Wednesday, August 08, 2012

Well, no photos of the first two things I’ll talk about because it would have been awkward to take them and I’m trying very hard to shake the images from my mind.  First, on a walk through the neighborhood Ross and I got a lovely glimpse of a man probably in his 60’s cutting his lawn in his speedo and a tee shirt. Enough said!  Second, another day I saw a man cutting the lawn in tiny black running shorts and a wife beater tee shirt. When I say tiny shorts, I mean…..oh my……it was one of those “is he even wearing underwear” moments. YIKES……

Then last week I saw my massage therapist again.  He is really nice and does a good job, even though it is very different than what I’m used to.  He does accept my American modesty and uses a sheet covering and a towel.   I had one odd moment though, as I turned to my back, he smiled and in an excited voice said “Oh, tres joli” which means “oh very pretty”. I checked quickly to make sure everything that was supposed to be covered was indeed covered; and it turns out he was admiring my toenails.  AHHH…phew, worried me for a moment.  I’ve mentioned before that the women here mostly just have naked toenails, a few paint them.  So, before I left the US, Lindsay and I had nice pedicures and I had gel applied and then a pattern done with nail paint.  So, they’ve been quite a hit here; between the massage guy, my hairdresser and a random lady at the bus stop, my toes are conversation starters.  Picture added just so you see the fuss. 

My next door neighbor who speaks no English and his wife who speaks a tiny bit gave me a name and phone number of someone who lives in Luynes and speaks English.  They then said I should call these people!  ARGH, I’ve put it off and finally just sucked it up and did it this week. Turns out it’s a retired couple who live here, he’s French but she’s American.  He had moved to the US at age 23 and they married, worked and raised their family in the Lake Tahoe area.  They moved to Luynes 20 years ago for a couple years and have been here ever since.  We are going to try to meet up and have lunch with them this Saturday, so that should be fun.

I feel like today my thoughts are jumbled, so each thing I write about is just as it comes to mind or in the order I’ve put it on this running list of funny things to write about.  So, bear with me.  Originally I started writing to answer questions for a few friends and not have to send several letters, but then it became a fun way for me to record funny or odd things here so that one day I can read them and remember.  Then I found out how many people really actually read it and I was shocked.  So, it amuses me to see how many people find my life her fascinating or interesting!

Our yard is looking much better, Eric has really taken the job seriously.  Several things are blooming right now, including a fruit tree we’d never seen before.  It’s called a Mirabelle Prune tree which actually produces hundreds of little, yellow, speckled fruit.  The fruit is smaller than a ping pong ball, more the size of a big marble.  As I tasted them, they’re very plum tasting and then I did some internet research and it is in the plum family.  Each day, I pick a couple dozen and eat them.  Eric tells me most people make jam or marmalade from them, but we’ll let that go for now and just enjoy the fruit although we will never come close to eating 1/10^th of them.

The weather has been cooler since we’ve arrived back.  It’s mostly in the 70’s during the day and 50’s at night.  Today it actually is in the very low 80’s and sunny which is wonderful.  I have laundry blowing in the breeze which makes me smile.  I have to wipe the cobwebs off the clothes line every single time I do laundry.  Those stinking spiders just keep re-building.  I know this would creep Lindsay out and she’d never hang clothes out again, but I just keep a long stick handy and use it to break up the little webs before hanging clothes.  I’ve got some quirks about the laundry though, even though no one sees it, I use a round hangy thing inside for my unmentionables but I go for it and hang Ross’ undies outside. It always makes me think of Ross’ Granny one time while we were visiting his Uncle Allan and Aunt Liz in Scotland. We were just married a year and spent a month in Scotland and England.  Ross had some business and I spent that time with the family.  Liz and I were hanging clothes out and her house is a “back to front” which means all the houses in the neighborhood face the same direction so all the houses on her side of the street have all the back sides to the street and the front to the back garden.  So, as we hang laundry out the back, it’s really the street side; there is a wall and a gate so the laundry line isn’t visible….but Ross’ Granny exclaimed one day “ I never thought I’d live to see the day my knickers were hanging out on the Glasgow Road”.  We just died laughing, but in the back of my mind I always remember that so my “knickers’ will never see the outside lineJ 

