Soar-Dream-France

This Melody-Cette Melodie

 

When all my goodies arrived last week, I asked everyone to guess what was the first song I played? I'd given it all a lot of thought. Afterall it has been almost six years with no music here besides me and my Monsieur. So many memories and feelings are tied up in our music. I could go on and on, and I might at some point, but today it's Julien Clerc and This Melody that have center stage. They were my first choice for our new music in our New Book of here...the second twenty years!

 

During 2010, I was in the process of buying the barn. I wrote about the barn here on the blog regularly. I still do today. At the time, it made no money sense, but made all the love, passion, romance and immortal magic sense in the world to me. The barn and this place speak to me.

 

 

One of my friends, Jennifer Borel, sent me the email above and attached this song. It was such a great gift. I loved it so much that I made this collage to include in the "Barn Book," that I'd made for my Mom and Dad. They were never able to make it here in the flesh. Their barn book has since returned to me. They visit in spirit regularly.

 

 

This song makes me happy. It makes me think of all of the life, love and living that I have crammed into this place of my heart. I am loved back. I'd often sing it to the barn. I'll put a YouTube selection for you in the FB post.

 

 

 

We are back.

 

 

 

We are Cette Melodie!

 

Decisions

 

When I first came back to the Chatette and Cadrieu during March of 2018 after Christmas of 2017; I was still living in the apartment in Cajarc while the repairs were being made after the November fire.

I would ride my bike back to the house and wander around to see what was what.

Was there anything I could do?

It was projected that I could be back "home" at the end of April, probably at least a month away.

 

 

There was so much...so many feelings, so much to decide, so much to miss...of which, Sam was the biggest.

 

 

My piano was important to me. It was under plastic. I had been told by one person it was "dead" and another who came from Cahors wanted 10,000 euros to repair it for me. While I was in the states, I connected with Philippe Jolly who told me we should be able to do something together once I  got back and they were in the valley as well. My Monsieur was his baby too.

I told Eric what I was up to.

 

Eric was Eric. I told him how sad my Monsieur Winkelmann was, as were most things. I told him that we were "empty," except for me and my Monsieur. I'd already sat on the front stoop with my empty house behind me and felt that even as is; it was enough for me.

Eric said: "all you really need is your piano, a chair, a coffee pot and a place to sleep."

We were off!

 

 

In that "so much," I'd decided that : the windows were works of art bare; I had my Monsieur and didn't need a stereo system; the walls and the stone were works of art on their own; and, that I didn't want to clutter us up. 

 

 

After Katrina, I remember riding in the car with my friend Barbara.

We were on our way to the Napoleon House because it had opened. I got the first post-Katrina Reuben Sandwich they sold.

 

I told Barbara: "you could look me in the eye and tell me that I was missing a leg, and I would look back at you and say: oh really, that's nice. I'll think about it another time!

 

I recently realized when I was reading about grief, that the best thing that you can do for the people you love who are grieving is to just do something nice for them on your own initiative. Don't ask. Grief is not made for decision making. Asking our friends what we can do for them, or telling them to let us know, is one more thing that they probably just can't think about.

A huge light went off for me.

 

Lately, I've made some big (or maybe just different) decisions. As I've been: buying my new stereo system; picking out some "replacement and new" CDs; and, choosing special curtains for all of the windows in the house; I was asking myself why now?

 

At that time, it was easier to decide to do nothing...I didn't need a new stereo. I didn't need new curtains on the windows. I didn't need to replace all my CDs that went up in smoke. Call it triaging. Call it self preservation. I just couldn't think about it at the time. 

It's almost six years later.

 

 

 

 

Apparently, we're ready now.

 

 

Immobilized No More

 

I've been doing a lot of looking at my first 20 years of here.

The people, the parties, the discoveries, the visitors, the vernissages, and all the hard work. From 2002-2006, I was pretty much back and forth on my own.

 

I lived with no car, no television, Dal and Sam in the states, and getting around mostly on my bike, on the bus or with friends.

That worked for weeks and months at a time.

Then in 2006, Dali and Sam and I came to stay after Hurricane Katrina. Honestly, it worked then too.

A lot has changed since then.

In 2012 Dali and Sammie Cat and I returned to the states. I needed to work.

But then, Dad had also fallen the week before our return.

 

I wanted to be closer than France to be more available-or "less unavailable," as the case may be.

 

 

I quickly learned that you can't maintain your property as I had, if you were only here for a month or two during the summer each year. I had someone for general maintenance so we didn't get totally out of control. But, trust me, the lower terrace never looked like that shot above again.

 

 

 

 

 

After the fire in November of 2017, I tried to get us back to there. Housebound pretty much during the pandemic, I could have been out there working away. I tried. I never got very far.

This time around in 2022, I realized what my problem was. Every time I'd go out, I'd find another piece or memory of my life under the growth. It just made me too sad so I stopped. There was enough sad.

 

 

 

Now, I've asked the twins to work on it for me. They got that first part cleared so they could at least get up the steps to put the remnants of last seasons wood on the terrace before Ava and Nick come at the end of the month and the next wood delivery arrives in October. 

Today Gabriel is continuing with the project. I wanted to show him what it could look like and used to look like when I was here and could keep up.

I laugh at myself that I ever actually BOUGHT buddleia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's a buddleia jungle and our road is buddleia alley.

I had no idea they "volunteered" everywhere with absolutely no effort on my part. I do love them and the butterflies they bring, BUT-

I used to tease that my garden was more "sauvage" than most of my friends here, but we crossed the line. We are a jungle of out of control!

 

 

 

I am guessing between the work projects with the twins and the 2023 village/department Voie Vert and Lavoir projects, we will be able to get back on track.

I hope so.

