Un meli-melo - a collection of miscellany, hodgepodge
Friday, February 22, 2013
That's Mama Braise and she's got two wildflowers just for you. Do you know what kind they are? Reaching my ankle, they are low to the ground (unlike poppies, which would have been my guess... ) Click here to classify this fleur sauvage in the comments box.
un méli-mélo (may-lee-may-loh)
: a collection of miscellany; mishmash, hodgepodge
: chaos; muddle
Cool! While researching the French word méli-mélo, I learned a neat English word: farrago = "a confused mixture" (and a good name for my wardrobe.... more on that at the end of this page)
Audio File: Listen to today's word and the following examples: Download MP3 or Wav file
méli-mélo de la mer = seafood platter
méli-mélo de légumes = an assortment of vegetables
feuilleton mélo (mélodrama) = a soap opera
Aujourd'hui un méli-mélo de choses à partager avec vous. Today a mishmash of things to share with you:
- I saw a comment from Ellen following the feuilleton post. Ellen asked for my mother-in-law's Pumpkin/Ginger soup recipe. Find it here.
- I added a picture to the post about my walk with Smokey. You'll see a great shot of the sea and the sentier, or trail that we love, too. Click here.
- I really enjoyed Kotok's tip, in the Best Tips for Learning French post: "...watching TinTin on youtube. Easy French,clear short sentences." Click here for more excellent language tips - submitted by French Word-A-Day readers.
- Ever thought about advertising at French Word-A-Day? If you have a French-themed product or a language course or a property rental or a trip or a website you would like to promote, this is a great place to get the word out! Reserve your ad by emailing me.
Voilà for the méli-mélo of things I have to share today, including a favorite word, méli-mélo.
The white tights I wore to my wedding were as sexy as socks. I'm still trying to avoid French fashion "don'ts" or fautes à ne pas commettre. Meantime God gave me a French daughter--and budding styliste (stee-leest)--who helps when she can.
P.S. If you are new to French Word-A-Day and enjoy reading about life in France, you won't want to miss my wedding story... and the surprising female guest that Jean-Marc invited. Read it for free, here. (The story also appears in the book Blossoming in Provence)
Irises? Lilies? Two patches of these purple beauties have bloomed next to the stone cabanon, above the oliveraie. Spring is near... To comment, click here.
Jean-Marc will kick off his USA Wine Tour in March! Click here for more info and to see what other cities he'll visit.
Pronounce It Perfectly in French - with exercises in sound discrimination and accurate sound creation. Order your copy here.
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For more online reading: The Lost Gardens: A Story of Two Vineyards and a Sobriety
They look like anemonies.
Posted by: Ruth Fuchs Hallett | Friday, February 22, 2013 at 01:12 PM
Hi Kristin,
I like this word méli-mélo. We have alot of that going on sometimes at our house.
I enjoyed clicking back to the story - petite amie - I would have had a bouncer at the church door to bounce her right out of there!
I love the picture of you and Smokey by the water! The color of the water is gorgeous! The flowers in the photo, are they wild roses?
Thanks and have a nice weekend!
Posted by: Eileen - Charlottesville, VA | Friday, February 22, 2013 at 01:24 PM
Crocus?
Posted by: Maryli | Friday, February 22, 2013 at 01:26 PM
Love seeing views of your new home-more, please! Crocuses have been popping up everywhere around here, and one of the best parts of recent days was cleaning leaves out of the water garden on a warm afternoon. Spring is coming! Woohoo!
Posted by: Pat Cargill | Friday, February 22, 2013 at 01:31 PM
Balloon flowers?
Posted by: Louise | Friday, February 22, 2013 at 01:44 PM
How beautiful Kristin !Must be Hydrangea bush (Hortensia) ~ glorious poof pom poms of flower heads. The flowers color is arrived and determined by the relative acidity of the soil. Your lovely blueish poofs are due to an acidic soil (pH below 6) - flower color closer to blue. They are even lovely to keep as dried poofs! Warm regards salutations à vous tous ! ~L
Posted by: Fleur de Lisa | Friday, February 22, 2013 at 02:10 PM
Hi Kristin, Pretty sure the flowers are anemonies.
Posted by: Lynne Penny | Friday, February 22, 2013 at 02:48 PM
Ruth and Lynne, that is just the term I was looking for: anemonies - or anemones. Now that I have the term I could look it up, and indeed these fit what I am seeing:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anemone
Eileen, thanks for taking the time to visit those posts and to comment on them!
Maryli and Pat, your note reminds me that crocuses would be good to plant, too. Enjoy yours!
Louise, I had to look up balloon flowers. What a funny and delightful term!
Fleur de Lisa, we had hydrangeas or hortensias when we lived in Les Arcs, but these in the picture are something else. I will need to get a close-up shot for you. Thanks for the info.
Posted by: Kristin Espinasse | Friday, February 22, 2013 at 03:04 PM
Yes, anemonies, as the first commenter noted. Thank you for the pumpkin recipe. It will be perfect for the upcoming snowy weekend in New England. As for your picture of the sentier, you live in a beautiful place with a beautiful chien!
