Soar-Dream-France

Happy Memorial Day!

Two years ago, I posted this collage of my family members who served in the military. It seems the perfect thing to do once more, to honor them and show my love and gratefulness. It's turned into a memorial of another kind for me, since this year we lost Uncle Bud Emme and Bruno Boy. That handsome man in the Air Force uniform, with the great smile, next to Bruno, my Dad...is the only one still with us! Happy Memorial Day and Love 'em While You Can!

Lunching in the Sculpture Garden

It doesn't seem to matter one bit how much my life has changed, I continue to be a creature of habit. My friend Barbara and I began having lunch in the Sculpture Garden in City Park on my visits. I love it. We continued the tradition yesterday when she came over from work to meet me there. We've been able to squeeze in a little more time than usual, so it's been fun for me. We found someone to take our picture and ran into our friend Pam who is a Director for all Seasons. We laughed together as she came around the corner with the blower! One of the wonderful things about living in New Orleans is that you are always running into people you know. And maybe the next most wonderful thing is all the hugs and kisses that follow! It's a treat!

There is a Friend Upon my Road-Madame Véra

Madam Véra Volmane has been very much on my mind. She's never very far away, but these last weeks she's been even closer. With many of those we love and lose and find again, I love that she's here. But, I still have so many questions that may never be answered.

When we last saw each other, I told her that she had such an interesting life that someone should write her story. She did that hand in the air "Ma" thing-a dismissive why would anyone want to do that expression? But the thing was, I did. And, I wanted to know more.

I loved being surrounded by Véra's writing when I came to stay with her. I didn't know I was at first, until one night I opened a cover and discovered it was a play she had written. It was like finding hidden treasure. My room at Véra's was full of hidden treasure, but I needed a key I didn't have at the time...French.

 

Recently, I searched Véra on amazon.fr and discovered a number of her books and newspapers/magazines that included her articles. Some of the books were Russian translations to French and others were in French. I chose two books to start. When her books arrived last week, it was as if Véra had moved into the Chatette with us. My French still isn't great. I struggle. I'm not quite sure yet, but little by little (sometimes even word by word) I'm beginning to think that I am reading Véra's story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Thank You to Your Coffee-Table

In my many years of here, I've considered self-publishing a coffee-table type book full of my photos, stories, and memorabilia. There are so many opportunities to self-publish these days, I'd be nuts not to do it!

The idea breezed through my consciousness again this morning, as I was sending my photo below to a number of professional contacts to thank them for their help with my taxes, copying handouts for the upcoming workshops, and other various things that aren't always easy to do from here. It's an idea whose time has come. I have the structure and the form. Now...JUST DO IT! Sometimes that's easier said than done, but I'm already putting my plan in place to commence upon my return from the states!

My photos are titled: St. Pierre Toirac Printemps (above) and Percherons Printemps (below), both taken along the bus route between Cadrieu and Figeac in 2005!

More of Marina's Magic

Are you over poppies? Surely, not! And it doesn't make any difference if you are, because I have to share another one of Marina's marvelous creations with you. As you can see, we've been having some fun. It started with my face in the center of the poppy and ended with this beautiful poppy hat! Just perfect for a stylish girl in her overalls, don't you think? I love it. Marina keeps us all smiling with her photo creations. In the past, she's turned me into Mona Lisa and our friend Jean into the "Queen of Sweets"-as many of you who know her and have had her desserts can attest. I might be the queen of the Jazz Fest in this hat! I can tell you one thing, if you were trying to find me at the Neville Brothers close-out in a sea of hundred thousand people...I'd be easy to spot! Thanks for making us all so special and making us smile Marina! Your Lot River and your friends in Cadrieu are hoping to see you this summer! Love, Laury

A Poppy Surprise and Merci!

 

Posting this first poppy of the season that I found on the road to vote, brought comments and interchange between some of my friends on Facebook. One friend mentioned that it reminded him of a poem: "In Flanders Fields" by Col. John McCrae, 1915. Another friend found the poem and posted it in my comments section. How wonderful to be able to share our love, friendships, and rememberances with our "friends" who might be people we've never even met face to face.

This extra post today is for Roger and Marina. Poppies from another season, but poppies especially for you! With Love and Thanks, Laury

 

Wrapped in Nannie's Love

One of the side-effects to this weather we've been having, is a cold Chatette once more. Working upstairs one day, I broke into my winter clothes again to get a turtle neck sweater. Just as I was ready to pull it out, that 100% wool, button up, navy blue ribbed sweater that had been Nannie's screamed: "Wear me, wear me!" How could I not?

