FRENCH WORD-A-DAY

I am having a stupid day so far...nothing major, just things not "going the right way" "as they should"...so thank you for the shift in perspective plus most certainly for coaxing a smile out of me to boot with that fabulous last photo. Un grand merci et Bisous,
Heather

Very wise, my Dear. It always breaks my heart to see a tree felled. But sometimes it becomes a necessity... They grow so large their heavy limbs reach over the house, for example... Not good it an area such as our central Florida, which is prone to severe thunderstorms and the occasional tropical storm and hurricane. We are facing the tree-cutting dilemma right now and I am preparing myself to be rational and calm. Your story today helps tremendously. How did you know I needed you?

Love from horribly hot for many weeks Florida,
Nan

That is a gorgeous photo of you two!
Keep blogging
Hank

I know how you feel about felling beautiful trees I was recently by the Canal du Midi & saw the devastation caused by the disease to the plane trees which lined the canal. Many felled,their beautiful arching shapes over the Canal lost . They are re-planting,but it will take a long time to to regain what has been lost;
I wonder how many of us appreciate the hard work that goes into that glass of wine we're enjoying ?!! Bon Courage Jean-Marc !

It always amazes me that even big ancient olive trees can be safely moved and thrive in new homes.

Darling Kristi,

May God continue to bless you and our precious Jean-Marc. When I think of the two of you I always feel great peace because I know that you will remember what I taught you long ago...

'Whether I turn to the right or the left, my ears will hear a voice behind them saying "This is the way, walk in it.'

Thank God for His Holy Spirit who is here to guide us, comfort us, and show us the way to walk throughout the hills and valleys of our lives. Jean-Marc, a true man of the earth, a lover of the soil of life has surrendered to his path in this life and God is with him. I could cry I am so touched by your wisdom in todays story.

XOXO

Mom

P.S. Glad you aren't running over the trees.;) I too did not know you could move them successfully.

Hi Honey,

Just now as I glanced once again at the photo above of Jean-Marc watering his baby vines I was struck by the thought of wondering what he will end up finding to plant throughout those magnificent olive trees. So many images have popped into my mind...being an artist I immediately planted beautiful grass, with lazy sheep trying to sleep in the shade as happy baby goats tried to climb up into the ancient arms of your olive trees. A peaceful field to shelter all who toil in the hills of vines above. A tribute to the French life we all dream about.

xoxo

Mom

Kristi,

Struck by the depth of your love and concern for Jean-Marc and how infrequently we seem to see that these days, I wanted to thank you for sharing it.

I am in Scottsdale and understand where your memory took you! Lovely citrus groves en mass.

French by birth, "LaChapelle" but loving your instruction on the language because I know only what you have been sharing.

Have a lovely day.....I look forward to each post.
Jackie

Thank you for sharing that lesson with us, Jules. We often forget, and need the reminder to trust that all is well.

Dear Kristi,

Such beautiful, encouraging thoughts from your mom. Patience, persistence and a positive outlook can help you down the path your mom writes about. You and Jean-Marc seem to be well on your way. May peace be with you both and give you courage~

Many thanks for a delightful post! I,too, love the photo of you and Jean-Marc.

Until Chief Grape's clarification, I was thinking that those ancient olive trees could be transplanted like the venerable English boxwood here in the mid-atlantic states. But trees create their own mini-climates, so to speak. We have huge oaks and pines which dictate to us what we can plant near them.

Those are wonderful suitcases ... can't imagine anyone discarding them. And so nice to see Breize (sp) chasing Smokey.. Best wishes.

Tell JM to take care of himself. I know he's a son of the South (southern France, that is), but this heat wave your country is having is nothing to take lightly.

As for the tree dilemma, I say move the trees. My husband has an attitude that if something is green and growing it must stay. We have trees and bushes in our yard that are always in the way of us using our yard for much. I know that they are not on par with ancient olive trees, but I have a gardener's perspective -- everything can be moved and/or replaced. While the trunks of the trees in your photo are a work of art, your livelihood depends on the vines JM plants.

I just suggest that if you have to take the trees out, then save some of the wood and make something from them -- a table, a chair, a picture frame, a planter for flowers.

Glad to learn it is possible to transplant large olive trees. I guess I assumed it would not work. But, why not?

As a gardener in Southern California I have learned to monitor myself while trying to do too much in the hot sun. I feel for Jean-Marc.

To love a man of the earth is never easy, but always worth it.

