Soar-Dream-France

Some Days Become MORE Special

 

This morning I was on a mission to get out before it got too hot and cut some grass. I succeeded and then retired to the terrace to journal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I decided to text one of my FB friends with a travel question for which I knew he'd be the best person to ask. I was correct. We messaged back and forth a bit and closed with a wine glass cheers.

 

 

 

At that moment, it hit. I hadn't even opened the first bottle of my Clos Triguedina stash AND with today being Mom's heavenly birthday, possibilities were endless.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I scooped a bottle from the rack and opened it to let it breathe for a bit.

I grabbed one of my new red wine glasses too.

I wanted shots in the piano room and in my special homage to Mom that already rests there.

 

 

Then, it was time to head to the terrace to actually drink my wine while enjoying a little nibbly plate of goodies to go with it. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I toasted Mom, made a toast and a thank you to my friend, and a toast to the gratefulness I always experience in just this place.

 

 

Happy Saturday!

 

 

Happy Heavenly Birthday to Mom!

 

Never to Have Known This...

 

Journaling on the terrace this morning, my heart and mind drifted to feelings and thoughts of Mike (as they frequently do these days). Sometimes I feel his presence carried in on a breeze or a whisper of the leaves on the trees. Others, it's a butterfly who comes to rest beside me and stays much longer than usual. One morning, it was a big red fox who locked eyes with me until I said hello to him. Maybe I should have said "bonjour!"

 

This morning I was thinking about Mike and (not unlike Mom and Dad) how he was never able to see this place in person while he walked this earth. I have teased, but it's true; many people who I love dearly have never seen this place. At least not until they've crossed over. They do visit me here.

The magic of this place makes it even easier to feel them than usual.

This train took me to, what would it be like in my life, never to have known this place?

 

 

That train had another stop to make. What would my life have been like had I never known Mike?

It reminded me of the early 90's when I began to volunteer with the then NO/AIDS Task Force in New Orleans. There was a particularly difficult stretch where everyone was dying. I wasn't sure if I could take the layers of loss anymore. I thought about quitting. I asked myself if I was willing to not know the people at all?  It was then that I realized, I wouldn't trade knowing all the wonderful people I'd come to know and love for a million dollars. I stayed.

 

 

It's hard for me to answer both questions. First, this place is so much of a part of who I am. I wonder if my friends and family who have been here could answer it any easier for me?

 

 

Secondly, Mike quickly made himself an indispensable part of my life. Although we'd been friends on FB for a while through my friendship with John, I'd never met Mike face to face until the night of our International Overalls Party on Columbus Street that November of 2013. John and Mike brought Glenn and Bill with them.

As everyone was leaving at the end of the evening, Mike said I needed to come over and have dinner at their home "Mahogany Oaks" in Covington.

 

 

 

I explained the no car and Mike didn't miss a beat..."John is here for work every day, he can just pick you up and bring you over with him on his way home."

In no time, I was sleeping over at Mahogany Oaks.

One night with a morning departure turned into two with a full day in between, and sometimes Sammie cat would join us.

Even though there is so much more I could share, let's just say that the invite was the start of something big for all of us!

It still is!

 

With the sale of Columbus and Mike's passing, it's difficult not to feel the holes left behind.

 

 

 

But I can see, those spirits and memories will live on in new and different ways.

 

 

Happy Thursday!

 

The Balancing Act of Here

 

One might think that after being a "we" for a little over twenty years, I would have this drill down pat by now. I'm guessing I make it all look easy, or easier than the reality.

I know I don't like to spend a lot of time moaning about roadblocks, problems, and the concrete boots that sometimes make getting anything done at best, cumbersome, at worst, bordering on impossible! 

Keeping all the plates spinning requires a lot of paying attention. I'm generally pretty good at that and have so far avoided having any plates conk me on the head.

One of the things that caught me off guard, but didn't whack me on the head, was keeping up with my SmartPhone program.

