A wild boar, a hedgehog, a dog… lion… chicken. I can't find a photo of a porpoise to illustrate today's word–thankfully these furry and feathery volunteers behind a shop window are happy to pose as one. (And the handwritten ads were taped to the window by students looking for work).
le marsouin (mar-swehn)
: porpoise
In old French le marsouin was pourpois (poisson-cochon, or fish-pig)
Audio File: listen to Jean-Marc pronounce the following sentence Download MP3 or Wav file
Le marsouin est aussi appelé le cochon de mer.
The porpoise is also called the sea pig.
Porpoises are related to dolphins and whales. Do you have any other trivia or something to add for this marsouin entry? Do you collect marsouins or have you ever seen one? Where? Thanks for sharing here in the comments box.
Smokey says Come along on a garden tour with me…
And see poppies, roquette, and zucchini!
Inside the stone beds there are cucumbers, kale, and lots of fèves!
There are stairs leading up to an ancient rock wall… once hidden behind masses of thorny brambles.
That's me, says Smokey, humble King of the Hill.
And these are tomatoes, peppers, and poppies from the field.
Here's how bees and hummingbirds pollinate. Help save these creatures–allez make haste!
Raspberries and soucis, or marigolds… does the latter really work or is that an old wives' tale?
Some of the materials have been reporpoised. (Sorry to interrupt your story, Smokey, but the word you are looking for is "repurposed".)
Smokey: This re- re-puh… re-puh… reporpoised wood comes from the French railroad tracks below our house.
Hope you enjoyed my garden tour. Be kind to bees, purposes, and the earth.
(Smokey, I think you meant "porpoises" this time.)
Back in February, Jean-Marc and I planned out the garden. But we didn't always see eye to eye…
This old panier has had many reincarnations: once used in a produce shop, it has since held bath towels, dried herbs, fresh pots of lavender, bottles of shampoo and bath supplies. Currently it holds a tie from a bale of straw, the string could now be used to tie up the tomatoes… or mend a broken corner of the basket….
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Sarah, Thank you for the link to companion planting–the article is fascinating and full of interesting info on soil and plant life. Highly recommended!
Mom, you are right–been busy enjoying Dad and Marsha. Had dinner in the garden and Marsha helped all day (we had special guests…). Marsha made the most beautiful table… And she even brought out your easal (sp?) and one of your paintings! It made an original set up and we all felt like you were here with us!
Fran, thank you for the info on French marines being called marsouins!
JollyG, funnily, the stone beds were made by the men who made our new septic tank! They happen to also do landscaping. The team included two brothers from Croatia. We are so lucky to have found them.
I will answer more of these questions at the next chance. Thank you so much for your warm responses to Smokeys story. He is sleeping soundly, beside his dear Mama Braise.
Sarah, Thank you for the link to companion planting–the article is fascinating and full of interesting info on soil and plant life. Highly recommended!
Mom, you are right–been busy enjoying Dad and Marsha. Had dinner in the garden and Marsha helped all day (we had special guests…). Marsha made the most beautiful table… And she even brought out your easal (sp?) and one of your paintings! It made an original set up and we all felt like you were here with us!
Fran, thank you for the info on French marines being called marsouins!
JollyG, funnily, the stone beds were made by the men who made our new septic tank! They happen to also do landscaping. The team included two brothers from Croatia. We are so lucky to have found them.
I will answer more of these questions at the next chance. Thank you so much for your warm responses to Smokeys story. He is sleeping soundly, beside his dear Mama Braise.
Your garden is miraculous ! In such a short time you have made a heavenly spot! Thank you for sharing it with us!!
Your garden is miraculous ! In such a short time you have made a heavenly spot! Thank you for sharing it with us!!
