Follow Me to France!

This is France. I will be spending the winter in the red piece of the puzzle. While I'm in France, Musings from Red Bell Farm will be on holiday as well. Follow me to France at Melanged Magic!

Fall

Usually fall signals a new beginning for me. I always loved the start of the new school year with its clean, blank notebooks, freshly sharpened pencils, new textbooks and of course, the obligatory pleated plaid skirt with matching sweater! This year, though, fall signals an ending here at Red Bell Farm. I'm closing things up and putting the finishing touches on winterizing as I move towards departure on September 22nd. I feel as if a chapter in my life is ending. While I'll return to Red Bell Farm next spring, I don't expect that my life will ever be quite the same. I anticipate being changed forever by my experience of living in France for the winter. Musings From Red Bell Farm will shortly go on hiatus; Melanged Magic has already started taking its place. I've begun mentally detaching from television, tortillas, diet Pepsi, and the luxury of jumping in  my car and going wherever, whenever I want. There are still things to cross of my 'to do' list, but I'm steadily making progress toward leaving the known behind and embracing the unknown ahead. Life is just one big adventure!

My Side of the Story

I gotta tell you guys...all this practice stuff is really getting on my nerves! First, she has me practice walking on a leash. A leash! Doesn't she know I'm a country dog? I don't do 'leash!' I have a very keen nose, and I have to roam around so I can sniff every blade of grass, every bush, and every post I see. It's my job! Okay...then she puts me in that crate to practice. She mumbles something I can't quite understand about an airplane, a trip, being a French doggie. What the heck is an airplane? If it's anything like that crate, I already don't like it. Oh sure...I'm a good girl. She keeps telling me that. Who's she trying to convince anyway? I already know I'm a good girl. I take great pride in that.  Anyway, into the crate I go...sigh! Doesn't she know if I'm in there I can't jump with joy and twirl in circles when I see her like I usually do? And tell me this...just how am I supposed to roll over and show people my cute belly to entice them to scratch it? People can't even see my adorable little self in that thing! Today was the worst. We actually went into town so she could 'practice' with the crate and all her other junk. Can you say 'mortified?' That's how I felt when people drove by. I know they were laughing at us. This being a little French doggie is going to be harder than I thought!

Practicing

Lucie and I made a trip to town today to practice for our trip. I wanted to make sure I could secure her travel crate on my suitcase, pull on the backpack and still keep Lucie under control on her leash. It was harder than I thought it would be. There weren't any really good places to hook the bungie cords for starters. Lucie kept wanting to go sniff the grass. Once I got her crate attached, its weight kept pulling the suitcase over. I think that happened mostly because the suitcase was empty and there wasn't any weight to counter-balance the crate. Lucie did okay walking while I pulled the 'circus wagon' behind us. We were by the Imes covered bridge and its little park which gave us a variety of terrain to practice on...cement sidewalk, boards on the bridge, gravel and grass. We made turns, stops and starts; not once did she tangle up between my legs. I'm not holding my breath that won't happen in the airport, tho, as we dodge other travelers. I even practiced putting her in the crate and carrying her...just in case I have to do that. It's do-able, but it's a workout! I can only imagine what the people driving by thought of our spectacle!

Getting From Here to There

Getting from Iowa to Cadrieu is a journey of three distinct parts. The first part takes me from Red Bell Farm to Chicago by rental car. The second piece is the flight itself from O'Hare to Charles de Gaulle. The third part is the piece that worries me the most....Charles de Gaulle to Cadrieu. I arrive at 8am after a long day of driving and a long night of flying. I'll be tired and jet-lagged. I'll have to figure out how to find Lucie, get her out of her crate and haul her, her crate and my suitcase to the rental car place (which I have absolutely no idea how to find!) Then I have to drive a strange car from the northeast outskirts of Paris to the southwest suburbs to connect to the A20 autoroute that will take me to points south. Throw in confusing French signage, a foreign language, and who knows what else and you have all the ingredients for disaster. Laury to the rescue! She's making plans right now to take the midnight train to Paris, connect with the RER to the airport and meet me on arrival! She'll be my navigator, read the maps, read the roadsigns and generally point us in the right direction. Plus she'll be there to help lift, tote and reassure. Could I do this without her help? You bet! but having her there will make it SO much easier and SO much more fun!