Sophie
Posted by: Sophie Day | Friday, February 22, 2013 at 03:25 PM
The little cove where you and your doggie went for a walk looks so idyllic. Is it private? If I am blessed enough to ever return to the south of France, I want to explore some of the smaller coastal villages and less populated areas...just like the picture you shared. Thanks so much for these peeks into a much nicer "vie". :)
Posted by: April Lane | Friday, February 22, 2013 at 03:25 PM
looks like a beautiful ranunculus to me!!!!!!!susan
Posted by: susan standke | Friday, February 22, 2013 at 04:10 PM
Hi Kristin,
I so love this blog, you are such an inspiring person. I always look forward to reading it, as it brightens my day! I wish that we had flowers blooming now but we have a foot of snow on the ground and expecting more. This is winter in central New York. I do love the beauty of the snow though.
I've been looking for a word like un meli-melo. I'm putting together a French gift basket to be raffled off for our animal rescue sanctuary. I've included a copy of your book, Blossoming in Provence. I love your writing style and your honesty. ( I'm looking forward to reading your new book.) The gift basket has soap, books, sachets, chocolate, etc. Would un meli-melo be the right word to use under the title of the basket?
I also love the pictures and stories of your puppy-dogs. They always make me smile.
Merci,
Mary
Posted by: Mary | Friday, February 22, 2013 at 04:17 PM
Thank you, Mary! I appreciate your adding my book to the pastiche of presents. Hmmm.... pastiche? méli-mélo? mélange? Can anyone help find a word for a delightful assortment in a basket? Then again, having another look at the examples (méli-mélo de légumes, méli-mélo de la mer) I would say go for it: méli-mélo de cadeaux!
Posted by: Kristin Espinasse | Friday, February 22, 2013 at 04:25 PM
They look like anemonies to me! Not sure of the spelling, however.
Posted by: Cate Salenger | Friday, February 22, 2013 at 04:45 PM
I printed a copy of your "Dog Therapy" post to use in a class I plan to teach on writing personal essays. It's a wonderful example of how an everyday activity like walking a dog can incorporate so much: setting, characters, dialogue, personal reflection, and, in this case, vocabulary instruction. Thanks for your beautifully written essay.
Posted by: Bettye Dew | Friday, February 22, 2013 at 05:11 PM
Hi Kristin, This is my first comment even though I have been monitoring you wonderful blog for a long time. The big blue flowers next to the cabanon look to be Iris. It is time for them to bloom and much too early for hydrangeas anyway. Your writing is generous and brave and I enjoy it very much even though my french doesn't really get all that much better. I need to come to France and STAY for a while. That should do the trick. Best wishes, Lynne S. in Austin,Texas
Posted by: Lynne Storm | Friday, February 22, 2013 at 05:14 PM
Kristin:
What a lovely spot for walking and a nice shot of you and Smokey. It may be a dog's life, but he looks happy to me!
Edie from Savannah
* I gave an attractive and interesting book on French cooking with herbs that I saw on your site to one of my sisters for Christmas. She's enjoying trying some of the recipies.
Posted by: Edie Schmidt | Friday, February 22, 2013 at 05:23 PM
Hello, Kristin - I became a member of your French-Word-A-Day mailing list on June 27, 2005. I have enjoyed all of your stories and watching your children grow. You are a wonderful and entertaining writer and have opened up the beautiful country of France to me. I fell in love with France on my first and only trip there in Sept. 2004, and you have enabled me to continue the romance. I shall return someday soon, with a (hopefully) much better vocabulary than I had on the first trip, thanks to your French lessons. Merci beaucoup pour le mot du jour. Je l'apprécie. Très cordialement, Donna Bender
Posted by: Donna Bender | Friday, February 22, 2013 at 05:33 PM
Hi Kristi,
Meli-melo, that is going to climb right up there with another favorite of mine you put up last year.....ceci et cela. Could these two be interchanged? This and that/hodgepodge?
Posted by: joie in carmel | Friday, February 22, 2013 at 05:59 PM
Blooming this early before Easter, they're probably Lenten Roses (Hellibore). Here in Colorado they're one of our first signs of re-birth of the garden:)
Posted by: Bonnie P. | Friday, February 22, 2013 at 06:11 PM
Hi Kristen,
Meli-melo de cadeaux----perfect!
Merci beaucoup,
Mary
Posted by: Mary | Friday, February 22, 2013 at 06:18 PM
Wow! So envious you have flowers blooming! I saw my first crocuses on Wednesday, then Thursday we got a foot of snow. Looking forward to bright colors and SPRING soon.