Then I have the cutest clothespins here, they’re bright green, orange, aqua and pink.  I have this thing though where I have to use two of the same color for each item; so a shirt will never have a blue and pink, it will always be two of the same.  Then I never use the pink for Ross’ things…no one cares and it doesn’t matter, but it’s my thing.  Kind of like how I make the patterns of our plates face the same way and dish up our food in the same spots so they match; or I sort Skittles or M&M’s by color and eat them that way……my slight OCD issues pop out every once in a while; nothing to the extreme, just odd quirky ways. There’s a surprise, I have quirks!!!

Saturday, we went for Ross to get his first haircut in France.  He’s managed to be in the us for work when haircuts were needed, so he could do it in English.  Since I have been a few times now, I made him an appointment with my lady.  While we were in the little salon downtown, we noticed a poster ad for a flower/garden contest at a local chateau.  Someone at work had also mentioned it to Ross so we decided to try it that afternoon.  So, off to Domain de Chaumont we went.  It was a lovely hour drive along the Loire River.  The day was warm and sunny, so it was perfect. As we parked and entered the little town, we looked to find a place for a late lunch.  There was a nice outdoor patio at the Hotellier de Chateau, so we decided to try it.  Oh my, probably one of the most flavorful, best meals we’ve had in France.    We love to get a “plat” meal which gives an appetizer, entrée and dessert.  Most restaurants have a plat of the day with usually two choices for each course.  So, for a starter we both chose the same (pictures included) a goat cheese wrapped in a crispy parchment on a bed of lettuce.  There were explosions of flavor, sweet, tangy, sharp….it was absolutely delicious!  Then the two choices for a main dish were a salmon and a beef.  Originally I was going for the beef and Ross the salmon; but the waiter told us they just ran out of salmon and were using a white fish instead.  I love the white fish here so I switched to that.  Oh my goodness…..another explosion of flavors all at once.  It was a very mild white fish on a bed of fennel with a vanilla sauce.  Fennel is used a lot as a vegetable here and I really like it, they kind of mashed it and added this sauce that was vanilla but NOT sweet.  So, so good!  The dessert choices were ice cream or a meillfuelle.  Ross went for the ice cream while I chose the meillfuelle which is pastry, cream and fabulous!  Now, his ice cream was homemade and he chose the pistachio which here is so good!  Add a cup of coffee and tea and we were just perfect!  The hotel/restaurant was also very beautiful.  The outside patio where we ate was just adorable and very charming. So, for picking a restaurant by just walking by and thinking ‘this will do’ really worked for us!!

We always use the toilet at a restaurant since if you are eating or drinking there, it’s free-otherwise you pay!  So, whether we need it or not, we always go when it’s free!!!  Then we headed across the street to the chateau. Inside the grounds we had an uphill walk to get to the chateau and gardens, but they spaced it and made it big steps so it was a nice journey up.  While walking up this strange family was ahead of us, Mom and Dad walked ahead while the two boys maybe aged 12 and 5 climbed up the side hill in the grass.  Well, the older boy ran down the grassy hill just fine but as the little guy tried it you could see his legs going faster than he could handle and he went splat.  Another man and I helped him up and the dad finally turned and ran back when he heard the screams; mom just looked and kept walking! WHAT? It was just so unlike how I was as a mom that it threw me. 

       From the top, the view was spectacular and it was a very unusual chateau.  The gardens were what seemed like miles long and some very beautiful.  What they had done was give maybe 20 artists an area in the gardens and they did theme gardens.  While most of the gardens here are breathtaking and very classy, this one reminded me of this weird place we went to with Ross’ parents in the Napa Valley a few years back.  I’m just not an eclectic artsy person, so I found several of these very unusual.  Some were quite fascinating and all in all, the place was beautiful and vast and thousands and thousands of flowering plants.   We saw some fascinating people as well; several ladies my age braless and so not attractive!!!  One older guy missed a step and rolled down a plant filled hillside; he was fine and laughing while his wife went hunting for his shoes which went two different directions.

