un comprimé
Monday, March 26, 2012
Through thick and thin. Photo of Braise (pronounced "brez") and son Smokey--or one of his five sisters? Photo taken over two years ago. Braise still cleans her 30-month-old's face, still lets him rest his head anywhere on her fluffy pillow of a body. She'll never run away without him, and vice-versa, which is why we can keep one dog chained and the other free (they take turns being attached when out in the yard). Still, once in a while they manage to foil the system, and off they go on another escapade....
un comprimé (kohm-pree-may)
: tablet (medication)
Example Sentence
Si votre enfant a du mal à avaler un comprimé, mettez-le dans un petit bout de fromage.
If your child has difficulty swallowing a tablet, put it in a little piece of cheese.
A Day in a French Life... by Kristin Espinasse
"Drug Smuggling"
Braise and Smokey are fine--good as new, in spite of another run in with l'inconnu. The dogs snuck out around 7 pm, during the chaos of Monday evening, when I was away at the kiné's... (and while the kids were, soi-disant, in charge of things!)
We now suspect that the wounds (this time Smokey returned with a few...) might be the result of the dogs getting into something they shouldn't be getting into--like a compost bin! Out here in the campagne, people get creative about keeping wild animals out of their trash. I have heard about the use of scrap (read sharp, jagged, pointy) fencing to prevent charognards from rooting through the poubelle.
Our dogs have been known to dine on OPC (Other People's Compost)--even after a well-balanced meal here at home! An old, jagged fence or gate--used as a "keep out" cover for a compost bin--could explain the wounds which appeared, this time, on the dogs' faces. (We will need to walk the property when Jean-Marc returns, to search for the source. Some of the land around our farm has been used as an unauthorized dumping ground--where all kind of "sharpness" reigns.)
Meantime, the dogs are comme neuf: and we have tripled our efforts to keep a rein on them! On Sunday, the wounds closed enough so that Jackie and I could give the runaways a needed bath. Outside, in the shade of the mulberry tree, we scrubbed the dogs. By the time we were done, we were as soaked as our furry clients.
Once the dogs were dry (they took themselves through the spin cycle, dashing toward the closest patch of grass, diving through it like bullets), I gave them their antibiotics.
Drug Smuggling
As any dog-owner or parent knows, administering medication to an innocent can be tricky. Braise, our 6-year-old golden retriever, will spit out anything that isn't sweet or savory. Her son, Smokey, will eat anything--only, once he's seen his mama take her pills, he wants his candy-coated too...
Like my Grandmother Audrey before me, I use a tried-and-true method to dispense those bitter pills: la confiture! In the absense of Smucker's Strawberry, I find that sweet Chestnut purée works very well (we had a can of it in our frigo, I use the it for a simple and delicious cake. Only the can was left open and the purée had solidified. Instead of tossing it out, I discovered it makes a great pill-coating!
Another recent discovery is leftovers! I wish I had figured this one out earlier--before using some of our favorite cheeses (fromage being an easy way to smuggle doggy drugs--just cut off a piece, push the pill into the creamy center, and pop it in your dog's mouth!). Recently I made mashed potatoes (the bumpy kind, and not the French kind, which are perfectly puréed). Refrigerated mashed potatoes are easy to form into little balls... in which a bitter comprimé and be swiftly smuggled. The upside is that those potatoey bumps that I failed to smooth out (as expert French chefs do) now work in my favor: the dogs can't tell the difference between those, and the hard tablets which I am sneaking past their little unsuspecting noses. Voilà!
The highlighted words in today's story correspond to related stories; click on the words to access the stories:
- "another run in" = read about the first mysterious "morsure"
- "the chaos" = read about the mother-daughter melt-down that followed
- and a lot of vocabulary in Friday's kiné (kee-nay) story, don't miss it
French Vocabulary
l'inconnu (m) = the unknown
soi-disant = supposedly
la campagne = the countryside
un charognard = scavenger
la poubelle = trash
comme neuf = like new
la confiture = jam
le frigo = fridge
le fromage = cheese
un comprimé = a tablet (pill)
voilà = just like that!
- Follow these French language updates on Twitter
- Learn French in context: read these vocabulary-rich memoirs: Words in a French Life or Blossoming in Provence
***
More scenes from the USA wine tastings, this one in D.C. Pictured: our neighbor in Cairanne, Tom Mann, and Jean-Marc. Photo by JR Cook
Here is chef Collin, who helped us with last year's harvest, and this is Tom's wife, Beth, who we hope to see soon--when she comes back home to Cairanne. (photo by Suzanne Codi).
