Possumworld

This was the last official week of summer vacation here in France. The remaining vacation stragglers will be heading home to the “real” world of work and school.

Clearly, Summer decided to go out with a bang, as we had a real furnace blast of heat for several days this week. It made me understand what so many of you have gone through this year and be extra grateful that we’d mostly escaped it.  Then, it real Possum Kingdom style, within a matter of hours yesterday, the heat blew out and a storm blew in, dropping temperatures to more normal (and comfortable) levels. This morning it was downright chilly when we walked the dogs and this afternoon feels pretty much perfect.

But it’s already looking a lot like Fall outside; the leaves have been dropping from the plane trees (probably more to do with the heat than the season) and they are crunching underfoot with that definite autumn sound.

And, also this morning, for the first time it was pretty dark when we went out ; most of that was due to cloud cover but not all of it. I can see that soon we’ll be needing flashlights again for first walkies.

I also feel like cooking again, something that I haven’t felt much like doing in the summer heat. Thoughts of soups, stews and casseroles are running around in my head and I can’t wait to experiment as well as rediscover old favorites.

I can’t say that I mind any of this, as Fall remains my favorite season. I look forward to having the chimney swept so we can light the first fire of the season; I look forward to the smell of wood smoke in the air; I look forward to the agricultural fair in Espezel.  Yes, it is a good time of year!

Ciao for now.

Randy

It’s been a bit of the summer doldrums here, as the lazy days of August have led to not much news that’s fit to print.

Even though our various summer friends have been around, everyone seems all caught up in doing work on houses and family matters, so it has been much quieter than summers we’ve had in the past.

In some ways, even though there is still over a week of August left, it feels like Fall is already upon us. I wonder if that’s one of the signs of getting older; all time feels compressed. JM and I were talking about some things that are happening at the end of the year, and at first it seemed far away, but really, it’s only a couple of months now. Maybe we never give ourselves time to enjoy what we are living in the “now” because we are always too present in our own futures.

On the local front, I would imagine that we are going to have one more vide grenier before the season is over, as we usually have three during the summer. No signs about it yet though.

And, for those who are interested in visiting the region, relatively new British residents, Dave and Toni have been working like maniacs getting their new gites up and running.  They are a lovely couple and have done an amazing job. I’ve already sent them a friend who is going to stay in October.

In fact, according to an article in l’Independent this week, visitors to Carcassonne in July were at the highest number ever. That makes me think that more of those visitors are venturing afield and finding our little corner of the Possum Kingdom. I do know that when our friends were looking for accommodation in early October, almost every place that they checked was already booked. That’s both good and bad, I suppose. Good for local businesses and tourist destinations, scary if you don’t want the area to turn into another Provence.

Still, how can you deny the joys of the Languedoc to anyone who wants to experience it for themselves?

Ciao for now.

Randy

I’ve been watching the weather around the world and I think that we are very lucky here in the Possum Kingdom. Now, I’m not sure that EVERYONE feels that way, because if you are a fan of lizard-like heat, we are not having that. But those of us who like more moderate temperatures have no complaints.

We had a very hot beginning of July as you may remember, without a drop of rain for almost a month. Then about two weeks or so ago (maybe a bit longer, time kind of flows together these days) the weather changed; it cooled down and we had several goodly storms. We’ve had days that have felt more fall-like than summer-like.

Now, personally, this suits me to a T. I think that temperatures in the low 20s (70s F) are just about perfect. Granted, lots of rain during dog-walking hour is less than ideal, but I can cope. I do feel bad for the people who come here to camp, as I can’t imagine much that is more miserable than trying to camp in the rain. Still, I’m inside, so I don’t really care!

As always, you can always tell when it’s August here. First, if you have to drive anywhere you need to be really, really careful on the roads. We’ve had several times when we’ve been out that have been a bit on the scary side. I understand that our roads are narrow, but that really does not give people a reason to drive down the center of the road! There is a white line in the middle for a reason; it is not a “user’s suggestion.”  Nothing freaks me out more than coming upon a driver from a different department/country who is heading towards me in MY lane while he/she is talking on their cell phone and the only place I can go to get out of their way is into a ravine leading down to a river. I do not want to end my days that way.