Shifting Gears

Lots of things remain on my 'to do' list as I get ready to fly to France on Sept. 22nd. I'm already beginning to shift gears mentally, though, as I let go of my American lifestyle and get ready to embrace a totally French one. I'd invite you to jump over to Melanged Magic to read about some of these shifts. While there is a supermarket in Cajarc, I will also be able to buy groceries in the weekly outdoor market. Almost every village of any size has a weekly market; this one is in Limogne. The one in Cajarc is on Saturday afternoon. The only limitation is how much you can put in a backpack and carry while you walk or bicycle home. Too heavy? you can always wait for the bus! Some things I won't be buying....tortillas! I don't remember ever seeing them anywhere. I also don't drink pop in France. Too pricey, especially when wine is SO cheap! Here's something else I'll give up...TV. Even if Laury had one (which she doesn't), everything is in French. I've already checked, though. I can watch whole episodes of "Project Runway" on my computer. Yes, I'll admit it...I'm addicted. "Project Runway" has it all...action, creativity, drama, and divas. Can you say Casanova?!? Everything else on TV including the news, I'm happy to do without. What do I gain in return for my American 'sacrifices?' Only the best cheese, best bread, best wine in the world! Only a lifestyle geared around great food and good company around the table! Only an opportunity to live steeped in history, art, and architecture! A good trade-off in my book.

Money, Money, Money!

I made a trip to Des Moines today to do the money thing. I gulped a bit as I transferred money out of my IRA into my savings account. It's a little scary to dip into those funds! I had to keep reminding myself that it's retirement money and THIS IS RETIREMENT! At least for now anyway. I put some money into another account, so I can buy some Euros to take with me and then shopped a little...there are a few things I need for the trip like new luggage tags and a new jump drive to load photos onto. I chuckled to myself as I picked out a backpack to buy. I've teased Laury so much about her bottomless purple backpack that she takes everywhere, but truly, she's got it right. A backpack is perfect for shopping when your transportation is your feet, a bike, or the bus. You'd be shocked at how much stuff you can stuff into a backpack!

Money and backpack....check!

Details, Details

As you can well imagine, closing up a house and organizing your life for 6 months in another country involves lots and lots of details. A mountain of details, acutally. I've been thinking about this all summer, so I had some things already in mind. This weekend I put together my master "to do" list and started a time line for completion working backwards from lift off for France.  I'm a woman on a mission! One of the first details on the list was: what to do with my houseplants? No problem finding lots of potential adoptive parents. My friend, Lacey was the first to offer, so she wins the prize. Here is the first batch stuffed into Miz Red Belle. They were delivered yesterday. Luckily the biggest plant that reaches almost to the ceiling is very flexible. I just bent over his top and closed the door. Lacey will receive the remainder of the pots next Saturday.

Houseplants...check!

The BIG Announcement!

Drum roll, please! I've done it; I've made the decision to close up my house for the winter and go to France. I couldn't be more excited! This is where I'll pass the winter....Cadrieu. I know you remember it from my month of Melange-ing Magic at Laury's house last September. No one was looking at, much less buying my property, so it was a relatively easy decision to take it off the market and maybe try again next spring. With some minor tweaking, I'll be able to winterize it and just GO! Lift off is scheduled for Sept. 22nd. I'll fly directly from Chicago to  Charles de Gaulle where I'll rent a car and drive to Cadrieu. And guess what? Lucie is coming along on this adventure! She's always said she wanted to be a little French dog and now she'll get her chance. More details to follow, of course, including an address and new email and maybe a new blog (haven't decided about that yet ) But for now, it's busy, busy, busy around here as I attend to the myriad of things that need to be done before I leave. This is truly a dream come true!

The Family

Becky just posted new photos on Shutterfly! Here's the gang. That is Chase in the middle. I can hardly believe how big he's gotten. And talking to him on the phone...who is that man with the deep voice? Surely it can't be my little Punky?? Travis is sitting on a stump, so Chase really isn't taller than his dad. But he is taller than Becky! This looks like it could become a Christmas card photo, don't you think?

PS...you'll want to check back in the next couple of days. I'll be making a BIG announcement!