Here is Zayra, left, and Elizabeth, right, who helped with the 2010 harvest.
Mary-Noble, Charlie, and Betty (photo by Suzanne Codi)
Here is Suzanne Codi, Charlie's wife, and Jean-Marc--presenting his "Lunatique" wine.
A Message from Kristi: Ongoing support from readers like you keeps me writing and publishing this free language journal each week. If you find joy or value in these stories and would like to keep this site going, donating today will help so much. Thank you for being a part of this community and helping me to maintain this site and its newsletter.
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For more online reading: The Lost Gardens: A Story of Two Vineyards and a Sobriety
Oh boy, I guess that as much as they love the benefits of being our domesticated pets, sometimes they just would rather be animals. I guess you can use the Invisible Fence system that us suburbanites use.
I have to give our one dog pills 3 times a day. I use a Greenies product called Pill Pockets. I've tried others items like it but with no luck, Like with previous attempts of hiding pills in food, she's talented at eating the food and leaving the pill on the floor.
Good luck finding the runaway's lure! Spring is springing everywhere and even I'm feeling a little frisky. :D
Posted by: Karen Whitcome Towson, Md. USA | Monday, March 26, 2012 at 01:26 PM
Dogs are amazing creatures: my first dog , a pure bred mutt, would get the leftover peas and carrots from dinner. When he'd finished eating there would be a bowl of peas and not a carrot in sight!
Posted by: Bill in St. Paul | Monday, March 26, 2012 at 02:09 PM
Bearing in mind what's happened in the past to your lovely dogs, is it not possible to fence them in? I couldn't rest knowing my dogs could get out of our large garden, which is a lot smaller than your farm I know, but what about an area around the house being securely fenced so that you have peace of mind and they are safe from harm when they are outside on their own.
Sandie in the Limousin which is gloriously sunny again today!
Posted by: Sandie | Monday, March 26, 2012 at 02:17 PM
A lump of peanut butter, smooth or crunchy, also works well as a pill "pocket"!
Posted by: Marjorie | Monday, March 26, 2012 at 02:44 PM
I give my dog her daily arthritis pill in a piece of the cheapest pate of the supermarket. The cat begs for some too, but gets it without pill.
I used to have a Rhesus monkey who loved ice creams, and he got his medicine when needed in a frozen yoghurt!
My partner was a zoo expert. He told me that animals have the strangest tastes. Moose from the tundra love bananas, and marmosets from the jungle love raisins. desert tortoises go for strawberries or anything red.
Posted by: Marijcke Jongbloed | Monday, March 26, 2012 at 02:57 PM
HI KRISTI -
I LOVED TODAY'S POST - BROUGHT BACK MEMORIES OF HOW I USED TO ADMINISTER MED'S TO YOU AND HEIDI. IN THE END I FOUND THE MOST POWERFUL CAMOUFLAGE WAS 'THE LOOK' WHICH I HAD MASTERED AFTER DEALING WITH THE TWO OF YOU OVER THE YEARS.
YOUR PHOTO OF BRAISE AND BABY WAS A REMINDER OF ALL THE LITTLE GEMS YOU HAVE HIDDEN AWAY IN YOUR PHOTO FILE. WE ARE SO LUCKY THAT YOU HAVE SAVED THESE PRECIOUS MOMENTS TO BRIGHTEN OUR MONDAY MORNINGS. ONCE AGAIN YOU HAVE LIFTED MY SPIRT OUT OF THE PIT I DUG FOR MYSELF YESTERDAY AS I SURFED THE NET ON THE WOES OF THE WORLD...YOUR VOICE IS SO CLEAR AND PURE ON THE PATH OF RAISING OUR THOUGHTS WITH YOUR HUMOR AND BEAUTIFUL IMAGES OF LIFE.
XOXO
MOM
Posted by: JULES GREER - PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO | Monday, March 26, 2012 at 03:40 PM
Delightful photo! But your second sentence gave me a problem. When I first read it, I winced--it contains one of my big grammatical no-nos, an apostrophe where it is not appropriate (sister's). It drives me nuts when I go to a market and they have signs for apple's, orange's and onion's. But then I thought that it COULD be appropriate, if read another way--a sister's photo. Here is an excellent page on apostrophes (not apostrophe's). http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/621/01/. Please pardon the pedantry.
I am sitting at my computer watching out the window as a pair of phoebes busily build a nest on a ledge over the front door. They come year after year, and they are our faithful harbingers of spring.
