FRENCH WORD-A-DAY

Salut, so happy to get your post in my email this morning; I have missed them! I am Leslie from Columbia, South Carolina, a former French teacher. We are currently building a home on 22 acres that has two barns. Looking forward to learn how to farm!

Bonne rentrée !
I have missed your views, in photos and in words this summer.
I am Sarah from Chicago, who once long ago spent a month’s vacation in France, riding the trains before TGV, from Paris to Bretagne to Avignon, ending with a weekend in Monte Carlo with the parents of a friend.

Nice to have you back in our lives, Kristi. I am David. Born in the UK just after WW II, raised in Canada, living in the US near Austin, TX. Love languages (although cannot speak any of them well) and love to travel. We have spent many vacations in Paris and Chamonix.

Bonjour Kristi!
It was lovely to read your post this morning while I ate a quiet breakfast at home in Philadelphia (our two children left for the first day of 7th and 11th grade, respectively, just minutes ago:) I’m imagining myself on the ruelle in your pretty picture - such a nice way to start the day! Merci! You are appreciated.

Amicalement,
Catherine

I am from Cleveland, Ohio. I remember John Glenn orbiting the Earth, but was not alive during WWII. I have been to Paris 7 times and plan on going back in May. Je parle français un peu.

Salut Kristi!
I’m a French major from just outside Kansas City, Missouri. There’s not much call for French here, but I have tutored a bit. I love writing too! I’m so happy to receive your blog. Thank you for sharing your life in France!

I'm An. Born and raised in a suburb of Philadelphia, PA, I've been living in SW Florida since 2004 and here in Naples, since 2015, when I met & married my husband Jeff.Next move will be to the south of France, fulfilling my lifelong dream to grow old in the south of France. We're heading to France this Friday night, starting our trip in Paris for a few days,then renting andn car and on to Saint-Emilion for some wine & a stay at a big chateau nearby.We'll be driving along the south of France, starting west of Marseille, with some days in Provence, Saint Tropez and finally Nice. We've got a list of little towns and villages, we've heard are ideal for "future expat wannabes", like ourselves, to check out and see if they will fill the bill for our future move to France, when my husband finally retires in just 2 1/2 years. If time allows, we even hope to drop in at that lovely wine shop in La Ciotat to say hello to your "Chief Grape", Jean-Marc!Looking forward to our adventure. Perhaps we'll even run into you. Hope you enjoyed your summer! Glad to see your email this morning!

Good to hear from you again! I am Marcia, from Battle Ground, Indiana, near the home of Purdue University. I live in a historical town in what was once the blacksmith's home. I have an elderly Papillon dog named Jasper and a new kitten named Sophie. I also have an expat daughter who is living her dream in Munich, Germany near the Alps and am soon going to fly over to see her. And I have a son who is an Army vet. Welcome back!

Bonjour! I've missed my French family. I can't remember how many years I've been "related" to y'all (yes, I'm from Texas😊), but the kids were very small. I'm retired and spend each morning trying to learn French...all I can say is "A" for effort. I was so glad to see your post and to catch up with the family. Bonne journée!

Missed you.

Hi Kristi,

I am so happy you are back because I so enjoy your posts. I live in Frisco Texas and I am a retired ESL teacher. I have followed your blog since the beginning and it’s so wonderful to see how your family has grown and I especially love when you write about your mom. She is such a delight!

Coucou! I am Carmen de Vallois. I live in Miami with my French husband and we spend 4-5 months of the year in France. In Ardentes - close to Chateauroux. There is a very large French community in Miami. We are very involved with the Consulate and French expat life. I love your posts! If you need anything re: your daughter in Miami, please do not hesitate to reach out. Carmen

I am Sue from Scottsdale, Az where Kristi and Jules spent some time in the past. I am a retired nurse. During my second marriage, we spent some years in Malaysia and Toulouse as expats. We traveled to as many spots on the globe as we could until my husband passed. I have four grown children with families of their own and yes, I remember the celebration at the end of WWII!

