And apropos of nothing, here's a random shot of the East River from the top of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, NYC. I think the date is sometime in May 1994, obviously prior September 2001.
The bridge on the bottom is the Brooklyn Bridge and the bridge on top is the Manhattan Bridge. Outside of the shot to the left is the Williamsburg Bridge.
If I've seen one or two snow plows in the twenty-plus years that we've lived here, that would be a lot. When it's cold and icy around here, our roads get a layer of sand. There just isn't enough snow to justify plowing. So here's an agricultural plow on display in the Artsy Organized Neighbor's collection of curiosities.
I have to take back what I wrote yesterday about the car. The starter was not the culprit at all. The original diagnosis was correct: bad battery. It's since been replaced and the car starts up as it should. The pros tell us to run the car more frequently to keep the battery in shape. So, today, Ken plans a run to one of his favorite wineries about fifteen minutes from home. That's the spirit!
Yeah, but is it art? Some more of the Artsy Organized Neighbor's works. Those log piles in the background are not the same ones I posted yesterday.
So, the car problem turns out not to be the battery after all, but a dead starter motor. The citroën is getting towed to the shop this morning where the transplant will occur. Should be ready by tomorrow.
Log jam or log preserves? LOL. It wasn't that long ago that the land owners around us harvested a good portion of their woods. The results are stacks of logs here and there. This one, I'm guessing, belongs to the Artsy Organized Neighbor or someone like him (as Ur-spo might say).
We have a car problem to deal with today. The Citroën's battery has given out and, alas, the poor car won't start. Cold weather may be the culprit. Since cars are Ken's domain, he will do most of the work. That mostly means phoning the rescue folks provided by our insurance company and our local garage for a jump and possibly a new battery. We've been, as you might say, "down this road" before with the other car. I am here for support.
I woke up this morning to a strangely familiar sound. It sounded like airplanes of the propeller variety, but hovering in one place, like helicopters, not getting any closer, not getting any farther. Then it came to me: vineyard fans. They're used to mix the air on very cold mornings in an attempt to keep newly formed buds from freezing. The temperature is hovering around zero this morning, and I've seen buds in places, so that makes sense.
I'll have to try to take some photos of the buds as they become more numerous, not to mention bigger. In the meantime, here's some more moss in the woods out by the Artsy Organized Neighbor's property.
All the rain we've had this winter has been heaven for the moss. It's thriving this year.
I did decide to go out yesterday. It rained most of the day, as predicted. This morning is cold, below 5ºC. But there's no rain in today's forecast.
The wind kicked up over night and now it's howlin' out there. It's not so bad, actually, just kind of gusty. It's been worse. But I can hear it. I have an errand to run in town this morning. I don't know if I'll hunker down or venture out. The sun will be up soon (yay!) and I'll reassess then.
Yesterday's fog cleared pretty quickly and we enjoyed some sun. But it's still pretty chilly out there, made a little more so by the wind.
Temperatures. Back to single digits. It's 6.1ºC out there this morning. About 43ºF. Brr. No danger of freezing. But, as temperatures continue to fall, there could be frost. Historically, France's frost danger ends around the middle of May, so we have a while to go.
We're also socked in this morning. Gray and wet and cold. Lovely. I'm wearing long-johns again on our morning walks.
While Ken enjoys a couple of cuppas (tea) in the morning, I drink coffee made in a "French press." We both drank coffee for a while from an automatic drip machine but, for some reason, we tired of that. Ken went back to tea and I started up again with coffee. And one lump of sugar. Actually, it's a half-lump.
It's raining this morning. I suppose that means there's no chance of seeing the landscaper today. Ugh.
Did I tell you about our little scare with Tasha? I think Ken blogged about it, but here it is in a nutshell. About a month ago, we noticed that Tasha was drinking a lot of water, way more than she normally does. One of our neighbors, also a dog person, said that could be a sign of diabetes. That was nerve wracking. So Ken stopped by the vet's office while out running errands and made an appointment for that afternoon. The vet took a blood sample and a urine sample (he said it could also be a urinary tract infection) and prescribed a course of antibiotics. Both tests were negative. Nonetheless, we noticed that Tasha has cut down on her water intake. So we feel good about that. The vet said to let her run the full course of antibiotics just for good measure. That will be over in a few days.