Posted by: Allen Laskin | Monday, March 26, 2012 at 04:03 PM
Cream cheese and even sour cream work for our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Carmela.
Posted by: Allen Laskin | Monday, March 26, 2012 at 04:06 PM
Bonjour, Kristin - I adore the articles about Braise and Smokey. Love, love, love those doggies! I do believe it's "soi-disant," referring to "self," as in "soi-même." Hoping to come to Provence next year and drop in for that cup of tea!!
Posted by: marjorie w. | Monday, March 26, 2012 at 04:07 PM
...and Jules committed the apostrophe sin--talking about "MED'S.
Posted by: Allen Laskin | Monday, March 26, 2012 at 04:08 PM
Kristen:
No wonder you recently had a "mom-melt-down"; you have quite a juggling act to perform each day while Chief Grape is away. And you do it all, sans complaint, with determination, humor and grace. Bravo to you!
Posted by: Becky, Fayetteville, NY | Monday, March 26, 2012 at 04:28 PM
My father was a veterinarian and his trick for stubborn pill takers was liverwurst. That's similar to what Marijcke said earlier about using pate.
Posted by: Ken | Monday, March 26, 2012 at 04:32 PM
Yes, je agree's avec Becky, you have been running the "Wild west Show Francaise" by yourself for awhile now and you do it well, meltdowns' or not! Its funny, sometimes I get carried away with apostrophe's and want to slather them EVERYWHERE. Guess this's one of those days'! Just kidding, Allen...
LOVE the pic of Braise and it-must-be-Smokey! So dear.
Posted by: Pat, Roanoke, VA | Monday, March 26, 2012 at 04:59 PM
So happy the pups are finally well! Unless your dog has food allergies like Wylie (who sends greetings to B&S), Fig Newtons are awesome pill hiders! We used to give pills daily in a half-Newton to our previous dogs. It's the only trick that never wore out. ;)
Posted by: Tami | Monday, March 26, 2012 at 05:14 PM
Sandie, we do need to come up with a solution. A fence is a good idea, but it isnt a guarantee that they wont get free (digging, or somether Houdini-type act!) We will continue to look into solutions, and a fence still a good one.
Allen, thanks for the edit. Ill fix that one soon.
Thanks, everyone, for the excellent pill-hiding ideas.
Time to get the kids... then pick-up Chief Grape. Yay, hes home!
Posted by: Kristin Espinasse | Monday, March 26, 2012 at 05:31 PM
Thanks Becky and Pat -- yes, it has been quite a time, these past weeks!
Marjorie - thanks for the correction.
Posted by: Kristin Espinasse | Monday, March 26, 2012 at 06:14 PM
My Dear Mom, thank you for your words about todays story. After our talk last night, I had hoped inspiration would come -- enough to set out in a new direction vis-à-vis story-writing. In the end, I did not sleep--but tossed and turned all night. I woke up and put my fingers on the keyboard, as you taught me to; I waited... but Impatience said just write the damn update! I did think about my audience though... saints, every one of them! Enough inside talk. Looking forward to catching up via phone tomorrow (JM is home, time to serve dinner.) P.S.: oh, the look -- I hope youll show me it next time.
Posted by: Kristin Espinasse | Monday, March 26, 2012 at 07:56 PM
KRISTI DARLING - I THINK YOU SHOULD PUT AN APOSTROPHE IN
YEA, HE'S HOME!
P.S. ALLEN - I'VE BEEN STUDY'IN YOUR 'PURDUE OWL' SITE - SO MANY RULES, BUT I'LL KEEP RE-READ'IN...
YES, I HAVE SO MANY SIN'S.
XOXO
JULES
Posted by: JULES GREER - PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO | Monday, March 26, 2012 at 07:58 PM
Love the apostrophe and your use of it Jules. So glad the dogs are OK. We had to electrify a frence around our backyard once to keep our Gorden setter in but he got smart and would listen for the electricity to be turned off (you could hear a slight buzzing when it was on) and under the wire he'd go. When he got desperate, you could see him take a breath and go like blue blazes despite the shock. Glad you've now got Jean-Marc back with you but glad we all had him for a short while & we now have Rouge Bleu to dream with.
Posted by: Susan Carter, Westminster, CA | Monday, March 26, 2012 at 08:14 PM
Kristin, I love today's post and I love Jules' reply (apostrophe usage totally without irony!). Like Marjorie, I like to cover my dog's medication with peanut butter! By the time he finishes swallowing it all, he has swallowed his pill, too. And Allen, the apostrophe thing is one of my pet peeves as well, but in this instance it can kind of work either way. So glad JM is home ... why doesn't he arrange to come to Las Vegas next time? Kisses to Braise and Smokey!