Our dear Kristi,
You have wrapped us in hugs with your beautiful words and pictures!
Also must tell you how wonderful it was to hear from dear Jules again!
You all are in our prayers always.
Asking God to send you continued blessings.
Love
Natalia. Xo

Kristi,
Whenever I transplant something it never seems to do well. Bon chance with your replanting of the olive trees.
I love the picture of Smokey and Breizh circling the luggage. Are they sniffing them out to make sure that there isn't any contraband in them?

Hi Kristi,

I made your French tart the other day, only I used Peccorino Romano cheese from Costco. The tart was very rich (I may have overdone the cheese sprinkling) and absolutely delicious!

My husband hadn't seen the mouthwatering photo, and when I told him I was going to make a tomato tart he wrinkled his nose and said, "Ewww!" But after I served it, his double portion was gone in seconds, and his tune changed to, "Good, Honey!"

Re des oliviers--how could you transplant trees that are over 100 years old? Their roots must be so vast, both deep and wide. Would they live without their elaborate root systems? Also, it might be hard to get all the roots out of the ground when you start the vine planting.

Sorry to be Ms. Negative--I sound like my husband, don't I? The result will probably be fabulous.

I, too, love beautiful old trees -- thank goodness there is a way to move and save most of them (I hope without too much intensive physical labor!). But I was more concerned about Chief Grape working hard in the fields on a hot day and without drinking enough water. That can be very dangerous! Please take care of yourself, Jean-Marc!

Your story about Jean-Marc's dedication to saving the olive trees and to hand-watering the young vines made me think of the tribulations of Gerard Depardieu's titular character in the beautiful movie "Jean de Florette." The movie, situated in Provence, is based on a novel by Marcel Pagnol, and is the first of a two-part movie (the second movie is "Manon of the Spring"). These two movies are my absolute favorite French films. If you haven't seen them already, I hope you find time to watch them soon. I know you'll continue to take loving care of Jean-Marc.

Kristin AND Jean-Marc, What a touching real-life story. I have a little one of my owns that might make you smile. Yesterday was Bastille Day, as you know. My husband is no longer able to travel, so I brought France to us! We had REAL French bread, real French Brie, I sent for stems of lavande, I ordered a Provencal tablecloth, a French film, and to top it all of, we drank a bottle of Rouge-Bleu 2010, which I had purchased from you before you moved. It was delicious, and tasted like the Provencal countryside. I closed my eyes and purred. Oh, how I wish I could buy it in Indiana!!! Or whatever you produce between the oliviers!!! Bonne chance moving them. And thanks for helping to make our day perfect!!!

Of course, when I look at those ancient oliviers, I see them saying, "PLEASE let us live in peace". It will be traumatic for them, hopefully not fatal, to be moved. If anyone can do this , it is a provencal, so I wish you luck. Your hearts will guide you.
So nice to hear from Jules, even without her ALL CAPS. How is Smokey?
Bon courage!

Merci, Kristin, for the recipes! As soon as our green tomatoes turn red, I will try La Tarte a La Tomate (sorry, don't know how to put the accent mark on the "a").

What a lovely picture of the two of you! And your dogs are just fine romping around! So Cute!

Now for our dilemma. We have a lovely apricot tree up on our hill which has not produced any fruit since we planted it about 6 or so years ago. It seems wasteful to keep watering it in our CA drought, but I do not wish to cut it down either. I have offered to give it away to no avail. Perhaps we should put it in our plant nursery bed (if there is enough room) where we deposit plants that seem to be on their last legs. But magic seems to happen there as most things seem to turn around and flourish! A couple of months ago we had beautiful Amaryllis blooming.

Thanks for your thoughtful post today to help me rethink our apricot tree! And I am sure Jean Marc's care with his vines will bring bountiful harvests in the years to come!

I was told by one of my yardmen that I should not trim any of my trees until Winter and not to trim much off one that might kill it or make it one-sided. So I pray not to have lightning strike any and cause damage to my or my neighbors' houses this summer - to say nothing of hurricanes. My first concern seems to be the beautiful trees. God be with you and Jean Marc and you deal with these difficult decisions. And above all, husbands are more precious than trees, bien sur.

Perhaps to offset the cost of moving the trees, but perhaps more importantly, to give pleasure to those who want to help preserve them, you might think about letting your readers "adopt an olive tree". Several people could adopt a single tree so that each adoptee's contribution could be relatively small. In return they could get a picture of the tree and a certificate and most important the knowledge that they are contributing to keeping the olive trees safe and intact on your property.