There is a important ellipse in every story about the budgetary stand off. Reminds me of the hard lesson I learned in my one  experience with the legal justice system. The two relevant lessons were, one,  justice is supposed result from the face off of two wrongs rather the pursuit of… Read full post »

Note to Governor Walker,

Public employees are citizens, they are constituents, and voters, tax payers, providers and contributors to society. Public employees deserve more respect than this. Public employees deserve more of our respect, gratitude and support than so many other sectors of our economy a… Read full post »

Note to Governor Walker,

Public employees are citizens, they are constituents, and voters, tax payers, providers and contributors to society. Public employees deserve more respect than this. Public employees deserve more of our respect, gratitude and support than so many other sectors of our economy a… Read full post »

Note to Governor Walker,

Public employees are citizens, they are constituents, and voters, tax payers, providers and contributors to society. Public employees deserve more respect than this. Public employees deserve more of our respect, gratitude and support than so many other sectors of our… Read full post »

Our house on its hill off the road between Plazac and Rouffignac is said to have ties to the Chateau de L’Herme. The chateau a few hilltops over.  There are rumors of  a tunnel, in fact, linking our house directly to that castle. I have not found one yet… Read full post »

Our Ghost

We have a ghost. Or we had a ghost, or at least a presence and maybe we still do. At least that’s what I hear. Our ghost is well known. We hear about her from the experts in the field (?), from dinner guests, and childrens’ friends, from past… Read full post »

 When we bought our house from the long lost second cousin once removed’s second husband, Andrew’s dead sister Xenia, we got a lot more than the house.  We also got all these tales: his tales, his dead sister’s tales, the long lost cousin’s tales and the circ… Read full post »

Apple Pie… a la mode… Apple Pie … a la mode. I am not trying to tempt you with a delicious but fattening dessert, or summoning a favorite metaphor for all things American, though that is very popular these days. I am warming up my voice as I used to… Read full post »

And then the ghost stories starting coming out of the woodwork. Our house has a lot of woodwork. And there are a lot of stories attached to it. And I decided that I ought to learn them. I was not really focusing on ghost stories. The house’s own… Read full post »

Cache Cache Peur is still the kids’ favorite game. Whenever a crowd of kids convenes at our house here in Prouillac this is the one that keeps them all, big and little, boys and girls happy for hours. It is the one activity that always creates cohesion… Read full post »

I Am Love

I have been in love. I have. I have been on that flight. I know what it feels like to ride at that height, to be swept up, to thrive. I can remember the sensation of buzzing between my ears, and whirring in my loins. “Bees… Read full post »

So whether we have a ghost or an owl, it turns out to be very much the same thing. The owl under our eaves is just as spooky as any ghost would be and just as baffling. Any time of night, her cries may pierce the quiet of our deep… Read full post »

Our Ghost - Le Suite. (episode two)

The ghost of Mme Tooth slept soundly that night. As did I, in her old bedroom, the kids on mattresses on the floor between two lumpy twin beds, rattan headboards, chenille bedspreads. This as-is sensibility pervaded our habits at the time.… Read full post »

Plazac is having its festival this weekend. If you haven’t done the small French town thing then this isn’t a clear statement. I suppose towns once benefited from an annual blessing from the local bishop. Now they just celebrate. I lived in small town Spain before and Spain of… Read full post »