The Heymann Family Journal

Today we are making ketchup and we are pickling vegetables. I bought all sorts of beautiful vegetables in Italy I plan to pickle in flavored oil. These pickles can be used in salad all summer. I'll also use some of my own vegetables. I've got cabbages, onions, carrots and kohlrabi to use. I also need to learn how to make sauerkraut. I picked a few of my flowers from my garden. it's only the first season. These perennials need 3 years before they will give me loads of flowers. But even now I can produce a nice bouquet for the table. What would you bring home from Italy? I went to the food store and loaded up on the very good coffee, beans, noodles, dry cookies and spices. I bought plants and seeds. So I have good vegetables this year and next year. And of course olive oil and good vinegar. Italy has such good food! Juergen thinks I'm crazy but he will be eating the good food all summer!

Here are a few photo's of our garden. I bought many small Cactus in Italy for a cactus garden. The larger cactus was something Nicole found in Imperia. I had fallen to the ground. It started to grow roots so she brought it home to plant. We have lots of lettuces’, broccoli, cabbages , onions, potato's and carrots and tomatoes. I'm ready to harvest lettuce for salad. If anyone wants salad come on over. I could use canning jars. I'll trade lettuce for canning jars. I can trade for other stuff too, just let me know. It's heirloom lettuce from England. I'll have tomatoes and cucumbers and zucchini in about a 3 weeks. We will also have cutting flowers around the first part of July. The artichokes are also getting big. And I pulled over 2 wheel barrows of weeds with the help of Sarah. Nicole and I want to make ketchup today. We brought stuff home from Italy to make ketchup. I'm glad to be home! The photo of Juergen is in Italy. We bough...

After 12 hours in the car we made it home from Italy. And it must home rained allot because it's very green here. The plants have all grown. Juergen is already on his way to the North of Germany to celebrate his dads birthday. I missed my sister Dianna’s birthday yesterday and my parents anniversary. Happy Birthday Dianna, I hope you had a wonderful day, and all Gods best to you in the next year! Mom & Dad, I also love you, and I will call you today. Now I need to mow the lawn.

We are packing the car and getting ready to drive home. We plan to go home by way of Austria. God willing, we will be home between 10pm and midnight. A note to my parents, I'll try to call you on Friday. I'm sure I will be too tired when we get home to call. Everyone pray for us. It's a long trip. We could use grace for a safe and good travel.

Juergen and Nicole went to the wine making demo. Juergen also bought a small case of the wine they bottled yesterday plus 2 bottles from 2009. Then Juergen and I took a walk around the estate. The trees are lovely. The castle is from the 1300’s. We are in the summer house built in the 1800’s. There are 6 apartments for rent in our villa, and another 2 apartments for rent next to us. So perhaps next year we can come with many friends? I think that would be fun! I’ve got nearly everything packed. I think we decided to leave in the early afternoon tomorrow. So the kids can still swim tomorrow. We probably will not get home until 1 or 2 in the morning Friday. Too bad it’s such a long drive! But it has been wonderful!

It's our last day in Italy. Tomorrow we drive home. I'm not sure when we will leave. In the early morning, or late afternoon. Nicole and I went to the store to stock up on all sorts of Italian food. I bought dry things like beans, spices and some noodles, as well as the cookies. And we also bought olive oil, vinegar and fresh peppers, lemons and red onions, garlic and ginger. We want to make our own ketchup this weekend when we get home. I put all our dirty laundry into big shopping bags. I took all our clean cloths and combined them in suitcases. So I've got 3 extra suitcases to fill with my food stuff. It should all fit into the car. This afternoon the owner of this farm will show Juergen and the kids how they make the wine. We are staying in the summer house on this large estate. The grandfather lives in the castle...really! It is all owned by the Martini family. I'm not sure if it's the same family as the drink company (Martini & Rossi ). Bu...

Nicole and I took off early today for Florence. It was a full day and my feet feel like they would fall off. We saw many cool things today. The time with my daughter was wonderful. Florence it’s self was I thought over rated. It’s crowded and dirty. The Uffizi is of course the most important Renaissance museum in the world. We were not allowed to take pictures there. I’m not a great fan of Renaissance art. I find it a bit dark and depressing. They also had no places where you could just sit down and look at the art. We did have a sandwich in the museum cafe. It had a great view. My personal favorite work was a drawing by Bellini. I found it beautiful and full of emotion. We ate ice cream in the city. Florence ice cream is reported to be the best in the world and I must agree it’s good. Then we went to the modern art museum. They had works by American artists (both impressionists and modern artists). Nicole and I both liked this museum better. Am...

I slept until 10am today. After breakfast, Nicole and I headed to the garden center. I told Juergen I wanted to buy plants...that was my top goal. So I did. I bought mostly cactus and succulents. I want a collection to put in front of our house in terracotta pots. I also bought one grape, a passion flower, and different vegetables. Nicole was there to keep me from buying the whole store out. I know it will be difficult to get these plants home. It will be hard to pack them. But it was at the top of my list, and I did buy plants. Today they are putting the wine into bottles here at the Villa. This is a working farm with 500 Acres of wheat, grapes and forest. They rent out the Villa to guests, but the farm is the main business. So perhaps we will get to watch them put the wine into bottles, and we will need to find room for a case or 2 of wine in the car? We also have friends from Heidelberg coming by to spend the afternoon with us. They are also in Tuscany on vacation....

We had a very relaxing day. We ate well slept well and played well. The kids played soccer and went swimming and played video games. Jessica watched movies on her computer. After yesterdays long drive she didn’t want to leave her room. But I still gave her a shower and she came to the table for lunch. She seems happier here. Juergen and I got to go shopping together. The store was a zoo. We got enough food for the rest of the week. The only thing I want to buy now are plants. Sarah and Juergen showed me around the villa. We also played a board game together. Nicole painted. And Nicole and I started to listen to the audible book “John Adams”. John Adams was the 2nd President of the USA, and my great grandfather about 6 generations back (really). I’m also reading a book called “Growing in the Prophetic” by Mike Bickle. Juergen and I both think this would be a very good location for a vacation with friends. They have 4 large apartments here, and a...