Then, there are the people who drive through the village looking at the quaint buildings instead of the road. Yes, our village is pretty, but park your car and get out; please don’t run me or my dogs over while you look at it!

There is also a lot of construction going on, which is a good thing over all. It means that people are buying the houses in the village and fixing them up with the intention of staying here, whether as permanent residents or holiday residents, I don’t know. But it’s good for a village to have life in it. And houses that are fixed up make a village look lived in and attractive, not sad and run down. All good signs. It keeps the businesses busy, which may draw more businesses, and that means that those of us who live here have places to shop.

All-in-all, we are very lucky indeed.

Ciao for now.

Randy

It’s hard to miss news about this weekend’s San Diego Comic Con International. I have to admit that it totally cracks me up whenever I see it.

JM and I used to go to Comic Con way, way back in the day when it was just a normal comic book convention. A GOOD comic book convention, but a normal comic book convention. It was held at the original convention center in downtown San Diego, and we didn’t even fill THAT to capacity the first year or two that we went.

It was a fun way to get together with old friends and meet new ones, and for newbies and wannabes in the biz, as we were then, it was a terrific opportunity to make connections and hopefully get a foot in the door. I’m talking about the early 80′s here and the entire world was a different place back then.

By the time we did our last Comic Con in 2004, we already had realized that we no longer fit into what was by then a massive media convention. Small publishers and writers like us and Black Coat Press were just lost amidst the major studios and film promos. Even in 2004 it was starting to get difficult to find comic books at the comic book convention.

So, yesterday morning, instead of struggling bleary-eyed to spend yet another day at a booth in a massive convention center, surrounded by hordes of zombies looking for freebies and swag what were JM and I doing? We got up at our usual 6:30, same time we would have gotten up in San Diego, but instead we took the dogs over to the gardens for a walk along the river. Peaches romped in the grass and chased the birds that she knew she  would never catch. Shmoo pulled JM into the field to sniff the alfalfa that is growing towards the sky.

Then, I looked into the misty morning river and saw a magnificent blue heron standing there fishing for his (or her) breakfast! It was a moment frozen in time; an instant as far away from Comic Con as it was possible to be. I saw the heron; the heron saw me and then spread its massive wings and flew into the dawn sky.

I wouldn’t trade that experience for all the comic book conventions that ever were or ever will be.

Ciao for now.

Randy

Yesterday was the big day and I have to admit it was a blast.

First, we staked out a much better position than we had two years ago. Instead of standing right at the end of Cours Colbert watching as they came over the bridge, we were on Cours Sully so we saw them as they took the turn. It enabled us to see them a little better and it allowed us to sit in the shade, which is a major consideration when you’re outside in July for a couple of hours.

The majority of people were on the Cours Reynaud at either the café or the Hotel de France, so our area wasn’t super crowded, which was great for those of us trying to score “swag”

"Official" merchandise for sale

First these guys came by selling stuff, but we wanted the freebies that came later.

Credit Lyonnais, an official Sponsor

JM scored a great baseball cap from CL Considering that he used to work for them, he figured he even deserved it!

No idea who these people are.

Some of the cool things came by and didn’t throw stuff, but we enjoyed seeing them anyway.

Another Yeti

I love this little guy and would like one to drive around town.

This one was throwing candy

I would have liked to see this one make a narrow turn

Too bad they weren’t throwing out samples, since they’re from the Caisse d’Epargne, which is a bank!!

Really crackers!

Everyone was happy to get the samples from these guys, because it was lunchtime and we were all hungry!

Unfortunately, my camera battery was low, so I missed a few of the really outrageous Swagmobiles, including one with some very good looking, semi-naked men on it! The were selling detergent, and I am still trying to figure out a: what that had to do with the Tour de France and b: what that had to do with detergent!

