My mom, Jules (her hands pictured here) was busy harvesting cosmos seeds up until her departure. She's gone home now, but the seeds are drying on my kitchen table–and they make me smile each time I walk past them.
baba cool (baba-kool) noun, masculine/feminine
: hippy, flower child
The plural of baba cool is "babas cool".
Il est baba- cool, respecte son gourou, et rejette la violence.
He's a flower child, respects his guru, and rejects violence.
–from "Dictionary of French Slang and Colloquial Expressions"
Audio file: listen to Jean-Marc pronounce the French word baba cool and read the example sentence (above): Download baba_cool.wav
My mom will be waking up any time now, having traveled 24 hours en voiture,* en avion* and à pied* to arrive home in Mexico.
Having kissed her goodbye at 3:30 a.m., Thursday morning (Jean-Marc took her to the airport in Marseilles for her 6 a.m. flight), I spent the twilight hours moping around the kitchen… until I received a surprise several hours later! In Amsterdam, during her first flight connection, Mom had sweet-talked a "darling" traveler with a laptop into letting her leave a message* for me on my blog.
Thankful for the unexpected sign that she sent me, I thought about the surprise that mom was hoping for. Mom had one wish (on arriving home): that the one she loves would be waiting for her, flowers in hand. I listened to Jules's wish, which she repeated over and over on the days leading up to her departure, and hoped that she might be happily surprised.
So as to get her husband off the hook (just in case he forgot to show up at the arrival gate, fleurs en main*), and, as a way to welcome Jules home–and to put a great smile on her face–I thought we might all take off our reader hats today… and put on our baba cool* headbands.
Here's how I thought we might compose that flower arrangement–and it won't even cost us a penny!:
1. Choose one French* flower to put into the virtual basket (we'll use the comments box for our fancy flower "vase").
2. Include the city that you are "sending" it from.
If you do not know the French name for your flower, no problem, just write the flower name in the comments box, along with the city you are "sending" it from, and allow me or another reader to translate it for you.
*by "French"… I mean the French equivalent of the flower. For example: un coquelicot (or poppy) for Jules from Maine… or "un oeillet jaune (a yellow carnation) from Beijing"….
Note: the flower does not have to be native to the area that you live in: you can send an entire Hawaiian orchid leis (virtual, bien sûr!) from Tempe, Arizona, if you like!
Have fun and be creative (invent your own flower, if you so fancy), and thank you for your help (or should I simply say "Peace and Love" to you?!).
Signed,
Ze Flower Chick en France.
en voiture = by car; en avion = by airplane; à pied = on foot; message (see Mom's message): http://coucou.notlong.com ; fleurs en main = flowers in hand; baba cool = hippy, flower child
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I send you my favorite, lis de stargazer, even though I have not found any growing here in Florida under the palmiers.
A blue hydrangea from the “sand bar”of Cape Cod,MA.
a fragrant bouquet of Lilacs from Southern California.
Beautiful Texas bluebonnets from the hills of the Lone Star State.
Pour Jules, les muguets, because they always seem so very French to me. From Anne in the smallest state in the USA, Rhode Island. See
http://www.americansinfrance.net/culture/Lily_of_the_Valley_Photos_06.cfm
pour Jules, a white trillium, l’emblème floral de la province de l’Ontario. … Ellen, in Toronto
La capucine d’orange (orange nasturium) from Salem Oregon.
a purple phalaenopsis orchid from Fairport NY
calendula’s sunny face for good cheer and healing powers from Evertt, WA .Christine
Les capucines d’emeline from a farmers marketing in Nice 🙂
http://cucinatestarossa.blogs.com/photos/nice_market/nice_market_springonions.html
gros bisous et bon rentree Jules. xo L
I’d love to send your mom my last rose of this summer, the rose called Peace, from Northern NY, near the Canadian border. This rose is pale yellow with pink,coral edges. I read somewhere that it was named to commemorate the end of WW II. I don’t know if that’s true, but it makes me happy to think so. Carole, vieille,mais énergique!
another daisy…marguerite(?) in Spanish Margarita for a happy homecoming…from Williamsburg, VA
…next week from Beaune!
quelques hortensias de Minnesota
I know I am late catching up but I send bunches of lavande for Jules. Welcome Home!
from Chris in Melbourne
A beautiful and fragrant frangipani from my garden in Sydney Australia!! jane
Pour Jules… une fleur-de-lys de Toronto, Canada
Je vous envoie de jolies pensées (pansies) d’automne de Washington DC.
