Soar-Dream-France

Fanning Inspiration and Gratification

 

Ever since I arrived back in Cadrieu in August of 2020 during the pandemic, I wanted to get out and do more with the barn.

To be honest, I just couldn't face it.

I knew there was work to be done on the inside, but it felt huger than it was.

I found that everything felt huger than it was during the pandemic, and sometimes still does.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Needless to say, Christmas 2020 passed with no lights on the barn.

 

 

 

Christmas 2021 passed with no lights on the barn.

 

I really wanted lights this year for Christmas...or sooner if I could find a way to pull it off.

2022 has been a big year, with so much to be grateful for.

 

 

 

When I arrived back from the states the last day of April, 2022; I told myself that I needed a different strategy this year.

I talked to Nadege and had my list of projects that I could offer to the twins. They got my lower terrace started for me by clearing that portion of the buddleia and carried the remnants of the wood up to the terrace. Sunday was remove the broken tiles, store, and clean the stone floor in the barn day.

 

 

Step One...the barn is on its way. 

 

 

HUGE MERCI A GABRIEL ET ABIGAIL!

 

 

 

Happy Thursday!

 

 

The photo of the wine glass on the stone with the Chateau reflection and this last shot were taken during 2010  when we were just getting to know each other. All the rest were taken this week, as I surveyed and pondered what I wanted to do next. I shall keep you posted! I should add that I think that opening shot was left in 3D by accident when I was playing around with the Frenchie Smart Phone. Still learning!

Into the "New Book" While Respecting the Past

 

As the elements of this changing life of mine evolve into the "opening" of my new book here; I am not throwing the baby out with the bath water.

From 2008 through 2012 and again in 2017, I hosted an evening apero vernissage for the village.

 

 

It showcased our village artists, beginning in the wine cave in 2008.

In May of 2010 I bought the barn and I began using the barn too.

Since the fire in November of 2017, I haven't had the energy, emotional strength, or initiative to continue post fire.

Then, we had COVID life.

 

Now that I am here all the time, I want to begin to take the steps to get back to having this event again. 

 

 

There is much to be done.

The cave still holds furniture and other remnants of the fire that I need to face, and the outside terrace to the door has a buddleia jungle that has to be attacked and tamed.

The terrace itself will have to be re-excavated.

 

 

 

Then, the barn needs attention too. Since she got her new roof in 2019, I needed to get inside and clean up all of the tile pieces that fell, re-varnish the manger and the doors, blow and clean the stone floors, and continue on with that excavation project too. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As much as I love to blog...while this process in unfolding; I am guessing there may be even less blogging that my already reduced amount these days.

 

 

So, I hope you will enjoy these photos from 2012 and a bit in between-wow, 10 years ago now!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a lot to get done.

 

It may be another petit a petit in my life, but hey...this is a whole new book!

 

 

Happy Tuesday!

 

Searching for Comfort

 

While I'd been out to start cutting grass in front of the barn a while back; rain, scorching temps, and the on and off lethargy of sadness was settling in from time to time. As one of my friends put it, "you are in a time of huge transition."

All of which is true, but yesterday's overturn of Roe v. Wade knocked me off my feet. Too many disasters, pandemics, and white supremacist threats of aggression; have distracted too many from the many many other issues that have been rolling around.

 

 

Roe is one. We have known. We have seen. We have heard what people have promised to do, and now have delivered. While the House has passed a bill to codify Roe, the Senate has let it languish.

Its hard NOT to think we have fallen down on the job.

 

 

As a rabidly, pro-choice feminist; I have talked the talk and walked the walk for at least 46 years of my life.

I was graduating from high school when Roe was passed. During 1978 after receiving my MSW from Tulane, I was one of those who ushered women into the Hope Clinic for Women in Granite City, Illinois.

Our patients had to walk past a priest playing tapes of screaming babies.

He was not alone.