Posted by: Julianna | Monday, March 26, 2012 at 08:43 PM
Kristi,
Here's another idea to get pills into dogs(used to dose my FOUR golden retrievers): dogs are always looking for the "next bite." Put your pill in whatever treat the dog loves, but have a SECOND bite of that same treat in your other hand. As you give the pill-infused treat to the dog, let them see treat #2. My experience is that they are so fixated on that second treat that they would swallow almost anything to get to it!
Posted by: Kathy | Monday, March 26, 2012 at 08:54 PM
Susan, thanks for sharing your story about the electric fence (the blue blazes part is so funny -- dogs to jump at their chances at adventure!
Kathy, that is an excellent tip about treat number 2. Our dogs are the same: so focused on the next treat they quickly gulp down the first. I will try this.
I am enjoying all of these pill-feeding tips. Many thanks!
Re apostrophes, one aggravating thing is that they do not show up in my comments when I post from my email account (this handy feature is only available to me... but it isnt (see, Ill be the apostrophe didnt show up in three of the words in this sentence!) such a handy feature when the punctuation goes missing!
Posted by: Kristin Espinasse | Monday, March 26, 2012 at 09:12 PM
Welcome Home Jean Marc hope you had a successful trip to the US.
Love, love, love the picture of Momma and baby. I had to look at a cute puppy picture of my sweet Sox now gone 8 months. Still missing her.
Sorry but I find the punctuation corrections so funny. I would never notice if no one picked them out!
xoxo
Posted by: Karen from Phoenix | Monday, March 26, 2012 at 09:19 PM
Wonderful post today,dear Kristin,as always!
Especially enjoyed the beautiful photos(!)
And! What wonderful news about Braise and Smokey.(Makes us want to hold our own four pawed babies even closer!)
As awful as B&S's injuries were,it is at least of some comfort that they were not caused by humans with a mean streak.(What a horrible statement that would make!)
Have a joyful reunion with Jean Marc; your loving family all together again!Blessings to all of you! XO
Posted by: Natalia | Monday, March 26, 2012 at 10:02 PM
Kristin,
I wonder if you realize that your blog brings others together in at least a pen pal freindship. I "met" a gal from St. Louis from your comments column and she tagged into my blog and I her's (OMG am I using the ' correctly?) and then she saw my husband at an art show and purchased 3 of his Provence Collection pieces of art work! We live just about 70 miles apart. You have met her and had dinner with her. Such a very small world and you caused it all to come together. Thanks and hope to see you all on the 18th! Karen In Missouri http:/provencein14daysblogspot.com
Posted by: Karen Stoeckley | Monday, March 26, 2012 at 10:12 PM
OPPPPS! wrong address
http://provencein14tripsblogspot.com
I put days instead of trips!
Posted by: Karen Stoeckley | Monday, March 26, 2012 at 10:14 PM
Dear Kristin, Reading Kathy's (almost afraid to use an apostrophe!) post made me think of Kurt, our first dog of many years ago. Her method of giving a second treat is exactly what I did when I had to give Kurt, a very large and gentle Weimaraner, a pill. Sometimes the treat was eaten and the pill remained, but I could always tell by the guilty look on his face and the slight buldge of his lower lip. Then it was time to retrieve the pill and reach into the hinterland of his mouth and place the pill where he stood little chance of spitting it out. Years later, we never tried to "replace" our wonderful friend.
VERY HAPPY to know that Jean-Marc has arrived home safely....I hope that his trip was a very successful one. From the photos which you posted for everyone to enjoy, it looks as though it was. Best, Cynthia
Posted by: Cynthia Lewis in Salisbury, Eastern Shore of Maryland | Monday, March 26, 2012 at 10:24 PM
Hi Kristin,
We used to put our dog's pills inside a piece of a hot dog. Worked like a charm. Maybe try an invisible fence. Can you find those in France?
Posted by: Eileen deCamp | Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at 02:04 AM
You're starting to punctuate like your mother.
As a writer, incorrect punctuation (such as using 's for plurals) is totally unacceptable. Your mother's incorrect punctutation and usage of capitals looks ridiculous.
Posted by: Jim Anderson | Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at 02:37 AM
To Allen Laskin : Funny how apostrophes drive you nuts but not
WHO and WHOM.
And also its, as in its tail, and not it's tail.
