The Wandering Walters

We've been waiting weeks for a hint of when the sale of the house will be finalized and we can schedule delivery of our shipping container (currently being stored in Belgium). The uncertainly has been marinating for awhile--add to that a dash of disappointment in our current AirBnB, and a heaping scoop of frustration from months of living out of a suitcase--and it was quickly becoming a recipe for diseaster. Lucky for us, we just received our closing date and its better than what we'd hoped: August 7th. We take possession of the new house in 2 weeks!! If our luck holds, the belongings we shipped from Arizona can get delivered shortly thereafter. No more uncomfortable furniture, no more cooking with limited utensils (goodbye dicing vegetables with a steak knife), no more drains that won't drain or toilets that won't flush. Cooking in this kitchen leaves a lot to be desired: Even though this rental property is located in a strikingly beautiful part of the country...

Boy, what a difference a day makes. Yesterday, we moved into another AirBnB (in Aiguës-vives) and it knocked the wind from our sails. The house had it's charm, but felt too isolated, too tired and worn, too dusty. The a/c didn't work, the propane tank for the gas stove was empty, and the windows were all shuttered making the house dark, musty and hot. How could we spend the next couple of months here?? Although I had numerous texts of reassurances from the host, I could still feel the shift... depression and dread starting to fill the space where excitement and enthusiasm used to reside. The host must have sensed the shift as well, because he texted that he and his wife were on the way to the house, driving from Narbonne (where they live), 30 miles away. They filled the propane tank, brought new towels for the kitchen, and batteries for the a/c remote. They were joyous, bubbly and gracious. They both spoke fairly good English (as well as Portuguese, French and Spanish). The...

Southern France has been experiencing record-breaking temperatures of late, more than 20 degrees higher than the average. Since our current Airbnb does not have A/C, we finally surrendered and found "a little vacation from our vacation rental" in Toulouse. We ran that little a/c unit from morning to night, and cocooned inside the little apartment for a couple days relief from the heat and humidity. We ventured out only to the front gate for Uber Eats deliveries. With the exception of taking Murphy to a groomer for a shave--this is no weather for his heavy coat. It figures that there was a market day happening just outside of the dog groomer's space. It couldn't have been easy maneuvering through the narrow, unknown streets full of pedestrians and bicyclists. I'm frankly amazed at how well Bill does driving in France, especially not knowing how to read many of the street signs. My hero.  Murphy is trying to stay cool - Speaking of driving...... we FINALLY picked-up...