In 1993 I found myself back in the Arizona desert, having been deported there by one disillusioned Frenchman. Jean-Marc and I had tried to live together—lasting a full ten months—but all that sizzling chemistry that fueled us in the beginning eventually fizzled out, and our Franco-American romance was over. Jean-Marc's mind was set. To prove it, he bought me a one-way ticket back to Phoenix! Back … Continue reading My Journey from Arizona to France
In a nearby calanque… I'm counting on our 17-year-old, Max, to bring home more "fruits of the sea"… because I sure don't trust some of the fruits they're selling us at the supermarket! Read on, in today's story column. (Photos in today's post are by Jean-Marc) nourrir (noo-reer) : to feed, to nourish Audio File: Listen to Jean-Marc read this vocab list: Download MP3 or Wav … Continue reading nourrir
In a spur-of-the-moment decision, I chose this picture (taken in our former hometown of Les Arcs-sur-Argens) for today's post. I noticed, only afterwards, how serendipidous it was for one of the socks to be posed "au pied levé, or "foot on the rise". au pied levé (oh-pyay-leuh-vay) : impromptu, spur-of-the-moment (literally, a decision made "in mid-step", or au pied levé) Audio File: Listen … Continue reading au pied leve
The first word ever posted in this journal was bosser, (slang for "to work hard"). That was a promise! Ten years have passed and on a bossé comme on pouvait—we've worked as hard as we could. Time now to celebrate…. jour pour jour (zhoor poor zhoor) : (almost) to the day Joyeux Anniversaire French Word-A-Day! by Jean-Marc ((Listen )) to Jean-Marc's letter: Download MP3 or Wave … Continue reading jour pour jour + a celebration!
Plumbago and morning glory flowers draped over the hilltop village of La Cadière d'Azur. One of the things to love about le littoral is the abundance of flowers. The French call plumbago La dentellaire du Cap, or simply la dentellaire, for its ability to soigner les dents or treat toothaches–but don't take my word for it! Ever heard of someone who broke up with a friend over … Continue reading rompre: to break up
Le littoral, or the coastline, near Agay. If you enjoy these scenes from France, perhaps a friend would too? Forward this post. New friends, sign up to French Word-A-Day by clicking here. Begin growing your vocabulary, illico presto! Today read about the fascinating process of turning grapes into wine! Jean-Marc takes us through the step-by-step process, from gleaning a nearby grape field, to stomping the fruit with … Continue reading littoral
Jean-Marc, a.k.a. Chief Grape, about to pour his wine at Shakespeare and Company bookshop, Paris, in 2010. Listen to Jean-Marc read his latest story–click on the soundfile link just below. And thanks to those who tried to guess what kind of dress Jean-Marc was wearing in this post. Answer: un boubou (another boubou story, here). Thanks to Millie for helping us with the French verb … Continue reading faire du vin (to make wine in French)
Who could argue with a man in a dress? Not when he's repairing the front door! P.S. Would anyone like to explain just what kind of robe this is? There's a specific word for it–can you guess it? Comments welcome here, in the coin commentaires. Your comments on GMOs or genetically modified food were fascinating and educational. Thank you so much for taking the time … Continue reading se chamailler
An artichoke plant grown from seed. Once it flowered, more graines were collected; with them I hope to grow a new plant in our garden. Is it true that seed collection–from our own gardens–may one day be illegal? Or is this just one of those conspiracy-theory rumors? By the way (and not in the same breath as conspiracy!), the film Genetic Roulette is free for viewing today (Friday), … Continue reading OGM + organic seed giveaway!
Today's post is in French and English – and you can listen to it, too! une calanque (kah-lahnk) : an inlet from the sea, a cove To give you an idea of what a calanque can look like… via Google images. Ever visited a calanque? Which one? Comments welcome here. Audio file: listen to today's word, as well as the following story… (see … Continue reading calanque & bilingual post, by Jean-Marc
