08 December 2015

Decembers past [2]

The darkness of December... These are the times when it's hard for me to take photos on my early morning and late afternoon walks with Callie. So I've been going back into my archives to see what images I have from all the different months of December since we've lived here. It's been nearly 13 years now.


For example, above is a view of the vineyards about a mile out behind our house. The photo's time stamp says it was taken on December 10, 2005, at 4:17 p.m. I like the golden color that the vineyards were displaying that year in December. I remember that 2005 had given us a summer at least as nice as the very warm, dry summer we had in 2015.


Going back into old photos also reminded me that the dog named Collette who came to France with us all those years ago was near the end of her life in December 2005, but we didn't know it yet. She had certainly already slowed down and was clearly a senior canine at age 14. She was active and beautiful right up to the end. She passed away in March 2006, victim of a stroke, and we brought Callie into the household in May 2007.


And then I noticed this photo of our back yard and what was left of the vegetable garden that year. It looks pretty similar to the scene out there in 2015. And guess what — that's a little collard patch in the 2005 garden. I think that was my first try at growing collard greens in France, and it was a great success. Some things just don't change. One of our main reasons for moving to this region and into this house was that we'd be able to have a big vegetable garden.

18 comments:

  1. Collette was a great and beautiful dog.

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  2. Indeed, she was beautiful.

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  3. It was weirdly warm this morning when I went out for my walk with Callie. We're having a strange December. Yes, Collette was a beautiful dog, but she was easy to spook. Her first six months on Earth must have been very bad. We found her at that age at the Humane Society in Santa Clara, California, and she was afraid of everything and everybody. We were able to tame her, but she was never at ease with more than half a dozen people besides me and Walt, including CHM, our friends Cheryl and Sue, and a couple of others. We were glad that she was able to live out her last years here in the countryside, with no more need to wear a leash.

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    1. I didn't realize Colette was "spooky," although I do remember your stories about barking at new furniture and the like. Sweet dog.

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    2. She barked like wild at new fireplace tools and 33 rpm vinyl LPs as well as new furniture we brought into the house. And at certain people -- most people, really -- for no apparent reason. I think she got along pretty well with you and Tony.

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  4. So much brown in that vineyard photo!

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  5. Collette was very beautiful - she was lucky to have you.

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  6. I was lucky to have met Collette in her later years, she was living the life then. Some dogs are on leash always when they would rather roam free (not safe much now). During my teen years I had a horse and a dog who traveled everywhere the horse and I went. I didn't realize at the time what a luxury those rides were. My dog was a chow, hound mix that I named Pamper. Someone dumped him out near our house. He was one fine animal.

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    1. We were so lucky to find Collette and she was lucky to find us too. She had been at the shelter for a week and dogs were only kept there for 10 days. If they weren't adopted by then, they were euthanized. Children were attracted to Collette but she was scared to death of them. Walt and I were able to win Collette's confidence and the Humane Society people could tell we were a good match all around.

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  7. At least after those first six months Collette had a good home!
    Yesterday my son bought a "Carolina Slaw" from Earth Fare. It is my favorite slaw ever and in addition to cabbage and carrots it has fine slices of collard greens and think radish slices in it. I'm trying to figure out the dressing. The recipes online don't seem too close to the Earth Fare version. Do you think this is an authentic Carolina version of cole slaw? Any ideas on what I would need to do to the collard greens to get them in a good state for this dish?

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    1. I don't know the name "Carolina Slaw" but I know you can often get really good cole slaw in North Carolina. I also don't know what Earth Fare is. So I can't be of much help. In N.C., there are as many variations on cole slaw as there are people who make their own cole slaw. That said, I have found this blog post where there's a recipe for Carolina Slaw that sounds good to me.

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    2. I don't know the name "Carolina Slaw" but I know you can often get really good cole slaw in North Carolina. I also don't know what Earth Fare is. So I can't be of much help. In N.C., there are as many variations on cole slaw as there are people who make their own cole slaw. That said, I have found this blog post where there's a recipe for Carolina Slaw that sounds good to me.

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  8. That first picture Ken...
    I love the way the sun-bleached chestnut posts meander in regular lines across the vineyard...
    if you drew that, people wouldn't think it natural...
    lovely!
    And despite being easily spooked, Collette looks a lovely dog!!

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  9. Ahh, those photos of a dearly love pet who is no longer with us .. I sometimes find it difficult to look at the years of photos of us in Buenos Aires .. my husband and our dog Tate (Standard Poodle) and myself .. so happy - smiling, as if it would always be that way.
    So much changes over time ... some of it I just hate . : )
    I grew up in North Carolina and that was the only time I ever liked slaw. NY slaw is horrible ( sorry NYers )

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    1. From my years of living in NC ... slaw was creamy .. vinegar was not allowed to pass my lips :D

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    2. Our English friends Jean and Nick have a standard poodle and have had others previously. They love them, and their dog is intelligent and well-behaved. She and Callie get along.

      The Carolina slaw I know has a little bit of vinegar in it, but also a good bit of mayonnaise and some yellow mustard. I make my cole slaw dressing here that way, cutting the mayo with some plain yogurt. I think it's good with cabbage and also with iceberg lettuce, alongside some NC-style pulled pork or pulled turkey with vinegary, peppery barbecue sauce.

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  10. I didn't know all that about Collette's early history, which makes your adoption of her all that much better. I lost my own dog in April, and am thinking that your gap in time before another is just about right, am starting to look around for another now.

    The vineyard photo is lovely, all those subtle shades of earthy colors.

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    1. People told us back then that it would be a good idea to wait a year before getting another dog. By waiting, you avoided making too many comparisons between the old dog you had grown to love and a new puppy that might be a big pain during its teething and training stage of life. And after a year you'd be sure you really did want to bring another dog into the household. We did, and it has worked out really well. Callie is so different from Collette even though both are collie-type dogs. Callie is bonded to us completely because we got her before she was three months old. Collette never bonded that way even though she was affectionate and obedient most of the time. She was a much more independent-natured creature.

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