Just back from a doctor's appointment in Marseilles (Youpie! No need for elbow surgery–just a lot of kiné, or physiotherapy visits to repair my coude. Today's photos , and the following post, are from 2 years ago. Meantime, it is not too late to enter the drawing for a one week stay in this Provençal village home.
PEACE ON EARTH – LA PAIX SUR LA TERRE
The other day, while Smokey and I waited in the school parking lot for Jackie, kids filed past our car, occasionally stopping to point and laugh: "Mais regarde sa langue! Just look at his funny tongue! Ahahahaha!"
Laisse tomber! Don't worry about it, Smokey. They don't know your story and there are so many stories out there. The holidays are a time to open up our minds and our hearts. Joyeuses Fêtes.
le pin (pahn) noun, masculine
: pine tree
Also:
le pin d'Alep = Provencal white pine
le pignon de pin = pine nut
la pomme de pin = pine cone
le code pin, le numéro pin = pin code, pin number
AUDIO FILE: listen to Jean-Marc read todays word, phrase, and example sentence: Download MP3 or Download Wav
Cette année, notre sapin de Noël est un petit pin d'Alep.
This year our Christmas tree is a Provençal pine.
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE… by Kristin Espinasse
When Jean-Marc suggested hunting for this year's Christmas tree in the forêt behind our house, our daughter wrinkled her nose. Now there was a grimace I could translate in French or English: it said that all her friends probably had REAL Christmas trees, the kind on display at the mall!
Our daughter's reaction made my husband even more determined. It was high time to lift the consumer veil from our children's eyes: A true arbre de Noël didn't always come from the checkout lane! Not this year anyway–not when a forest dense with pines crowded our back yard.
Allez! Jean-Marc persisted, dragging our Christmas tree snob off the couch.
I hid in our room, where I'd taken refuge from all the holiday frenzy. There, in the quiet, I heard the crunch of leaves as my husband, our teenager, and the dogs crossed over the boules court on their way to la chenaîe.
Not 10 minutes later and they were back. Strange…. They must have encountered les chasseurs and had to postpone their search. I sank deeply into my bed, wondering just when the tree chore would get done! Why didn't I keep the ugly plastic tree of yesteryear? It had been so easy to part with it, while cramming the contents of our lives into two economy trucks last September. What a bad decision that was! (the tree, not the cheap movers. Not one lamp broken in the deal!).
But what was the deal with our tree? I threw back the covers and got out of bed. In the living room I found Jackie back on the couch, watching TV.
"Well, what happened?"
My daughter smiled. "Rien".
"But did you find a Christmas tree?"
"Oui…"
"Well, do you like it?"
"Oui," Jackie nodded, and the stars twinkling in her eyes were proof of that. I felt a bit star-struck myself, bewildered by the peaceful atmosphere. Wasn't tree-shopping supposed to be chaotic? Et bien, we had skipped the commercial venture this time!
My daughter followed me into the entryway to our home, where a rustic fireplace and two felt-covered fauteuils have become a favorite resting spot.
There stood our Christmas tree, between the cozy sas and the dining room. Jackie knelt down on the ground to arrange the area beneath the tree. "Papa collected some mousse in the forest," she explained, as she borrowed some of the characters from the crèche, setting them on top of the deep green ground cover.
The door opened and Jean-Marc came in, his arms full of firewood for the cheminée. "Alors? Ça va l'arbre? Your daughter cut it down."
"It's beautiful!" I admitted. "What kind is it?"
"Un pin d'Alep."
I ran to my dictionary to look up the term. Un pin d'alep is a Provençal pine. What could a hopeless Francophile want more than a French Christmas?
Un Noël Provençal!
And what more could our daughter want than a real arbe de Noël? From the sparkle in her eyes, it was clear: this year she got her wish.
***
Bonnes fêtes! Happy holidays dear reader. May the spirit of the season grab you… filling you with peace, love, and forgiveness.
Amicalement,
Kristi
French Vocabulary
allez! = come on!
la forêt = forest
un arbre de Noël = a Christmas tree
allez! = come on!
la chenaîe = pin oak grove
les boules = the game of Pétanque, read Gary's story
le chasseur = hunter
rien = nothing
le sas = (a synonym for sas is chambre, or room, but here it refers to a small entry way)
le fauteuil = chair
le papa = dad, father
la mousse = moss
la crèche = nativity scene
la cheminée = fireplace
amicalement = warmly
French Christmas Music: "Mon Beau Sapin", "Sainte Nuit", "La Marche des Rois", "Petite Ville Bethléem", "Il est né Le Divin Enfant". Order CD here.
