This might not be true, but way back when I was in elementary school it seemed that at least half of us ate PB&J sandwiches at lunch time. A few unfortunate kids might have a bologna sandwich in their lunch box, but remember the way the smell hit the kids around you and everyone cried “ewwww. (I loved bologna sandwiches).  Peanut butter and jelly was unoffensive, delicious, and quick and easy for someone to make before you ran out the door for the school bus. Memories of school lunches came rushing back to me as I was thinking up what would be the quintessential American snack ..read more

 I wrote this blog two months ago. It has been sitting on the shelf waiting for Tom to edit and for me to get going again. Last night watching the musical Les Miserable I got the kick in the pants that I needed. I’ve written a very short and hardly political story of the symbols of France and one of the social concerns of today. Victor Hugo’s story is much more rousing and moral. I recommend watching the movie. I’ve never tried to read the book. Liberty Leads the People Eugène Delacroix _______________________________________________ Living in the land of duck and goose fat it w ..read more

 It never takes long for visiting friends to ask a worried question - “This place is gorgeous, but what do you do for entertainment around here?” They’ve arrived from the real world where there is a convenience store on every corner, 24 hour grocery stores, restaurants that cater to the clients whims, and miles and miles of suburbia. Visitors are startled by the quiet that goes on forever here. They can’t imagine what unexpected and quirky events are out there just waiting to be experienced. The most obvious ‘event’ is the simple activity of living in the midst of history.  Everyday ..read more

One summer afternoon we were walking from the studio to the back of the garden with some friends. Tom was describing this and that about the yard and then he stopped and declared, “This is my Hall of Giants.” I raised my eyes and realized I haven’t been paying attention to changes in the scenery. When we bought this property thirteen years ago this part of the property, about two-thirds the size of a football field, was an abandoned vegetable garden held in by tumbling down walls. The edges of the field were curved up, creating a bowl. At the end of the bowl was a mess of tumbled down sheds ..read more

  I have to admit I was a bit skeptical of the cultural outing I had organized for us. Way back in January I noticed that an opera was coming to the nearby “big” city of Perigueux. What I saw was not a fancy add for a professional traveling show, but an article for a collaboration of local talent and internationally recognized performers. An association called Labopéra Périgord -Dordogne was going to present Verdi’s Traviata. What the heck, I bought two tickets in the hopes that if nothing else we were supporting a good thing for the local community. And if it was truly terrible we could ..read more

Thursday mornings I meet up with a group of women that walk. We walk the hills and dales, forest and river banks of our small corner of the Perigord Vert. Each week Sara, our clever leader, plots out a circuit and off we go like spunky puppies. We jabber away, getting ahead, getting behind, stopping every now and then to be sure we are heading in the right direction. Public pathways spiderweb all of France and have done so forever. You could walk from here to any corner of France if you wanted to by following yellow-topped sign posts. Sara doesn’t stick to just the sign posted trails. She has ..read more

 Standing in lines at the Friday farmer’s market I have time to slow down. The other day I realized I was listing out things I have learned during all these minutes— more like  hours— of standing waiting for a package of heart shaped goat cheese or a baguette baked with local grains.  My simple list of basic observations made me think of the phrase “everything I really need to know I learned in kindergarten” - I know that isn’t really the exact quote but this is how it is in my brain. Instead of being a young kindergartener soaking up life I’m now an old dog learning new ..read more

There are two private chateaux on the edges of Bourdeilles. I’d heard vague stories that they were once expansive vinyards.There are lingering clues. The fields are rolling, sun drenched, with limestone soils that are well drained. The farmyards have out of scale barns and grand entry ways leading to quiet courtyards. Nowadays the sweeping fields rotate through wheat, corn and sunflowers. There was prosperity here.  How this prosperity was lost was a mystery. In my last writing I told you about the agricultural history of the times now I’ll pass on some more familial antidotes. Go ..read more

Once upon a time, a long time ago, the Romans marched through France. Crossing our southwestern region they found plenty of places with sparkling spring water, locals that were not resistant to being invaded, and lots of salt deposits. Feeling that Rome was overcrowded they started to colonize these new regions - the provinces. The Romans introduced a more sophisticated life style to the local Gauls. They introduced luxuries such as steam baths, cheese making, and grape vines (!). The Romans were eventually driven out by the Saracens, but many of the good things in life that had bee introduc ..read more

 Lately everyone I bump into asks, “ Where have you been?”  To be honest I’ve been asking myself the same question. There has been plenty going on: traveling to the States, gardening, biking, chauffeuring, helping out a little family. I’ve been keeping busy, but not with the same engagement that keeps me connected to life in our small village. Re-engaging got a little push the other day when I was asked to help with making sandwiches for the village “vide de grenier” -  literally a day to empty one’s attic. This the French version of a yard sale, but here the entire village is ..read more