We're still waiting for the landscape guy. I'm starting to wonder if he'll get the work done before summer. Bother. This view of our hamlet is toward the northeast. The yellow spot is our forsythia.
As the ground starts to dry, Tasha and I are able to vary our walks by taking paths through the woods and the vineyard parcels. This is a familiar sight: the Artsy Organized Neighbor's property and a few of his "works."
The weather is about to change. That high pressure system that was keeping us clear and dry is moving on. That means the door will be open to lower temperatures and more rain systems. Joy.
Thanks for all of your comments about the mail issue between France and the US. I'm getting the impression that letters are supposed to be ok and that there's just some postal software issue that hasn't been dealt with yet. Tax season might not be affected because returns can be filed through the internet. But voting is another issue. I haven't seen any chatter on how Americans in France will be able to cast their ballots if not by mail.
Here's the dessert we made for Ken's birthday. It's a pineapple upside-down yogurt cake! I could have fancied it up a bit with cherries or some other colorful garnish. But I didn't.
It won't be long before these flowers fade and leaves appear on the forsythia. Then we're done for another year.
I went to the post office yesterday to mail something to the US. To my surprise, the postal clerk told me that France doesn't send mail (like letters) to the US any more. Since August. I asked if it was because of the war(s) in the Middle East and he said no, it has something to do with customs and duties tied to US tariffs. There are interruptions because of the war, but this is something else. I don't recall seeing anything in the news about this. Some internet sites say that letters and post cards are exempt (they're not heavy and they're not merchandise) and can be posted, but they weren't able to at the two post offices I went to yesterday. The clerk at one of the post offices insisted that I could send my letters, but the computer would not allow her to print the postage. She was as puzzled as I was.
Or should I say "Five-sythia?" This is the same bush that I posted yesterday, just from a different angle. It was either last year or the year before that I pruned it way back. It gets very big and unruly if I let it grow. I should probably plan some more pruning this year in an attempt to shape it more.
We're still waiting, and hoping (and wishin', and prayin'), for the landscape guy to show up. He usually does, right about the time I give up on him.
The forsythia is blooming all over the place, including in our back yard. The yellow is so vibrant that it almost feels warm.
Rain showers are back in the weather forecast through to the weekend, and the temperatures are lower than they have been. Boo!
The annual show is on! There seem to be more flowers than usual this season. Probably something to do with all the water we got during the winter. Now it's time for things to dry out a little so we can work in the yard. Yesterday, I heard lawn mowers here and there. I'm not quite ready to take mine out. The ground feels too soft for that, but I may get to run the mower before the end of March.
I'm liking the earlier sunrises. Tasha and I can get out for our walks before other folks are about, namely other dog walkers and vineyard workers (along with tractors and such). Speaking of which, it's time for me to go! Ta ta!
So insists Hyacinth Bucket in the popular British sit-com, "Keeping Up Appearances." This is all that's left of the jacinthes in this patch. There's a larger patch of white hyacinths way out back. I haven't really paid attention to them in a long while, but it's always nice to catch a glimpse of them this time of year.
Tasha gave us a bit of a scare. A few weeks ago she started drinking a lot of water, more than seems normal or healthy. We talked to some friends and consulted the gurus of the internet. Her excessive drinking could be an indicator of diabetes. Yikes! Yesterday she saw the vet and a simple blood test ruled that out. Thank goodness. The vet thinks it might be a U.T.I. (urinary tract infection) and is testing for that. Meanwhile, Tasha's on a brief run of antibiotics. She's already more or less back to normal and we're happy about that. We'll get the test results in a few days.
I know you've seen these before, but what the heck. You can't have too many daffodils. Can you? This is the same patch of jonquils that Ken and I have been posting this past week or so.
We're still waiting for the landscape guy to get to us. It's been a lousy winter for outdoor work and I'm sure his schedule is all messed up because of it. I just have to be patient and wait for him to show up. Meanwhile, there are a few little things that I can do to prepare.