Smokey has taught himself how to eat, despite his handicap. And he has a trick or two for keeping his nerve-damaged tongue in place…. So if you see him walking around town like this, he's not snobbing you–he is only trying to hold himself together!
May you, too, hold yourself together this time of year–doing whatever you need to do to enjoy the moment. Not everyone will understand your position (just look at Smokey's!), but that's not your problem. Ce n'est pas ton souci 🙂
To comment on this post, click here.
Thanks for sharing today's post with somebody, and see you next week!
Discover more from French Word-A-Day
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
It is the differences that endear us to our love ones. Some are on the inside, some are more visible on the out side. What a dear person you are and what a unique person is Pat Cargill who says so much in just a few words.
I agree,let’s have 1000 entries and let me be the one who wins!
Happy Hannukah,Merry Christmas And the best of New Years!
It is the differences that endear us to our love ones. Some are on the inside, some are more visible on the out side. What a dear person you are and what a unique person is Pat Cargill who says so much in just a few words.
I agree,let’s have 1000 entries and let me be the one who wins!
Happy Hannukah,Merry Christmas And the best of New Years!
Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2015 to you & your family!
Thank you for all of the great posts and gorgeous photos thru out the year (s)!!
I love Smokey — and adore his adventures — and his “look”. Could be a kid’s book? Remember — a French word a day calendar 2016?
So glad you’re not having surgery. Be well.
Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2015 to you & your family!
Thank you for all of the great posts and gorgeous photos thru out the year (s)!!
I love Smokey — and adore his adventures — and his “look”. Could be a kid’s book? Remember — a French word a day calendar 2016?
So glad you’re not having surgery. Be well.
Dear Smokey, you and I have something in common, we are both survivors! At the age of 15 I was bitten by a tick and came down with a disease that almost stole my eyesight and has definitely made things a little more challenging. Along the way there has been a lot of medication that caused a LOT of weight gain. In this current American climate where most folks figure you are better off dead than heavy, I get a lot of very unfriendly attention, exactly like the kids at the school! But you and I both know, each morning is a gift straight from the Lord, and we appreciate it so much more than folks who have not had their travails yet!! Joyeux Noel Kristen, your lovely family and Smokey Dokes and Braise! Life, even when it’s complicated, can be such a blessing!
Dear Smokey, you and I have something in common, we are both survivors! At the age of 15 I was bitten by a tick and came down with a disease that almost stole my eyesight and has definitely made things a little more challenging. Along the way there has been a lot of medication that caused a LOT of weight gain. In this current American climate where most folks figure you are better off dead than heavy, I get a lot of very unfriendly attention, exactly like the kids at the school! But you and I both know, each morning is a gift straight from the Lord, and we appreciate it so much more than folks who have not had their travails yet!! Joyeux Noel Kristen, your lovely family and Smokey Dokes and Braise! Life, even when it’s complicated, can be such a blessing!
I am remembering with a smile the story about the pauvre sapin from one of your early Provencals Christmases. That same plastic one? My tree this is year is more like the “leaning tower of Treesa,” but it lights up our home anyway. Je vows souhaite joyeux Noel et bonne annee!
Amicalement,
Angela
I am remembering with a smile the story about the pauvre sapin from one of your early Provencals Christmases. That same plastic one? My tree this is year is more like the “leaning tower of Treesa,” but it lights up our home anyway. Je vows souhaite joyeux Noel et bonne annee!
Amicalement,
Angela
What a lovely story! Glad your daughter got caught up in the Christmas spirit! I’ve been subscribing to your blog for years and always enjoy reading about life on the other side of the Atlantic. Sending warm holiday wishes (from sunny Florida!) from our family to yours. Merry Christmas Kristen!
What a lovely story! Glad your daughter got caught up in the Christmas spirit! I’ve been subscribing to your blog for years and always enjoy reading about life on the other side of the Atlantic. Sending warm holiday wishes (from sunny Florida!) from our family to yours. Merry Christmas Kristen!
Our dear Kristi,
What a beautiful story and wonderful pictures!
Your words and thoughts fill us with true Christmas spirit!
Thank you!!!
You gave me a sweet gift of recalling my own experience of cutting down our Christm a s tree
in the White Mountains of Arizona….my dear dad ,brothers,sweet mama and puppies sharing in the fun!
THANK YOU!!
love
Natalia. xo
Our dear Kristi,
What a beautiful story and wonderful pictures!
Your words and thoughts fill us with true Christmas spirit!
Thank you!!!
You gave me a sweet gift of recalling my own experience of cutting down our Christm a s tree
in the White Mountains of Arizona….my dear dad ,brothers,sweet mama and puppies sharing in the fun!