What an absolutely beautiful garden and so functional. You will appreciate that you don’t have to bend so far and you can control both soil and water. Besides it is tidy and organized. Love it. Can’t wait to see what you do with it over the coming years. You have become quite the gardener and it is fun watching you learn and use your exceptional creativity to make something so beautiful. The old stone wall is a treasure – no matter who discovered it. Do you have a drip water system set up yet? It is the best way to water and also saves lots of water and is easy for you once it is in. You can even put it on a timer so it is never forgotten and you can go away if you want to.
What an absolutely beautiful garden and so functional. You will appreciate that you don’t have to bend so far and you can control both soil and water. Besides it is tidy and organized. Love it. Can’t wait to see what you do with it over the coming years. You have become quite the gardener and it is fun watching you learn and use your exceptional creativity to make something so beautiful. The old stone wall is a treasure – no matter who discovered it. Do you have a drip water system set up yet? It is the best way to water and also saves lots of water and is easy for you once it is in. You can even put it on a timer so it is never forgotten and you can go away if you want to.
Wonderful garden, Kristin! Those tomatoes would never make it to a bright red maturity at my house. Oh, how I love fried green tomatoes!
Its 111 degrees here in Phoenix today. Very few gardens plants can survive. Even my lawn furniture by the pool is standing on three legs, alternating legs, to give each foot a break from the hot concrete!
Wonderful garden, Kristin! Those tomatoes would never make it to a bright red maturity at my house. Oh, how I love fried green tomatoes!
Its 111 degrees here in Phoenix today. Very few gardens plants can survive. Even my lawn furniture by the pool is standing on three legs, alternating legs, to give each foot a break from the hot concrete!
Kristin et le beau Smokey, votre potager est merveilleux!
Kristin et le beau Smokey, votre potager est merveilleux!
Here’s a Lewis Carroll quote (or paraphrase?) Smokey might want to use in his literary work:
A WISE FISH NEVER GOES ANYWHERE WITHOUT A PORPOISE.
Here’s a Lewis Carroll quote (or paraphrase?) Smokey might want to use in his literary work:
A WISE FISH NEVER GOES ANYWHERE WITHOUT A PORPOISE.
How wonderful to see such a beautiful and porpoiseful (well I had to try to go with the fun) garden and you have not even been there a year yet! Clearly you and Jean Marc have extraordinary green thumbs what with grapes (past and future) and all those veggies and flowers!
We just returned to Northern CA after six weeks away to find our tomatoes plants producing young fruit in various sizes and garlic ready to pick! Peaches, too, from our miniature peach tree planted in a pot.
Thanks to Smokey for such a fun tour!
How wonderful to see such a beautiful and porpoiseful (well I had to try to go with the fun) garden and you have not even been there a year yet! Clearly you and Jean Marc have extraordinary green thumbs what with grapes (past and future) and all those veggies and flowers!
We just returned to Northern CA after six weeks away to find our tomatoes plants producing young fruit in various sizes and garlic ready to pick! Peaches, too, from our miniature peach tree planted in a pot.
Thanks to Smokey for such a fun tour!
Kristin,
My mother swore by marigolds around her tomatoes, and she grew some lovely ones 🙂
Sandy
Kristin,
My mother swore by marigolds around her tomatoes, and she grew some lovely ones 🙂
Sandy
@Leslie,
Merci bien!!
–Lorraine
@Leslie,
Merci bien!!
–Lorraine
Dear Kristin,
You have worked so hard on your new home and gardens. The stonework is amazing. Your homegrown produce looks so lush and healthy. I don’t know how you have time to cook, help your kids, or write for French-Word-A-Day! But keep it up! I feel closer to your family than to my faraway ones who are so busy, I don’t know what’s going on in their lives.
Dear Kristin,
You have worked so hard on your new home and gardens. The stonework is amazing. Your homegrown produce looks so lush and healthy. I don’t know how you have time to cook, help your kids, or write for French-Word-A-Day! But keep it up! I feel closer to your family than to my faraway ones who are so busy, I don’t know what’s going on in their lives.
Sigh… I wish I could take our herb group, the Queensland Herb Society on a tour of your garden… Such a wondrous potager.