Can you see the tree covered in white blossoms? That's the plum tree that Ken planted from a pit oh so many years ago. It's in the far corner of the yard and it's one of the early blooming trees in the neighborhood. Our next door neighbor also has one. Hers is older than ours and is much taller.
It's Ken's birthday month and we're planning a yummy meal for him. It's bœuf à la Bourguignonne (Burgundy style beef stew, also called Beef Burgundy). He went to the butcher shop yesterday and ordered some joues de bœuf (beef cheeks) for the dish. I'm sure there will be photos. Stay tuned!
We were invited over the road last evening for drinks and got back a little late. I got up this morning a little later than usual and haven't yet done a post for the day. And it's my morning to walk with Tasha. This will have to do until I get outside with the camera. Happy Saturday! And the last day of February!
I was crouching down to take pictures of the daffodils. Maybe she thought I had some treats in my pocket. I didn't.
Trees are in bloom all over the neighborhood. I'll have to take some photos the next time I'm out and about.
Wednesday felt like a mild spring day, even if we're still just under a month from the equinox. Toward the end of the week, the weather gurus have predicted another drop in temperatures back into the single digits, celsius of course. As I've said, snow in March is not unheard of where we live.
But enough about the weather! This is a typical sight in France and other parts of Europe: pollarded trees. Pollarding refers to the style of severe pruning that you see here. These are planted on the quay along the river in Saint-Aignan. There are more lining the street that heads out of town toward the south.
These narcissus (daffodils) have been coming up in this spot since before we bought the house. We look forward to seeing them every year.
Our temperatures are on the mild side right now. Thank goodness. We had a mostly sunny day yesterday. Thank goodness again. And the prediction for today is a high of 20ºC (68ºF). We'll take it, thank you very much.
The rain has slacked off and water levels are decreasing. The river is probably a lot lower than it was when I took this photo of the upstream end of the island at Saint-Aignan. Ken's planning to go out this morning, so he'll see what the condition is at the bridge.
I noticed yesterday that our daffs are starting to flower. Come on, spring!
Today is Tasha's 9th birthday! Woof!
In France, they expect that dogs, especially those with "papers," to be given a name that starts with a certain letter of the alphabet. When Tasha was born, the official initial (chuckle) for 2017 was "N." We wracked our brains for several days to come up with a name that works both in French and in English* and finally landed on "Natasha". She actually gets called "Tasha" (or just "Tash") most of the time, but her registered name begins with an "N." We joke that we named her after a Star Trek character.
It helps to say the name out loud and imagine yourself calling that name in public.
Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher is a sleepy town. It's lost a lot of its commerce over the years since we moved nearby. After covid, the town moved it's weekly market out of the center and into a larger place. But some vendors never came back. We're left with banks, insurance companies, and real estate agencies. It's kind of sad, but that's the reality in so many rural places.
The house feels cold while outdoor temperatures creep up. Come on, spring!
Or not. This is the Saint-Aignan/Noyers bridge on Thursday. It was closed with temporary signs set up at the approach. I'm guessing that it was closed so that crews could dislodge tree branches that got stuck under the roadway. That helps the water to flow better. Otherwise, I think, the debris in the water can form a kind of dam beneath the bridge that backs up more and more water as more and more debris gets caught. The road over the bridge is closed so that heavy equipment can work safely and unimpeded.
Meanwhile, the rains have more or less stopped (the wind, too, thankfully). Temperatures are rising, too. We're expecting a high of 14ºC (approaching 60ºF) this afternoon. Yay!
So far, it's just high water. I stopped down on the quay in Saint-Aignan yesterday after a quick trip to the supermarket. There was some action at the bridge. I think some fallen tree branches floated down river and got caught under the bridge. It's happened before. I saw signs that said the bridge was closed and there was a crew working to clear the trees. The closure didn't affect me; I didn't need to cross the river.
I'm glad we're not close to the Atlantic. Cities and towns over on the coast are dealing with very high winds and abundant rain. And where there's rain, there's flooding. And erosion that threatens buildings that are too close to the beaches. What a mess. It makes our local wind and rain events seem like no big deal. We can be thankful for that.