Welcome back!
What a pleasure this post and the photos are. I love the man standing at the window chatting.
I am Leslie in NYC. I am an unemployed chef who worked for caterers and an appliance showroom before covid.
I have been rediscovering the joy of cooking at home again. Recently was given several chicken carcasses, made stock, then took the very bland meat off the bones and added enough stuff to give it some oomph and turn it into chicken tarragon salad. I had a good pint. I come from a line of people and restaurant chefs who take pride in not wasting anything. The herb stems and peels go into stock. The tops of the celery root can sub for parsley in my broth. Other scraps go into compost as do flower stems, egg shells, coffee grounds.
I garden here, at a community garden on the Lower East Side. I grow old rose varieties, many kinds of narcissus, phlox, hydrangea, asters.
I also spend time in Virginia, where my mother had a house near D.C. and a farm in the Shenandoah Valley. I am trying to clear out both since she died four years ago. Not sure where I will end up, but hope to limit it to at most two places.
I may move from cooking to writing now that the world has shifted and I am in my sixties.
For ten years I cooked during the harvest at my friends’ vineyard in Burgundy. That was a delight. After the harvest I spent time in Bandol or Saint Raphaël with other friends, then Paris.
I have been reading this blog for close to 15 years or more! It is always transporting.
Un grand merci.

Hi Kristi!

Hello from Columbus, Ohio. So happy to see you in my inbox this morning!

Bonjour Kristi,
Welcome back. We are still living in the Virgin Islands but will be in France in October and November. We bought an apartment in L'Isle sur la Sorgue and will be staying there for the first two weeks. Frank and I are also going to see a friend with a vineyard in Bordeaux, and you are next on our list to come to visit again during this time in France. We loved La Ciotat and our visits with you.

Encore une fois, bienvenu de L'Afrique Du Sud

SO glad you’re back! My name is Shirley Babineaux and I visited France in 2007 and I’ve never been the same! Been reading your journal since ‘07 also. I’ve been a Dental Hygienist for 50 years, and decided to retire when COVID showed up. Really enjoy my grandchildren and travel!💋

Yay! So happy to get your new post in my inbox! I missed you and your family! I am Claudine. I am from New Orleans but a Californian now for 30 years. I have a son who is 6 in a French DLIP program, and I am learning French alongside, for the day we get to move there too! I have a husband too who agrees, mostly!

Happy Autumn!

Chère Kristi! C’est merveilleux
to see your post on this dreary
morning in south Louisiana,
post Ida. Je suis Cindy, a widow
of a certain age who lived in France
for a brief time 20 years ago…
proficient in ‘franglais’… instructed
many times to please speak English
not French! lol Bisous for your delightful
Jules xoxo

Bonjour and welcome back to my inbox! You have been missed!❤️ I’m Alanna who lives in far Northwest Montana. American by birth but my childhood was all mixed up with French (North Africa) Spanish (Argentina) and English (California). Like you, I love to experiment in the garden and am particularly thankful for the reminder of your tarte tomate recipe. In retirement I ski, hike, read and weave. Before COVID, La Croix Valmer was the site of many family vacations with my French MIL and family. I’m counting on 2022 being the year of the return to my happy place. I hope you’ve had a healthy, restful and peaceful summer break.

Welcome back, Kristi! I hope you enjoyed vos vacances.

I am Cyndy, with my hustand Ron, American in Florida with a little house (Le Shackteau) in Monpazier, SW France. We go back and forth, although we haven't been back in 1.5 years due to the covid lockdown and our own golden retriever, Crosby, being too old to fly anymore. He's 14. So we will hang out here in FL with this sweet boy and try to return all the love and devotion he has given us down through the years.

Lordy, you'll probably get hundreds of these. I live in France, I'm from Texas but have nothing to do with that dispicable place, for women especially, but had a great childhood there. Before Republicans screwed up the whole system. I drew spot art for The New Yorker, illustrated Gourmet's restaurant reviews for 10 years, started a bakery in LA, all breads made by hand, wrote No Need To Knead, then Rome, At Home about Italian cooking, taught cooking for 11 years in LA, love to garden, love to paint, LOVE to cook, love to write prose and poetry, love to sing, love to play the piano, love your writing, Kristi, and we have the tomato tarte often with my yellow tomatos from seeds from Burpee in the US. I've used Dijon mustard, egg white to seal the pastry, various kinds of cheese, including goat, and I slice the tomatoes very thin, salt them, and then drain them and the tarte is not soggy. The drained juice is great for sauces or gazpacho and more...
Still in Collioure but about to go to Rome. Carefully.
I desperately need a website person who is GOOD and not too expensive to rework my site. Any suggestions?

