On Vacation

Red Bell Farm will be on vacation from April 21st thru April 27th.

19 April 2007

A year ago today I was in the midst of a lovely sojourn in the south of France. The weather was warm and clear, very unlike the weather here in Iowa today which is wet, grey and dismal. According to my travel journal, 19 April 2007 was "...a totally good day. I simply wandered around the village. I hiked down the trail toward Traban to get a feel for what Camille experienced walking up to Goult to discover her story." And who, you might ask, is Camille? She is the main character in the novel I've started. It's set in the Luberon and in Paris; it spans the century of Camille's life...1900 to 2000. And just what is Camille's story? It's a story of love, lust, faith and God spiced up with war, assassination and Resistance! Most of it is still in my head...I've only written a few chapters...but I spent this day a year ago snapping shots of Camille's world....








Did Camille walk the steep path up into Goult on the Chemin des Soeurs? What was she thinking as she climbed up into the strange village in search of the real story of her birth?











When she passed the Virgin looking down on her from the convent wall, did Camille cross herself and re-dedicate her life to the Blessed Mother?








Were any of these men Camille's playmates in the early years when she was allowed to leave the convent and enjoy the normal life of a child??








Are you intrigued by Camille's story? You'll have to buy the book!

A Big Disappointment

I don't think I'm cut out to be a real estate tycoon. My deal with the sellers of the Victorian fell through today. It's a long story, but pivots around a big mistake by the realtor (theirs, not mine) and another offer by someone who did not have to sell a house to close the deal. They accepted that offer. Even if their realtor had not made the $12,000.00 mistake on the Estimate of Proceeds, I would have probably lost this house, but I think the fact that the seller was furious about it didn't help my case. I know the sellers were anxious to get this done with. After all their house has been on the market since last July! This doesn't make me feel any less disappointed, tho.

So, it's back to the drawing board. I love that neighborhood, so I'll continue to look for something to buy there. My house will remain on the market. Whenever things like this happen, I always try to remind myself that there is probably a reason for things NOT working out. Tonight, tho, it just feels kind of sad. Thanks to all of you who sent good thoughts!

One Step Closer

The sellers of the Victorian accepted my offer! It's contingent on the sale of my current house which means they can continue to market and show the house. This makes me nervous, but....

This is the kitchen with its lovely Viking stove. While counter space is limited in this kitchen, the floor is cypress hard wood, the ceiling is painted tin and there are a lot of cupboards. The sink is to the left and that area has a restored vintage light fixture. There's enough room for a small table and chairs. Overall, it's quite charming!

The Adventure Continues....

The house selling/buying adventure continues. I've listed my property, and my agent, Greg, has put up the 'For Sale' sign in my yard. It's a really funny feeling..the whole world knows my business! and it feels a little creepy that pictures of my house are circulating on the Iowa Realty website. I need to let go of all that...this is the way business is done these days. But really...how weird that people will be traipsing through my little house being critical of my taste and peeking into my closets!

I've made an offer on the Victorian; they've counter-offered; I've offered again. This is the dance you do, I guess. And yes, I want the Viking stove!! And they know that! Again, I need to breathe and let it go. This is not personal, it's business. The picture above is the living room with its lovely fireplace. Beyond the funny looking couch (not sure what that is exactly), you can see the formal parlor, and around the corner of the fireplace, there's a tiny view of the dining room. I'm taking today off from work to finish organizing closets and straightening drawers here at home. Someone is bound to peek, you know!

Provencal Friends

Natacha and Edith Fidler

2005

See what I mean about the smiles?

Susan Day-Hosea and Dr. Stephen Hosea
2007

Blogging about Edith and Natacha and discovering some of Edith's history in the process has really piqued my curiosity about these two lovely women. When I return to Provence, I plan to visit them again and this time....ask some questions about young Edith Fournier, her husband, Eugene and what living in Provence was like when it was known as 'unoccupied France.'

Natacha

The other artist at Atelier Fidler is Natacha. She paints vibrant watercolors and also creates collages which I particularly like. The numbered print at the left is called "Marais Rouge," or Red Marsh. I have it matted in lavender and raspberry with a a gold-flecked frame. It hangs in my dining room. Like her mother, Natacha speaks fluent English, laughs and smiles constantly. She describes herself as a cancer survivor and a Buddhist; her sunny outlook on life never betrays whatever hardships she's suffered. I also bought a pen and ink drawing that she did of a naked girl and a horse. Creating these small drawings is how she occupied her time as she recovered from cancer surgery.