A bouquet of violets from Southern California for Jules from Baba.(my grandchildrens name for me)
Avec mes plus belles pensées de Californie !
Best pansies (and thoughts) de nadine avec une bise pour Maman Jules- with a kiss for Mommie Jules.
An iris from Long Island, New York
http://flickr.com/photos/annabelleny/2251941554/in/set-72157603687464077/
Une fleur de lavande de californie
A sunflower from the sunflower state (Kansas)
Jules…I am sending you my favorites, pink Peonies from Brooklyn, NY and periwinkle Hydrangeas from Perros-Guirec, Brittany. Welcome Home!!
Love-in-the-mist (cannot find a French translation) but they are beautiful, blue self-seeders which when pressed and dried are beautiful for decoration. Hope to meet you on your next visit to France, Michele x
Tournesol, bien sur Les grands champs a vu aviaton par en le TGV, Gene Virginie
Lavende pour ma petite fille, Annie en Tempe, Arizona, Les Etats United…(lesetetuni is the pronunciation.)
un pavot de californie de San Francisco
Une gardenia from our deck in beautiful Avila Beach, California.
Beaucoup de girasols (Lots of Sunflowers)from Hutchinson, Minnesota.
I hope your trip home went smoothly.
–Irene
Clivia – though I don’t know if you pick them – luscious bright orange clusters of flowers – 9 flower spikes in my garden here in Spring in Christchurch New Zealand
une pensee de Ameliasburgh Ontario
A bunch of golden wattle filled with sunshine from Melbourne, Australia
And here’s an aphyllante de Montpellier from the Languedoc.
Je vous envoie une primevère de Mumbai.
I am sending you a primrose from Mumbai.
Love seeing these flowers – these are exactly the same cosmos we saw this weekend at La Chartreuse du Liget for our annual mushrooming foray! Thanks for catching the image.
Chris at Parislogue! (we also enjoyed drinking Rouge-Bleu with our ‘shrooms’
A little late, a handful of blue bonnet wildflowers from Austin, Texas. I spent too much time at the Maker Faire.
I’m late!! What a beautiful idea…. From Nashville, des marguerites “Gerber,” rose, jaune, et rouge, to match the colors of a poncho.
Apple Blossoms – they’re not in season right now in Nova Scotia, but in June when the apple trees bloom and the Apple Blossom Festival is held in the beautiful Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, it looks and smells wonderful.
Marie from Halifax, Nova Scotia
…et des lilas de Dover, NH (alas not in season now — but lilac is our state flower!).
For Jules:
“Les fleurs de Peche” from Atlanta, Georgia. Nous Voulons de vous inviter a faire un visit a notre city du sud!
In the words of the south
Y’all come!
tréflière des tournesaux (field of sunflowers) d’Ottawa, Canada
tournesol—dallas, texas
Des tulipes… from Ramsey, New Jersey!
Cheers
Frances
Un fleur de soleil (sunflower?) de Visakhapatnam, India!
J’habite dans Massachusetts, mais pour quatre mois je suis dans l’Indie pour l’école (high school)!
Some wild lupins from Kennewick, WA
Every evening when I’m walking along Ocean Boulevard in Delray Beach, Florida (USA) with the dunes and Atlantic Ocean close at hand, I’m met with the most delightful fragrance – a combination of jasmine and honeysuckle. I haven’t yet found the exact source but this flower may be it. Here’s hoping you enjoy it as much as I do!
Here’s the link to the photo:
http://pugsnewsfromthebeach.com/2008/09/08/photos-from-the-beach.aspx
Des azélées du Wisconsin
From Nashville, Tennessee, I send some pansies … a lovely French word = des pensées.
Hi Jules,
Here are some tulipes from downtown State College, PA
http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2197996730031154420oWlFjx
and irises from Giverny…http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2158370040031154420WiPoxO
all the best!
Barb, State College, PA
A red hibiscus flower for your Mom. I love them and can see your Mom with one behind her ear. I hope she likes it.
Marilina (Miami, Fl)