Dateline Berrias, France

We're visiting a village in France that we first came to in 1985, weeks after Margaret was born and after Joe had the cast on his leg removed. Our friend, Lawraine, who was in the same Gabon town as Mary, moved here and has lived here for a long time.

The last time we were here was 2018, but on one of our other visits here, Peter and Janet, Johanna and Sean, showed up and we stayed here for a week or so. What everyone remembers from that visit were that church bells that rang every hour. Yes, through the night.

The village is a 90 minute train ride from Montpellier where we are half way through two weeks of French classes. It was something we've been wanting to do for a couple of years, and we finally jumped in. After one week, even after one day, we knew it was the right choice. A lot of fun, and we might even be getting better in French.

We spent a couple of days in Paris before coming south in order to acclimatize. We stayed on the left bank, steps away from Notre Dame. I had been reading A Moveable Feast by Hemingway and underlining the names of the streets he mentioned. So on our first day, we found Gertrude Stein's house and his bar, too fancy for us but we had a cafe across the street and retraced his steps back to the Seine and the famous bookstore. Sunday morning we went to church at Notre Dame, quite beautiful inside, like there had never been a fire. We then hopped on the TGV for Montpellier.

Everywhere we've gone, everyone we meet, they all want to talk about the political situation in the US. A lot of head shaking, and that's not even us. They just can't believe their partner is cutting the ties that made both regions so prosperous and safe for so many years.

The weather is warmer here but not by much. Mary grabbed her winter coat as we headed out the door in Pittsfield, and she wears it every day. I spent an hour chopping wood for Lawraine as she had run out just like I have back home.

We've found a pool, went on a hike, did a walking tour around the town and hit the Monoprix every day. I missed class one day as I came down with a bad cold. All better now and luckily Mary did not get sick. Did someone say the French make good wine? Yes, we have done one formal wine tasting and a few informal ones.

What's up back home? We saw Erin had a birthday, and it sure looked like a happy one. David's got one in a few days and then it's Simon's turn. Timmy's back in Pittsfield taking care of the kitty and watching the house. Merci.

We've enjoyed seeing photos of Simon trying a violin, Thomas and John and Luisa doing yoga. We're expecting smooth, continued recoveries for Marilyn and Lur.

Two more days, besides David's birthday, is the first day of spring. We made it. Flowers and gardens and winter cleanup await us. Something to look forward to.

Until then, prenez vos soins et adieu

Dateline: our nation’s capital

It's birthday week. Four of them in one week. Luisa, then Daniel, next up Kiernan, and finally Lur. 

We drove down in time for Luisa's official party, but then we were also here for her party with friends. Someone's brave for having all these little children under the same roof. But it worked out well. Lots of parents keeping their eyes on their children. Everyone behaved, especially me. 

While down here, we saw the first of what we hope will be many basketball games, this time for Thomas. We had a couple of babysitting gigs with Margaret and then Joe which gave us plenty of opportunities to spoil grandchildren. I should say Mary had the babysitting gigs. 

Sharing a picture of Simon who wanted to be Barack Obama for his school's Black History Month fashion show. At their school Thomas dressed up in the colors of Nigerian and John in Kenya's red and black. And there's a picture of Theo reading his favorite book. Or should I say re-reading it. 

Friday, everyone was in school so Mary and I met an old Foreign Service friend at the USAID building and "clapped out" the workers who have been summarily dismissed. It was very sad; we've known many USAID families over the years which makes it very personal. We also took in the African American History Museum. Also pretty sad. 

Not sad are the warm temperatures down here. We even saw some crocuses and forsythia. Not for long as we headed home to single digit temps. 

Two of us had surgeries this week. Lur fell and broke her left wrist so she had an operation to line it all up the right way again. Then, down in Florida, Marilyn had her knee surgery and she is on the long road to recovery. Look out pickle ball!! 