Here in Brisbane, I have to hand pollinate the cucurbits.
The native insects are interested in other plants!
Sigh… I wish I could take our herb group, the Queensland Herb Society on a tour of your garden… Such a wondrous potager.
Here in Brisbane, I have to hand pollinate the cucurbits.
The native insects are interested in other plants!
I love your dog and I love your garden! I have been following for quite a while now and I enjoy your blog. I wish I was living in France! Happy gardening! Jeannine
I love your dog and I love your garden! I have been following for quite a while now and I enjoy your blog. I wish I was living in France! Happy gardening! Jeannine
Such a beautiful pooch! Huggable beyond imagination. In Hong Kong, I met Goldberg, a Golden Retriever. Handsome with broad head like a bear’s and somewhat large for a GC. Loved to swim. Alas, HK’s warm damp climate was not like Scotland’s where his breed began. At length this skin infection made him miserable and consumed him.
Who did yr garden’s stunning stone work? Looks like the results of some long extinct Inca civilization.
Languages, dogs, and construction are some of my faves.
Such a beautiful pooch! Huggable beyond imagination. In Hong Kong, I met Goldberg, a Golden Retriever. Handsome with broad head like a bear’s and somewhat large for a GC. Loved to swim. Alas, HK’s warm damp climate was not like Scotland’s where his breed began. At length this skin infection made him miserable and consumed him.
Who did yr garden’s stunning stone work? Looks like the results of some long extinct Inca civilization.
Languages, dogs, and construction are some of my faves.
Final thought.
Lange d’oeil French (the kind that says ‘oui’ for ‘yes) became very standardized after Cardinal Richelieu. If old French dictionaries were written, I have none to consult as a basis for what follows.
Yet your noting that other words for ‘marsouin’ or ‘porpoise’ are ‘pig of the sea’ leads me to suspect that ‘marsouin’ means exactly ‘sea pig’ in another form.
Latin for ‘pig’ was ‘sus’. Possibly ‘sus’ later morphed into ‘souin’. But ‘souin’ also looks v. like ‘swine’. Today’s standard French for ‘sea’ is ‘mer’, but ‘mar’ as it remains in Spanish. Both are from Latin, ‘mare’ which looks too close for coincidence.
I am a rookie in etymologic matters. Such discussions bore many stiff. They interest me because, true or imagined, they serve as mnemonic tricks to help me remember foreign words’ meanings.
Final thought.
Lange d’oeil French (the kind that says ‘oui’ for ‘yes) became very standardized after Cardinal Richelieu. If old French dictionaries were written, I have none to consult as a basis for what follows.
Yet your noting that other words for ‘marsouin’ or ‘porpoise’ are ‘pig of the sea’ leads me to suspect that ‘marsouin’ means exactly ‘sea pig’ in another form.
Latin for ‘pig’ was ‘sus’. Possibly ‘sus’ later morphed into ‘souin’. But ‘souin’ also looks v. like ‘swine’. Today’s standard French for ‘sea’ is ‘mer’, but ‘mar’ as it remains in Spanish. Both are from Latin, ‘mare’ which looks too close for coincidence.
I am a rookie in etymologic matters. Such discussions bore many stiff. They interest me because, true or imagined, they serve as mnemonic tricks to help me remember foreign words’ meanings.
That garden is incredible. And those squash blossoms have my name on them….stuffed with goat cheese and deep fried. Do you have asparagas?artichoke? Both would grow quite well there. Does the straw keep the moisture in the soil?
I have seen many marsouin when out whale watching, but the best was one day on Carmel Beach and there were about 6 playing in close to shore. I walked out and was within about 10 feet of them and wanted to just dive in and swim out, but alas our water temp is made for wetsuits. I have a hard time accepting those that you can swim with at resorts(as much as I might like to) because if any animal was born to be free in the ocean it is the porpoise.
