A vocabulary-packed Sunday letter for you today. The regular edition will return in a fortnight or less.
Bonjour,
For the second time in four weeks, I'm breaking my "no working on Sunday" rule. My Dad and Marsha arrive Tuesday and I'm in a flurry of last-minute To-Do's–including keeping up this blog–which is silly because, really, a year from now who will even remember whether or not a post went out "twice-weekly" in June of 2018? I should relax and just enjoy this day. Tomorrow will come and go. A chaque jour suffit sa peine….
But it is no trouble, or peine, when my Dad and belle-mère visit. Any "flurry" goes back to my perfectionistic strivings (and these are only strivings, for if you took a shower in our guest bathroom–which I did just by chance this morning–and thank God for that!–you'd see spider webs on the ceiling and when you reached for the savon… il y aura que dalle (there wouldn't be any)…because I don't buy shower soap! No, I'm too practical for that (I use a tout-en-un— an all-in-one shampoo. I can even wash my bathing suit with it!)
Even so, I'm adding "toile d'araignée" to my to-do list–as well as savon, and après-shampooing (I don't have cream rinse in my guest bathroom either. Je suis trop pratique : when the kids come home I give them my cream rinse–then I rouspète (rouspéter, to grumble) when I go to condition my hair, having forgotten the bottle's downstairs!
Back to last-minute to-dos… this morning I'm all over the place, and a little bit rouspéteuse that my husband is away kitesurfing for the weekend. But I 'm not really mad at Mr High-in-the-Sky. Deep down I admire Jean-Marc for "living each day"–especially le dimanche. Sunday is the perfect day to dream and to play (unless you work at the mall or in a restaurant or at a vineyard, which I did. In that case you need to designate another day in which to relâcher, or let go).
So off I go, back to my favorite morning activity: using my new, chouette, épuisette – a Mothers Day gift from Jean-Marc. The net-on-a-pole allows me to go fishing in my pond…for mulch! As the pepper tree loses its tiny leaves, they collect on the pond's surface….
As the leaves swell with nutritive water (so as not to say fish poop) I see it all through a Willy Wonkian lense: only, my garden is my chocolate factory. Zipping back-n-forth from the fountain-pond to the vegetable beds, in a world of my own, I am, finally, in my element. Oompa oompa ooompa-dee-doo…let those cobwebs collect in the bathroom–I'll figure out how to make them garden fodder, too!)
Enjoy your week while I catch up with mon père. A bientôt, chers lecteurs!
Amicalement,
Kristi
FRENCH VOCABULARY
à chaque jour suffit ça peine = each day is enough trouble of its own
la belle-mère = mother-in-law (also can mean "stepmother")
le savon = soap
après-shampooing = conditioner
que dalle = nada, nothing
toile d'araigner = spider web
tout-en-un = all-in-one
rouspeteuse = complainer
dimanche = Sunday
chouette = cool
epuisette = shrimp net
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So glad you love your belle mere…I am one, and loved at least by ONE beau fils but cannit say rhat foe the belle fille. Hey, one out of two…pas mal. Your guests will adore your new house, shampooing or not! If they complain, tell them you have a nice outdoor ‘spa’ they might enjoy…..
Hi Kristi,
What is your day to relâcher? I have just finished a program called Mindful in May …. a whole month of meditations and interviews with experts on how to become more mindful. I really enjoyed it so I had a whole month of letting go! 🙂 I really need to get on the ball and get out in my garden to weed but we have had so much rain that it is hard to get out in between the downpours!
Happy gardening and Smokey knows yoga is good for you! 🙂
Or refer them to a hotel!
Greetings Kristi from N. Carolina, USA, I, too, am still struggling with saying “no” to work on Sundays. I harken back to my childhood days at grandma’s house when it was truly a day of r&r. Somehow, I just can’t seem to get those days back. I will keep trying until I do. I’ve done it for short periods, long enough for me to know it’s just what i need, for myself and for those in my circle. So wish me luck. And I send best wishes to you for the same. I will, however, continue to read your blog on Sundays, if there is one. Hugs!
Hi Kristi
I am very lucky to be enjoying my Sunday (profiter de mon dimanche) in La Ciotat inspired by your blog. What a beautiful city it is. I have watched pétanque on the boardwalk, walked through the Parc du Mugel, examined the vegetable stall in rue des Poilus and even enjoyed coffee at Café de l’horloge. Lots of other things to do here as well, but those were little experiences gleaned from what you have written about in your blog. Thanks for triggering some great little moments. Hope this amazing weather continues for your guests stay.
Just rediscovered your blog. It gets buried in my Updates tab in gmail which I generally ignore. Merci de l’histoire! Et de la vocabulaire en contexte! Should one write ca peine or sa peine? Sorry I have no cedilla on this keyboard. Have a wonderful visit with your family!!
