a few "couch days" to rest up before jettisioning off to Russia and I was happy to comply. Dad brought barbeque from Chubby's to ensure we could spend the whole day being lazy nad not have to worry about cooking dinner. I made my way down to the playground to swing a bit, but other than that, my butt, the chaise, and occasionally a adorable black cat were united for the whole day.
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Friday, Dad worked from home while Mom and I ventured out in a rainstorm to get mani-pedi's from her awesome Sicilian hairdresser who made me miss my former home as she spoke to me in Italian and I told stories of my trip. After getting my hair trimmed for the first time in almost two years, I felt lovely despite the grey soggy exterior of the salon. Mom and I emerged two unstoppably gorgeous creatures. The rest of the day was another trip down memory lane as we went to Hoss's, the source of both my high school and college revenue and my desire never to procreate, and then to the movies at the West Manchester Mall. The wing with the theater had its unmistakeable characteristics- hoards of teenage boys in ill-fitting clothing and cliques of girls in equally badly sized clothing, albeit the other direction, endless chatter from the ticket queue accompanied by the bells and chimes of the arcade, and the most unusual combination of smells eminating from pizza, popcorn, and soft pretzels from all the food stands in the vicinity. I think there is no better way to spend a rainy day than in a theater escaping to another world. This time we all went to the Smithsonian and the personified Abe Lincoln made me long to get back to D.C... soon enough!
The weekend whizzed by, full of family I had missed seeing for many months. The pause in the workweek was dedicated to celebrating the Golden wedding anniversary of my amazing grandparents. We began the fun when Dave and Gillian arrived at our home with Turtle and the human family members all packed into one car to meet the rest of Mom's family at Alfred's Victorian, a great 19th centruy mansion which has been impressing the greater Harrisburg area's residents with its culinary creations for many years. Mom's dinner came with a free cookbook, makikng me green with envy when it turned out to be full of stories and recipies from my beloved northern Italy!
*The happy couple*
The next morning, bright and early, we went to Grandma and Grumps' church for the 9:00 am service, during which I probably was condemmed to Hell for laughing the whole time thanks to Rae. the minister began the ceremony for my granparents. They recited traditional vowes and then read their own, brining tears to our eyes. It was amazing to see the love that flows so strongly between them fifty years after they first promised their lives and souls to one another. The small reception in the church basement was catered by the sweet UMC ladies and after our snack, we headed into the great outdoors for eight hundred million family photos. After spending some time at the grandparent's house just visiting and sampling some snickerdoodle wedding cake, we all headed home to spend the remainder of the evening pooped on t
he couch (with pizza!).
*Heather loves her big brother!*
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On Tuesday of the following week, Mom and I went to Roots and I got to see one of my favorite amish markets in full bloom under the bright sun. So many fruits and vegetables grown right on the farms down the street. And amish women can bake! Their goods are just unbelievable- the cakes, danishes, breads, cookies, etc. are simply fantastic, all made by hand from scratch, and so fresh. The air there smells of freshly baked sweets, in other parts of the market, you get overwhelmed by the aroma of fresh flowers or fruits, and in still other parts, you smell smoked meats. It really is an experience. Also present is lots of handmade woodwork furniture that never ceases to impress me given my inability to mold playdough into anything recognizable.
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We exited with special catnipt toys for Vinnie, who had begun sleeping on my bed again in the same spot he used to when we lived in D.C, stickybuns fresh from the oven, lots of fresh produce, just-squeezed lemonade, and of course some whoopie pies. Plus, I scored two pair of sunglasses and a watch for under twenty bucks.
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The evenings usually concluded with a family dinner. Mom made one of my altime favorite comfort foods- her meatballs- which, although I don't particularly like hamburger all that much, must be made with ambrosia because they always taste sooooo scrumptious. She used hamburger chopped just for her from a cow the folks had purchased. She used the same meat to make pattymelts one night that almost made me faint. Also we had grilled veggies all the time, grilled chicken with homemade bbq sauce, twice baked potatoes, salads, all the wonderful American foods that I can't really say I missed (c'mon, I was living in Italy!) until I tasted them and remembered how much I loved them :)
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The day before my departure to Russia, I finally got to spend some grossly overdue time with my old man. We took a motorcycle ride, fulfilling one of my fundamental wishes for my short visit home, and visited the Nissley Winery, sampling the creations and meeting the doggies. Afterwards, we had ice cream for lunch at the Jigger Shop. What's a Jigger? If you've never had one, well it's hard to describe the dessert that has about twice the sugar of even the most child-friendly treat and tastes every bit as sweet as it really is. From their website:
Jigger - "Our Specialty"Two and a half scoops of vanilla ice cream made with your choice of chocolate or butterscotch topping, whipped marshmallow and our secret touch... Jigger Nuts!
I really don't know what a "jigger nut" is, escept that it sounds kind of dirty and like an insult, but it is neither...
The frozen confection geniuses there freeze the ice cream in the sundae dishes so they are ready to go on the fly, and one can eat it as slowly as is necessary with something so overwhelming and it stays frozen until the last butterscotchy spoonful!
Me: Coffee! I need coffee!
Dad: Me too. Do you want anything in it.
Me: Black!!!!!!
I honestly believer you need a cup of bitter joe to make it through one of those sundaes. But we both conquered ours and then took a nice hike up to the Governor Dick (giggle) tower to take in the scenery. We then climbed the tower, and I got my ego handed to me as Dad beat me to the bottom. Any tower that provides 2 passageways so you can race is alright in my book! We then split some lovely, carb- free red wine (since one of us had used up his carbohydrate allowance for about a week on the aforementioned treat!) and chatted in the forest for a bit before heading home and spending the evening with Mom sharing our days and eating sushi.
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The next day passed in a blur as I quickly packed my bag and got ready to venture out again. Luckily, my bestie made it to the airport and I got to see her gorgeous face and hug my other half before venturing over the Iron Curtain. What adventures awaited me, I didn't know but I knew I would cherish the memories of all the family time and knew I was blessed to never have to question their support, no matter where this crazy life takes me... or I take it.
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