That garden is incredible. And those squash blossoms have my name on them….stuffed with goat cheese and deep fried. Do you have asparagas?artichoke? Both would grow quite well there. Does the straw keep the moisture in the soil?
I have seen many marsouin when out whale watching, but the best was one day on Carmel Beach and there were about 6 playing in close to shore. I walked out and was within about 10 feet of them and wanted to just dive in and swim out, but alas our water temp is made for wetsuits. I have a hard time accepting those that you can swim with at resorts(as much as I might like to) because if any animal was born to be free in the ocean it is the porpoise.
The gardens are lovely, and I would be pleased to have that type of stonework. I bought some planks for a raised bed, but you’ve now given me the idea to try stones for another one. I’ve also planted marigolds to deter bugs.
Max, I don’t find your comments on etymology boring at all; I’m fascinated by how language evolves, and how different ones are related.
The gardens are lovely, and I would be pleased to have that type of stonework. I bought some planks for a raised bed, but you’ve now given me the idea to try stones for another one. I’ve also planted marigolds to deter bugs.
Max, I don’t find your comments on etymology boring at all; I’m fascinated by how language evolves, and how different ones are related.
Hi Kristin,
I loved looking at your garden. Your vegetables are so much ahead of mine. It must be your sunny weather. Here on the northwest coast of North America, we are just getting into the good weather.
It is interesting that you are growing kale. My gardening enthusiast friend says its very difficult to find kale seeds in France. Maybe its just in her part of France. I brought her some on my last visit and she was quite enthused about growing her own kale.
Happy gardening!
Bette
Hi Kristin,
I loved looking at your garden. Your vegetables are so much ahead of mine. It must be your sunny weather. Here on the northwest coast of North America, we are just getting into the good weather.
It is interesting that you are growing kale. My gardening enthusiast friend says its very difficult to find kale seeds in France. Maybe its just in her part of France. I brought her some on my last visit and she was quite enthused about growing her own kale.
Happy gardening!
Bette
Wonderful garden, Kristi. Who did the stonework? Was it the gentlemen who shared their lunch with you that day? Fine work, it looks really swish! WHO does the watering every day??? Lotta work that……
Wonderful garden, Kristi. Who did the stonework? Was it the gentlemen who shared their lunch with you that day? Fine work, it looks really swish! WHO does the watering every day??? Lotta work that……
I meant to comment when I first received the post – I am so impressed with the obviously hard work you and your family have put in to achieve such a beautiful garden. I look forward to hearing more about the hidden treasures you uncover as you explore the property.
I meant to comment when I first received the post – I am so impressed with the obviously hard work you and your family have put in to achieve such a beautiful garden. I look forward to hearing more about the hidden treasures you uncover as you explore the property.
It appears that Smokey has learned to carefully navigate the cacti along the path. The hat you are wearing looks like something your mother may have brought you.
It appears that Smokey has learned to carefully navigate the cacti along the path. The hat you are wearing looks like something your mother may have brought you.
Beautiful gardens and landscaping Kristi! Thanks for sharing them with us Smokey-we’ve always known what a talented member of the family you are! Include your Mama Braise in the next story as we love her too!
Beautiful gardens and landscaping Kristi! Thanks for sharing them with us Smokey-we’ve always known what a talented member of the family you are! Include your Mama Braise in the next story as we love her too!
You have certainly hit upon a popular subject when showing us your garden. It is obvious you have been working hard this first year. Why not use the garden as the subject for one of your video tours? There seems to be a lot of interest in how it was planned, built, being cared for, etc.. My own garden improvements have been slow in becoming reality, but I would like to create a boules court in the middle of my garden. Any thoughts about doing something like that there?
You have certainly hit upon a popular subject when showing us your garden. It is obvious you have been working hard this first year. Why not use the garden as the subject for one of your video tours? There seems to be a lot of interest in how it was planned, built, being cared for, etc.. My own garden improvements have been slow in becoming reality, but I would like to create a boules court in the middle of my garden. Any thoughts about doing something like that there?