Memorial Day

We Stiglianis have never been traditional in our observation of holidays. Memorial Day was no exception. We decided to host a sushi party.

Nori rolls on babushka plate

My sister and her boyfriend came from Iowa City and we invited friends over to enjoy our rolled creations. 

My sister Catarina and her JJ

And my 97-year-old grandmother had some fun doing the dishes — her favorite activity. (Seriously!)

My grandmother

I'm lucky to be at my parents house for a second consecutive Memorial Day.

My parents cleaning up after lunch

In the garden

I've been in Iowa for one week during which time I've read four books (11 to go), started knitting another pair of socks and spent lots of time in my mother's garden — it's beautiful right now. My parents, Vincent and I have eaten dinner outdoors every single night.

View of the garden and the table where we eat

Last night we had a bonfire. Vincent built the fire and I made buckwheat graham crackers from scratch. We sat around eating s'mores and talking about authors who have killed themselves, the result of my long afternoons spent reading Virginia Woolf and Vinnie reading John Kennedy Toole's Confederacy of Dunces. Even though this sounds a bit morbid, it really was a lovely night.

Vinnie building the fire

Homemade buckwheat grahams

On the move

My Monday post is well overdue. This is due to the fact that summer has begun and so have my travels. On Mother's Day, my mother came to Columbia to drive me back to Cedar Falls. We picked up my brother Vinnie in St. Louis and got home Monday night.

I am ready for my summer travels to unfold — starting with a month in Iowa — but will miss Claire, Leo and my Missouri friends. I'll write more next week.

My mother on Mother's Day with one of her furrier children.

A log (and a dog) of one's own

This post is titled in honor of Virginia Woolf whose works I will spend the better part of the upcoming month reading, along with a handful of Renaissance plays.

Most of the books I'll be reading.
(Still waiting for some to arrive.)

Classes are done, and so are finals. I only have two more shifts at the Missourian. With the days to myself, I am eager to take Leo for his morning walks and find lovely little spots to sit and read. Currently, I'm tackling "The Waves" and this morning I found a perfectly proportioned reading log close to Stephens Lake's edge. Leo soaked while I soaked in the sun and made headway on my reading.