10 May 2016

Cerises

It's strange to be spending so much time alone. My main company is made up of the cat and the dog, and my camera. One friend stopped by a few days ago and we spent an hour catching up on the local and personal news, but otherwise I've just been occupying my own time. I can't say it's been unpleasant. I've taken the car out just once since Walt left on his trip more than a week ago. At this point, I have only six nearby neighbors — the hamlet is made up of nine houses — and I've only caught glimpses of them as they race by in their cars, on their way to town or wherever.


I don't feel like I'm getting an awful lot done either. Mostly I'm maintaining, not progressing. I've been walking the dog twice a day, making my daily lunch, and re-potting some plants. Watching TV. Blogging, Reading. Fiddling with computers and tablets. Watering all the seedlings in the greenhouse tent. My biggest accomplishment has been cleaning out the sun porch. But I haven't shoveled compost into the garden plot or run the tiller again. Or mowed the yard. Now it's turned rainy. Oh well.


The temperature this morning is about 60ºF (15ºC). That's pretty warm, even for May 10. The prevailing cloud cover is preventing heat from rising toward the stratosphere. That keeps the mornings warm. The days aren't very warm, though, and I expect the boiler to come back on at any moment. That's what the weather is like here — as soon as clouds cover the sun, daytime turns chilly. It was the same in San Francisco.


Today is our fourth wedding anniversary. Walt is back at "the scene of the crime" — Albany, NY. I wish I were there too, because we had such a good time when we went to that part of the U.S. and up to Montréal in May 2012. I'm not lonesome, exactly, but it is weird to spend so much time not talking to anybody. We've been living together for 33 years now. For the past dozen or more years, we have spent nearly 24 hours a day together, since neither of us works for a living any more. My trips to North Carolina give Walt his only respite.


The pictures here are some I took on Sunday morning when I went out with the dog. (As always, you can click or tap on them to enlarge the images.) There are a lot of cherry trees in and around our hamlet. They're sour cherries, which are the kind that are good cooked but not sweet enough just to eat raw. They make good pies, clafoutis, sauces, and so on. I hope they will soon ripen, despite the current rainy weather. Tomorrow: plums.

26 comments:

  1. Four years already? I can't believe it. Time flies even faster than I thought. Congratulations!

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    1. Ô temps ! suspends ton vol, et vous, heures propices ! Suspendez votre cours : Laissez-nous savourer les rapides délices. Des plus beaux de nos jours !

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    2. J'ai toujours pensé que Lamartine s'était laissé aller à la faiblesse quand il avait répété suspendez. Il aurait dû remplacer le second par arrêtez! Peut-être ne savait-il pas nager?

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    3. Love that poem, Ken! Happy Anniversary to you and Walt! Those four years have flown by- I'll never forget the joy of that day!

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    4. I inadvertently left the LOL off my "jamais content" comment above. Sorry...

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    5. Dont't be sorry. I didn't notice it wasn't there. LOL!

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  2. Happy anniversary. It's funny now that I am in France for a few weeks and my husband is home alone in nc with the cats many of our friends are calling him to come to dinner or go to a restaurant with them. Thing is he is happy on his own and is not all that social so he's hoping these invites will slow down soon,

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    1. I'm appreciating Walt right now for all he does around here and now I have to do. Like running the vacuum cleaner in the living room and downstairs entry room, as well as up and down two flights of stairs! That's a lot of work. And then the grass is really growing with the warm temperatures and now light rains we are getting. I might have to go figure out how the lawnmower works. Maybe it will just rain every day until Walt gets home.

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    1. Not soon enough. The grass might be waist-high by next week! I'll look like a total slob if I don't get some of this work done.

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  4. Dear Ken, the good thing of Walt being away, is it makes "these certain things" visible; it might also be the case when you're away and he stays at home. You will be rewarded by looking forward to his home coming, when you'll notice: "1 + 1 = 3" again! Stay OK.

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  5. Sorry you and your husband were separated for your 4th anniversary - bound to make anyone feel a little triste. You must be counting the days until he gets back.
    I have no focus without my husband to share things with if it is him who goes away. All life's edges become blurred. If I go, he is fine without me and I have the plans for whatever I am doing to keep me busy so it works better.

    Today is not a good day. We got back to England late last night, it is raining hard and we are missing Saint-Aignan already. The caravan now lives in Mdme Thomas' large barn in Couffy until we come back in about 5 weeks. Can't wait!

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  6. Wow, I can't believe it's four years already, too! Happy anniversary, you two :)

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  7. Happy anniversary, Ken and Walt.

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  8. Happy Anniversary! I bet there is a bottle of Vouvray bubbles waiting in the fridge to celebrate Walt's return.

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  9. Hi Ken. I thoroughly enjoy your photos. You inspired me to look back for a new "old" camera. I'd been toting around a DSLR for many years and while I certainly appreciate the quality and features (different lenses, settings, RAW mode, etc.), it was just too much baggage for everyday use. So, I found a Lumix DMC-ZS8 on eBay. I'm delighted with the quality of the pictures and how simple it is to use. A great little pocket camera. Thanks!

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    1. I found one on eBay also for my daughter and SIL to take photos of their first child. They are thrilled to have such a nice small camera.

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    2. Teryy, I hope you like the little Lumix as much as I do. Evelyn, your daughter and her husband too.

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  10. Happy Anniversary! Absence makes the heart grow fonder, so you'll really appreciate it when he gets back. After all, he must go through much of the same when you go to the States each year.

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  11. Happy Anniversary to you and Walt! I hope the cherries ripen and you can make some delicious desserts to celebrate with them.

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  12. Thanks to all for the anniversary wishes. Another day has dawned, and another year.

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  13. Happy 4th Anniversary! May you consume lots of sparkling wine to celebrate when Walt returns!
    Candy and John and Chaucer

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  14. Happy 4th Anniversary! May you consume lots of sparkling wine to celebrate when Walt returns!
    Candy and John and Chaucer

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