Week in review

Just after we started our grocery shopping last week, the store was evacuated. They announced (in French and in English) that all customers should leave the store immediately due to a "technical problem". We left our carts and joined the crowd, including women from the beauty salon with their foiled hair coloring in progress, in the parking lot. Employees went to the far edge of the lot, but most of the customers stayed next to the doors. After about ten minutes they let us back in. We never did learn what the problem was. Didn't see anything in the next day's paper either.

Saturday evening we attended the Repas du Terroir in Mazerolles. It was a meal where we had pot-au-feu with our pot-au-feu. The soupe was made from the cooking broth, with noodles added. Then we we served the meat with its vegetables, potatoes, turnips, carrots, leeks, celery, etc. For entertainment, there was a sort of DJ hosting the event, playing "folk music" and encouraging people to get up and dance. Not that they needed that much encouragement. For some of the pieces "volunteers" dressed in costume to go with a particular song. We had convicts in yellow and black stripes chased by a gendarme. We had Don Camillo and a peasant woman. Mexicans in ponchos and sombreros. Since we weren't familiar with the music, much of this was lost on us. There was a "tunnel dance" where couples go through a tunnel of the joined hands of a long line of other couples. Seems like part of the thing is to trap or beat down on the ones going through. Of course, your turn will come. Ooo, c'est les americains! we heard at one point.

Ed has removed the railings along the step in the living/dining area. A short bit of railing will be reinstalled for the last bit of the stairs. The piano is now in the lower part, leaving the living room area free to be a proper seating area. It's still small, like it was in Amstelveen, maybe a smidge smaller even, since we're having trouble fitting all five chairs there (Memama's upholstered rocker, Ed's wooden rocker, Kaye's wicker auction chair, and two director chairs). But it's sittable, and much nicer than before. Photos when it's more finished.

And, 2-1/2 years after our Stuff arrived, we've hung some pictures and a mirror. The living room walls are no longer bare. Of course there's still a couple of boxes to go, but we ran out of energy and inspiration today.

Indian summer continues. Mid-November and it's not seriously cold yet. Nature's Dryer in still in use, if we get the clothes out early enough. It's lovely but seems wrong. And we're on track for having the driest year on record unless there's a lot of rain in December.