I’ve been to Venice twice.  The first time I stayed at Hotel Danieli in a beautiful blue and gold room overlooking a small canal.  The Gondoliers sang as they passed by my window.  Good thing it was a nice room, because I spent almost all of my several days in Venice in it and in bed.

I was sick in Venice.  It wasn’t because of the sewage in the water, the dampness, the warm air.  It was the summer flu — vicious and untimely.  My only memories of the trip are walking in Piazza San Marco for about two minutes, and weakly eating one dinner at a small restaurant tucked away on a side street.   I never lingered on the piazza in a misty light, with a cup of coffee, listening to the gulls.  My husband saw the sights on his own and reported back to me each day.  I studied the blue and gold wall paper, and watched the sun make light and shadows across the elegant room. And I slept.

The second time I ever visited Venice was just the other day.  My father was visiting from Florida (I’ve never been to that Venice, although I have been to Florida’s Naples) and we decided to take a day trip with the whole family.  We didn’t quite calculate clearly that we would be spending five hours in the car, and that we would have to be home by five in the evening because of that modern inconvenience: the Skype conference call.  In retrospect we should have asked “The Lady” how long it would take to get to Venice — that is what we call the navigation system in the car — because she always gives a clear idea of timing, and had we thought things through…..  However we failed to ask the lady until it was too late.

At any rate, we blithely stepped out and drove off into the sunrise that morning, heading for the canals and the pigeons and the great sinking city.  It was early and it was still dark when we departed.  We drove a borrowed mini van, silver.  Our rations included Nutella sandwiches and clementines.

I’m sorry to report that the drive wasn’t that pretty, due to it being on a four lane highway with considerable traffic.  I must note, however, that my husband, an intrepid optimist, kept insisting that it was a beautiful drive.  My father slept and I read about insomnia in Venice, a book, by the way, that kept me awake for days.  (The book is called The Family That Couldn’t Sleep, A Medical Mystery, by D.T. Max).  The children argued and chattered and screamed some, but were mostly as good as the gold paint on a gondola.

When we arrived close to the city, we accidentally tried to park by the big cruise ships, but the men in uniform wouldn’t let us, so we turned around and found another parking garage where they charged you 50 cents each to go to the bathroom.  The bathroom had a moving Star Trek like door, and you put your 50 cents in, and then rushed forward when it opened.  The sound it made upon opening was the same sound as the Star Trek door makes.    At first we didn’t realize that the door only works if you stand at the line a couple of feet from the door, and you must only move forward when you get the green light.  If you crowd the door to rush in, you lose your money.  We lost some money due to the learning curve.  Now we are old pros.  The process taught us patience.  Something that Italy loves to teach, and is very good at teaching.

After the bathroom, we were not quite sure where to go, but we followed the signs for something called the “People Mover.”  Although “People Mover” sounded strange to me,we pressed forward and boarded it.  And it moved us, the only people in sight, towards Venice proper.    Then we hopped on a water taxi headed towards Piazza San Marco.

I highly recommend a water taxi.  It is much more fun than a checker cab, most days.  After roughly 45 minutes of scenic water taxi-ing through the Grand Canal we arrived at Piazza San Marco.  Just in time, because the children were starving for lunch.  We ducked into a restaurant behind the piazza somewhere, and it smelled a little strange, but I’ve heard that about Venice.  The waiter looked at me and said “Nicoise salad?”  And, after a pause,  I replied “Yes.”  How did he know?  The children had pasta, of course, and the grown-ups all shared a bottle of wine.

After lunch, we thought about coffee and dessert at Florian, where Dickens and others sipped and munched, but time was speeding along, and so we rushed off in search of a Gondolier.  The Gondolier actually found us before we could find him.  He offered us a special price, piled us in, pushed off, and away we went.  He was a fifth generation Gondolier, and he knew every single person we passed, as if he himself had been living in Venice for five generations and knew every soul in town since birth.

We floated through tiny canals, and past a big UPS boat which was painted an appealing color of turquoise.  I’m partial to turquoise, and I like receiving packages from UPS as well.  A winning combination in my book.  After pushing past Mozart’s old home, we circled around somehow and ended up back where we started.  Then we jumped of the Gondola, speed-walked to the water taxi, sighed as the water taxi floated us toward the People Mover, somehow didn’t even have to get on the People Mover again because the water taxi took us directly to Parking.  That was confusing but fortuitous.  How did it know?