You're lucky, I will not go on with my long list of pet-peeves ....
Bonne journée!
Posted by: nadine goodban | Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at 08:07 AM
I appreciate the comments of the people who care about correct usage and are brave enough to make a point of it. I also admire Kristin's always gracious appreciation of language usage corrections, French and English. Blog writing could be seen as being a little like a first draft, and readers who point out mistakes are kind of like volunteer editors. But I wonder about correcting other readers' writing; calling each other ridiculous is out of line.
Posted by: leslie | Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at 05:03 PM
Jim, No hard feelings, but I will concentrate on the fact that you are referring to my moms keystrokes (IN ALL CAPS) -- and not referring to my wonderful, beautiful, but especially lovely and kind Mom. (I will break punctuation rules--and capitalize Mom in the previous sentence). And now, Mom, if you are reading -- please know that you have CARTE BLANCHE to write any way you like in this comments box. It is always an honor and a delight to see a message from you. P.S. Jim and friends, when I post a comment from my email account, certain punctuation (apostrophes, for example) do not (does not?) show up. Finally, I agree with you, Jim, about punctuation being important for a writer (if only to get a sentences meaning across correctly); however, I say thank goodness for editors, whose job it is to correct -- so that the writer is free to get on with the business of story-telling.
Posted by: Kristin Espinasse | Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at 05:12 PM
Leslie, I just saw your comment. I see it this way, too: a blog post is similar, in many ways, to a first draft (though I do go over mine many times before hitting publish; at that point, I am grateful for reader-submitted edits). I have a wonderful main volunteer editor (there are many readers who regularly send in edits); Bill Myer corrects my mistakes (post publication), but he does not correct readers mistakes (for example, when I publish reader comments in my blog, Bill will not edit those. He does not edit guest posts either.
Thank you all for your comments. Occasionally a reader will write in, as Leslie has done today--or as Mom has done in the past--to remind us all that certain comments are out of line. In this way, this comments corner remains a bright rest stop in our day -- where we stop by to chat... and then go away refreshed, maybe even (we hope) with a bounce in our step.
Posted by: Kristin Espinasse | Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at 05:26 PM
Just loved the picture. Look at that fat , little belly on Smokey. Our old beagle, Flapper was on a strict diet. We found her down the street one time, at a neighbors door. It opened and closed behind her arrival. When confronted, the two elderly ladies who lived there told me they they couldn't help but give "Oldie" (as they called her) treats. Flapper also loved to roll in anything dead and smelly. She passed gas, too. How we loved that old hound dog!
Posted by: Shirley | Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at 11:12 PM
What a sweet mama!!!
Posted by: TheChieftess | Thursday, March 29, 2012 at 09:42 AM
I didn't think this was supposed to be a school excercise !! This is meant to be a forum to discuss and chat among ourselves in a friendly way...it's NOT school!!
You are extreemly good natured Kristi to not get bothered by "corrections" . And by the way ..I LOVE your Moms sense of humour !!
Anne (from down under)
Posted by: Anne | Thursday, March 29, 2012 at 12:40 PM
Kristen, I hope my correction on a public forum is OK with you. Your French is wonderful, much better than mine, j'en suis certaine, so let me know. And thanks for being so gracious :)
Posted by: marjorie w. | Thursday, March 29, 2012 at 05:05 PM
Hi Marjorie, thanks to your correction, I was able to update the blog (because the blog post may go into a story collection, I really appreciate edits). However, edits to the commenters comments are not necessary (you did not send one of these in :-)
Posted by: Kristin Espinasse | Thursday, March 29, 2012 at 05:50 PM
Hi Kristin,
It's Thursday and I'm finally getting to Monday's post! Don't know where that times goes...
It's funny that you have an ad for an electronic dog fence in today's post. I don't have one but I've heard good things about them and I was going to mention that to you. Our rescued lab, Rory, is a real escape artist so we never let him off leash unless he's in an enclosed area. His foster family had an electric fence and it worked really well for him. Something to consider...
Thanks for the beautiful photo. It's too precious for words. I wish I could have seen my 2 rescues as puppies but I can at least imagine what they would have looked like from others' photos.
Sounds like Jackie and Max need to be more vigilant when mom is away-sorry guys, but they're your "kids" too!!! :)
Hope Jean Marc is home soon to help you hold down the fort.
It's cool and cloudy today here in Sharon, MA, just south of Boston. Have a great weekend!
Posted by: Carolyn Dahm, Sharon, MA | Thursday, March 29, 2012 at 10:32 PM