Sounds of Summer

Right around mid-afternoon it begins....the cicada chorus! Can you hear them? When it's cool enough to have the AC off and the windows open, the sound of the cicadas fills the house. Sometimes they're so loud I even have to turn up the volume on the TV. Heck, I can hear them now and the house is closed up tight against the heat. Are you wondering about the foggy appearance of the video? That's the humidity that condensed on my camera lens in the few minutes I was outside. My glasses fogged over as well. It's definitely summer in Iowa!

The Office Is Open

Remember when you were in high school and took all those interest and aptitude tests to help you figure out what you wanted to do when you grew up? Even though it was a long time ago, I remember like it was yesterday. We took tests and answered many questionnaires. Someone evaluated the answers (no computers back then...how did we ever survive?) and in a couple of weeks we got the results back. Lots of information in both narrative and graph form. I loved looking at the bar graphs. My bars for both scientific and artistic interest/aptitude were very high...in the high 90th percentile. There were several bars in the middle and one tiny bar for mechanical ability. There was one empty spot. I asked my teacher if this was an error...there was no bar in the clerical/secretarial slot. "No," he said, "that isn't an error. Your interest and aptitude in that area are so low, you didn't even show up on the graph!"

OMG! so why am I working here in the church office this week?? The regular secretary is on vacation and she asked for volunteers to sit in her chair. Silly me...I said 'why not?' I'm halfway through my assignment and so far, no one has yelled at me or asked me to do anything hard. I figure I'm safe as long as I don't have to file anything or figure out the computer, the postage machine, the copier that does everything except write your text, the safe, the fire alarm system or call the repair guys if the roof leaks! Anyone...even me....is capable of answering the phone with a smile. I do have the interest and aptitude for that!

Frogs Everywhere!

It's been SO wet! I see at least one or two of these frogs stuck to my house or windows almost every morning and evening. This little guy was on my front picture window last night. It was kind of interesting to see what his bottom side looks like. Those round toenail-like things are suction cups that enable him to cling to glass and the house siding. I'm not sure why they keep climbing on the house...maybe trying to get out of the wet flowers?

Gorilla What?

Gorillapod! Only the handiest little piece of photography equipment in the world! I first heard of these little tripods this May when I went to Montana. Travis bought one for Becky as a Christmas gift. I was amazed when I saw it. Becky has a big SLR multi-lens Canon, and the Gorillapod worked perfectly for her. Surely it would work as well on my little Canon point & shoot. Travis said they were cheap...even better. They come in different sizes depending on your camera size. I bought this one at the local camera shop for $21.99. My guess is you could find them a bit cheaper at Target or Wal-Mart. It's little (6 inches), light (under 2 ounces) and flexible. I leave the adaptor attached to my camera so all I have to do is slide the tripod on when I want to use it. Slick!

This is where I 'wrapped' its little legs to attach my camera for yesterday's hair close up. If you click onto the Joby website, you can see lots of ways to use the 'pod and lots of other products they make to let you be 'hands free' in your life.

Going, Going.....

....not quite gone! Just a quick update on the hair growing out process. It's getting there. You can see just a smidge of brown here on the sides. There's also a blob of brown at my crown and in my bangs. Jerry, my hair guy, keeps saying the sides are white; I keep telling him they aren't white, they're silver. I think silver sounds a whole lot sexier than white, don't you? I truly don't see myself as a little old lady with cottony-white hair! The back is totally charcoal/ gray/silver colored now. So another month and the only part that will still be brown will be at the crown...and I can't see that part in the mirror, so it won't bother me at all. I actually kind of like the gray, believe it or not!






Come back tomorrow to see how I captured these close ups.

All is Well

In case you're reading all the online and national news about the massive flooding in Iowa....everything is fine so far at Red Bell Farm! The recent torrential rains have hit areas from Des Moines north; living south, I've avoided most all of it this week. The photos are awful, though, and my heart goes out to those people who have water in their basements, in their cars, and in their businesses. And remember, creeks don't just rise in their water level....they rush and roar and rage. The force of water is so destructive and dangerous. How miserable to be flooded and still have to endure the continuing heat and humidity! It just doesn't seem fair.

