FRENCH WORD-A-DAY

Sigh...it sounds divine! I feel rested as I finish your last word of this post. I have a passion for trees and being out indulging nature and have secretly fallen in love with a huge Eucalyptus. I think about it, muse over my hugs around its trunk with closed eyes - those aromatic moments embraced by its whispering leaves. D'accord these stolen moments we must attend, as they recharge the very soul....

Ah, to be able to lie under a tree, even bundled up in fleece, I'd be lying on 3-4 feet of snow. Instead we snowshoed among the trees and with the deer in the river bottoms. I can't wait for Spring to be able to, as Suzanne said, smell the earth again, but this year it's going to be many months before that can happen!

And who might Lily be? I don't see a search function on the site, so I must ask. A former furry friend of some sort?

Sounds a lovely way to spend Sunday. I too love trees. I photograph them when ever possible,but unfortunately don't get a lot of time to lie under them ,except on holiday !
My youngest daughter a resident of Alaska is about to move to Phoenix. I shall visit her sometime so perhaps I might be able to link up with Herm & Sharon ??

Yes, we should all lie outside now and then and look at the sky. Probably most of you have gazed at clouds from time to time and "seen" things in them of various shapes.

Pat Cargill, if you get to the D.C. area sometime (I know it's close to 200 miles from you), you could look me up. Give me a day or more notice on this blog.

I remember Lily. The story, which I reread, was especially poignant because a couple of days ago, out driving, I saw a cat by the side of the road, without, it seemed, a mark on it. I made a U-turn, parked off the road, and went to look at it. I'd hope it might just have been knocked unconscious, but apparently was killed by a passing car. On closer inspection, I did find a wound. I felt so sorry for that cat, and I know there are many like it. I thought the comment that appreciating life anew was Lily's legacy was a tribute to her.

Do you still have the other cat, Coco?

The afternoon siesta outdoors sounds lovely! It is so good to put faces to the fellow French-Word-A Day followers too! I enjoyed my Sunday afternoon walking outside on the walking trails near my home in San Diego and admiring the view and the clearness of the air after all the rain we have had recently. The earth is greener and bright with budding flowers everywhere. I must remember to stop and pause more on these trails and relax on the benches. Thanks for the inspiration!

Lovely thoughts. Melancholy mixed with hope. best to you and yours.

Cindylee, enjoyed my visit to your site. Great turkey photos, too!

Bill in St Paul, quelle chance to see the deers in the snow. (also: thanks for helping Cyndy with the link! And to Cyndy, for your interest in the story.)

Alastair: many thanks for pointing out "soil" or "earth" -- much better. I will try to remember next time. Meantime, I'll see about changing things in the text to this story.

Mike: hope you find some others to meet up with. Send photos! And thanks for sharing the poets, and for Passante, for recommending and for pointing out La Terre (I'm reading some excerpts now.)

Suzanne and Audrey - here's hoping you find the perfect tree under which to rest and to dream.

Pat: loved the swing set recycling. Also: JM appreciated your sound file feedback, which I read aloud to him via shouts down the hall to his bureau... Can one hear "blushing"? I think I did!

Marianne, Coco ran away two years ago. I never wrote about it because I felt too awful, and believed it was my fault for not having neutered him on time (I had taken him in but the vet said she couldn't do the procedure as Coco had a cold. That week he ran away).

Julie, enjoyed your reminder to stop and to use those benches -- taking it all in. Enjoy the "budding flowers everywhere".

Karen, thanks again, and to Herm, (and Sharron and Bob, too!) for the photo.

THank you Alicia, just saw your note, and Karen W... off to read your email now :-)

I'm dreaming of the time I can take my old quilt to the little patch of grass out in my back garden and lie there, looking at the clouds. Or the stars, depending on the time of day. But it's going to be -2 F for a high temperature this week in Minnesota and there are 3 feet of snow in the backyard...and I hate making snow angels, so I'll have to wait.

Can't you get just so much thinking done in that position: face-up to the sky? Sometimes I take my harp outside and just let the wind play the strings for me. Oh spring, where are you?

Salut Kristin,

I enjoyed today’s story and I can relate to your relaxing experience.

Ah . . . . À comune avec la nature (to commune with nature) helps clear the cobwebs from the brain. I get a similar effect by hiking in the Arizona desert. The call of the quail, the melodious song of the cactus wren, the occasional howl of a coyote and the aroma of the creosote bushes can be very relaxing. Of course, we’re always on the lookout for the occasional rattle snake, scorpion and tarantula.

I enjoyed the rendezvous with Karen and Bob and look forward to future “meetups” with, maybe, more Francophiles from the Phoenix area.

À bientôt

Someone call a medic! It's the middle of winter and Kristin is on the rocks!

Hi Alastair - I feel the poetry within your post to Kristi, how sweet of you to kindly polish off the rough edges of her essense. I have tried to do the best with my two girls, Heidi and Kristi...made sure they grew up with the dream of college (they were
the first in our family.) I don't think you have been around this blog long enough to know I was the one kicked out of school at 16...and probably the one who embeded Kristi's fertile mind with the word "dirt".

I loved your kind lesson to "us" Kristi and me today, we've already been on the phone, she called me in Mexico just to tell me how touched she was with your reply.

