At 06:34, four minutes after my alarm rang, the Sun rose in Rome.
The Sun will set, if all goes well, at 19:49.
The “Ave Maria” Bell? At 20:00
This 101st day of the calendar year is the Feast of St. Gemma Galgani.
On this day in 1970, Apollo 13 was launched.
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Yesterday, I treated myself to some new flowers from Pippo. The others, the first I bought, had lasted over two weeks! But they were starting to drop petals. What I didn’t mention is that I was at the fishmonger before I went to get the flowers.
Why the fishmonger, you ask? I wanted to treat myself to something I’ve been eagerly awaiting: vongole… clams.
Last night I did the first cooking thing I’ve yet done that didn’t involve putting something between two slices of bread or the equivalent.
I purged the clams for hours in salty water. They say in the shop that they are already purged. Yeah… I purge them more.
None of your weak-ass US garlic here.
A little oil, parsley stalks, white wine.
I cooked the spaghetti – mostly – ahead and put it aside while I prepared the clams.
Time to rock and roll.
You can see them starting to open.
Finish cooking the spaghetti in the juice!
Assemble and add some parsley.
I was very pleased. That scratched an itch.
Meanwhile, on the way to church today, not much going on in the morning chill.
Black to mate in 4.
NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.
1. . . . . . N-d2+
If
2. K-a1 . . Q-h1+
Black can interpose its Bishop and Queen, in whatever order. But White’s Queen plows through those interpoitions for Mate in 4.
If, however,
2. K-c1 . . N-b3++
Then if
3. K-b1 . . Q-h1+
(Q can no longer interpose)
4. B-e1 . . Q×e1#
But if
3. K-d1 . . Q-f6+
4. K-e1 . . Q-e2#
The fish prices seem steep!
Black to move and mate in 4
1) … Ne2+
2) Kf1 (or Kh1) Qa1+
3) Qe1 (forced) Ng3+
4) Kg1 (forced) Qxe1# mate
If
2) Kh1 Qa1+
3) Qe1 (forced) Qxe1# mate
1. . . . Ne2+
2. Kf1 Qa1+
3. Qe1 Ng3 dbl ch
4. Kg1 QxQ mate.
If instead
2. BxN Qa1+
3. Bd1 QxB+
4. Qe1 QxQ mate
And if
3. Bf1 QxB mate
Father, have you cooked the spring vegetables like agretti (aka barba de frati), bruscandoli, piselli, and carciofi (in umido)? Your vegetable guy must have them all now.
Magnificent Cooking Saga, Fr Z.
Many thanks.
It makes one very hungry, indeed, just viewing these fabulous Italian Cooking Videos.
AND . . . a new Culinary Term for 2026 . . . “That Scratched An Itch” !!!
A Blessed Paschal-Tide to you and all your Readers, Fr.
In Domino
A.S. Haley:
Darn, I missed the whole
2. BxN….
sequence but, as you show, there’s a successful response.
Looking through your excellent photographs, Fr (good camera, by the way), I noticed that San Pietro looks a little disgruntled !!!
One can speculate “ad nauseam” as to what he has heard !!!
I see that my “solution,” embarrassingly — but transparently — inverted the lettering for the board’s columns.