 

 

 

There's a lot to look forward to once we are cleared up out there.

 

 

 

Again-Huge Merci to Gabriel and Abigaile!

Happy Friday!

 

Feeling Safe...or not?

 

I confess to having had the luxury (maybe even the privilege) to be able to feel so safe in my life that I didn't even think about it. Being safe was a given condition. It wasn't until I went to an art therapy workshop and we were asked to make two drawings; one where we were happy, and the other where we felt safe. Happy was an easy one for me, my stick figure was standing in front of the Eiffel Tower in a beret with a camera in my hand.

"Safe" was a little harder.

 

 

I had to reach back and feel more than think.

As it happened, "safe" turned out to be me spending time out in the country with my Nannie and Papa. I hadn't really thought about safe, or how truly safe I always felt with them. 

These days, as I watch all that is going on with the violence in the states and in New Orleans, the question of "safety" comes up often. It scares me to see ongoing gun violence and then add in other violence by white supremacists.

 

 

The other morning when the sun was rising out my window over the Lot, I had tears in my eyes. I am often "tearfully" grateful that I am able to be here. But that morning, I was "tearfully" grateful because I felt safe. 

I honestly never thought that being able to feel "safe" would be something to be grateful for. When did being safe become a special blessing and not an ongoing condition of living?

 

Pondering Safety?

Happy Thursday!

 

 

 

 

Filtering Fun

 

Back during the very early days of here, I had a computer program that filtered photos in this metallic way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I found it worked better on some shots that others.

 

 

It was always fun to try. Here are some of my favorites for you to enjoy!

 

 

 

Happy Monday!

 

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!

 

 

 

 

Another Door Will Open

 

I'm hoping that this afternoon a door will open on a new way of life for me here in Cadrieu. For years, I have lived without a car and traveled by bike, bus, foot or friends! Jane arrives shortly for a 2pm rendezvous par telephone to complete my application and order for an Ami Ami by Citroen. It's considered a quadricycle and is fully electric and perfect for what I need.

More soon, but wish me well and send lots of positive energy to us to get this show on the road. Happy Saturday to All!

From Saturday to Sunday Sun Rising

 

 

Over time, different people have suggested that I set a timer and have a picture taken out of the same window every day. Now, I believe the first person to suggest this to me was my sister-in-law Joan Parker-Bourgeois, who is an accomplished plein air artist. 

 

I thought about this yesterday, as I watched the morning come. I decided to take a shot. I pondered a week of shots, and did take one this morning too. In fact, I took way more than one.

It will make up for the week that I am guessing I'm probably NOT going to do.

 

 

You have Saturday on the top, and Sunday to the left with a little later from this same Sunday morning following.

 

What I hadn't counted on was wanting even more coffee this morning than usual. I came downstairs to get some and decided to bring my journal up with me and a few cookies too. 

I'd specifically brought the little open top desk up so I could journal up here in the mornings if I was so moved. I hadn't been until today.

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe it was that Lola had taken it over, or maybe it was still a little chilly in the mornings to sit there and write, but today was perfect.

I did a lot more than journal.

Being parked right at the window, meant that everything was in my face and in surround sound.

The birds were blasting.

 

 

The bells were ringing, and a little bit before 7, I remembered that on Sundays the Angelus bells sound in the distance beautifully!

What a treat! This morning, I caught three sets of bells. Sadly, the Angelus Bells were too difficult to hear on the videos. However, both Saujac and Montbrun could be heard! 

Once the bells wrapped, I continued to write and watch the sun as it came up over the causse each step of the way.

 

To go from such beautiful color, to sneaking gold and then huge golden sunbeams, is incredible and spectacular!

 

Happy Golden Sunday!

 

A Coffee With Friends

 

 

Yesterday afternoon's visit over coffee with my friends was perfect. I had a few nibbles on offer, but it was the peanut butter cookies that were the real hit.

As with most of my visiting at the Chatette as of late, it is so much more about the people than it is about the food.

As more people are getting vaccinated ( I have #1 on May 12), and there is a projected May 19 date to re-open restaurants and bars; I'm hoping for more at home and in public social opportunities in my not too distant future.

I always enjoy when these friends/neighbors come for a visit. Like Jane's children, I have watched Jade and Marco grow up. And now, Tomas is part of that group too. 

When they were younger, I tended to call them "kids!"

 

 

 

 

Considering I have known them for 15+ years, I really need to come up with something different.

Of course, they are neighbors. I think of "young people" sometimes, but even though they are, that makes me feel even older than I am.

I think I've settled on friends. Friends who bring flowers are the best!

 

 

One thing is for certain, I will be looking forward to our next visit whenever that will be.

 

Happy Sunday!

 

Butterfly Moments

 

Little did I know that I would have a visitor on my way home on the bus last Thursday. I'm not exactly sure how it happened...an open door, taking up residence, or maybe just a special little present for me at the end of a hard day!

 

Sitting in my seat directly behind the back exit door, I looked up and there was this very pretty small moth. They are all butterflies in my book. This one fluttered around me from the garden center stop almost all the way home.

 

 

A couple stops from mine, he rested on my shoulder and stayed a bit. Long enough, that I was worried about disturbing him when I had to hoist my backpack on when I exited.

Fortunately, I didn't have to make that decision. I was cheering him on to exit. I'm guessing he did.

After Cajarc, I didn't see him anymore, but what a treat while we were together.

 

 

I was able to get some shots close up and with the valley as a back drop.

He looked like the king of the valley to me.

Having him rest on my shoulder and keep me company made me happy! It seems to me that the only place the butterflies come to keep me company is in the Lot.

 

Hmmm, maybe an old butterfly story for another time! 

Wishing you special butterfly visits!

 

Happy Wednesday!