The wind howled. Rain squalls pounded the roof. It's supposed to calm down this morning and I'm looking forward to that. Today's photo is from last weekend's snow. I know, I'm milking it. Regular readers will recognize the west forty to the right of the garden path. The tilleul (linden tree) is one of the trees that will be pruned before spring, weather permitting. Stupid weather.
I'm planning a trip to the supermarket this morning. Weather permitting. Stupid weather. We need a few things and want a few others.
The snow is long gone. Temperatures have risen out of the freezing zone. The rain is back and is expected to continue all day today. This is a view from the deck/terrace with a couple neighboring houses visible.
The snow is pretty and, for a short time, it lifted our spirits out of the dreary on-and-off of the rain and the over all soggy state we're in.
One of a few snapshots I took as snow fell Sunday morning. You can see that this was a light snowfall, nothing serious. But it was pretty in places. This is the view from our terrace across the road to a neighbor's property.
The snow is all gone now. It's not unheard of to have snow in March. We'll see in a few weeks' time what the end of winter has in store.
Our "snow event" on Sunday was fun. It was over by mid-day. Most of the snow seemed, to me, to be of the heavy and wet variety. It wasn't cold enough for ice to form nor for the snow to stick on the paved road. This morning the temperature is at 8.5ºC (just under 50ºF). Comfy.
Right now we're waiting to hear from the landscape guy. The weather has been lousy this winter (but you knew that) and I'm sure it's wreaked havoc on his schedule. Hedges, shrubs, and trees are waiting to be pruned or pulled out. I can't wait!
At least not yet at 06h15. It's still dark outside, but we've seen no sign of snow or rain, even thought the weather radar shows us on the line. Ha. Our outdoor thermometer says we're at 1.4ºC, just above freezing. The experts say we'll be back up to double digits by the end of the day.
UPDATE: Snow is falling at 07h00. A slight accumulation is visible on the deck railing. It's still dark outside.
I'm not watching the Olympics, but I feel that I get enough information from the news, both on line and televised, to have an idea about what's happening. But don't quiz me. I am watching men's tennis. There's a tournament winding up this weekend in Rotterdam, NL, and another in Dallas, US.
No real surprise there. It's not a hard rain, but it is being blown about a bit by gusty wind. And the wind's in the north today which means cold air. Today the sun rises at 08h01. Three more minutes of daylight. They do add up.
I'm getting ready to head out into the weather with Tasha. We won't go far.
We are soaked. It just keeps raining. There are some breaks and that lets some of the rain either run off or soak in. I usually don't take the camera out in rain so, no photos. I do take the phone on walks, but I don't want it to get wet so, no photos. And I forget to take photos of food (or don't take any because Ken is) so, no photos.
Thankfully, the wind has calmed down. The only thing as nerve wracking as torrential rain is wind-driven torrential rain. And maybe snow. They are predicting snow for Saturday, but I'm sure that it won't last long. It probably won't even stick. But today is another rain day. On a positive note, we are not in a flood zone.
Nils is the name of the storm that swept across France last night. It's still blowin' a gale out there, but the wind is starting to subside in our region. We lost power in the wee hours about 02h30; it came back around 04h30. It's still on as I type this. Fingers crossed that it stays on. The sun will be up in couple of hours and we'll get to see if all is well outdoors.
I'm planning a trip to the grocery store this morning. To do some grocery shopping. Some might call it food shopping. Others might call it going to the supermarket or, more simply, going to the market. The name of the establishment might figure in what you call it. As in going to Price Chopper or Kroger, Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. Many are open 24 hours a day. What you're getting there is implied: food.
Depending on where you live and what you like, you might also be going for alcohol. I think that most food chains in the US sell beer and wine. Food stores here in France also sell liquor. In New York state, where I grew up, there is still no wine to be had in grocery stores (supermarkets). There are state-licensed establishments for that. Since 2023, liquor and wine stores in New York can be open between the hours of 10am and 10pm on Sunday (or between 9am and midnight the rest of the week). When I was a kid, beer could not be sold before noon.
