A comment from a friend pulled me out of my haze and got me to see my life through rose color classes again. I admit watching a few things that delighted me like Melania’s hand slap and The Orange Mental Midget shoving aside the PM of Montenegro so he could puff his chest and that smug disgusting look he gets has he pulls his suit jack together, like a pompous peacock. He is the biggest fucking bully. Today when Jim and I went into a lovely like charcuterie in Norton, an artist or artisan village, the guy in the store went ballistic over Trump. He saw our buttons and waxed on and on…”I hate this Trump…he is evil and dangerous.” Other than that, news is banned from this lovely, peaceful house.
We spent the day, lying around the meal, reading and I did some sketching. Since we’ve been eating at the Moulin, as owners refer to it, we decided to go out for a meal. A friend suggested a duck dish that was a specialty in this region and I had my heart set on it. Turns out it was ASCENSION DAY, which, as it turns out, is different in every country. Let’s get real! How many times can this man ascend! Jesus Christ, this ascension crap has been going on since Easter. I couldn’t believe anyone in France, anti-religious France, would take this seriously. So we drove to Riberac, a lovely 30 minute drive through magnificent farmland and rolling hills.
When we reached Riberac, it was closed tight as a drum. I couldn’t believe it! First of all, things are closed constantly. They open for three hours in the morning and three in the evening. The rest is siesta. The rest is fuck you if you don’t like it, we’re going home to eat, fuck and sleep because we are French and know how to live. And the fact of the matter is, they’re right! But me, the ugly impatient American, and my husband, albeit a cuter ugly American, can’t’ get it through our thick, stubborn heads. We are in really, REALLY small French towns and when it’s 12:30 they shut up like an invading army was on its way.
The thing you realize the more time you spend out of the States is how utterly fucked up we are. How totally brainwashed and bought a bill of goods that you could only sell to the most naive people on the planet. We have NO IDEA what living is all about. Our lives are spent working and when we’re not working worrying about work and when we’re not worrying about that we’re worrying about some bloody errand or bill or phone call to return or some such thing. When do we carve out actual time to do NOTHING? Or read book? Or have a leisurely lunch. Food here, of course, is an art. You don’t just shove something on your way to your appointment. You dine. And it doesn’t have to be a fancy meal. It’s about the time spent together engaged in something pleasurable and making a connection to another person.
This way of life is about as far away from ours as you can get. I guess maybe Eskimos and bounty hunters are pretty unlike us, as well!
Finished “We Are Not Ourselves” at three this AM. Kukla get getting up and wandering around, which kept me awake, so I decided to put the time to good use. Anybody read it? Curious for your reaction. I loved it.
When we took a walk on a country road today, there was a heard of brown cows, lounging and nibbling in the sunset. Tootsie, never having seen a cow and always prone to being vicious in the face of an animal 100 times her size, barked. Suddenly, all 50 cows lifted their heads and drifted over toward us by the wire fence, all of them staring at Tootise, shooting her a “don’t fuck with us” kind of look. I honestly got scared for a second. They all marched to that fence in unison and just glared! On the return part of the walk she kept her mouth shut, but the cows stood their ground nonetheless.
A few days ago we visited a town called Brantome on the Dordogne river. It was the absolute picture perfect town. The monastery in the pictures is built into a cliff. It’s fantastic. And the sounds of the city, between the rushing water and the gorgeous chimes, all conspires to take your breathe away. So click the blue link for a few seconds of lovely sound.
IMG_0925 (Here’s the Mill House)
Tootsie decided to challenge the cows and was met with and welcomed response.
The next group is Brantome – an an added little movie clip of the bells at the end
IMG_0920 The beautiful bells of the Monastery
Growing their own fish to planish the waters (below)
Ahhh, the Monastery life. Inviting.
I took a Siesta once. We went to a drive-in. Then the authorities came.
Reading and seeing all this makes me wanna retire. Of course, talking to producers makes me wanna retire. Hell, driving in Los Angeles makes me wanna retire. If only my cat would move out and start her own damn life!
Sorry about the duck. On the other hand, there is one lucky duck out there, thanks (yet again) to my close personal friend Jezzzuhhhhzzzzzzzz.
Years ago I stayed with a family of factory workers in Dunkerque, France. (I had taken the wrong ferry from Dover, got lost and — long story). There were 4 women, 4 men, and 3 children living in a small house on the outskirts of town. The women woke up an hour earlier than the men to prepare a simple breakfast, but an elaborate multi-course lunch, that required chopping, mixing, arranging,etc. Then they woke the men, had some food, and went off to their factories. They all returned at 12 for their 2 1/2 hour lunch and a little rest, with the women serving and cleaning up, while the men sat and were waited on. Back to work, and then return at 5. The men rested, watched TV, chatted while the women prepared dinner. They rejected my help after they saw me peel a potato (not much potato left after I got through with it). How different our lives were (your conclusion as well). Aside from the blatant sexism and machismo, the way their lives revolved around food, meals, cuisine – was astonishing to me! Loving your blog! I greatly enjoy it and look forward to your new additions. (travel tip: research holidays before planning. Catholic countries shut down for certain religious days, and there are several we’ve never heard of. I hate arriving somewhere to find out that everything is closed.)