 

 

 

He was accompanied by a pack of women holding up posters of bloody fetuses while they juggled their own baby(ies) in their arms, on their hips, or in a baby carriage. 

No one should have to face that alone.

 

 

Shortly after I returned to New Orleans to work, I learned that our clinic Doctor had been kidnapped by a rabid, radical, pro-life group who I believe were called "Operation Rescue!" I was devastated. 

 

 

Yesterday, I heard from friends and family from all over the world. We cried. We commiserated. We remembered. This is only the beginning. I don't have the energy to go there at the moment. I am despondent and heart-broken that our country has arrived at this place. This is one of many layers of dismantling of many hard fought and hard won battles for so many. Too many I love are rolling over in their graves today, including our Mom and Dad.

 

So, I cut grass. I took pictures. I explored the floor of my barn again, that appears to have more gorgeous stone than I had even realized when I first started digging  and cleaning. There is peace and comfort in my barn, even though it is a time of regrouping and reorganizing to fight these fights again. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back when I was working in HIV/AIDS, I went to see a client at a residential facility regularly. I would always ask him how he was.

 

 

His response was always the same:

"I'm upright and moving forward."

Honestly, that's exactly how I feel today. We're putting one foot in front of the other, upright, moving forward, and doing the very best we can with the hand that has been dealt.

 

Here's to being upright and moving forward!

 

Fresh Looks

 

Although I've made many returns from the states to here, this one is different. I am different. I feel as if everything is new, exciting and a challenge that can be met.

It may be something I learned in my six weeks stateside: do what you can do, if it doesn't work, find something that does, but above all just keep moving. I manage to NOT feel the crippling feelings of being overwhelmed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the terrace, I had seen the lavender iris peeking out from the corner of the dungeon door! After looking at them a million times; I decided to walk up and take some photos.

 

 

I hadn't really wandered up that way since I'd been home.

 

 

Rounding the corner of the turn from Route de la Vallee to Rue du Chateau, the neighbors had a patch of iris and some very pretty white flowering ground cover. As I got closer to the iris, I could see that I may have waited a tad too long.

They were still beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I always enjoy this walk.

 

 

It provides a nice view of the Chatette, the barn, the lavoir and the land.

The village had cut the grass on the land that is now theirs and in a few other spots.

They had been busy.

 

 

I discovered a pruned, weeded and cleared reservoir too.

 

 

All nice surprises.

 

 

New views for my new perspective!

 

 

Happy Thursday!

 

Teasing Winter Wonderland

 

I wasn't fast enough to get out to the front of the house to get any shots before most of the snow left us yesterday. What I did catch made me smile and feel just enough of a bit of a winter wonderland. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have some gorgeous snow photos from here long ago.

 

 

 

Honestly, I don't think we've had a really good snow since then.

But many years, I was away from here working during this time of year...I had my fill of snow.

I'm always grateful that I'm not having to deal with a car in the snow and all that goes with that.

 

Off to trolley some wood.

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Saturday!

 

Happy International Overalls Weekend 2021

 

This year, I've been a tardy girl for International Overalls Weekend.

To be honest, I'm always confused over whether it is the weekend before or after Thanksgiving.

I should know better by now! 

 

 

That opening photo says it all!

It was overalls, wood back in the meter long log days of 2009, cold November, and did an Irish Coffee and Cookies Overalls party here at the Chatette.

It was certainly memorable for me.

 

I found out how much other friends enjoyed it when we were having lunch after the village clean-up!

I do have some great photos and found myself wondering if I could pull another one off.

Maybe next year or the year after...

 

...for now, we're all doing a lot of living on memories.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's hoping you'll enjoy some of mine to celebrate!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy International Overall Weekend!