From far away, Annie and Sankar have purchased a parcel of land. Big news. Sixteen acres that are about 5 hours away from his family's home in Thanjavur. It's up in the hill towns so it's a little cooler. Now they can start dreaming of what they want to put there. We vote for a guest house. 

A miserable weather day and a computer in the repair shop led me downstairs to tackle the mess in our basement closet. In one box I found two bags of letters that Grandma had saved. Letters that Mary and I had written over the years. I would say most of them were thank you notes, for one thing or another. There's a lesson in giving. Also buried in the papers were some old photos and two obituaries, of John Shields and Mary Law Shields. I'll have to get a good scan and share them with all of you. 

Finally, before leaving Washington, we went to our old church, Joe and Leonor's new church. They are ministering to a community in shock right now. But the minister had a nice message that can be summed up, "we don't need a map, but a compass."  

Our next letter will be postmarked Montpellier, France where Mary and I are heading this week to take French language classes. 

A la prochaine!  Love

  

Happy Valentine’s Month

Dateline. Pittsfield, but it should be Washington. We were supposed to go down yesterday but didn't relish the idea of driving seven hours through snow, sleet and rain. Mailmen were not. So we will reschedule a trip south in a couple of weeks. We're overdue for a grandchild fix. 

Looks like Peter and Janet got their grandchildren fix this weekend, traveling down to Baltimore, I think, in better weather. I had to choose a picture between their visit and Kiernan's screenshots waiting for his parents to open the door. 

Big news out west, but not the great kind. Lur fell on the ice and broke her hand/wrist. She's in a cast and will find out Monday if she requires surgery. Fortunately (if there is a fortune in a broken bone), it's her left hand, not the one she had surgery on before. 

They also heard from Claire who said she had joined a chorus, which was planning a singing tour of Ireland this summer. 

They may have been singing, but that wasn't the focus of the Caribbean cruise that John and Marilyn took with Colleen, Laura, Robbie, Kim and their friends. They stopped in Key West, the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic.  A good time for all. Marilyn's knee surgery is scheduled for later this month. 

Two names from the past. Up north, we heard from David who has been in touch with Andy Clempt, a friend from Cincinnati. I have a vague recollection it was Andy who soaped our screens one trick or treat night that sent Pop over the she.  Amazing how much those years stay alive either us. One more Cincinnati tidbit   When I was there a couple of years ago for the high school reunion, I met a few people who were talking about their favorite teacher: Mr Tuwilliger. 

Speaking of Cincinnati, David reminded me that spring training started this week. This is our year, I think. 

We have birthdays!!  Theo turned two out in Colorado, and Luisa will be three next week even if she insists that she's one. And I got a happy birthday card for a one year old, too. Someone inked in a 7 in front of the 1. 

Fun. And hope everyone had a happy Valentine's Day. We celebrated by eating leftovers and watching Brooks and Capehart. 

In the I'm glad I'm retired category:  1. We saw a bunch of fire trucks in the parking lot across the street and went over to watch them practice pulling people out of the ice. I would not wanted to be the volunteer who fell through the ice for the training. 2. The excavation company was here Friday to pour concrete and take away the steps in front of the now-gone house next door. Yes, it was 20 degrees and yes they poured concrete. Another job I would not want. 

It looks to be an inside day today. Freezing rain means icy roads. Church is called off and the Y closed down. My computer's in the shop. I'll reenact the 1800s. But that would mean putting this letter in envelopes and mailing to everyone. Think I'll use Facebook.

Hurry up spring. Love from up here. 

One month down

One winter month down. One more full on to go. And in two days we await the groundhog. Which means nothing in this part of the world. Today, though, we saw a temperature above 32 degrees for the first time since we got back from DC on January 20.  It's been cold.