Enjoy your time off with your family!
Hello, Mary, that should be *sa* peine, in the vocab section
How wonderful getting ready for your Dad’s and Marsha’s visit! Family is everything. Enjoy your day of preparation and anticipation!
You need to distinguish between clean dirt and dirty dirt. Spiders’ webs are included in clean dirt, because they are the most environmentally friendly mosquito traps. Smokey is probably your most prolific dirty dirt producer!
Haha! True, Mike! (just between you and me, I only remove the webs when visitors stay here… Those poor creatures (the spiders, not the guests) have painstakingly built these…traps. On second thought, I will not feel so bad about taking them down!)
Our Dear Kristi,
You have the most wonderful outlook on life!
And so fortunately for us(!),it is contagious!
Thank you!
Please give big hugs to your Dad and Marsha,and without saying,enjoy a happy time together!
Love
Natalia. Xo
Bonjour Kristi. I have paused from my packing to read your wonderful blog. I’ve learned so many practical words and phrases from you! I know they will be helpful (if I can remember them!) in my new home in Bretagne. I’ve had two hurricanes too many and am retiring from the beautiful, but battered, US Virgin Islands to Finistere. I’m looking forward to having four seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter) instead of two (Hurricane and Post-hurricane repairs) and gardening. And soon my Sunday’s will be spent not in packing and answering emails from the office, but in sitting in the shade under a tree or walking the banks of the canal or perhaps a day at la place, though the ones here will always be more beautiful if you like white sand and swaying palms. I look forward to seeing your column in my inbox every week, regardless of what day it arrives.
Enjoy your company!
Tracy in St. Thomas
Sorry. Autocorrect kindly changed la plage to la place. Hope you got my meaning.
Bonjour Kristi
You know it’s true love when you get a pretty new pond scum scooper for Mother’s Day!
Than you for your wonderful blog.
Enjoy your special days with your Dad and Marsha. Hope you have some great adventures, perhaps to include Salerne.
Bon déménagement, Tracy. That’s exciting. Sounds like a lovely place.
SusanIrene, This made me laugh out loud! 😂
Is there some way to make a contribution other than by paypal? I had an unfortunate experience with paypal years ago. Therefore, I never used it again.
Have a great time with your family. I love that Smokey is doing yoga!!
xoxo
Dear Kristi,
I never take for granted your wonderful page. I copy all the new vocabulary words in my French Word A Day
notebook. And of course I love your stories.
Have an awesome time with your dad and belle mère.
Amicalement,
Marti
In answer to Mary’s question, you can pay directly by credit card. I’ve contributed via Visa and had no problems with it. When the bill comes, the euros are converted to dollars.
Kristi, have a wonderful time with your dad and Marsha!
Correction: The dollars are converted to euros. I think there is a small fee (say $1 or $1.50) for the currency exchange.
Now THAT’S true recycling! Good idea, but no pond in my yard here…the bird bath goes dry fast enough in 100 degree plus heat!
Hugs,
Cerelle
Hi Kristi,
Where does your husband go kitesurfing? Is this something new – you’ve never mentioned it before? Are you interested in trying it? It’s sooooo much fun! AND then you could both go home and clean. 🙂
Courage!
Hi, Mary, This is Jean-Marcs second time kitesurfing. He went to Gruisson, well before the Spanish border. I have never tried kitesurfing before, and currently have my doubts! 😉
Dear Kristi,
I love the closeness you seem to have with your dad and Marsha, which you have maintained through so many years and over such distance. Have a wonderful visit and enjoy the moments to be treasured!
Kristi,
Have a wonderful visit with your Dad and Belle Mere.
It must be beautiful in the South of France, this time of year.
Hi Kristin!
I wrote months ago to tell you how much your blog meant to me while taking care of my Dad, who had Alzheimer’s. Soon after that, my Dad went to an assisted care facility, so I could care for my Mom, with cancer. Sadly, they both passed away last year. They were born the same year, and they died three months apart — the same year. Anyway, getting along without them has been difficult, but again… your blog helps! Thank you for letting me read your story. I pray for God to bless you and your family, as you have been such a blessing to me. Amy Jo
I once stayed in a French friends villa in the hills outside of Vence. There was a spider who “lived” in the chandelier above the dining room table. The web took care of all the flying things coming in those unscreened french doors and windows.
Kristi,
I came to your website originally because I was mildly concerned that I hadn’t received an email for 2 weeks and that something may have happened to you or your family! I was relieved, ultimately, to see that you were writing about taking the time to care for yourself and to be creative- to create! And to ~* relacher ~* . I needed to hear that today, too. I wish you well and I look forward to “catching up with you” in your next post, whenever it will be. In the meantime, I will let things go, spend time with friends and family, and focus on channeling my creative energies, too.
Thank you for the encouragement and sharing as you always do.
Amicalement,
Helen