THANK YOU!!
love
Natalia. xo
This week I went to a wreath-making workshop at a community center in a poor neighborhood. I was with strangers, wrestling to make a loping, gangly wreath along with others who were doing the same. A couple of people were quite talented. We talked easily about grief, holidays, depression, joy. It made my holiday season to be DOING something with people, rather than rushing around stores or moping and filling with anxiety at home. I live across the street from a park that has a crooked,Dr. Seuss-like pine tree which is ceremoniously lit every year. It all goes together–I feel misshapen and tired but also festive and full of wonder.
Your post spoke to me two years ago, and again today.
Joyeux Noel et Mes Mieux Voeux Pour L’Annee Prochaine!
This week I went to a wreath-making workshop at a community center in a poor neighborhood. I was with strangers, wrestling to make a loping, gangly wreath along with others who were doing the same. A couple of people were quite talented. We talked easily about grief, holidays, depression, joy. It made my holiday season to be DOING something with people, rather than rushing around stores or moping and filling with anxiety at home. I live across the street from a park that has a crooked,Dr. Seuss-like pine tree which is ceremoniously lit every year. It all goes together–I feel misshapen and tired but also festive and full of wonder.
Your post spoke to me two years ago, and again today.
Joyeux Noel et Mes Mieux Voeux Pour L’Annee Prochaine!
Joyeux Noel and Happy New Year to you and all your family on both sides of the ocean.
Joyeux Noel and Happy New Year to you and all your family on both sides of the ocean.
Merry Christmas to you and your dear family, Kristi. Thanks for sharing your heartwarming stories of life in Provence. It helps to connect me to a place that I love.
Merry Christmas to you and your dear family, Kristi. Thanks for sharing your heartwarming stories of life in Provence. It helps to connect me to a place that I love.
a very merry Christmas and wonderful new year
a very merry Christmas and wonderful new year
Joyeux Noel et Bonne annee a Tous et merci, tout le monde, et a Kristin en particulier, pour tous les mots de sagesse de 2014. Joan L.
Joyeux Noel et Bonne annee a Tous et merci, tout le monde, et a Kristin en particulier, pour tous les mots de sagesse de 2014. Joan L.
Joyeux Noél à vous chère Kristi! So glad that you do not need surgery. I love the Christmas tree story. And I have added the new French words to Anki, the app I use for language study. It is a bit like flash cards that my grade school teacher used and lets me review and review and review.
Many of my US friends have entered your contest to win a week in the house in Provence-they were so excited to get the e mail. And I used it as the opportuniy to let them know that we are going to sell our house in the US and buy an apartment in Paris! Thank you for your wonderful posts.
Joyeux Noél à vous chère Kristi! So glad that you do not need surgery. I love the Christmas tree story. And I have added the new French words to Anki, the app I use for language study. It is a bit like flash cards that my grade school teacher used and lets me review and review and review.
Many of my US friends have entered your contest to win a week in the house in Provence-they were so excited to get the e mail. And I used it as the opportuniy to let them know that we are going to sell our house in the US and buy an apartment in Paris! Thank you for your wonderful posts.
Thank you for your wonderful posts, Kristin.
All my best wishes to you and your family for a peaceful, joyful, and Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.
Amicalement,
Thank you for your wonderful posts, Kristin.
All my best wishes to you and your family for a peaceful, joyful, and Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.
Amicalement,
Thank you for sharing this beautiful story and the reminder to make the holiday your own…it’s easy to get wrapped up in expectations (whether self-imposed or those we let others impose upon us). Go Smokey – goldens are perfect, no matter what!!
Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Thank you for sharing this beautiful story and the reminder to make the holiday your own…it’s easy to get wrapped up in expectations (whether self-imposed or those we let others impose upon us). Go Smokey – goldens are perfect, no matter what!!
Merry Christmas to you and yours!
BRAVO, Jean-Marc ! You taught your daughter a valuable life lesson! Joyeux Noël à toute la famille!
BRAVO, Jean-Marc ! You taught your daughter a valuable life lesson! Joyeux Noël à toute la famille!
Poor Smokey–the kids know not what they do. And I might have been one of them at that age. Your story teaches a lesson about humility and not making assumptions about others’ problems.
Re the tree: This year, we just moved into a new home surrounded by Christmas-tree-like evergreens, with a view of the bay beyond. Saplings on our lot are growing fast, threatening our view if we don’t chop them down, hence my husband wants to cut one down for our Christmas tree. But it is a rather sparse, misshapen specimen. A few years ago, I would never have agreed to let him use it as our family Christmas tree, especially with relatives coming in from afar. But age has mellowed me, and I have agreed to a tree that is funky, but our own.