And then home, a direct shot along the highway.  So next time, I want several days and nights there, no untimely illness, and the leisure to roam at will and drink coffee with Dicken’s ghost.  See you soon Venice.  I’ll be back.

As I continue to clean up my act and my makeup too, here are some tips and books and fun things to ponder and play with.  (And, as we approach the holidays, any of these products mentioned would be great stocking stuffers for the sweet women in your life).

This is an interesting video about all the toxic stuff we slather on our faces and bodies:

These are some good books on the topic of safe cosmetics:

No More Dirty Looks by Siobhan O’Connor and Alexandra Spunt — These two lovely women explore the cosmetic industry.  Lots of good information and tips.

Not Just Another Pretty Face by Stacy Malkan — Information about specific toxic ingredients, and a look at the cosmetic and beauty industry as a whole.  Informative tidbits and more about specific companies.  Interesting fact:  Weleda is the largest consumer of Organic Rose Oil.  An interesting piece on the history of Dr. Bronner’s Soap — even though it purported to be all natural (and currently is), that wasn’t always the case.

The Truth About Beauty By Kat James (a long time favorite) — lots of ideas for living in a healthy and holistic way.

Some of my favorite thing right now as far as makeup and skincare goes — this is what is on my top shelf right now:

for makeup – RMS Beauty (so pretty!), Dr. Hauschka (classic natural makeup and skincare), Kjaer Weis (elegant compacts).

for skin – Dr. Alkaitis  — really nice, and you can eat it too (!);

for deodorant:  I am still waiting for Italian Customs to release my Soapwalla: it’s been months and many pages to fill out, and photocopies of my passport to send in,  and essays describing why I need the product to attach to the forms…Bureaucracy becomes hilarious and a little embarrassing in this instance.  I will let you know how it is when it arrives.  Meanwhile, a natural crystal thingie, and Lavera vanilla and coconut spray are working really well!

for shampoo — Lavera,   Rahua.

for perfume:  Anything from Aftelier, Love Coconut from Honore De Pres, and several by AbdesSalamAttar, a wonderful natural perfumier based in Italy.

In the shower, I use coconut oil (from the health food store, cold pressed and organic) for shaving and moisturizing.  I’m really digging coconut oil right now.  I use argan or coconut oil for removing makeup (or whatever kind of oil I have around), as well as Dr. Hauschka makeup cleanser and cleansing milk.

Whole Foods, Spirit Beauty Lounge, Saffron Rouge  carry many of these projects.  In Europe, Being Content, Slow Fashion House, Amazingy.

What are your favorite natural products?

I am several weeks into my forty day yoga challenge, but I’ve pretty much lost count because I am having so much fun.  At first I had a hard time finding podcasts to guide me — I need that extra guidance and there is no yoga studio nearby.  I tried iTunes, and there are a couple of good (and free) podcasts there, but then I found yogadownload.com.  Also a friend turned me onto to yogaglo.com (love, love). Lots of great podcasts and videos on both of these sites.   I can find just the kind of class I am looking for (vinyasa and sweaty, or restorative and relaxing) anytime.  So if there is no yoga studio nearby, do not despair  -these are some good online tools to help you on your mat.

Yes, I’m having fun, almost just as much fun as this guy, but in a different way, of course!

The colors and luxurious interiors of the Villa d’Este are varied and rich.  And the history of the villa is as interesting as the beautiful rooms and the stunning lake which sparkles outside.  My children loved to hear of the noble woman who once lived there and married a general.  In order to keep him busy during times of peace, she had a fortress built on the side of a cliff (the ruins of the fortress are still there today).  He and his soldier friends would stage pretend battles there.  Pretend battles.

My own son was telling me tonight how his skill at making bows and arrows has greatly improved in recent months.  Now his arrows will shoot straight through a pear, or will stick in the ground.  Whereas formerly the arrow just flew through the air with little force.  Yes, he loved the story of the general and his pretend battles on the cliff.  Other weaponry my children enjoy:  they all love to play knights with swords and shields.  If you are looking for some special wooden swords, check out Bella Luna Toys.

