Home At Last! with Patty Gironda

  Not the neatest nest I have ever come across and it's a little cramped for a growing young family! I shot this photo from our Juliet porch and the nest has been built on top of one of the seven columns.

  Ron and I are both enjoying the extra hours that have been added to each of our days since dismantling PM Channel 10, our cable television channel we operated for over twelve years. I am enjoying being back in the kitchen, responsible for our daily meals and the challenge of creating our favorite family and childhood favorites. We wasted a lot of money eating out. Not only are we enjoying our food more, we're saving money and I now control the amount of fat, sugar and preservatives being used in our food-not to mention the benefit of much smaller portions! "In the good ole days" food was a enjoyable part of the day but not always the main focus. I played and studied hard and was always more interested in being outside with my friends than eating! My mother created balanced meals that always included some type of salad, fresh vegetables and unsweetened tea! Growing up a military brat, my father would sometimes be away on a TDY assignments. My mother would alternate as...

  Some us have spring fever, bad! This is my baby, Red, short for Robert Redford! He's so happy I am outside! Red showed up on our property years ago-not too keen on humans. But after six longs months of "coo-ing" and chats he joined our clan and has remained devoted to me ever since. He's a big handsome boy who enjoys "kissing". He bangs his hard little head on my face demanding to be kissed. You gotta love it!

Earlier this month my new website for Home At Last! With Patty Gironda went live. ( www.HomeAtLast.net ) There was a flurry of emails from friends and associates congratulating me on the new look, the exciting line of products and general well wishes! Happily for me, there were also a lot questions about the slideshow of Tuscany. Is this your village? Do you know the people in the pictures? Is it as romantic as you hear? Yes, yes, and yes!! Tuscans are generous, passionate people. Their love of good food, fabulous cheeses and fine wines is apparent in every village, market and social gathering! Open-air markets through-out Tuscany offer the freshest produce and seafood, regional cheeses, smoky-cured meats and sausages, porchetta (roasted pig) and fried polenta and olive oils. Restaurants through-out the region specialize in seasonal dishes that include truffles, wild boar, pears, and super-Tuscan wines. It's a feast for the senses! The anticipation of entering a town square filled ...