Soar-Dream-France

A Little Extra Happy New Year's Eve

 

Happy New Year's Eve to All and Huge Mercis for the Lights that You Have Been in my Life in 2009! 

2010...Here we come!

-Laury, Dali and Sammie

Blue Moon Rivering

With yesterday's special news, I wanted to be sure to call Mom and Dad and fill them in on all the scoop.  Beyond WE saying OUI...I discovered that the barn does in fact come with three small parcels of land. It's interesting.  When I highlighted us and the barn and these three pieces of land on the cadastre map, it is easy to see that WE do belong together here.  Since it was warm and pretty yesterday, all the shutters were open.  I went to close them before I called Mom and Dad and there was our Moon River doing its thing.  I oohed and aahed as usual, feeling another special sign to the close of our special day.  When I got Mom and Dad, they were busy and I needed to call them back.  But before I hung up Mom says: "Oh Larry, tell her what we wanted to tell her so we don't forget." So Dad mentioned the moon to me.  I jumped in since I had just seen it.  (I should have been more patient and just let him tell me.)  He wanted to tell me that tonight-New Year's Eve is a blue moon.  Most years we have 12 full moons.  But some years, about every 2.8 or so, we have thirteen.  During the month that we have 2 full moons, the second one is a blue moon.  I immediately jumped in with "once in a blue moon" and we had some more fun coming up with songs with Blue Moon in it.  If you want to know more about blue moons, I found a wealth of information on the net this morning googling blue moon.  So tonight, when I plan to be walking home from my New Year's Eve celebration with my friends...I plan to walk along the river and enjoy some blue moon rivering to bridge us into 2010.  Happy New Year's Eve Everyone!

Zip-a-dee doo-dah...

 

 

 

Progress, progress, progress and many many ahas and epiphanies along the way.

I'm gleaning perspective from my previous journals and blog posts that bring me total barn joy.

 

 

It also reconfirms for me that the barn is an intricate piece to the puzzle of this place and my life here.

 

Enjoying every inch and step of the new roof process of the barn in the moment, takes me back to the memories and moves me forward to our future. 

Watching the work on our side, it's clear to me that the beams on this side were in much worse shape. These were so wavy that they sometimes needed to be braced on both sides OR needed an extra piece of wood slipped into a spot between the old beam and the new wood.

So much work! And, so far it's still only Didier. I continue to be amazed at the amount of work he gets done on his own each day. 

Returning from holidays in the states in 2009, I'd talked with Mom and Dad face to face about buying the barn.

 

 

 

 

We'd talked about it by phone, but taking the plunge required more. I wanted to be sure they knew how important it was to me, and they did. As soon as I got back here and I knew it was a go...the post from the archives below shares the beginning of the process from here...Enjoy and Happy Tuesday!

 

 

 

From the Archives-December 30, 2009

...zip-a-dee-ay, My, oh my, what a wonderful day, plenty of sunshine headin' my way,zip-a-dee-do-dah, zip-a-dee-ay---Mr. Bluebird's on my shoulder, it's the truth, it's factual, everything is satisfactual!

And why would I be singing such a song over here? This morning Greg, his friend Alphonse and I met with Raoul and Christelle about the barn. 

We (Dal, Sam, the Chatette, Monsieur Winkelmann, my family and friends) said YES!  So, our WE will be growing. WE are very happy.  If you look at the photos below, the evidence is "partout" (everywhere)! 

It is going to be a step by step, petit à petit, as my French friends say...but today WE said OUI!

 

 

Business into Pleasure

Today's journey into Cahors was not supposed to be for fun.  I had some serious paperwork that needed to get in the mail and be received in Cahors before the end of the year, so I hot footed it over to their post office as soon as I got off the bus. My sweet, young bus driver was at the wheel this morning. Since everyone got off before the gare except me, we had a chance to chat and set a coffee before the return bus home.  I'm getting good at covering a lot of territory quickly.  The post office takes me off the beaten path a little, but once I was back on the Rue Gambetta: I hit Credit Agricole for a little more money, Roland Perrin for special New Year's Eve chocolates, my office store, my accessories store, my coffee shop, the Casino for a few groceries, my hardware store for a flashlight, and a pass through St. Etienne to light my "merci" candle and discover a sweet holiday surprise within!  I had one of those moments as I passed under the statue of Gambetta...I live here...I know Cahors well, and now my world is expanding even further. I made it for my coffee a little early, but it was fine.  We spent an hour between English, French and now German since I'll be spending 2 months there soon.  How lucky am I to find a sweet, young, intelligent, multi-lingual, bus driver on my route? 

Holiday Birthdays-Bah Humbug!

I  consider myself good at remembering birthdays and celebrating the people I love well.  But once again, these pesky holidays got in my way and all the end of year and early new year birthday people suffer.  (Thank God for e-cards!) But today took the cake.  I opened my mailbox this morning on Evelyn's birthday, and there was my Christmas card and goodies from Evelyn. It's just not fair.  I couldn't get my act together to get something in the mail once I got back.  So today, I celebrate Evelyn here on the blog.  It is très apropos, since this is where we met and our journey to friendship and magic began. I love this shot of Evelyn on one of our first sojourns into Figeac together.  Her month here with us went way to fast.  Having her here to Mélange some Magic felt like a meant to be from the very beginning. The truly wonderful thing about our experience together is that Magic was Mélanged for both of us. So on her holiday birthday, I wish my friend, confidant, supporter and mélanger of magic extraordinaire a wonderful birthday and a year ahead that holds only love, laughter, and as much magic as one person can stand.  Your Lot in the Lot misses you Lots and sends Lots of Love on your Birthday and Always-Laury, Dali and Sam

 

Bourgeois Wreathes

Although the quality of this photo stinks, I had to share it with you all in the spirit of the season.  A while back I mentioned that my siblings and I are a creative bunch, and that we don't mind being silly one little bit!  This photo of us with our wreathes that we'd just made on our heads should be evidence of that! I have no idea the date on this shot, but I know it's not recent. It's difficult to get photos with all four of us in them these days.  It's very rare that we are all in the same place at the same time, making this shot a particularly special one for me for a lot of reasons! Jim, Tom and Kat...I love you guys!-Laury

Wouldn't It Be Wonderful If...