Place Igor Stravinsky

It's hot and humid in Iowa, and I'm 'jonesing' for Paris. What better place to cool off and pass a Paris afternoon than right here at Place Igor Stravinksy? Nestled between the Pompidou Center and the 8th century Eglise St. Merry, the contemporary fountain is a favorite place for school groups to eat lunch after field trips to the Pompidou and for Parisians and tourists alike to cool off in the noonday sun. I always plan my visits so I can have lunch at the creperie on the corner, grabbing an outdoor table as close to the fountain as I can. During one winter visit, I watched homeless people wander along side the church, each claiming a step or a doorway to huddle in and depositing sleeping rolls and bags of clothes to claim their spot.  Last September I observed a young woman dressed in dance leotards throwing multiple colored balls in the air while jumping from a chair. A professional photographer captured image after image as she repeatedly jumped and tossed, jumped and tossed. I have no idea what that was all about, but it certainly kept me entertained while I ate as did the very well-behaved French children and their teachers eating sack lunches on the fountain steps. Ah Paris...always something to intrigue!

Fruits of the Season

It's the 'dog days' of summer...hot and humid. Me and the dog are lyin' low in our cool, airconditioned house. But the sultry heat is absolutely no reason to not enjoy the fruits of this season. Yesterday's trip to the Farmer's Market provided both food and friendship. Here's a photo of the food part.You haven't truly lived until you've lunched on luscious homegrown, never refrigerated Iowa tomatoes and melt-in-your-mouth Iowa sweet corn. A sandwich slathered with my friend, Karen's apricot/raspberry jam and a tall glass of iced tea completed my meal. Life is good even if the weather isn't!

Meet Me At The Market

Elizabeth and I have been trying to coordinate schedules and get together for weeks. My schedule has been relatively commitment free, but hers.... Since the end of May when she left her post as assistant rector at St.Timothy's, she's been searching and interviewing for positions and has been called to be the rector at a lovely church in northern Iowa. She's spent two weeks studying as one of the elite Canterbury Scholars at the Canterbury Cathedral in England. She and her family spent almost two weeks in Italy....doing Rome, Florence and Tuscany. She's found a place to rent in her new town, put her house in Des Moines on the market to sale, and shuttled her teen age son back and forth to football camp at his new school. Whew! just thinking about her whirlwind summer makes me tired. So, when we finally confirmed a date to meet and go to the Farmer's Market this morning, I was very excited. We bought a few things, but we spent most of our morning catching up over coffee at Java Joe's. I heard fabulous stories about the Cathedral and her colleagues, many of whom came from countries where women are considered second-class citizens and are certainly not ordained. She likened it to falling down the rabbit hole in 'Alice in Wonderland.' Every time male clergy would give her that 'You're really a priest?' look, she'd say to herself, "Yes, I am the real Alice!" I listened to her describe wonderful moments of worship in the Crypt, sacred prayer at the Thomas Becket shrine, and being allowed 'inside the walls' to see places tourists never see. I followed Elizabeth and her family through Rome as they searched for the four churches of Dan Brown's 'Angels and Demons,' as she worshipped at the Anglican-Episcopal Church in the shadow of the Vatican, and as they all ooh-ed and aah-ed over the Sistine Chapel. I vicariously wine tasted with them in Tuscany and fell in love with the story of their innkeeper, a single woman who refurbished the inn and fell in love with her landscaper in the process. So much to talk about, so little time! Luckily, there's email and I know the way to her new town. Next time we must 'do' photos!

Friends Along the Way

When I read Laury's blog post over at Soar-Dream-France this morning, I was immediately reminded of this fine fellow whom I met one day last September. A visit to Rocamadour was on my agenda having seen it in my Eyewitness guidebook to the Dordogne and Southwest France. Finding the pilgrimage village wasn't a problem; finding a good place to park was, however. I pulled off on the first gravel road I saw and sure enough, it led me to a huge parking area that was mainly for RV's and trailers. It wasn't close enough to where I wanted to be, but this guy standing near the fence lured me out of my car for a quick photo op. I wanted so badly to stroke his soft muzzle and scratch that special place between his ears, but he was having none of it and backed away from the fence when I reached out to touch him. Do you think it's too much of a stretch to imagine that this donkey might be related to the one that traveled with Robert Louis Stevenson across this area in 1879?