May 2009 vs. May 2023

I'm hoping and hoping that we'll soon start having some nice weather so that I can hang wet laundry outdoors to dry. I don't think many people in the U.S. use a clothesline any more, but people out here in the French countryside certainly do. It's especially nice to be able to hang jeans, throw rugs, towels, bedsheets, and comforter covers outside. We have a clothes dryer and we use it more than we used to, expecially in wintertime or when the weather turns rainy, but nothing beats the smell and feel laundry that has dried outdoors. I'm also hoping that our vegetable garden plot might look as good in 2023 as it did in May 2009. All this rain should be good for it.

Today I'm headed to the outdoor market over on the other side of the river in Noyers-sur-Cher. We had a pretty impressive thundershower late yesterday afternoon, after moderate rain showers all day. It's not raining yet this morning, so maybe I'll be able to shop outdoors for the asparagus and the chicken I want to get for our Sunday dinner.

I also have to pick up a package that's waiting for me at the little grocery store in Noyers. It was delivered to the store yesterday and it's up to me to go fetch it. It's a new set of satellite TV decoders that are supposed to work much better with our new fiber optics internet. We don't pay for them except for a minimal monthly rental fee. That way, if they go on the fritz the satellite TV provider replaces them for free.

Here are a couple of wild orchids that were growing on the edge of the Renaudière vineyard near our house May 2009. In other news, despite all the rain we've been having, our renovated front terrace is performing fantastically. Rainwater that used to form puddles on the deck surface now runs off the way it was always supposed to do. The contractor did a good job. If my wishes for a warm-but-not-hot and a moderately rainy summer are granted, we (including Tasha) will really enjoy the terrace.