 

 

Prior to leaving for the states in mid-March, I was reminded by my company that the terms of my agreement require me to mostly use my phone in the USA and since I'd been almost totally in France, my data would be terminated. I wasn't completely surprised, but was freaked out. We communicated.

Fortunately, I had 30 days and I was able to hang on to my phone and program until I returned to France from the states.

I knew I needed an alternative, so I began investigating French phones and programs available through Orange.

Fortunately, last week we became Fibre-Optiqued up here at the house, which means stronger and more reliable connectivity!

 

 

This week my neighbor and I went to the Orange Boutique at Leclerc in Villefranche and I was able to get all the pieces in place that I needed. We left with my new Samsung Android and a bag full of goodies. It pays to already be an Orange client.

With the house sold on Columbus Street, my need for communication and paying bills every month in the states is majorly reduced.

Even so, I was out early on my bike to Cajarc this morning to drop a check in the box at La Poste.

 

 

This should be the last check I have to send to the states to cover a last minute crisis. This time, to reattach the "new" blue roof the evening before we were going to final act of sale the following morning.

I still managed to have some fun and make the most of my morning time in Cajarc.

 

 

Communication is still important. As I continue to still sort out some of the final arrangements with banking, euros, dollars, and such...connectivity to the states through email, phone, and texting is still important.

 

While business stuff is reduced, there will always be my personal ties and connections that I treasure and don't want to lose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Staying in touch takes work.

 

 

 

That's work and time I enjoy, especially when I can sit at La Pause with a Perrier Menthe as I write!

 

 

Happy Wednesday!

 

Into the Eyes of a Creature

 

There was a little too much going on around here to get a shot of the young Great Tit in question, so here's a terrace shot from a previous year when this guy flew into the door, sat stunned, gathered himself together and finally flew off.

Yesterday, a very young version of this guy flew in through the side window. I was sitting on the sofa playing with my new French SmartPhone.

It happened so fast and then even faster, Lola was up the stairs and she had it in her mouth before I could get to her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She trotted in front of me and up and down the steps for a couple turns, but when I realized it wasn't in her mouth I went upstairs with the dust pan and brush in hand to see.

 

 

The tiny thing was on the floor by a flower pot and flew up to the side window that I was going to try to get open. Lola was there too, but she finally went out on the ledge, once I opened the right half of the window.

It was quite a balancing act, but the little bird was kind of lounging between the edge of the cushion and the glass of the still closed window.

It seemed okay, so I talked to it a little while.

Our eyes locked. I felt like we shared trust.

 

 

I kept an eye on Lola and eased the dust pan down on the cushion and up a bit to lift the little bird. 

Success! Up just above Lola's head and out the window, she (I thought she for some reason) flew gracefully up to the birch tree. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another save for the bird team.

 

 

Happy Tuesday!

 

Feeling Complete...Enough!

 

As life has unfolded step by step with all that has had to happen to try to make the sale of Columbus Street go smoothly, it doesn't always happen that way.

With most everything done and dusted, I've felt like I can treat myself to a few things that I love and a few things I wanted. but weren't essential MUSTS.

Wine falls into the "love" category.

Oh, I can always make do, but with friends coming in the fall and remembering two of my favorites; I ordered my Triguedina and my Sancerre to have on hand. 

I hadn't really planned on dipping into any of my stash.

 

 

 

 

I went ahead and ordered a 4th bottle of the Henri Bourgeois Sancerre and put it the fridge as soon as it arrived yesterday so it would be cool for later that day. Sancerre was introduced to me by my ex-pat American love in Paris, so I get it whenever I can as a treat for me, and often others!

And besides, any wine that has your own last name in it is a wine you MUST have and keep on hand if you can!

 

 

The reality of COVID has meant not a lot of get togethers and entertaining.

 

 

As I thought about other things I felt I needed I asked myself: "But will you really use all of this stuff if you're not doing aperos and dinner parties like you used to do before COVID? I'm hard on wine glasses...I wanted enough to not worry every time one breaks.