Oh how I love to soar on the beauty and power of words.

XOXO

JULES

I went back and read your "Lily" post. We too, had rescued a little kitty. She was older than Lily, but still did that strange double dip from near comatose to almost perky and then down again. It was a near thing for her, but she did eventually make it. Cats are such fragile creatures and so hard to read.

You gave me pause with your beautifully written story to Thank God for our little fuzzy friend. My husband, in particular, tends to take her for granted now she's grown, but she is a very lucky little girl, as are we for having her in our home!

As always, I love your posts! Keep us thinking and remembering to be grateful Kristin!!

Kristin,
Love your story today! I enjoy lying on the grass and looking up at the sky. We had a hammock tied between two trees when Tara was in kindergarten and every day when she got home we would have lunch and then read a book and gaze up through the trees. She would usually fall asleep and I would just treasure that time we had together. I clicked over to your June 2, 2008 FWAD "pipette" and read about Lily. What a cute little kitten and I'm sorry she didn't pull through.

Beautiful, loved these words today.

Hi John,
You may find the following lines useful:

- "par terre" -> if outside = on the ground
- "par terre" -> if indoors = on the floor
- une question "terre à terre" = a basic question
- avoir "les pieds sur terre" = to be down to earth, realistic, practical, full of common sense

- "sur la terre comme au ciel" = on earth as it is in heaven -> used in the Lord prayer context (God's will being done "sur la terre comme au ciel")

- "revenir sur terre" (figurative)
used in the 'imperative mode' to tell a dreamy person to face the real world!
"Reviens sur terre"! = Come back to earth!

Hope it all makes sense.

Hello Kristin,
I can see a sort of rubber mattress / air mattress, so, I guess this was the spot where you had your nap on Sunday afternoon, "près de ton petit olivier" (near your little olive tree) - ... a nap? keeping your eyes wide open and your mind fully active. I guess you did close your eyes for a while... Well, what a wonderful place to unfold and to let your mind wandering about.

Impossible to do the same here on my "petite parcelle de terre", which is NOT a field, but a simple garden. It was wet, wet wet and slightly windy. Besides, I am suffering from a head cold at the moment and hoping it won't turn into sinusitis. So, my best place was not outside but, as you may guess, in my sitting room, by the woodburner. I was sitting very comfortably, my hands and fingers fully active, delighted to get on with some craftwork, while my husband enjoyed some indoor tennis practice at the local club.

"J'adore la terre", but at this time of the year, I simply let it sleep. It needs its rest, and there is no work for me to do to the soil, the plants or the trees.
It is rare to have a bright blue sky these days, so, "je prends le temps comme il vient" (= I take the weather as it comes). I get used to the 'all grey up there' and get my compensation by looking further down for other treasures from Mother Nature.
At this time of the year, nothing for me is more uplifting than the lily-of the valley type of perfume of this lovely little evergreen shrub called 'sarcococca' ('the Xmas box' - must try to find the French name) - almost insignificant flowers, but what a rich sent (just by my front door).

Although Winter will still be with us for a while, the days are lengthening a tiny bit, crocuses have just started to show the tip of their heads... The early daffodils will soon follow!... primroses are getting ready. One of our variety of hamamelis in the front garden gave us a dainty yellow surprise over the weekend! What a treat! The Vibernum Tinus are in full bloom, and the Viburnum bodnantense 'Dawn' are once again full of small clusters of pink heavily scented flowers... Still plenty of red berries and crab apples for the birds but also plenty of 'energy food' in the various bird feeders scattered in the garden!
Spring is still a long way away and I haven't taken the time to dream about Summer - well, no yet.

Thank you Jules and Kristin. I was afraid I might have raised some eyebrows, if not ire, but you have both responded gently. Gentil /le - amiable, kind. So much French in English. And I often feel that we should not find French difficult. I have been trying to write a passage of about 500 words in French using only words which are common to both languages but my French is not up to that level. A project for you Kristin? It is not as easy as it seems. I see many of you are feeling winter blues while it's midsummer down here at 34 degrees south latitude and snow is only seen on the mountain ranges as a light dusting in June or July. This is not to be envied as we live in a water-stressed region. I enjoy all your comments.

Ah to lie under the curly willow in my back yard and gaze up at the sky. But alas the willow wispy yellow branches are coated in ice and the sky is grey/white dripping a wintry mix. When it clears in the next few days I will go out, stand under it, look up at the sky and think of you in lovely Provence. Thank you for transporting me to all of the wonderful times I too have laid on my back and stared up at the sky letting all of the tensions of the day flow into the earth.

J'adore la description de la contemplation du ciel et de la nature. Ma classe de français a appris beaucoup aujourd'hui!
Bisous!
La classe de français a Harpeth Hall!

Sorry that Coco ran away. I hope he found a good home.

Another note on cats: Years ago, I had a cat whom I named "Ami." I explained to the vet and others that it was French for "friend," yet they always wanted to call him (yes, him), "Amy."

Pat Cargill, yes, if J-M gets to the D.C. area, or reasonably close to it, again, I plan to be there.

I'll be glad to meet with Any FWAD readers whether or not there is a wine-tasting, if you are in or near Washington, D.C. sometime. We could have lunch or dinner and speak some French. Give me some notice on the blog.