One of the reasons that Italy has captured my children’s imagination has to do in part because of this rich history here –knowing that once knights and kings and queens rode through these hills, marched through these cobblestone streets, rested their weary heads at the Villa d’Este.

Stuff for fairy tales.

Lake Como even had a dragon once.  For a time, there was reportedly a monster that lived in it’s deep waters.  Sometimes it was sighted by those who lived around the lake.  However years have gone by now, with no sighting of the dragon in the lake.  I didn’t see it either.

I took these pictures while visiting Lake Como recently.  What a beautiful place!  The sun sparkled on the lake, the mountains rose up above the clouds, the air was crisp.  With the shimmering of the water, the turning of the leaves to red and gold, and the huge thrust of the mountains, and it is beautiful wherever you look.  It’s the kind of place that you look out onto the lake and up into the mountains and you can’t help but breathe deeply and slowly.

We stayed at the magnificent Villa d’Este.  A grand villa on the shores of Lake Como.  Very beautiful.  Most of the pictures above were taken there.

One day we took a ferry across the lake and had a lovely lunch in a town called Bellagio (see the picture of the colorful buildings above).  With a bottle of wine, and the children (and us) well-nourished by the wonderful meal, we whiled away the afternoon with no sense of time and a feeling of contentment.  Italy is beautiful.

It may be too soon for Christmas lists (or maybe not), however I have recently been exploring and loving fragrances from Aftelier Perfumes.  I think any of these will be on the top of my wish list.

Weeks ago I ordered some samples.  Since they arrived, I have been savouring them slowly.  Each fragrance is unique and stunning.  I love all of these scents, which may come as no surprise — remember my rhapsody for Jasmine?  They are wonderful, each one.

Here are a few of them, in no particular order:

Honeyblossom — so sweet and soft and lovely, with that poignant intriguing background of ambergris, which adds a depth and mystery.  Pure honey, light and sweet and clear and pale gold.  When I was little I used to suck the honey from the honeysuckle flower, and bury my face in the sweet scent which wafted from the flowering branches.   I love finding these same scents here — something honey and something honeysuckle — along with a light orange blossom, and a floaty mimosa.   And anyway — my last name is basically Honeyblossom, kind of.  I love it.

Prive Parfum has a delicious powdery fruitiness.   And it’s light scattering through a prism — all the different colors of the rainbow glowing.  It’s the sunset sparkling on the water — a shiny glowy sunset, sparkly and rich.  It is a beautiful flowery and mysterious tapestry — intriguing, sexy, inviting.  Amazing.

Wildflowers Solid is innocent and free  – the meadow covered with flowers, fresh grass and newly mown hay. I am lying in the grass in the sunshine, a little sweat and a lot sweet, and a touch of lime.  I could lie with Wildflowers for hours, forever maybe.

Rose and Fir Solid: I have the double solid, one scent on each side.  The rose is layered: it is gentle like delicate petals opening, but it also has a depth which draws me closer.  It’s the archetypal rose which means love over and over again. The fir scent is a forest with dappled light, a thick fruitiness mixed with trees and earthiness and sunshine.

Layered together, fir and rose are a wonderful combination — the evergreen scent lifts the sweetness of the beautiful rose.  It’s the perfect feeling of togetherness and warmth.   It is a straight, tall and deep green balsam fir-tree in a snow-covered forest, which in your dream is suddenly covered with velvety red roses and flickering candles.

Lumiere is soft, sweet, sexy, dreamy.  Like falling in love.  Fresh and tender and grown up all at once.

Candide is fruity and delicious and yummy and joyful to me.  I love jasmine, and here it is in my favorite combination — with some fresh and sunny citrus.  It’s like being covered with joy, and tasting laughter and smiles, and hearing happiness.

Fig is luscious and rich and fruity and a little spicy.  It is sexy and poignant, and little dark. I ate a lot of figs this summer.  They hung heavy from the trees around my house.  I picked them from the branches and ate them on the spot — warmed from the sun, sweet to taste — red and jammy inside, tender to touch.