The worst one was a girl in her mid 20’s I think with waist long dread locks.  I was behind her waiting to pass when I looked at her scalp; I must admit the hair fascinated me….it looked in need of a good wash as well as so many knots and twists from the dreads. But, as I’m watching and waiting while she finished so I could go next I did a double take and thought-SURELY NOT!!!  Oh yes, it was crawling in lice!!! Now, you may doubt my expertise in spotting lice, but as my Maranatha friends will tell you, I am a professional!  We had a several month breakout in kindergarten one year that got so bad I did daily lice checks on the playground.  At recess, the kids took turns sitting between my knees while one by one I checked their scalps.  I’d sanitize and they’d run off to play without even thinking about it.   Anyway, back to this girl; as I’m watching she starts to scratch her scalp repeatedly.  As soon as we got by I grabbed Ross and made sure we went in a different direction.  Off and on we’d see her all afternoon and every time she was scratching-GROSS!  I’m posting a few photos from the garden show so you can see some of what I mean.

This week Ross is in Germany for work.  Back in April, I had started the process of getting my “titre de sejour” or legal ID to live here.  We had to have our marriage certificate and birth certificates translated and notarized.  Then Ross had to have a letter from work stating he had a job and then he had to write a letter saying he’d support me while here.   We had to go to the mayor’s office first and then wait and return for a temporary card.  Last week I got notice that I needed my temporary card, and stamps worth 19 euros.  To get those stamps we went two places and had to order them. They are just actual stamps with the amount printed on them, so why I couldn’t just write a check or pay cash I do not know.  This week the stamps came in so I went to get them.  Then, I took the bus into Tours to the prefectures office.  I’m not sure what that compares to in the US but it’s a legal office for registering babies and getting ID’s. I handed in my three stamps, one worth 10, one worth 8 and one worth1 euro ( I know, why not just one for 19?) Anyway, after all that, I have my card and I’m legal.  The funniest part is that it expires in a year, but not a year from date of issue…..a year from when we started, so next April I need to re-new it.  Surely it will be easier!!! 

Now, on my bus ride I met a Landscape Architect who lives here and speaks English.  We had a nice chat into town. I still don’t like taking the bus, but for some things it’s just easier.  This week I had the car since Ross is away, so I took it to downtown Luynes to get the bus and it saved me walking to and from the stop.  On the way back there was a crazy lady on the bus.  Just really odd, very greasy and dirty.  She had a nice blackberry but used a bit of plastic wrap to touch it or hold it in her hand.  It was as if she was a germ-a-phobeand couldn’t touch the phone itself; but yet, she was really dirty which goes against what I’d think for that.  Ah the joys.

Tomorrow we have an appointment to pick up my car.  I had to go to my bank to get car insurance for it this week; that was another interesting day.  I’m the person who reads all the fine print and here I had to trust Julien, the bank guy!  We have pour renters insurance through the bank and they do car insurance too, so it was my best solution. Julien is very nice and speaks some English, so we manage just fine!

Lindsay and Calum had their monthly saga with the house this week too.  The garage door broke; so they were able to get the repair guy I’ve used. It’s as if they have a crisis of the month.  Lindsay’s car was trapped inside, so fortunately Calum was able to get the door up and get her car out.  Last time the spring had broken and there was no lifting the door so cars were trapped until the guy fixed it.  Fortunately this was a few simple things to be tightened and oiled, plus replacing a track, but it makes me laugh.  Each thing has been something odd that would have gone wrong even if we were there, but it’s funny that it all seems to happen for them.  At least I pay the bills!

Lastly, adding my favorite recent picture of Liam.  Lindsay was able to visit with him and caught him just right.  He’s getting so big and he’s so funny on Skype.  Katie had a chat this morning while he ate breakfast and I could talk with her and watch himJ Love the ability to see him through Skype!!  Off for another week. We leave Monday for Ross to have a week of intensive language training in another town.  It’s where Jacques and Calire live so I get to hang with her while he goes to school next week. YEAH!