Good morning Kristi! My husband Bruce and I spent the afternoon with you, Jean Marc and Jules when Tom Berry arranged a trip for us in 2013. Your picture this morning made us miss France and we hope to be able to safely travel again soon. We live in the Kansas City area and have been to France 4 times with Tom. Thank you for your conversations and beautiful pictures. Anne

Bonjour Kristi et tous and toutes!

I am so glad to hear about toute votre famille! I hope that you had a good summer and have a bonne rentree, aussi. Nous habitons au Pittsburgh, PA, et avons un chien, un chat, huit poulets, six enfants, trois petits enfants, et pas du temps! Mais, j'aime beaucoup votre journal. Merci beaucoup!!!

Coucou! J'étais si contente de voir ton blog dans mon mail ce matin!
Et quelle coincidence que je t'envoyee la recette hier!

Bonjour a tous! My name is Audrey and my grandmother was born and raised in Alsace and have become lovingly obsessed with travels back and forth from Oregon to France. I happily found Kristi after I had traveled to Provence, spending a lot of time in La Ciotat. I will be back there sometime soon!

Kristi, that photo of the ruelle reminds me of a little street I found coming back from the Tuesday Marche in town. I happened to look up and see a plaque which posted of Napoleon Bonaparte's brief stay in La C! You never know what you'll find in those back alleys!

Ca me fait plaisir de savoir comment ca va ta famille!

gros bisous,
Audrey

Hi Joanne,
How lucky you are to live in the Virgin Islands and France!
I'm wondering if you rent out your L'Isle sur la Sorgue apartment when you're not staying there? It's such a lovely town and it would be fun to spend some time there!
Amicalement,
Christine
[email protected]

Sorry- I guess I left my comment in reply to Tom Berry! ugh..

I do so enjoy your posts. I am Patricia, and I have lived in Virginia, USA since 1972. I was born in England in 1942 and have a few little memories of growing up during the last part of WW2. We lived in Plymouth which was badly bombed. I met my husband in Santiago, Chile, an American working there at the time, and I was an "Air Hostess" (Flight Attendant) passing through!! We married in 1972, having been pen pals for two years prior. we married in Panama (on one of his assignments.!!) The ceremony was in Spanish and I did not understand a word of it. He assures me that I agreed to polish his shoes for life.!! And the rest is history.!!

Bonjour!
I so enjoy reading your posts, Kristi - I live vicariously through them and would move to France in a heartbeat if I could. As it is, my dream since childhood was to visit Paris but it took more than 30 years for that dream to be realized. I've been back a few times since (once for a month) and look forward to returning when I'm brave enough to venture forth in this continuing pandemic.
I'm a retired clergy-person living in Asbury Park NJ, enjoying my garden (vegetables and flowers), cooking and baking - plus being close to the ocean where I can stand in the sand and look out over the expanse of the Atlantic and dream of France!
bests,
Susan

Hi Kristi,

I've been enjoying your blog and the beautiful photos for years now. I've been to France three times and
would love to be able to explore the countryside, but now I'm grounded with peripheral neuropathy. However, my three nieces are kind and caring and take my sister and me on day trips in Connecticut and long weekends in Kennebunk, Maine, so I'm not complaining. We love New England.

My sister and I certainly remember WWII; we were growing up in Bradford, Yorkshire during the war years and were fortunate in that Bradford saw very little enemy action, our dad was exempt from the war because he was sighted in only one eye, and our mum kept us well fed even on limited rations. We were little kids and our lives centered round school and playmates, but I remember my Uncle Tommy's return from Dunkirk and how his hands shook so much he couldn't draw a picture for me.

Bnjour Kristi! I’m a writer living lon an island near Seattle with my 2 teens and husband and border collie. I have been a loyal follower of yours since my 18-year-old son was a baby. I’ve watched your kids grow up and followed your huge life transitions (can’t believe Max is 26!) I even spoke to your husband on the phone once while visiting France to try to get a tasting and bought a bottle of wine via his aunt. (I should send you the picture!) maybe should have saved that bottle of wine. ;)
I love France, the food and the language- je le parle assez bien…(I gave up drinking 2 years ago but do remember loving French wines)
So great to see your email this morning and “catching up.” Keep them coming!!