For me, Haute Claire  begins green and fresh, like a beautiful bright spring morning with a citrus lift.  and then I am surrounded by rich and sweet flowers — ylang ylang and honeysuckle — and the green herbiness of clary sage. All this balanced by the earthiness (and that deep-breathing-feeling) of vetiver.  I find the scent lifting and happy and grounding at the same time.  Also it feels flirty to me at first:  a wink.  And then the earthiness comes: after the wink, holding hands.

I miss my friend Rebecca, and all of my friends and family that are far away.  But baking is one way to bring them closer.  When I make my mother’s banana bread, I think of my mother. And awhile back Rebecca shared with me her wonderful, rich cream cheese pound cake.  It has now become a family favorite. I think of her every time I make it.  It is really delicious — a perfect birthday cake, afternoon tea cake, holiday cake, or cake just for no reason.

Enjoy! (Thank you Rebecca)

Rich Cream Cheese Pound Cake

3⁄4 cup butter (at room temperature)

6 ounces cream cheese (at room temperature)

1 1⁄2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla 4 eggs (at room temperature)

1 3⁄4 cups flour

1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

Powdered Sugar (optional, to sprinkle on top if you want to)

 Pre-heat oven -325

 Using electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until creamy

 Gradually add sugar, beating on medium speed for 4-5 minutes

 Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition

 In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt

 Gradually add flour mixture to cream cheese mixture – beat at low just until blended

 Pour batter into greased 10” Bundt pan and bake for 55 minutes (actually, I often use a loaf pan — that works too)

 Cool 10 minutes in pan

 Remove from pan and cool on rack

 Sprinkle powdered sugar on top

Serves 10-12 people

These days, there are lots of great organic makeup lines to choose from.  Old staples like Dr. Hauschka have wonderful products and colors, and new lines such as Kjaer Weis, are leading the way with beautiful tints and stunning refillable packaging.  Right now those two are my to go to brands for natural makeup.  I love the Kjaer Weis lip and cheek tints.  Her eye shadows are lovely too.  Dr. Haushka eye liner and mascara and concealer are long time favorites; and they also have really nice eye shadow pallets and powder blushes.

There are some good beauty blogs that focus on natural makeup,  such as Scent Hive, and Fig & Sage,  and some nice websites that sell only natural products  – including Saffron Rouge, Spirit Beauty Lounge, and Slow Fashion House (the latter one if you are in Europe).

And if you are looking for tips on how to put on makeup, check out Lisa Eldridge.  This is her tutorial using organic makeup.

I continued to read because once I started, I had the feeling that I was also bearing witness to the lives of a group of wonderful individuals, just as the author does.  And he does it beautifully.  Yes I sobbed reading the story of the child, a girl named Juliette.   And watching the parents in their grief was excruciating, especially as the mother of a young daughter myself.

The majority of the book traces the life of the sister-in-law, also named Juliette.  Her story, as told to Carrere by the people who were closest to her, is incredible and moving.  Carrere writes with humility and kindness and compassion of her life and death.

From a distance, the story of her life is a small, suburban tale.   But up close, and the author takes us very close, it is a life of courage and hope, loss and love, strength and beauty, grace and incredible dignity.

I guess I hope and think that we are all like that in a small way.  We all live our little lives with our petty concerns, our worries, our daily tasks.  But hopefully, when all is said in done, we have lived with grace and strength and that if someone were to look closer, they would inevitably find the vulnerable humanity in each of us, and celebrate the tiny strides we each make every day.

Missing my puppies, who are currently on extended vacation with grandma, I came across The Puppy Diaries, by Jill Abramson (now the executive editor of the NY Times) on my kindle.  Dog memoirs would seem to be a silly genre,  But I’ve read several and they can be quite compelling.  Books about dogs are books about their owners, and about the trials and tribulations of life as seen through a particular relationship.

Scout, the dog in this instance, is a beautiful blond golden retriever, and her owners, Jill and Henry, are empty nesters.   Jill is recovering from depression and a series of serious accidents, and her family urges her to get a dog.  So along comes Scout.  I know something about the healing powers of animals.  My own dogs are wonderful and sweet companions.  So I fell in love with Scout too.  The Puppy Diaries is a sweet and entertaining book which describes with much humor and joy life with Scout.  It made me miss my pups all the more.