To win the mysterious French antique, on offer in today's story, simply say hello, here in the comments box + let us know where you are writing in from. After randomly choosing a number, I will announce a winner on Friday. More about the giveaway, in today's story column.
Photo by Alison Johnston Lohry (Note to self: next time you post a photo of your person, choose any other post title… besides "Scatterbrained"! P.S. do you see a scar on my forehead? Ta da! This photo was taken four months after the first operation and a week before the second operation, the one mentioned in the previous post.)
étourdi(e) ay-toor-dee
: scatty, scatterbrained; flighty
Audio File: listen to our daughter, Jackie, pronouce today's word and example sentence: Download MP3 or Wav file
Il est bien étourdi; mais, entre nous, son coeur est bon.
He is quite featherbrained; but, between you and me, he has a good heart. —Voltaire, Complete Works of Voltaire
A Day in a French Life… by Kristin Espinasse
Scatterbrained
I am having a fickle of a time deciding what to write about today. It isn't a matter of writer's block, or la page blanche, the difficulty here is l'embarras du choix! So many possibilities! Which path to choose when it is just too tempting to amble down each windy road and lose oneself in that whimsical place affectionately known as "Just Around The Corner"?
Enough dreaming, it's time to choose a topic! Let's see…
I might tell you about our daughter's renewed passion for jumping (BMX bikes, this time—and not horses!). Jackie's hobby has me aching to line our concrete terrasse with mattresses! I watch, from the kitchen window, as our 14-year-old builds a new jump, adding yet another vineyard stone beneath the wobbly ramp (a repurposed wooden shutter) after each adrenaline-rich stunt….
Then again, I might write about some of the readers who come to visit. But then there have been so many…. To write about one would be to leave out the others. Quel dilemme! Perhaps I could backtrack… beginning with a photo from the most recent visit? (See the end of this post.)
Encore une fois, I had thought to write a story about a thank-you gift, the one I am trying to think up for the surgeon's assistante that I see this afternoon (stitches come out today!). What to give someone whom I know nothing about, but whose gentle confidence has touched me? Du vin? Des fleurs?
I should also update you with the good news: Max, 16, passed part of his driver's exam!: oui, il a réussi le code! This brings him to the "hands-on" part of the exam: the actual driving with an instructor! (such a relief to turn over the co-pilot seat—still wet from my sweaty, gripping hands—to a trained teacher!)
As for writing topics, I also thought this might be a good time to bring up the subject of email… please forgive me if you have sent in a note and if I haven't gotten back to you! I am trying, but no matter how many activities I cut out, in order to devote time to answering email, I still can't manage to keep up with incoming messages. I feel terrible about this… please know that I read and appreciate every single word you send, whether via email or via the comments box. Thank you so much!
There were about four or five or fifteen other lovely things, in addition to your treasured notes, that I wanted to talk to you about today, but time is up! So I will get to the fun part of this scatterbrained offering, this anti-essay that ran away to that curious "Just around the corner" place…
The G I V E A W A Y !
In thanks for reading this French word journal, I want to offer you the chance to win a little treasure! The trésor is currently a secret, but here's a hint: anyone would love it: young or "wizened", man or woman. If you like French antiques, you'll love this historic memento, one from my collection… one I adore and would love to offer you!
You might frame the antique… or wear it (making an eccentric necklace or an avant-garde pin?); you could put it in a glass box or make a whimsical collage…. You could carry it around in your pocket as a lucky charm or use it to mark a page in a book (never mind the bulk!). It could make a cool paper weight… though you might have to tie an extra something to it.
To win this antique simply leave a greeting here, in the comments box, along with your city. Example: "Hola from Jules in Puerto Vallarta!"
I will post the winner's name on Friday. No matter where you live in the world, you may enter the giveaway, by leaving a comment here. (Sorry, but no comments via email).
French Vocabulary
(section under construction… please check back!)
la page blanche = "the white page" or "le blocage de l'écrivain" (writer's block)
l'embarras du choix = a great variety of choices, an embarrassing number of choices
la terrasse = a paved area (sidewalk) or patio
quel dilemme = what a dilemma
encore une fois = then again
assistant(e) = assistant
du vin = some wine
des fleurs = some flowers
oui, il a réussi le code = yes, he passed the driver's exam
le trésor = treasure
I had a good tchatche, or chat, with artist, fiddler, and writer, Alison, who lives part of the year in the postcard pretty village of Sauve. Photo taken by Jackie Espinasse.
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Howdy from Texas
Ya-te-hey from Arizona!
Bonjour from Spring Lake, MI!
