The Rainy Season

It's hard to fathom that we were under water restrictions last summer due to drought, because it rained all winter long. I grew spoiled from the limitless sunshine in Arizona, so I'm happy to see that Spring has finally sprung in France. We actually had quite a bit of flooding in Moissac last month-- although not nearly as bad as some of the nearby communities. But that's all water under the Moissac bridge now, because now that the wisteria and magnolia have started to bloom, it's easy to forget those wet winter months.

We've been busy with paperwork--moving to another country, especially France, creates mountains of applications, permits, documentation. For one, our retirement visas need to be renewed every year (after 5 years of renewing, you can choose to apply for residency instead). We also needed to exchange our driver's license for French ones. Some states have an exchange program with France: Illinois does, Arizona does not. Since we still own some property in Illinois, we stopped there before we moved to France and obtained Illinois licenses. For those expats coming from states that don't offer a reciprocal program, the application and testing process can be very challenging and requires a significant investment in time and money. We've met Americans that had to travel to Paris (a 6 hour drive away) to find an offce that conducted the tests in English, and they charged substantial fees for the service. I'm so glad we were able to avoid all of that. We just files the paperwork, and then wait--sometimes for months--for the new licenses to arrive in the mail.

We filed more paperwork to apply for coverage under France's national healthcare system--which is free and covers nearly 100% of everything. That was just recently approved and we received our insurance care just in time for our first medical exams to refill prescriptions. But I also nearly experienced the French ambulance and hospital system firsthand, when I took a nasty tumble down the front stairs and sprained by right ankle, left wrist and thumb. It took weeks to resolve, so I'm thrilled to be up and about again.

We've also been busy with projects around the house. We're adding wall mouldings to the hallway and staircase, and we've done to some temporary fixes to the kitchen, in order to further delay a couple of bigger projects needed there. The kitchen sink and backsplash were black, and instead of ripping them out and potentially requiring us to also replace the countertops, I painted the sink and backsplash white, and add some temporary tiles behind the stovetop. Bill changed out the black faucet with a brass one, and those little efforts made a big splash. I've already got a new range hood to replace the stainless steel monstracity that's currently there (and is 3x the size of the stovetop)--but because pulling that out could open a can of works we're not ready to deal with yet, I painted it white as well. And, when the front panel of my wall oven literally fell off, we installed a new oven and microwave. It's not the french country kitchen that I've always dreamed of, but its very pretty and functional, so I'm happy enough. One nice thing about the rainy winter is that those days were perfect for baking. I spent many mornings baking artisean bread and focaccia. I don't care what they say, I'm pretty sure I could live on bread alone--especially with the deliciously creamy french butters. And because one of my new friends is vegan, I like experimenting with recipes that I can share with her when I tag a long to the charity thrift shop where she volunteers. I like to re-arrange the merchandise on the shelves while I keep her company and look for hidden treasures.

Now that the weather is warming, we've started working in the garden. We hired a crew to tear out the old crumbling tile stairs that lead up to the swimming pool and pool house, and add a hand rail for those steps. They'll be back later to lay the new tile and put in some rock beds along the side of the lower garden and add a more substantial stone path from the carport to the patio doors that open into our kitchen. All the rain this winter created a mud pit in lower garden, and it became a herculean task to keep Murphy from dragging all that mud back into the house after his walks. We also took on cleaning the glass roof of the pergola that runs nearly the entire length of the house--but no matter how much we sprayed and scrubbed, we managed only to remove the moss that has started growing over the winter--there is plenty of residual bird poop, which we are choosing to ignore as it got the better of us and we know when to admit defeat. And, while we're on the topic of defeat: I planted herb seeds last month and moved them into container pots on the patio once they sprouted. If they survive, it will be solely due to their determination and not the result of anything I do. Sadly, nothing green survives under my care for long. :(

Now the spring is upon us, I can sit outside at the cafes where I meet up with friends a couple times a week for coffee. And, Bill and I are hosting a "meet & greet" event at our house next month to introduce ourselves to other people living in Moissac and the surrounding areas. The are approxiately 15 people who responded that they are interested in attending. I think it will be a great way share our experiences and help each other navigate our new lives in France. One of the women who responded, had a terrible fall shortly after we met. She broke her leg in 2 places and required surgery. She did not yet know another living soul in France, so she called me for help. Bill and I were able to care for her home and 3 dogs while she was hospitalized, and make her house more accessible for her when she returned home with a walker and wheelchair. It just reinforces how important community is when we are so far away from the family and friends we used to rely on when we needed assistance.