 

 

 

Celebrating 20 years of here I quickly realized that I didn't have any champagne glasses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, as much as I loved all the dishes I cobbled together after the fire...I actually wanted a whole set of dishes that matched!

 

 

 

 

Now, I will have two full sets of dishes that match AND can be mixed and matched with what I already have to make us even more "interesting!"

WE want to feel complete as we dip and slide into Book Two. 

Love to All!

 

 

Happy Wednesday!

 

Transformation

 

In all of the little over 20 years of here; I have always had one foot in the states and the other foot in Cadrieu. I always had trouble picking just one place to be considered "home!" 

This morning I journaled endlessly.

So much has been swirling around.

Hearing from friends is wonderful, but often evokes smiles, tears and ahas. After a few of the tear provoking and aha varieties; I realized I really am starting fresh in many ways.

 

I have my journals and I also have what I called the "Chatette Books," where I would mark milestones and friends and family would leave notes and messages.

I pretty much filled up #1. Number 2 I'd begun, but set aside after the fire in 2017 because the pages were singed and often hard, crinkly and very difficult to write on.

I ordered #3 and had some fun because it was called a "Magic Notebook."

The spells listed in the Magic Notebook were: Erase, Summon, Levitate, Silence, Light, and Transform.

 

I began # 3 a couple days after my August 2020 return when we'd just begun dealing with everything COVID.

 

 

This morning as I wrote, I wanted to be sure to note the sale of Columbus Street in Chatette Book #3. I'd forgotten about all of the available "magic," and actually found a check list at the back that you noted when your "spells" had worked. I thought about all these years and especially the last two. It dawned on me that I'd had success with each of the listed areas. All that's left is "Transform!" There we have it...Livre Deux and the next 20 years of transformation.

Happy Sunday!

 

 

The Sunflower Circuit

 

Since I last wrote about the sunflowers and dangling my feet in the Lot, the river has been calling my name. I wanted to see if I could get some newer and better sunflower shots than those I'd first gotten the other day. I also wanted to dangle my feet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I knew if I went down in my hiking boots, the chance of a river dangle was slim.

 

 

 

 

So this morning, while I waited for a delivery and put my own mail out; I decided that I'd still put my overalls on but wear my Sketchers.

Everything worked like a well-oiled machine...delivery arrived and my mail to the states and Cajarc was picked up. I headed down to the far riverside in the direction of Montbrun with a blanket, my journal, and phone for photos.

 

 

 

I had so much fun. Feeling like I need to do this walking circuit every morning. 

 

 

I began by taking a shot from the road by the house, and then headed in the direction of Montbrun and then down the hill.

This is a down and down and down hill that takes you along the edge of the road wall all the way down to the river bank.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a little more overgrown than I expected, but I was still able to get down without much trouble.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I crawled over a fallen tree and took a few other shots along the way before I sat down to write and soak up the place.

 

 

The crickets, bells, and bees serenaded me while I wrote, reminding me why I love doing things like this so much.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I decided it was feet dangling time so I headed back up. Instead of going all the way to the top, I crawled a bit down a wall that feeds me onto Willie's land.

 

 

It was nicely cut and made walking over to the boat slip much easier than the other route. 

I laid out my blanket on the stone, as close to the water's edge as I could get and took off my shoes. The water and the stone felt good on my bare feet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tiny fish and other creatures came to visit once I settled in.

 

 

I did scrape some mud off of the stone down to the pretty green color, but there wasn't a thick enough layer of algae to draw or write.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was glad I had my overalls on and not a dress, and my easy shoes, not my hiking boots. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even so, when I got home with my almost a hundred photos, I was happy to put my linen dress back on, shoes off, and relax a bit more.

I was grateful I didn't get in my own way today.

 

 

 

No barriers clothes or outlook-wise.

 

 

Tucked in below the wall when I first went down on my sunflower mission, I gloried in the ability in this life of mine to truly do whatever moves me in the moment. You can't put a price on that!

 

 

 

Happy Saturday!