That day became Nannie's day, and she's been close by ever since. It isn't just because I've been wearing her sweater every day. I already live with her diamond studded gold wedding band on my right hand. I have: the apron she used to wear at Thanksgiving tied to one of my ladders; lace table cloths; her deer floral arrangement center-piece, and the Madam Alexander Russian Doll that she gave me when I began to take Russian in college.

It isn't even about the stuff. I admit, seeing it makes me think of her. It's in the feeling her, in the paying attention to her presence and a boundaryless communion that we share. When I told her about the premonition I had about Papa dying on the day that he died, she could have said a lot of things. (At 16, I was more than a little worried that I might be crazy.) Instead, she said: "Sometimes when people really love you, they can communicate with you in unusual ways. Your Papa loved you so much that he wanted you to know it was time for him to go. He wanted to tell you goodby."  Nannie didn't shut me down. She encouraged me to pay attention to my feelings and feel that love even more. That special communication has continued throughout my life with many people that I have loved, lost and found again. Here. Home. I've found that the timelessness and boundarylessness of this place always wrap me in that love.

So coming up on Nannie's birthday, I celebrate her on-going love and the gift she gave me of learning to love more.

Journaling to New Orleans Magic

Celebrating mythousandth blog post earlier this year, I shared that I rarely look back at my blogs. I can't say the same about my journaling. I look back at my journals regularly, especially if I'm struggling with something in the moment that remembering something similar from the past might help.

I've always loved writing, but didn't begin to journal seriously until 1997. There are times in my life when I wasn't journaling and I wish I had. I'm writing in journal #88 at the moment. The funny thing is, that I don't even have to write in my journals to learn from them. If you look at this beam up in the loft bedroom, you'll notice that there is a very definite dividing line. Prior to moving more of my books to the beam, I had my journals up there alone. The center beam divided my journals so that one side was "before the storm" and the other side was "after the storm" including all of my journals I've written here in the Lot. It was as if I'd made that huge middle support beam Hurricane Katrina, a very clear line of demarcation in my life, and the life of everyone in New Orleans. And so, as I worked around, moving books, moving journals, getting up and down from the chair, getting everything straight, and catching the ones that fell from time to time; I realized when I was finished that I now have all of my journaling life in one place. I've managed to symbolically wipe out that line of demarcation, and take another step in the continuous moving on process. Not only have my journals joined, but I now have a room chock full of New Orleans by family and friends...photos, water colors, acrylics, garlands, collages, pen and ink, and poetry.  When I sit in this room and journal in the morning, I am surrounded by New Orleans memories and the magic she made in my life.

Just a Step Away

Choosing my photos for yesterday's post was a challenge. There were so many to pick from. I had a particularly difficult time deciding between yesterday's featured post and today's. So, I'm going to go ahead and share this one with you too. Here they are side by side below. I wonder, which one would you have chosen, and why?

Beyond Duding Up

Long before the barn was part of our "WE" and I was only dropping in from time to time for a month or two here or there; I would often spend a little extra money duding it up with flowers. There wasn't much more I could do than that. I liked to think that the color would move the positive energy, history and magic of the place and it did. I do what I can do and can afford. I do my best. I continue to dig inside to uncover the ancient stone floor. I keep the grass cut. I plant yuccas, flowering trees, hanging planters and flowers all around. Then there's the annual new coat of varnish and black iron paint where necessary. I talk to her and love her. But the last two weeks of watching a new roof go on next door, brought home the very obvious fact once again that we need a new roof. I knew it when I bought her, but for me it was more important for her to be part of our "we" and to possibly save her from being demolished for the stone, than worrying about how she would get a new roof. There's no doubt that we are so much more with the addition of the barn and funky parcels of land that came with her. There's a rounding out of us in a very sweet and beautiful way that blends the timelessness and boundarylessness into the reality of our present-day lives. I keep doing what I'm doing and hope that there's even more swirling here than even I can see. I have other ideas and things that could happen that might help the cause of the roof, but the reality of a close to 20,000€ price-tag is mind-boggling. I'll share our spring and summer with you. Who knows, maybe there'll be some barn surprises for us along the way. The photo below is one of the first photos I took of the barn back in 2002-she became part of our we in 2010! Happy Weekend!