And quiet. Kind of.  For those of you on Facebook, you will have heard my story of the Afghan (wounded warrior) refugee I am tutoring or trying to tutor in English. This man, who's Annie's age, came to the U.S. in November and has been struggling to get any of the resources that his countrymen all received in 2021 and 2022. People were lining up to help them then. Not anymore. Each time I meet him with a plan to do an hour of English teaching, it turns instead into 2-3 hours of some social service – looking for a job, filling out hospital intake and insurance forms, drivers license, and then housing. In the past three days, because of decisions to cut all government grants, the refugee assistance program he finally started receiving last Thursday, was cut the following day. He was going to be forced to leave his apartment, and over the course of a couple of hours was going to go to Texas, Springfield, and finally staying here in Pittsfield. Just awful how these decisions play out at the individual level. And he's got the bullet wounds to show.

Our other excitement around here was that, against that backdrop, I won a 50" television. I was returning my old modem and router to our Internet provider, and the clerks in the store told me to go spin the wheel off to the side of the lobby. And, with a feeble push, the wheel stopped on …. the television. I wonder if I showed the proper level of excitement. I had just bought a new television a few weeks earlier and didn't need one.  We (they) loaded into the car, and I came home and told Mary we were going to put it in front of the fireplace and watch a video of a fire.

We talked with Joe and Margaret each this week to get a sense of how things were going in Washington. You can imagine, but their reactions were a little mixed. They are away from the chaos that we're reading about.  So far.

We heard about Thomas' first basketball game, Simon's excitement and then disappointment over the Commanders appearance in the NFC championship, and a trip to the dentist for John and Thomas.

I got all excited when I saw on Facebook that Tina was in Lima with Everett, but I didn't even need to check the map to see if there was a Lima NY.  

Not Lima, but Hampi, India, is where Annie and Sankar headed after her return. I hesitate mentioning her horrendous flight back, since a) it might bring up PTSD and b) might discourage others from visiting them.  She says that Hampi is a town full of ruins from the 1500s. Wikipedia says it was  "the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565 (as Vijayanagara), when it was abandoned." Remember that for Jeopardy Daily Double.

What else passes for excitement around here? I'm teaching a class at the lifelong learning institute (foreign affairs), taking a class on Dante's Divine Comedy at the same place, we saw a movie called Thelma (which meets Andrew's PG-65 test, and we recommend it, but he might be right, it's better if you're over 65), we had a visit from our North Carolina friends and went skiing. We also got a note from Marjie Huoppi and a photo of a retaining wall in front of the old homestead. 

Other than that, it's hunker down, eat a lot of soup and chili, and watch the fire.  Lucky us.

Love from up here.   

Birthday destination

Dateline Washington DC.  No, we're not here to storm the Capitol. We're here to help out while the 40^th birthday party takes place in Mexico. Whose birthday? Margaret's, and she organized a destination birthday party. That's a first, for me anyway.

Where is this birthday party? In Mexico, first in Oaxaca and then part 2 in Mexico City. Leonor went down for stage 1 and Andrew went down for the second leg. In other words, the first stage, for us, was at Joe's house, and then we headed across town to Margaret and Andrew's house to watch Simon, or maybe it's the other way around. 

The photos back from Mexico have sent us into FOMO land, but we have enjoyed our time here as well. It has been the longest time we've spent in this area since we moved away in 2012. And we like it. We have gone swimming, of course, but also to our old church (Joe's new church), watched football games, visited friends, and play, play, played.

We came down here a few days after Bill and Jen headed back to Colorado after spending time in Illinois over the holidays. They opted for a return drive on the edge of a major snowstorm, but must have made it back in okay shape.  Daniel and Claire had come home  for Christmas as well. I should add that I got in trouble for the last letter when I mentioned Andrew and Lur had gone to some rock concert when they had also gone to see Claire conduct her school orchestra. I should add that Peter found online and shared a video of a Hope College concert featuring Claire in the front row.  Beautiful Christmas music.

Speaking of sharing online, David is into unearthing auction items of sports memorabilia from a Cincinnati website. Very tempting, and it makes me wonder about the value of my few remaining Reds baseball cards.