Coucou! et merci BEAUCOUP pour your emails, from Taylor in Santa Cruz, California
Salut, Kristin, from Diane in Brunswick, Georgia, U.S.A. Can’t believe the photo of you in this entry is post-surgery! Your forehead looks great. Félicitations!
Howdy Y’all from Kerrville, Tx, about an hour northwest of San Antonio.
Bonsoir from Nashville, Tennessee, and what great photos! Love the word étourdie, too. That was me TODAY. Perfect….
Hello. From Virginia. VA Beach
Bonjour from David in Phoenix Arizona!
Bonjour Kristin from Gaye in London!
Bonjour, Kristin. I’ve been interested in reading about your skin cancer surgeries, as I’ve been through that myself. Diana in El Cajon, California.
Mabuhay ka Kristine! ( More power to you , Kristine!) from Junie in Manila, Philippines
Bonjour from Romy in West Chester, PA, but who would much rather be in Sanary-sur-Mer, and who just might make it later this year.
I share your love of French doors and windows and trauma of skin “issues”. Bon courage, Kristen, et merci bien!
Bonjour de Salem, Oregon !
Bonjour Kristin, et merci beaucoup for your engaging and inspiring vignettes. Amicalement,
Sheralyn (in Melbourne, Australia)
Bonjour! I’m Nan from Indianapolis, IN in the USA!
Bonjour from Seattle! We’re not all wet here 🙂 Je profiter de votre lettre d’information beaucoup, merci
A warm hello from Portland, Oregon Kristi. Bisous, Kim
PS. A thought for for surgeon’s assistant. A gift of Tea is always nice.
how can I resist a french antique! Hope I win!
hello from dick and karen in beloit wisconsin
Hello from Marshall, MN USA
J’adore le langue francais!
Bonjour! from Hamden, Connecticut USA
Bonjour from a very hot Mauritius, where I’m enjoying reading your posts – not only because I’m trying to improve my French! I know that whoever wins your draw will very much enjoy your gift, it’s a lovely idea!
Hello from Tryon, North Carolina, and soon to be in France on 2/19! Thank you for your lovely lessons on language and life!
G’day from Yvonne in Sydney, Australia! Love reading your blog and the photos make me homesick for the time I lived in France!
Hello from Menaka in Chennai, India!
Bonjour from Seattle, Washington!
>^..^<
Bonjour Kristin!! From Kansas City Kansas, USA!! Still enjoying your wonderful column!
Bonjour from chilly nothern California! Winter has finally arrived. Maureen in Columbia CA
Hello …..still waiting to see those pants of your son’s…on you. I bet they are fun! I am writing from Steamboat Springs CO and have your two books!
Bonjour Kristin. J’habite a Carmel CA. Je suis tres content que votre bosse est benin. Bravo! Je serai a Paris bientot…le 24 Mars et j’y passerai une semaine. Nous habitions aussi pres de Limoux dans une petite village qui s’appelle Castelreng. J’adore lire votre “blog”. Vous etes toujours tres sympa….Il me semble que je dois vous tutoyer! Amicalement, Judith Wallner
Bonjour from Judie in Wausau, WI, where we’re having an unusually warm winter. It was in the 30’s (Fahrenheit, that is!) today!
Hello from Southampton, MA
Hello from Margo near Boston, MA. Another who loves Provence.
Bonjour, de Groveland, Californie. There was a smattering of snow overnight, but it melted. It’s evening now, 40°F.
Bonjour from Alexandria, VA. You look radient.
Thank you for living my dream!
Hello from Cyndy in The Villages, Florida. Jackie takes great pictures!
Bonjour d’Alice de Jacksonville, FL. USA
Je vais en France ( EPCOT in Orlando) samedi avec mes eleves.
J’adore la France, et j’espere manger un pain au chocolat a la patisserie.
Je pense a toi, Kristen.
Bonjour/Hello from Hurst, Texas
bonjour kristi, what a wonderful responce – so so many people love and wait for your stories awesome – i loved your new book
annie shultz from sydney australia
Hello from Michelle in Livermore, California! I’m planning my first trip to France the end of May. We will be doing a bicycle tour headquartered in Vaisson la Romaine.
Hello from Rajendra shah, Ahmedabad, India
Bon soir from Jacksonville, Florida, where it actually rained overnight. Such a dry winter we’ve had. Diane.
Hello from Sunnyvale, California where it was windy today too!
Salut de la part de Nancy aux USA (Dallas, TX)
Bonjour from Sandy in Dallas, TX. I love to hear about your experiences — the opposite of my French mom’s. She came to the U.S. to marry an American.
Bonjour from a Francophile in Decatur, Michigan!
Salut !
Un bonjour depuis le Mexique !
Luiz Novaes
lnovaes@attglobal.net
Hello from Terry in San Antonio, Texas.