As this life of mine is dangling less, but dangling all the same; I sometimes find myself saying: "Wouldn't it be wonderful if-." You can add just about anything you want to the end of that phrase.  (It brought back that old Beach Boys tune "Wouldn't It Be Nice", but their wouldn't it be nice if we were older just doesn't fit into my repertoire these days.)  Sometimes my "wouldn't it be wonderfuls" actually appear.  As I get ready to head to Germany for two months to work a contract, one of my hugest concerns has been pet care for Dal and Sam.  I have it set up for this trip, and then had a huger longer term plan for when I return in April. But, wouldn't it be wonderful if Dal and Sam could come with me? Voila...although still not an easy proposition, it appears that "no pet policy" has been revised to say that you can bring your pets if you are going to be staying in a hotel that allows pets. I'll see how this 2 months go and assess just how realistic it would be, but it's nice to now have another option to consider for us.  And as I continue to ponder the purchase of the barn...wouldn't it be wonderful if the dollar were stronger? Voila...when I talked to Dad the other day who is my dollar/euro watcher-we were at 1.42 to the euro. Each decimal point in that equation can make a world of difference in my cost to purchase the barn.  When these wonderful wonderfuls appear, I sometimes jokingly think: "Okay, maybe I should say wouldn't it be wonderful to have a million dollars!" What might be some of your realistic "Wouldn't it be wonderfuls...?"

Just One Little Glass of Champagne...

Christmas is finally here and I'm shouting hooray.  I've been on a cookie baking binge here the last few days and I'm exhausted.  I have to report...not a ball to be found in the pecan balls batch...I'm going to have to start calling them pecan crisps or crunchies or just give up.  All my other efforts have been successful though, criss crossed peanut butter cookies , peanut butter cookies that are suppose to have Hershey's Mint Kisses in them but got Rochers instead, coconut oatmeal cookies and orange candied walnuts.  I finished yesterday with enough to feed Santa, Mrs. Claus, the reindeers and all the elves.  Instead, I wrapped up some packages and Dali and I put our matching bows in our hair and made basket deliveries to Christiane and Jean-Paul; Josie and Patrick; Anthony, Pauline, Gaston and Puss-Puss; and to Greg and Megan.  Puss got some tender vittles and Megs got a couple of chew bones, so I hope everyone will be happy.  It's been a beautiful, sweet, Christmas morning in this place of my heart that carries the spirit of Christmas every day of the year.  Dinner is in the making. No one knows quite what to do with those of us who are happy to be on our own on Christmas. When I dropped off the cookies to Christiane and Jean-Paul, Christiane said...maybe just a little glass of champagne at 6? I gave in and said yes.  She had called Greg before Dali and I had made it up the hill with their cookies.  It's wonderful to have such amazing friends! Surely, one little glass of champagne won't hurt!  Is it ever just one little glass of champagne? Merry Merry Christmas Everyone!

 

Think Holiday Spirit!

My little girls are great ornaments all by their lonesome on the Christmas Tree this year! They also serve as great attachers for those difficult ornaments that are heavier than usual or strangely shaped and difficult...my tamers of difficult ornaments!  So, it's been fun and very entertaining at a very low cost!  Once the girls took to the tree, Dal and Sam and I snuggled together in front of the fireplace and shelled walnuts until it was time to go to bed. By the time I'd almost emptied that basket of walnuts, Sam had moved from my knee, to the arm of the chair, and pretty soon dropped a very big hint!  Happy Christmas Eve Everyone!

   

Come With Me-A Shop in Figeac

I'm running late in my blogging today, because I decided to make my day before Christmas Eve run into Figeac this morning.  Last year, I had so much fun that I decided I wanted to make it a tradition.  I usually go in the afternoon so I have more time, but with the weather this year this one was a shorter morning trip.  Last year I included the day before New Year's Eve as well ...maybe the weather will be better by then!  That purple backpack on the edge of the table is chocked full of goodies.  Some of its contents give themselves away pretty easily on sight. Some of you know me well, and others maybe not so well...but if you had to guess...what might you expect to find inside the purple backpack? Take a look below and see if you might be right!

 

My praline buche noel for Christmas dinner lost its snow man, but everything else made it home in pretty good shape.  I treated myself to a bottle of Croze de Pys and found some of my best gifts at that same Epicerie-Les Cordeliers-that I've come to love.  My favorite purchases of the morning that started out to be presents for others, are now going to be staying with me here at the Chatette.  These darling little clothes pin girls made my day.  I kept thinking that I couldn't bring myself to use them on my clothes line on the terrace.  I've used something similar to hold notes or coupons together in the kitchen, or maybe close up the coffee bag or other items opened but unfinished.  It wasn't till I was riding home on the bus that the very best use for my little clothes pin girls hit me.  I'll share the rest of the story with you tomorrow!  Happy Day before Christmas Eve!