 

Return of the Sunflowers

 

The sunflowers are back! Wandering on the road the other morning as I was heading to the barn to cut some grass over there, I notice this swath of yellow at a distance. I went to the wall to have a seat and look a little closer...yes...it was the return of the sunflowers. During the early years of here, the farmer on the other side of the river from us would swap out fields for sunflowers every other year.

It was such a treat. Joan and I always made the most of them.

 

 

I mourned their disappearance In the rotating year they didn't return.

 

 

Honestly, I think it's been close to 10 or 12 years since they graced my life from across the river.

 

 

Today, I'm sharing a bit of our past sunflower fun with you.

I scooped these shots a week or so ago. I have promised myself that I will wander down to the river side for more pix and maybe even a foot dangle in the river too. 

The real question is whether or not I can find a way to get myself across the river to just run wild in the sunflowers!

 

 

 

 

Getting down to the river and feet soaking with a little stone algae art is more of a sure thing, but you never know!

 

 

I might surprise you (and myself)!

 

 

Happy Thursday!

 

Winter Success

 

 

Last winter, I decided to try something different with my geraniums and begonias. They were pretty and healthy all over the grounds, so since I was going to be here; I brought them in and spread them around the house to be able to water them and get sunshine with inside warmth. While some did better than others, almost all survived and now I'm trying to decide what to do with them. 

 

 

 

We are bursting with red everywhere.

 

 

It feels good.

Happy Tuesday!

 

Shedding Light to Black and White

 

From my prone perch on the sofa this week, there seemed to be even more time for contemplation and reflection than usual. I wasn't feeling well, so I wasn't beating myself up with all the chores I should have been doing instead of just enjoying the buddleia butterfly view just out my window directly in front of me.

The devastating overturn of Roe v. Wade and it's far reaching implications for all of us as a people weighed heavy on my mind.

 

 

Who'd have thunk that within the profound weight and sadness, mother/daughter enlightenment could be found?

 

Growing up when I did, the advent of Roe v Wade and birth control pills changed my life. I began taking birth control pills during '73, the same year that Roe v. Wade became law.

The oldest of 4 and a girl in college who was living at home, I'd always been a "good girl!"

I got good grades, had nice friends, was involved in lots of school activities, played piano, didn't do drugs and never had any legal problems.

I had never sassed, lied or said no to my parents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Living at home during all four years of college made the whole birth control thing tricky. I told my Mom I was thinking about the pill, but hadn't made up my mind. I asked her if she wanted to know when I decided, and she said: "If that's what you want to do, I don't want to know about it."

 

 

But then, she'd ask regularly if I'd thought anymore about what we'd talked about, and I finally told her I had and I'd been to the OB/GYN doctor and had my prescription.

 

 

From that moment on, I was treated as the "bad" girl. I recognized that this was all new for Mom. I recognized how Mom was raised. She raised me similarly.

 

 

 

 

The message was that the worst thing you could do was to get pregnant when you weren't married. I heard that loud and clear.

But, I was in college and I chose to do the responsible thing. I remember saying something to her at one point: "You don't know what it is to have "bad" kids."

 

 

I remember asking myself where was the "reward" for being the "good girl" for all these years?

 

There is more to this story, but after stepping back this week and taking in the context of the overturn of Roe v. Wade, I was forced to think about just how earth shattering this is to young women today and will be for all women in the future.

It is a whole new world.

What I had never considered, was the fact that the advent of Roe and birth control was just as earth shattering to my Mom.

It was a whole new world too.

She didn't have the tools in that moment to change gears and think about it all differently, even for her own daughter.

I can see it so clearly now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honestly, not so clearly until just this moment. I wish I could have looked at my Mom and her reaction to me from the perspective of a shocking change for another woman instead of the reaction from my Mom.

Years later, Mom became an "activist" for many causes. I remember when she became a donor and a letter writer for NARAL-the Abortion Rights Action League. I was proud and pleased, but even then, it wasn't enough for me.

I can see clearly now. I wish I could have seen clearly then.

 

Now, it's more than enough!

Happy Saturday!