Poor Smokey–the kids know not what they do. And I might have been one of them at that age. Your story teaches a lesson about humility and not making assumptions about others’ problems.
Re the tree: This year, we just moved into a new home surrounded by Christmas-tree-like evergreens, with a view of the bay beyond. Saplings on our lot are growing fast, threatening our view if we don’t chop them down, hence my husband wants to cut one down for our Christmas tree. But it is a rather sparse, misshapen specimen. A few years ago, I would never have agreed to let him use it as our family Christmas tree, especially with relatives coming in from afar. But age has mellowed me, and I have agreed to a tree that is funky, but our own.
Ah, les pins. I miss our live Christmas trees of yesteryear. How wonderful that JM and Jackie found something right there to bring home. When I was young, we would go into the woods and cut a pine. After marriage, we went to Christmas tree lots and always managed to get a tree that was too tall and have to chop a little off the bottom. My husband would string the lights and I would do the ornaments. The last year we had a real tree was the second year of a tree crash, complete with water on the rug and a few broken ornaments. Now I’m alone and have a little table tree. With age come changes so rejoice in the real trees as long as possible. Joyeux Noel.
Ah, les pins. I miss our live Christmas trees of yesteryear. How wonderful that JM and Jackie found something right there to bring home. When I was young, we would go into the woods and cut a pine. After marriage, we went to Christmas tree lots and always managed to get a tree that was too tall and have to chop a little off the bottom. My husband would string the lights and I would do the ornaments. The last year we had a real tree was the second year of a tree crash, complete with water on the rug and a few broken ornaments. Now I’m alone and have a little table tree. With age come changes so rejoice in the real trees as long as possible. Joyeux Noel.
Joyeux Noel a vous et a votre famille. My life is richer because of your writing and sharing with all of us. In gratitude, Frances in Napa.
Joyeux Noel a vous et a votre famille. My life is richer because of your writing and sharing with all of us. In gratitude, Frances in Napa.
Go Smokey! How individuals deal with a handicap may seem strange to others, but it keeps the person/dog moving on in life. Life’s too fun to let a dropping tongue/dragging foot keep us away from the excitement!
Go Smokey! How individuals deal with a handicap may seem strange to others, but it keeps the person/dog moving on in life. Life’s too fun to let a dropping tongue/dragging foot keep us away from the excitement!
Joyeux Noel to the Epinasse family. I feel for Smokey. He is such a great dog ( does he know that he is dog?)
We have been buying Concolor Christmas trees and the first time we bought one, we told the tree farm owner that it was the ugliest one in the field so he shouldn’t have too difficult of a time to find it. He said that if it was, he would give us $5 off and he did. Well to everyone else it was ugly,but to us it was so beautiful and we could put our lights and ornaments on it and they really showed off. It is getting harder and harder to find OUR perfect trees.
Glad to hear that you don’t need surgery. Now remember to go to PT.
Kathleen
Joyeux Noel to the Epinasse family. I feel for Smokey. He is such a great dog ( does he know that he is dog?)
We have been buying Concolor Christmas trees and the first time we bought one, we told the tree farm owner that it was the ugliest one in the field so he shouldn’t have too difficult of a time to find it. He said that if it was, he would give us $5 off and he did. Well to everyone else it was ugly,but to us it was so beautiful and we could put our lights and ornaments on it and they really showed off. It is getting harder and harder to find OUR perfect trees.
Glad to hear that you don’t need surgery. Now remember to go to PT.
Kathleen
I love Smokey & have always followed his life’s challenges. He is most special. Joyeux Noel pour tout!
I love Smokey & have always followed his life’s challenges. He is most special. Joyeux Noel pour tout!
Beautiful story – Joyeux Noel to you and your family, including Smokey and Braise. I can hear Smokey now saying “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me!”
Beautiful story – Joyeux Noel to you and your family, including Smokey and Braise. I can hear Smokey now saying “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me!”
As long as you show pictures of Smokey, you will have a fan. Actually I am trying to improve my French by reading your blog. The best of the holiday season to you and your family and a prosperous, healthy 2015
As long as you show pictures of Smokey, you will have a fan. Actually I am trying to improve my French by reading your blog. The best of the holiday season to you and your family and a prosperous, healthy 2015
I loved this story. thanks for opening up a small window into the life of your family and sharing it with us. Blessings to all of you during this season and the coming year.
I loved this story. thanks for opening up a small window into the life of your family and sharing it with us. Blessings to all of you during this season and the coming year.