Today I thought I’d post a cute, well, okay, a TOTALLY ADORABLE photo of two of my cats “kissing” each other. It happened a few evenings ago, while Stefano and I were preparing dinner in the kitchen.
Our two baby girls, Pandora on the left, Pixie on the right, were perched on the dining room table, watching us…They looked so cute that I stopped what I was doing, picked up my cell phone and began taking photos of them and, therefore, by pure chance, caught this gesture of affection, too…
A sweet, carefree moment at a time when there is not much to smile about.
I’ve been cautious, very cautious, about writing a post on supplements that might help reduce the risk of being infected with Covid-19, for what I think are obvious reasons!, but this morning I came across an interesting new study by the University of Turin showing that hospitalized coronavirus patients here in Italy have very low levels of vitamin D.
Low levels of vitamin D might also explain why the virus has been killing mostly elderly people here in Italy…
Taking vitamin D is NOT being suggested as a cure, of course, but it might reduce the risk factors for contagion. That’s good enough for me!
As we know (or should know!), healthy vitamin D levels are important for myeloma folks, too, so taking it can only be beneficial to us…in the recommended doses, of course.
Well, this is a bit of useful news (at least, let us hope so!). I’m going downstairs to swallow a dose of vitamin D right now…
An Italian tenor, Maurizio Marchini, who lives in Florence, joined the nationwide flash mob a few days ago. Standing on his terrace, he sang “Nessun Dorma,” from the final act of Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot.
So beautiful and inspiring…
Nessun Dorma means “Let no one sleep.” And, of course, we all know that the famous cry “Vincerò” means “I will be victorious.”
If you’re at home right now because of the (necessary!) quarantine and don’t know what to do with yourself, why not take a virtual tour of 12 famous museums, including the Uffizi Gallery in Florence?
I’ve never been to the Guggenheim in NYC, so I’ll take its tour later on today. First, I have to have my daily chat/update with my neighbors to make sure they’re all okay. We chat from our terraces, of course. Then I have to put in a grocery order from a lovely little shop just down the street from us…It carries only local produce, mostly organic. This little shop has saved us in this difficult period. Then, after cleaning the cat litter boxes, I’ll be ready for a museum… 😉
Italians have shown the world how to react to a quarantine and lockdown imposed by the spread of Covid-19. Singing, clapping, dancing, and playing instruments from their balconies and terraces. This has been happening all over Italy, a sort of country-wide flash mob. For days now. Spain has picked up the message and is doing the same. It’s a way to feel united and also to help those who are alone and finding it difficult to stay indoors.
I have watched a lot of videos showing these impromptu Italian flash mobs–you can find heaps of them on YouTube–but the one that brought tears to my eyes towards the end (you will see why) is this one, prepared by Sanità Informazione, a healthcare-based newspaper.
This is instead a rather slick video on the notes of Italy’s national anthem, but it shows one of the prettiest towns on the Amalfi Coast, Positano, and I posted it mainly for that reason, to show how beautiful Italy is…
The flash mobs are happening in my neighborhood here in Florence, too. The other day, e.g., at the appointed Flash Mob time, I was out on my terrace, joining my neighbors in applauding and cheering the amazing, tireless work that our healthcare workers have been doing since this Covid-19 crisis began.
Italy has responded with determination and unity and, as one foreign journalist wrote recently, “This is why so many people through many centuries fall in love with Italy.”
Indeed. I am certainly madly in love with this country, and there is absolutely no other place I’d rather be right now.
As the current slogan goes, “Andrà tutto bene,” or “Tutto andrà bene,” which means: “Everything is going to be okay.” Children have been painting these words and drawing rainbows on signs and sheets that now are displayed on balconies in every city and town in Italy. I got this photo from the Internet, btw.
I have received messages from concerned blog readers, asking me if I’m okay. Today I’m posting just a quick note to say that, yes, I’m fine, as is my family.
I’m staying at home, and in fact I have stayed at home since the first few coronavirus cases appeared in Italy, therefore before the government reached the brave and difficult decision to impose a total lockdown here…
With a compromised immune system, you can’t take any chances…
But I have to go now. I am in the middle of my “spring” cleaning (the cats are exhausted from watching me zip around the house, cleaning and throwing stuff away, as you can see, hehe…).
I’ll be in touch soon!
Keep safe, everyone…and, mainly, wash your hands!!!