Anyway, the Caravan, as it is called, lasted for about 45 minutes, then there was about a 45 minute break, which was perfect timing for us to go  home to grab a quick bite to eat, charge up the camera and get back in time for the main event. Those of you who have been reading me for long enough know that two years ago when the Tour came through town, JM missed the actual race because at the last minute my mom decided she needed to go up to the bathroom and before he could get her out of the house, the bikes went by and it was over! This year we told her if she wanted to come and see it, she could walk over herself. But she decided not to bother, so we were in prime position in plenty of time.

One of the people sitting near us was listening to the radio and he was able to tell us where they were, so we could get into position in plenty of time. There was a break away of about five riders who were 10 minutes ahead of the main peloton.

Then, as predicted, 10 minutes later the rest of the gang roared through:

And, that was it. It was all over until the next time they come to town. Maybe you can be here to see it for yourselves.

Ciao for now!

Randy (off to fight over the swag with JM)

Unbelievably, it has now been almost eight months since our little Miz Peaches LaRoo waltzed into our lives. The time has really zipped by and she has made wonderful progress integrating into our little family unit.

I need another treat!

She is Border Collie through and through, so there are quirks aplenty, of course. She learns everything (whether we want her to or not) with lightning speed. She goes towards every action with joy and enthusiasm, consequences be damned. No one will EVER sneak up on us, as unlike her placid brother Shmoo, Peaches is protective of her family and will bark at the slightest noise. This is good if a burglar wants to get in; this is bad if we are trying to sleep with the windows open on a warm summer’s night.

New things in the home are greeted with a certain modicum of suspicion and must prove themselves to be not a threat. It took several days for the new fan we purchased for the television room to be accepted as a “good” thing and not a “bad” one. It was a bit touch and go for a while though, but we are now all able to enjoy a cool breeze while watching TV of an evening.

I was quite concerned about thunderstorms, as our darling Diva Maggie was completely terrorized by them and only managed to get through them with a dose of Xanax. In fact, that didn’t even totally calm her down, just made it so that she was a quaking puddle of terror. I was very pleased to note that Miz Peaches doesn’t seem to mind thunder in the least; following the lead of big brother Shmoo and snoozing peacefully right through even the loudest booms without the slightest twitch of an ear.

We still have to get through the 14th of July next week, of course, so fingers remain crossed for that. I am not expecting miracles, but luckily, as long as she is safely inside our house, she seems to feel secure no matter what is going on outside, and I’m hoping this will hold true for firecrackers and fireworks as well.

I am also very pleased that the Peach is totally reliable off-leash as long as her big brother is not free to roam. I’m afraid that Shmoo-Alexander’s roaming days are over now that he’s shown his true  colors and Husky spirit. Even an obedient Miss like Peaches can’t be expected to obey when her beloved brother is out in the fields having fun and chasing voles!

She has, however, developed a very strange habit. It started slowly. When I would go out she would take one of my bedroom slippers and put it on her cushion downstairs. Then, she would take both of my slippers. Soon, she started taking them and putting them up on the couch in my office, which has become “her” place. I began to put my slippers out of her reach after she couldn’t control herself one day and instead of just taking my slippers took a little nibble.

She graduated to JM’s slippers, then to his sports shoes, which she chewed to pieces. So he had to start putting those out of her reach as well. We thought the problem was resolved. But lately, while I am taking my shower, she has started to remove JM’s socks from the bedroom. Now, we don’t have a chest of drawers, he just keeps them on a piece of furniture with shelves, so it’s hard to have them totally hidden away.

At first, I guess she was running a test, because I would come out and find one sock on the floor. Then a couple of socks on the floor. Then I would find one sock in my office, but this morning there were about half-a-dozen of them in my office! Clearly, the OCD is kicking in! I’m sure that it means something to her, because she looks very irritated when I pick them up and put them back.

Border Collies; you’ve gotta love ‘em!

Ciao for now and don’t chase too many voles!

