Della Fattoria

Every day something new arrives at the White House. Today it was our kitchen faucet, which arrived with David, and my newly renewed passport, which arrived in the mailbox. When David started taking down a wall and extending it, I was reminded of our last major remodeling project. Knowing that some major demolition was involved, we arranged to be on vacation for a week. We returned in the middle of the night and went to bed, only to be roused by what sounded like gunshots. After considerable investigation with a flashlight, we realized that the air compressor was still plugged in. I'm pretty sure David would never let that happen....

My grandmother's clock, lovingly repaired by Simoni's clock shop in Petaluma, didn't survive the move unscathed and refused to run for more than a couple of days at a time. As if to call attention to its plight, it would strike unceasingly until we stuck a piece of paper in it. Today we decided to take it back to the clock shop. The lady in the clock shop said, "you can leave him here with all the other clocks for a couple of weeks, and maybe he'll learn some manners from them." We figured he'd be much safer there amongst the cuckoo clocks and grandfather clocks and mantle clocks, than in a construction zone, so we were happy to leave him there.

A trip to Petaluma is never accomplished without stopping by our favorite bakery, Della Fattoria. Their hearty, wood fired oven baked breads are wonderful, their pastries divine, and their farm fresh food delicious. I love the decor and usually make a nuisance of myself trying to take pictures in this busy, crowded space. I had a hard time deciding between the gourds, looking like a flock of geese on top of a cupboard filled with homemade jam, the picture of the Virgin Mary surrounded by dried twigs and flowers or this vignette. Even though the lighting was difficult, I opted for this picture because of its charming variety of objects. Besides, we'll be back....