I am tired of news. I refuse to watch it or read it. It only makes me grumpy and grouchy. And anyone who knows me knows that I am neither very often. Life is too short. And in the words of Jacques Prévert, my favorite French poet, "Later will be too late. Our life is …
What I am crushing on right now
When I wore a black dress with white polka dots last fall, one of the young (and dare I say handsome) teachers at school said he was "crushing on my dress." Ever since then I have wanted to use that expression. So, here goes. What am I crushing on right now? #1 My great nephew …
Snow 2017
(photo taken by C. Bland) 2017 has barely begun and we have our first snow "storm." Well, okay, it is a blizzard for us here in the piedmont section of North Carolina. The photo my sister-in-law sent is from the mountains where she lives. I took a photo of her vélo at Thanksgiving and gave …
Reflections
It is almost time to say Au revoir to 2016. And Bonjour to 2017. 2016 had some tough days. In life, though, that's pretty much par for the course, n'est-ce pas? That's when we learn valuable lessons. It's when we learn to appreciate the whos and whats in our lives. If we are smart. And …
97 and 41
A post from the past entitled 94 and 47 popped up on my Facebook page yesterday. It was from 2013. At first, I couldn't figure out what the title meant. Then, looking at the smiling faces of La Blonde et La Brune, it dawned on me. The countdown until my 2014 trips to France! I …
Après Thanksgiving 2016
It's post-Thanksgiving, T + 3, but I am still thinking about all I have to be thankful for in my life. I have fallen into a post-election sadness. Not depression, but a deep sadness for my country. Politics aside, seriously, it's not Democrat vs Republican. It's about treating others, those different from us, with dignity …
Give Thanks
Practice gratitude. Easily said. Not so easily done sometimes. But I try to do this every day. By nature, I am not a negative person. EB recently gave me this little gratitude tree. She and Son #1 have one in their apartment. Last time I was there, I noticed that theirs has more leaves on …
The Red Boots of Courage
Tomorrow, when I get dressed, I will slip my feet into what I call my Red Boots of Courage. It's going to be a long day. Americans will choose the 45th President of the United States in the 58th election held since we became a country. All American women have had the right to vote …
There are no coincidences
One Girlie I am particularly fond of likes to say "Mrs. E, there are no coincidences. Things happen for a reason." I completely agree. But I am still astounded sometimes when I run across what, on the surface, seem to be totally unrelated facts or events. Here is what happened to me yesterday. Saturday, I …
So many books…
You guessed it. So many books, so little time. I love to read. An article that I read over the weekend says "Book ownership ranks as the number one predictor of academic success for children; yet 61 percent of children living in poverty are growing up in homes with no books at all." (Danielle Berman, …
the sabbatical chef 