 

 

 

 

Morning Wanderings

 

I do some of my best thinking in this chair. Earlier this week, I'd decided I needed to go over to the land and get the old weather worn door that used to rest on the wagon into the barn. Little did I know at the time, but the village had scheduled a village-wide event and clean up with the area around the lavoir on the list of projects. With the tumbled down wagon, a bench and a couple of other items still over there on the land, I decided I'd go out soon and move what I could move and wanted to keep to the inside of the barn. Today was the day!

 

 

I know that the wagon is NOT salvageable and the bench should probably go too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once I looked around, I thought I'd head up to Christiane's to let her know that the wagon and the bench will still be there the day of the clean-up because I can't move them and that I hoped that someone would be able to haul the away. 

 

I am so pleased to see that all of this land is now going to belong to the village!

 

 

In the meantime, it was fun to see this spot begin to come alive as the morning mist was beginning to lift.

 

 

I was able to see for the first time how wonderful it looks without that gas tank. 

And, I played around a little with a shot of the dungeon door to the Chateau.

 

 

It was a nice morning on lots of fronts. It was especially nice to spend time with Christiane over a coffee and talk about another idea I had! More on that another time!

Happy Thursday!

 

Shedding the Shoulds

 

Yesterday was an unusual day for me. I did what I often call "wandering" through my day, where I only do whatever it is I feel like doing in the moment. 

I probably don't need to tell you that's a challenge for me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, yesterday I never turned the laptop on even once. Instead I: went out to the land by the barn; read; made a nice lunch; marinated some chicken breasts; folded laundry; did some sink and fosse septique maintenance; cleaned the kitchen; attacked the kitty litter...

 

 

...and, so much more.

 

 

I am once again at a place where I am looking at what I have DONE instead of what I SHOULD do. 

 

I am paying attention here, because sometimes blogging feels like a "should," and also letting people know if I'm not going to blog or even be on the internet that day.

Yesterday, I did neither.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I sometimes find I become wed to the routines in my life and they can become a self-inflicted prison. I suppose there was a time in my life when I needed them. I don't need them anymore.

Of course, this is a work in progress! Putting it into words and writing about it here crystalizes a lot of the change and layers of all that seems to be going on for me these days.

And this morning, the moon smiled down on me!

 

 

Happy Saturday!

 

In the Pink

 

The subtleness of the morning pink out my window creeped in quietly before it exploded into deeper pinks and blues that bordered on purples. 

It was meant to be a pink day...sky, flowers, and that pale pink I filter my life through when I'm in my "la vie en rose" or "rose-colored glasses" modes. The morning sky got my out and up on the right foot.

 

 

 

 

Especially, since I knew there was a bit of early morning grass cutting starting me off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was grateful. I already knew I only had the point to cut this morning because my sweet neighbor came over with his rider and took care of everything except the point that belongs to the department. I'm nuts, I know.

It doesn't belong to me, but I try to keep it up when I can.

 

 

 

 

Grass done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heat on the way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The barn and the rose garden were calling my name! 

 

 

Happy Wednesday!

 

Keeping Up and Pondering

 

Yesterday morning came in cool, beautiful, no rain, AND I was in the mood to get outside early and get stuff done.

Enter overalls, hiking boots, and a bit of a plan.

I wanted to get most of the grass in front of the barn cut.

 

Then, I would move on to a section on the side, and bring the lawnmower back to this side of the tracks to attack the rose garden and the flower box under the covered terrace.

I'd planned for four and did four, except I exchanged the flower box under the covered terrace to cutting around the yet to be finished lavoir clearing from the last time. 

One of the pluses to being here all the time, is listening to the messages from this place and to my heart.

 

 

What once was important and a good idea, has evolved into something else.

Life is different.

Circumstances are different. 

Sometimes less is more.

 

Now that I also have a problem with the roof caving in on the addition that is attached to the Chatette, we are working together to be open to letting go in some places and recognizing the possibilities for working with what what have in the midst of new and different in others.

 

 

 

We shall see. This may all seem a bit too cryptic, but for now...patience is the play for everyone.

 

 

Happy Saturday!