Bonjour, Kristi,
It’s good to hear from you again. Like all your devoted readers, I’ve missed your stories of family life in France. I
Was born in San Francisco in 1950, but was raised by parents and grandparents who knew the challenges of two World Wars, the Great Depression, and a host of other social ills, but kept their wits and their joie de vivre in tact.
I studied French in high school and college mainly because my grandfather adored his French mother and In my youth I absorbed his passion for the beauty of French culture. I’ve been a member of Les Amis de la Culture Française, an East Bay French Club since its origins, though in retirement I now live in Carmel-by-the Sea, California. I last traveled to France in 2018 and hope to return when trans Atlantic travel is a little less onerous.
Your talent for storytelling and my love of reading makes your blog a great fit for me.

Salt Lake City UT USA with husband Jack, Briard dog Griffin, and ginger tiger cat Tucker. Gardening and photography as pastimes (or reading). Born during WW II. Jack & I returned from living in Dijon, France in fall 1992, so just missed you, Kristi. Ever since I discovered your letters, I have reveled in your charming pictures and descriptions of your life in France, getting to "be" there through your imagery. I very much appreciate your efforts. Glad you're back.
Carolyn

Coucou Kristi!
So happy you are back! I was happy to see you in my inbox!
Eileen

Oh Kristi, so good to see your name here again. I've missed your blog very much. I trust your summer was relaxing and invigorating. I live in Concord, Massachusetts home of the beginning of the American Revolution, Henry David Thoreau and Walden Pond, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and of course, Louisa May Alcott author of Little Women. There is a host of other authors who make Concord their home. My heart lies in Vermont where I am from. I was born a year and a week before the United States entered the WWII. I grew up there. I don't remember much about the war. I remember walking with my mother to the shoe store for new shoes. It seems that I outgrew shoes faster than the rations allowed. I remember that my father walked home from work very late at night from his important defense job. He would wake me up and we would play for a while. I do remember the end of the war when all the bells in town rang and everyone went out into the streets cheering.

Coucou Kristi!
So happy to see you today, made my day!
I have been with you since the beginning, before I knew what a blog was!!!!
Bisous to all!!!
Dev from Madison, Alabama

Coucou Kristi, Its funny I was just thinking this morning about you and wondering how your summer has been, and when you might return to your blog and Voila! There was your post in my inbox and a lovely post it was. Ive enjoyed all the comments from your readers as well. I hope you’re feelin the love. I met you and Jean Marc at your mas du Brun in 2015 for a wine tasting. I returned to France in 2018 to celebrate my 60 birthday with my childhood best friend who also turned 60. We had a fabulous two weeks exploring lots of villages in Provence and then up to Paris for a few days. I am so longing to go back especially lately. I do hope travel to there from the US gets a little easier soon. I live in Northern CA on 40 acres with my cowboy husband three horses two dogs and two cats. Its been a rough summer with wildfires all around us nonstop so summer has been robbed from us somewhat but we try to do the best we can. Its always been a dream of mine to live in a tiny village in Provence but I don’t know if that will ever happen. In the meantime I try and create as much French in my life as I possibly can by growing lavender, sunflowers and some grapes along with our potager, and hay of course. It brings me joy this time of year when my sunflowers are smiling big every morning. I ride my bile through the countryside in the mornings and sometimes I can almost imagine I am on the quiet roads in the luberon. My family and friends think I’m a little obsessed with all my nuances from my fountain outside and blue shutters to cooking and baking bread in my french style kitchen. Its good to be with my Francophile community.. Thank you for continuing to bring a bit of France to us each week.

Bonne rentrée! I'm Sharon, an author living in Peachtree City, Georgia. I have fond memories of the year I spent in Tours, France, on a Rotary scholarship when I was in my twenties. I'm not old enough to remember World War II, but my dad fought in it.

Salut Kristi,
Your email made my day; welcome back! I'm Laura and I live in Maine with my husband. A follower of your work for over a decade, I'm also, like so many others who've commented, a confirmed Francophile. My great interest has been exploring the hundreds of examples of French Romanesque architecture that exist throughout your wonderful country, though last year and this year I've missed my annual adventures, so I can't wait to return. Very happy you and your family are all doing well!