These prints to the right are two more of Natacha's. They are watercolor and collage. I had them matted and framed to match the first print that I bought in 2005. They also hang in my dining room. It's so lovely to eat surrounded by memories of Provence and two delightful artists.

Atelier Fidler

Yesterday's post about Eugene Fidler/Fournier was actually supposed to be a lead into today's post: Atelier Fidler. Marie introduced me to this art studio tucked away in the countryside near Rousillion; its one of her favorites. She always buys art on her trips to Provence and has favorite artists that she visits each time. My first visit was in September of 2005 when "...turning down a narrow dirt road, we came to Atelier Fidler--studio of Edith and Natacha Fidler, mother and daughter. Edith does pottery--tiles, bowls, vases in fun colors of turqouise and orange; Natacha does watercolor, ink, collage and assemblage--some black and white, but mostly a riot of colors and shapes. Edith studied and lived with Picasso some 50 yrs ago!" This is a picture of that long ago Edith with Picasso; it hangs on a wall next to the door of the studio.

Today at 76, Madame Fidler/Fournier "is a gorgeous woman with silver hair pulled up into a clip on top of her head with many loose tendrils" framing her face and with "greatly dramatic made up eyes!" She speaks charming English and never misses an opportunity to laugh. The day we visited in 2005, she and Natacha willingly showed us their living room and its original Picasso hanging on the wall. "We have others," they confided, "but we keep them hidden away so they don't get stolen." We visited over 'fizzy' water with a slice of green lemon and "oh, it was so fun!"

I bought some of Edith's work.

To the left is detail from a 6x6" ceramic tile. Edith does great faces.

This is a small fish bowl. Edith always decorates the backs of her bowls.

Learn about the other artist at Atelier Fidler on tomorrow's post.

quotes are from my 2005 travel journal.

Art in Provence

Images by Eugene Fidler

Above: Marine (1978) Right: Le Couple (1982)

I bought these postcards at the Musee Picasso in Paris. Done in the Picasso style, I naturally assumed that Picasso was the artist. Imagine my surprise when organizing my souvenirs several weeks later that I discovered they were not by Picasso at all! The artist was Eugene Fidler. And imagine my surprise this very minute when googling Eugene Fidler to provide you with a link to identify him that I discovered he and his wife, Edith, were Jewish and lived in Provence under assumed names and with false identity papers during World War II! This is not the story I was expecting to find; I thought I would simply find an explanation that Fidler was a friend of Picasso's and part of a group of artists that painted in the Cubist style. I knew he lived in Provence near Rousillion and I knew he had a wife named Edith. How I knew that is what tomorrow's blog is all about. Stay tuned for the rest of the story.

On Meeting a Stranger

From To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings by John O'Donohue

With respect
And reverence
That the unknown
Between us
Might flower
Into discovery
And lead us
Beyond
The familiar field
Of weariness
And the old walls
Of habit.

I met a stranger last night. Her name is Debbie, and she's one of two realtors who came to my house to check it out for possibly listing it to sell. She was charming, friendly and efficient. In the course of filling out all the paperwork and talking about the good, the bad and the ugly of my property, she asked me what I do for work. I told her that I am a nurse currently working as a manager and then added that I manage the Life Flight emergency helicopter service at Iowa Methodist. She teared up and out flowed her story: her two teenage sons were in a horrible car crash in July of 2005 (not too far from where I live) on Interstate 35. Two young women traveling north crossed the median, hitting her boys head-on at highway speed. Both women died instantly. Both of Debbie's boys were flown to Des Moines; one was flown by my Life Flight crew. Debbie couldn't express her gratitude enough for the care her son received from my crew. Over and over..."thank you, thank you. You guys do such good work! I knew I wanted both my boys at Methodist because you have the very best trauma team around."

Some days I hate my job; I get so tired of and so bored with the same old complaints and issues. Last night, though, I couldn't have been prouder to manage my awesome team. They do such good work....and sometimes it takes meeting a stranger to remember that.