Randy

Not all of these really go together, but for us they seem to be interconnected this year.

First, the phone company. I have a simple philosophy about my phone and internet service: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I learned years ago back in L.A. that there is very little benefit to trying to save money by changing carriers. Sure, when everything is working you may save a few shekels, but if anything goes wrong you always seem to get shafted with the other guys, because they all rent their basic wires from the main phone company. So, to get things fixed, they still need to go through them and it just takes longer.

Thus, when we moved here I didn’t even question it; we went with France Telecom/Orange (or Wanadoo as they were then strangely called). Life plowed on, things worked all was basically okay. But we did make one mistake. When we briefly decided to try running a real estate business before realizing that a: we didn’t actually like selling real estate and b: we were never, ever going to sell a thing, we put our mobile phone into the name of the business, so it was a “professional” number. We had to do it, because we needed an official business number to have a company. When we closed down the business we weren’t as active as we should have been in reclaiming that number and Orange really doesn’t make doing that kind of thing easy.

We filled out a bunch of paperwork, but eventually the attempt failed. I would have let it ride, but I wanted to change my phone service to a different plan that I couldn’t get because it was only available for “individuals” and the phone number was a “professional” number. So there was only one thing to do; cancel our nice, easy to remember number that we’d had for over five years.

While talking to a rep at the Orange store he looked at our phone and internet service and said we could save money by changing all that around too. We were getting 8 Mb and we could get 20 Mb plus unlimited calling to the U.S., France, Europe, etc. with an internet line and wind up saving over 300 euros a year on our phone service. It really did make sense.

“Our Livebox is five years old,” I said, “should I change it?” “Oh no, it will be fine.” I asked several times; I explained we worked online; I was assured there was no problem. Do I even need to tell you what happened next?

Because, what for me seemed to be simply changing a fee structure, for the phone company is actually more complicated than that and entails canceling an old service and restarting a new service. It also meant that for the new speed to work properly, our phone line had to be perfect, and that’s where the old Livebox (modem) comes in. At 9 am Wednesday morning, our internet was working; at 9:05, it wasn’t.

Now, the thing about it is that it would work, then it wouldn’t work, then it would work, then it wouldn’t. I was convinced it was a hardware problem, but the people at telecom kept telling me it wasn’t. And, strangely, we went over to see if Mom’s internet was working and hers wasn’t either! So we called the phone company and they ran a test on her line that showed a problem. They sent a technician out on Friday and he showed a problem which came down to her Livebox having a fault. We connected my Livebox to her line and THAT showed a fault too. He connected a third modem and that one was fine, so, coincidentally, both of our Liveboxes were fried at the same time.

It turns out that they’re sensitive little creatures. They don’t like power surges and blackouts, both of which we get plenty of around here. We do have surge protectors, but I guess they’re not enough. I went and got new modems and when I connected them, all the problems were fixed, so that was clearly what was going on. I’m now waiting for several PUPS to come (battery power backups) that will protect against future highs and lows and hopefully keep things from going boom again in the future.

I did finally get a new mobile phone too and I can even remember the new number, but I don’t think JM can yet. But I think my philosophy about not messing with the phone company is still a good one!

Now, summertime and heat: after a slow start, both are finally here. I think a lot of us were convinced that we were going to have a summer like the one in 2006 where it stayed cloudy and cool most of the summer, but that is for sure not happening this year. Temps have been in the upper 80s and low 90s and although we get storms predicted, they don’t seem to materialize. So far, it’s staying cool inside and it does cool down into the low 70s at night, so we’re able to get comfortable.

But, if it stays like this it’s going to be HOT, HOT, HOT when the TOUR DE FRANCE comes through on Sunday 18 July! In fact, that’s the end of a week’s worth of Chalabre events starting with the first vide grenier of the summer this coming Sunday, 11 July. Wednesday 14 July is an aperitif under the covered market where new residents and old residents can meet and greet, followed by a light lunch and dancing at 2:00. Then on Saturday 17 July, contributors to this year’s short story collect “Histoire d’Eau” will be signing and selling books in the Town Hall. A special edition of “Histoire d”Eau” will be on sale with all proceeds going to help wildlife clean up efforts in the Gulf of Mexico.