Enjoy, Kristin! xo
Posted by: Julia ~ Falling Off Bicycles | Friday, February 22, 2013 at 06:27 PM
Attention! There's no doubt about the flowers .. those are most definitely the dreaded Purple Ankle Snapper ... and, if my eyes do not deceive me, the particular variety in your photo is the most dangerous of all, complete with fangs and venom. Please, please be on guard for the safety of your family and the puppies, Kristin! They do have a wonderful aroma, however ... :-)
Posted by: Bill Facker | Friday, February 22, 2013 at 06:34 PM
Kristin - Yup, they are definitely anémones. When I went to Israel 1n 1987, they were covering the hills where Jesus preached 'the sermon on the mount' and were referred to as 'the lilies of the field'.
Posted by: Young Paciello | Friday, February 22, 2013 at 06:54 PM
The flowers are...pretty!
Posted by: Sheri | Friday, February 22, 2013 at 07:12 PM
Bill Facker, LOL. I will be on guard lest the Purple Ankle Snapper attack!
Thank you all for taking the time to comment or to read the comments. I enjoy every word you type into this box. Merci encore!
Posted by: Kristin Espinasse | Friday, February 22, 2013 at 07:34 PM
Dear Kristin... Your story of the 'other woman' was funny and touching! fifty-two years ago I was in the same situation as you when we married, as I had been 'coup de foudre' when I first spotted my intended at college in NYC! Here we are, 2 children later , one 50 and one 39! We just celebrated our 52nd Anniversary on Feb. 4th! May you and Jean-Marc spend pmay happy years together... Best wishes, Judi Dunn, Tallahassee, Fl.
Posted by: Judi Dunn | Friday, February 22, 2013 at 08:55 PM
Our dear Kristi,
Another wonderful post and gorgeous pictures!Not only your beautiful home (Braise!Smokey!)but I can almost enjoy the flowers' fragrance from here(!) They absolutely fill me with Spring.Such a wonderful time of year!Especially to be sharing together,near and far!
Your belle-mere's Pumpkin Ginger Soup is absolute heaven.Am off to Whole Foods to get the ingredients and make it for supper tonight.
Kristi, two (of what I think are) really helpful ways to learn (and brush up on) French are Yabla, and Bien Dire magazine (with the audio). I learned of them thanks to you! You had mentioned them on your blog and they have helped me immensely.
Each one of your posts is just a breath of fresh air and never fails to fill us with smiles.(AND is always something to look forward to!)
What a super way to start the weekend!
THANK YOU!!!
Love, Natalia XO
Posted by: Natalia | Friday, February 22, 2013 at 09:12 PM
Kristin, I smiled reading your big-surprise story about A Who attended your wedding.. :-) .. and a comment above about a reader "inviting a bouncer to the door of her wedding." :-)
Well, to me it showed how DONE he, your husband, had been with her! To me it means -- he was DONE-DONE at that point! Soo, done :-) that he had even invited her to the wedding.
I would not have been upset, I would have seen this gesture as a sign of total and mutual reconciliation between them. After all, and after being our ex-s, most of them are still normal, or even very-very good people some folks may even prefer to keep a FRIENDLY and occasional contact for years after. I see it as perfectly ligit.
Wonder what others may wish to say at this point?
Posted by: Francesca | Friday, February 22, 2013 at 11:09 PM
.. oh, sorry, I meant LEGIT.
Posted by: Francesca | Friday, February 22, 2013 at 11:17 PM
I am wondering if it is a native flower. It doesn't look like one based on my quick check at the link below.
http://www.beyond.fr/flora/indexgr_purple.html
Maybe it's a special hybrid balloon flower but it has too many petal/layers, like a rose. That's why it makes me think of a poppy...but not with that color. I'm curious and stumped. love to know, but as always, I love your "oh so personalized" writings. You are a highlight in my day. Gros bisous à Smokey!
Posted by: Debbie Swanbrow-Quenaudon | Saturday, February 23, 2013 at 02:40 AM
Coucou Kristin: je suis une revenante. J'espère que tout s'est bien passé pour la tribu Espinasse. J'ai loupé tes plusieurs anecdotes, car j'ai eu mal aux yeux et je ne pouvais pas lire de longs textes. Je reviens pour te dire combien tout ça m'a manqué.
Posted by: Millie | Saturday, February 23, 2013 at 04:07 AM
Anenomies.
Posted by: Maureen | Saturday, February 23, 2013 at 01:03 PM
My guess: ranuculus. :D
Posted by: gina | Sunday, February 24, 2013 at 03:23 AM
Oh no - did you change the feedburner settings because after so many years, your message is not showing up in my email, just one or two sentences and a continue reading on the web link. =\
Posted by: Samantha | Monday, February 25, 2013 at 03:11 PM
Love the expression meli-melo. I thought when I saw it, that it was going to have something to do with honey, but then I was probably thinking of Greek. They have an expression (not sure if I'm spelling it correctly) etsy-ketsy (or itsy-kitsy) that means, approximately what we mean when we hold a hand out, palm down, and waggle it back and forth--"like this-like that".
Posted by: Vera Marie Badertscher | Monday, February 25, 2013 at 10:20 PM