Sad Day in the Possum Kingdom

We've learned this morning that M. Montoro, Manu's uncle whom everyone knows as "Pepete" passed away during the night.

He had been in the hospital for about 10 days, and had undergone a coronary bypass, but was recovering nicely and scheduled to leave the hospital Monday for a re-education center. Because he had polio and was in a wheelchair, he used his arms for everything. Clearly, having his chest cut open seriously limited his arm movement and strength, so he was going to be there for a month or so to fully recover.

Yesterday, his family had visited him in Toulouse and he was doing great.

Unfortunately, at 5:00 this morning, he started to feel unwell, and by the time the medical personnel got to him, it was too late.

The entire village is in shock and mourning. We all feel as if we've lost a member of our family and can't imagine life in the village without the Pepete always out, a kind word and smile for everyone.

All of our sympathies and love go out to the entire Montoro clan, and our prayers are with the Papete.

Randy

Only 24 days till Christmas!

Happy December 1st! The official countdown to Christmas has begun.

Living in a place where it gets cold for Christmas and where there is an actual possibility of snow, was one of the things that JM and I most enjoyed last year. We had forgotten, after almost 30 years in Los Angeles, that Christmas has its own set of smells, sounds and sensations in a place that "does" winter.

The weather is finally cooperating, with nighttime temps getting down to freezing, and everything looking frosty and misty in the morning. When we go out for our evening walk, there is that distinct smell of winter in the air: a blend of woodsmoke and frost that you just don't find in a city. It tends to make both of have those Proustian "Memories of things past" moments.

Even the residents of the Possum Kingdom, who often tend to complain about the weather no matter what it is, seem to be quite pleased at the change. Everyone is getting into the seasonal mood, putting up decorations, making holiday plans, etc. It is a really cheerful time of year.

The downside of the cold is that you often don't see quite as much of the neighbors, as everyone does tend to huddle indoors on a winter's evening, but I guess we can't have everything. We're trying to lure them out tonight, with JM giving a slide show about California at the library. Noëlle and I are both baking treats to serve afterwards, so maybe the combination of pretty pictures and the first of the holiday goodies will be enough to tempt a few folks out of hibernation.

Ciao for now.

Randy

Weather Woes

I bet you thought I was going to talk about how bad the weather is. But you are wrong. I'm going to talk about how GOOD it is.

Indeed, it is strangely, weirdly, unseasonably good.

True, if you're in France on vacation, this is probably a nice thing. And, even for those of us who are out and about, it's much simpler and more pleasant with the sun shining and warm temperatures. But, let's be honest: it's the end of November! We should have frost and crisp days where you need to be wearing a sweater and stoking the fireplace.

Instead, people are wandering around in t-shirts during the day. We're having Los Angeles weather, not Pyrenees weather. Although, in Los Angeles last weekend I understand they were having full-blown summer as opposed to even a typical, warm but not hot L.A. November.

Everyone here is talking about it, and not with the pleased tones you would expect when it's so nice outside. Most people feel concerned and wish things would move on to the "norm," even though that is decidedly less comfortable. I don't think we've even had a hard frost yet this year; which frankly isn't all that good for agriculture, even though you'd think it was.

Lots of things need to be cold to really bloom and fruit the following year. Certainly, insects are better kept under control when it gets cold. We don't have termites, for example, because the cold winters keep them away. Will this change? I don't know.

No one knows for sure whether this is just a normal variation or if it's due to global warming, but everyone is blaming global warming nevertheless. We all need to be concerned by it, though, because if it continues, it's a sign that our world is changing forever.

Ciao for now.

Randy