So, there is a big update that hopefully makes up for my long silence.

Ciao for now and  keep cool.

Randy

Once we were in our hotel room, we barely had time to catch our breath before we had to run back out to see JM’s folks. I have to say I was a bit shocked when we did see them, as they had really aged badly in the past three years. My MIL had been forced to retire (she IS 75, but still, she didn’t want to ever stop working) and she took it all rather badly. To be fair, her boss had treated her extremely rudely, and she is a sensitive woman; she has never really recovered from the shock. My FIL just has aged; again, it was his 80th birthday while we were there, so I suppose it is understandable.

The worst thing was looking around their huge apartment and seeing the enormous amount of stuff that had to be dealt with in order for them to move. No wonder they are unable to cope with it at their age; JM and I barely felt able to cope with it at our age; not that we’re particularly young either.

Making it all worse is that they really seem unable to make decisions. That is not really anything new, mostly because I don’t think they actually know what it is that they truly want. And I believe that was the biggest benefit of our visit, to help get them on a more decided path.

JM did a great job taking things in hand, going through the books and taking the ones that we wanted to bring down here, putting aside the things that they should move with them to Toulon and helping them to sort through the stacks upon stacks of papers that are everywhere in their apartment. Part of the problem is that they started a charity a number of years ago and there are dozens of dossiers relating to that everywhere. Now that they are moving they have retired from that, but until it winds down at the end of the year the dossiers remain. Once those are gone the papers will disappear as well and life will be simplified for everyone.

When we weren’t busy with the ‘rents, we did find some time to go out and have lunch at our favorite Chinese restaurant, Mirama, on the rue St. Jacques and shoot some video for those who don’t expect fine art.
Paris on YouTube.
I had forgotten how much one walks in Paris though. We walk about 90 minutes or more a day here in the Possum Kingdom, but it is not at all the same thing as walking in Paris! Our feet, legs and backs were killing us from pounding that pavement all the time. And, despite my finding a pair of great shoes at Au Vieux Campeur, I still have a healing blister on one of my toes that makes it painful to walk the dogs.

I also had a couple of those “epiphany” moments that get you every once in awhile. Both of them came while we were on public transportation. The first was in a bus, where I was sitting in one of the seats where you are supposed to get up if a person who is elderly or of reduced mobility gets in and needs a seat; I always get up. Then I realized I kind of qualify to sit there now! The second time was in the subway; a young man (maybe 20) got up to give the old lady his seat; that was ME. I’m now an old lady! Yikes!! When did that happen???? Just shoot me now.

Other things I realized while we were there were that I no longer have any particular burning desire to shop. Now that we’ve got the internet, I can get anything I want delivered to me at home so I really don’t need to go into a store in Paris to browse and buy. Yes, I did do one quick browse around the Galerie Lafayette, which is always a bit of a lark, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I once would have. Part of that is lack of money to really buy anything, but part of it is that I think I’ve reached a stage in my life where I don’t really want much of anything.

Mostly, I just wanted to come home.

We made one big mistake, and that was not leaving Paris on Friday afternoon and stopping at the halfway point to spend the night before finishing the drive on Saturday. I don’t think we’ll do that again. A hotel is a hotel and a hotel not in Paris would even have been less expensive and probably more enjoyable, all things considered. To top it off, we hit absolutely dire weather outside of Toulouse and the visibility was even worse than the fog we drove through in the Massif Central; I nearly had to stop the car because I couldn’t see a thing. I was pretty terrified to be honest.

I know we’re going to have to go back to help my in-laws again and the next time we’ll have a bit more time for advance planning. I am sure there are better ways to manage it all. I have to say I will not be sorry once they finally move and I don’t have to return to Paris again. I think my days of enjoying it are behind me.