Where do you go for food? Wine and spirits?
This is the walnut tree that grows out among the grape vines behind our house. The nuts it produces each year are small and not very good. Certainly not worth the work of shelling them. That said, I used to see one of our neighbors out there gathering them from time to time. He must have had a good use for them, but I never spoke to him about it.
Today's another three-minute day for increasing daylight. The forecast predicts dropping temperatures as the week goes on. Ugh.
The sun rises at 08h08 this morning. We will gain another three minutes of daylight today. This is according to one of the weather sites I visit daily. I'm ready. More light, more warmth. Bring it on.
It's getting to be time to do some outdoor work. Nothing heavy, yet. I'd like to trim the hydrangeas, for example. Maybe it's too early. Working in double-digit temperatures would be nice on a dry day. We'll see.
The pizza damage from Friday wasn't as bad as it could have been. It took me a good half-hour to clean off the pizza stone and the oven, but it wasn't difficult. The pizza itself didn't look good but, as I said, it tasted just fine.
One of the reasons for the faulty crust, I think, is that I mis-measured the flour/water mixture, making the dough wetter than it normally is. I'm also using a softer flour than usual and that might have had something to do with the stickiness of the dough. I thought I had compensated for all that, but apparently not. Oh well. Better luck next time!
The sauce was tomato with ground chicken. We added sliced mushrooms, canned artichoke hearts, and two types of sliced cheese from the Netherlands (Edam and Maasdam). Yum!
There was one little mishap, totally my fault. I didn't realized that part of the first pizza had stuck to the peel. When I jerked the peel to slide the pie into the oven, the toppings went, but the crust stayed behind. Oops. I had to work quickly (with the oven at 270ºC, about 500ºF) to pull it all back together. Fortunately, most of the mess stayed on the pizza stone. It looked horrible, but it tasted fine.
I'm making pizza for lunch today. We have some tomato and chicken sauce in the 'fridge, left over from a previous meal. We'll root around in the pantry for some other toppings. I'm thinking canned artichoke hearts and mushrooms. Photos may or may not get taken.
In the "didja ever notice" catetgory: Did you ever notice that after a cold spell, while the outside air starts to feel warmer, the house acts like a refrigerator, seemingly sealing in the cool air?
That's the word of the day. Or week. Or month. Maussade. Gloomy, dull, and dreary.
On the bright side, I've decided to make a coq au vin some time in the coming week. Ken got us a chicken from the supermarket and we haven't had a good fricassée in a while. Something to look forward to!
It's wet outside. Very wet. Our house sits at the top of a high spot. The vineyards are planted to maximize drainage. The ravines that drain to the river below are running. Water still manages to collect. Nearly everywhere one tries to go, one is constantly splashed. One's feet sink into muddy ground. The cuffs of one's jeans are soaked. Leaf litter collects on one's shoes and boots. I, for one, am not happy.
However, I know things will dry up after a while. It's more or less the cycle that we're more or less used to. And I'll likely be back to complaining about the hot, buggy summer that we're pining for now. Spring is a toss up; it can go either way. It could go both ways. But, whichever way it goes, we'll surely complain about that, too.
We're not really full of them. There were only four, but they were large. And we ate them up with butter and Ken's home-made plum jam. We didn't make savory crêpes this year. Maybe next year.
As promised, it rained most of the night. Even more rain is on the way. Joy.
Today is Candlemas, one of the multitude of Christian holidays on the calendar. The tradition in France is to eat crêpes on this day. And so we shall.
I'll try to remember to take photos of how it goes. There's not much in the way of new photography on the blog right now, mostly because the weather makes taking photos a pain in the butt, what with all the gloves, hats, and other winter accoutrements one must deal with, not to mention the chilly temperatures. I'm hopeful that we'll get back on track as spring approaches.
Oh, in the USA it's Groundhog day. How do you cook those things?
Here are some things: Today is February 1. The moon is full. The Australian Open men's final (tennis) is today. It's a hunt day (the season closes at the end of February). There are 327 days until Christmas. And it's Tasha's birthday month! She'll be nine years old. Woof.