Chère Kristi:
Welcome back. I have been reading your posts for years and have enjoyed them so much. I am also the lady who sent you a dream catcher a few years ago. I was born in Neuilly s/Seine, a suburb outside of Paris.
When the Nazis took power we had to leave since we were Jewish. My parents had to leave everything behind but they never complained. They were always grateful to this country for giving us a new and safe home.
I grew up in New York City. Went to Hunter College where I received an M.A. and B.A. in French literature. I taught French for over 30 years in different schools, mostly in Minneapolis at the Blake School. I took my students to france every other year. It was so much fun to see them appreciate France and its culture. After I retired I still gave French lessons around my dining room table for many years.
I am now a very very senior citizen living in Port Townsend, Washington...heaven on earth.
My husband passed away two years ago but I have the most beautiful Maine Coon/Norwegian Forest cat named Colette(after one of my favorite writers.) I also have two beautiful daughters, wonderful sons-in-law and a 16 year old grandson. The world is not perfect but I am grateful for all that I have. Wishing you and your family good health and wonderful adventures in the year ahead. Amitiés, Janine

First I must confess I have missed you post this summer. I was born in Vancouver Canada in 1934, so I’m older than most of you.
I served an apprenticeship as as a tool and die maker and after I wanted to travel before settling into the work-a-day world. In 1956 I went to Belgium and bought a beater of car and went to 11countries in 7 months. As I was low in money I sold the car and washed dishes in a café in Paris for a few week before returning home.
My loves are family, good friends, biking, mountain climbing and very long walks.
I miss my wife sooo much, who died in 2016. She was the love of my life and, without a doubt, my best friend. She gave me a boy and a girl who, in turn, have given me four wonderful, loving, caring grandchildren. I’m truely a blessed man.

Salut!
Tricia from somewhere south of Chicago. J'ai passée une année scolaire à Besançon ... il y a plusiers années!
I love hearing what's new and learning new words.

So glad you are back, Kristi. A well deserved rest, but speaking for myself I truly missed your posts. Missing travel and hope 2022 will bring me, you and everyone lots of adventures. I can't believe your kids are 26 and 23! I've been a fan of your blog since they were so much younger. I live in Northern CA. The wildfires we've had since 2018 have affected my health, pushing to pursue my dream to live in France or the UK (moves I have considered for more than 15 years). Blessings to you & your family, and of course Smokey. I have an elderly dog and it's difficult. Glad Jules and he are such good friends.

Bonjour, Kristi. My wife and I live in Scottsdale, AZ, but we travel extensively. We just spent a month in the Luberon and Corsica, followed by another month in Greece. I have enjoyed reading your posts for many years and thank you for sharing a slice of your French life with all of us.

Chère Kristin -- I too had been thinking about you this week and was wondering if you had decided to prendre une retraite. So glad to see your post yesterday. I spent a year in Aix-en-Provence when I was 20-21 and the experience enriched my life in a multitude of ways. I'll never forget it. And your charming descriptions and musings on life in Provence, replete with a little vocabulaire and lovely photos, provide an ongoing connection to the beauty and spirit of a place I love. You are a gifted writer and I am grateful to have discovered your blog, perhaps 20 years ago??? Un très grand merci.

Hi Kristi and everyone from Southern California!

Such a wonderful and familiar feeling of warmth and gratitude reading your letter this morning! Such fun catching up with your family 💞, especially in these unpredictable times we live in now.

I got curious and searched my emails and found your very first email I received from you many years ago! I saved them when one of my daughters was immersed in all things French. Here is is:
“A Day in a French Life...

In the car on the way home from Décathalon (France's popular sports
supply store), I shouted over my shoulder to Max:

"No more pieds nus* in your tennis shoes, okay? You've got to take
care of those feet! Remember, only clean feet into clean socks into
clean shoes, 'kay?"

"She said 'nul,' Max!" Jackie shouted, hoping to irritate her brother.
"No, I didn't. I said 'nu'!" I replied, in my defense.
"She said nul," Jackie continued, ignoring me and baiting her brother.
For once, Max was not irritated by his six-year-old sister:

"Just because she's not French," he said, pointing his nose toward the
driver, "doesn't mean she doesn't understand stuff, Jackie."

...Mon héros.”
Thank you for everything 💞

Deborah in Manhattan here- It's as lovely to hear from you again as it is to meet so many of the burgeoning international community your blogs have created!

Greetings, Kristi, from North Carolina and I was delighted to see your email. I've been reading your posts for many years and feel I know your family quite well. I was in elementary school in the Midwest here in the US during WWII and remember well the shortages and especially the celebrations at the end of the fighting.

I'm very happy to realize you'll be inviting us into your lives once again. Welcome back!