Ciao for now.

Randy

I didn’t want to write about this beforehand, for rather obvious reasons. We just went to Paris for four days and are back absolutely exhausted and thrilled to return to our little corner of paradise.

We actually haven’t seen JM’s parents since June of 2007! In fact, the last time we were in Paris was just when my stepfather was diagnosed with liver cancer and all of our lives changed forever. Since Mom has come here to live, it has been almost impossible for us to get away, and I’m afraid JM’s parents have taken a bit of a back seat.

They are really unable to travel down to see us, because JM’s dad had bladder cancer a number of years ago and was left with an external bladder. For a variety of reasons, this has not been entirely successful and he has a lot of problems with leaking, etc. They find even going out to dinner rather difficult and traumatic, so staying with other people just doesn’t work for them.

Now, though, they are confronted with moving from the apartment they have been renting for 40 years and retiring to their much smaller apartment in Toulon. My in-laws are not “copers” and this entire thing is rather overwhelming for them. Since their place in Toulon is already furnished, they have to sell everything that is in their place in Paris and they just can’t do it, so we went up to help get the show on the road.

Luckily they have a family friend who started the ball rolling, but you can’t ask outsiders to do everything and we needed to step in.

But getting away was complicated. We were blessed that our dear friend Noëlle kindly volunteered to check on Mom while we were gone so she wouldn’t feel totally isolated; I don’t see how we could have both gone otherwise. And since part of the reason for this trip was for us to bring back items that we wanted from their place, we needed to both go so we could drive and carry heavy suitcases.

We decided that since we were going anyway we would try to make it a little bit fun and would visit the Millau viaduct on the way up. We had been wanting to do this since it opened and this was really the first opportunity we had. Going this way adds about 100 kilometers to the trip, but it really is one of those things that is worth the detour, as it is a truly spectacular thing to see. It’s the longest cable bridge in the world and is really beautiful.

Millau Viaduct

Unfortunately, the weather was horrible and stayed mostly horrible for the entire time we were away. That route takes you straight through the Massif Central mountain range and one point we were about 1200 meters up. Because of the bad weather we were actually driving in the clouds and had about 10 feet of visibility ahead of us. Since the speed limit on the autoroute is 130 kmh, that is kind of scary if everyone doesn’t slow down! I did and just prayed that everyone behind me was too.

We stopped for lunch in the Auvergne region, which is known for its food. We just stopped at a rest stop on the highway but had an excellent lunch. I know that sounds impossible, but in France it isn’t. Now, not all rest stops have decent restaurants, but I’ve noticed that there are restaurants that are run by chains (like the gas stations and the equivalent of a Howard Johnson’s) and there are restaurants that appear to be run by the company that runs the autoroutes. Those tend to have good food. The one where we stopped had free range, non-ogm fed roast chicken, aligot (mashed potatoes blended with local cheese), fresh, locally made pastry, etc. all for about 11 euros per person.

The other thing about French autoroute shops is that they sell really delicious local products. You can actually spend a fortune on things that you really want to eat when you get home if you’re not careful.

When we finally got back down out of altitude I hoped that the driving would be better, but the entire rest of the way into Paris we were buffeted by horrendous high winds that made it difficult to hold Beanie on the road. She’s a good little car but made for neither speed nor wind. I can tell you that it was a harrowing drive. We eventually rolled into Paris at 6:30; 11 hours after we’d left home. And, of course, we then had to make our way through traffic to our hotel! Luckily JM is a great navigator and got me there. I was a little worried about going around the Bastille, but I was surprised that at that hour traffic was much less bad than I had expected.

By the time we pulled into the underground parking at the Ibis Bastille, I was very happy to know that I wasn’t going to be driving for several days, however. I was tired. I just don’t drive like that anymore and I had forgotten how exhausting it was; of course I knew I was going to have to do it all again a few days later, but that would be going home and I hoped for better weather.

More to come later.

Ciao for now.

Randy