Snail shells. Probably store-bought for stuffing and serving. I don't know when, if ever, we used them. We've got snail dishes that obviate the need for shells. Another one of life's little mysteries.
It's just over six degrees this morning. Not really all that cold, but I feel cold. Like, wrap up in a blanket cold.
I don't know why we have a plastic skunk in the house. Perhaps it commemorates an encounter between our former dog, Collette, and one of the stinky varmints not long after we moved into our San Francisco house. Picture it: the summer of 1995, just after we moved into the house. We had just gone to bed when we were suddenly aware of the peculiar odor. Yuck. At least the dog was in the house. Or so we thought. It wasn't long until we realized that the dog's door to the back yard had been left open and that she was sitting on the bed, literally dripping with skunk juice, seemingly proud that she was able to chase the offensive animal out of the back yard.
We spent the rest of that night and most of the next day laundering bedclothes, spraying cans of air freshener and disinfectant onto the mattress, and showering the dog. It was fine opportunity to test the "bathing in tomato juice" method for dealing with the smell. At best, I can report mixed results. And that's being generous. We gave up the fight at home and ended up taking Collette to a groomer to let the pros have a go. After a while (we're talking days, many, many days) the odor began to subside.
So, maybe Ken got the plastic skunk. Maybe someone gave it to us as a "gag" gift. I don't remember. But I will always remember that night thirty years ago.
I got the notification that what I ordered on line from the vet is ready, so today's the day to cross the river and retrieve it. And I have a haircut scheduled. No rain today!
Here's an apple tart ready for the oven. The apples are called "honey crunch." They're tasty, sweet and crunchy. I think we ate almost half the pie after lunch.
It never blooms at Christmas. But it's not far off this time. So this year I'm calling it a Groundhog day cactus. It's had blossoms for quite a while and, just the other day, I realized the blossoms were opening.
This week I'm planning a trip over to the vet's office. I ordered some dental chews for Tasha and she needs a refill of her flea and tick medicine. And I noticed that today is our first (maybe second) three minute day. Meaning that we gain three full minutes of daylight. Yay! On the other hand, we're socked in by fog.
Here's the finished linguini with white clam sauce that we devoured enjoyed on Sunday\. I was just getting ready to take it to the table when I remembered to take a photo, so it's not staged, it's not perfect. Just a quick snapshot.
I woke up to rain this morning. It's only 6.5ºC (about 44ºF) outside, so there's no threat of snow. Still, it's going to be a quick, cold, and wet walk with Tasha when the sun comes up in about an hour.
This is the receipt for the clams I got on Saturday. SARL stands for Société à responsabilité limité (Limited Liability Company). Gump is the name of the company (probably the owners' last name. They're located in a town called La Jarne, a coastal town just south of La Rochelle in the Charentes Maratime. Sales person ID (V6). Ticket number. Date and time of sale. Scale number. I'm not sure what the "PLU" means. Units used. Item (in this case, cockles disgorged, without sand, although there was some residual sand that came out when Ken fed the clams some cornmeal). The details (weight, price per kilo, cost in euros). Number of items. Total cost. Cash, 21.92 (although that's wrong because I used a debit card). Tax information. Thank you, and see you soon!
...to pick up the clams. I'm headed into town this morning to pick up the coques that I ordered last week. While I'm gone, Ken will make some sea water substitute so we can let the little clams cleanse their digestive tracts. He adds cornmeal to the mix to give them something to eat and some flavor.
We'll let the clams hang out in their "sea water" over night out on the deck. It's cold out there and they'll enjoy it. I hope. We'll cook them tomorrow. They probably won't enjoy that.
I woke up this morning to the roof creaking in the wind. It's going to be blustery all day today, with intermittent rain showers. Better than that monster storm they're talking about in the eastern US this weekend. Although a small part of me is kind of jealous. But a big storm like that would cripple most of France. They're just not able to handle snow and ice on that level. Be thankful for what you have. Or don't, in this case.
We're still planning on getting clams on Saturday. Maybe a photo op?