Speaking of Cincinnati, I learned that Mrs. Bidwell passed away last month. She was a brave woman, rearing six children after divorcing her husband. She remarried and moved into the city, but also spent a lot of time at a home in Colorado the entire clan owned together.

Wonderful photos of a very proud Everett showing off the gaps in his front teeth. Other wonderful photos show a rapidly growing young Ronan. Sean, by the way, has started a new job. Get the details at the Poconos.

Speaking of the Poconos, the dates this year are July 17-20.  Mark your calendars. We had seven cabins reserved, but I just added an eighth. So start planning now.

We talked to John and Marilyn who had spent Christmas up in Massachusetts with Kara. Johnny was recovering from gall bladder surgery, just in time to stand in as home care giver for Marilyn who will have knee surgery in the spring.  When it rains it pours.

And, there were other birthdays.  Jeffrey's for example.  And we also remembered on their birthdays, Ann and Loretta.

This weekend is Annie's last in this hemisphere, for a while. Before heading to Mexico for the birthday, she spent a quiet week with us, mostly trying to get through and over a cold. Too bad, but at least she didn't have it over the holidays or for the birthday.

She'll miss the snow this weekend. We won't.  Hunker down, and love from down here.

  

Happy New Year

The weather outside was frightful, at least for a while. It's been a long time since I saw the thermometer read 2 degrees. But it did, and hovered there for a while. It didn't deter three intrepid boys and their little sister from trying to play in the snow though. And, when it did snow again, it was a little warmer and more fun outside. But the lake froze, the stream behind the house froze, and my toes froze.

But no complaints. We had hoped for snow for Christmas, and we got it. Not too much. Good enough for some sledding. Then it really warmed up, and all the snow went away. Until today.

Joe and his family were first to arrive, leaving DC at around 4 in the morning to get here by mid-day Saturday. Margaret and her family came up the next day, the same day that Joe drove to Boston to pick up Annie whose flight from India was on time!

As was probably true chez vous, there was some excitement and lots of speculation about Santa – his arrival, the fireplace, the toys on the floor that might cause him to trip, the reindeer tracks, the cookies and carrots, the letters. Oh, we also went to church Christmas Eve, and that too added to the overall excitement.

Christmas Day was predictable: surprises, chaos, gasps of wonder, paper, and then serious "some assembly required" work. All fun.

Mary spent a lot of time in the kitchen preparing meals; Leonor made her duck rice dish for Christmas Eve, and Annie added her own vegan recipes.

These days remind me of Pomfret when we all descended (ascended?) after Christmas and the same pandemonium and fun reigned over the house. Pop always wrote about how special those days were, wishing that when we were grandparents we would be able to experience the same. The contrast with the normal quiet in the house is welcome.

Some other highlights – nice to see Simon and John playing so well together; nicer to hear the pleases and thank yous, especially directed at Mimi/Avo Mary; nicest to have quiet time for naps for Baba/Avo John (and a few others as well); fun to go swimming and to the movies to see Sonic (Joe said the book was better); funner to sneak in some excursions to Dunkin Donuts, Panera's and our favorite pizza place; and funnest to play with Luisa's karaoke microphone present … that she will be taking home with her.

Yesterday, it was a return to quiet, as Joe and family did a reverse early am departure. Margaret and Andrew and Simon had already left on Saturday, braving an ice storm which we hope had turned to rain; and Annie escaped to go to Boston to visit friends. Hmm, she doesn't want to spend New Year's Eve as 5 Hancock.

Worthy of mention as well was Joe's detour on his way back from Providence to see a friend from St. Andrews. Where did the detour take him? 233 Pomfret Street, and he knocked on the door, and the Huoppis invited him in. He said that they mentioned a few times they were pondering putting the house on the market. Any buyers?

I hope the Dickson brothers' families all had as wonderful a Christmas as we did, with lots of joy and laughter and togetherness and marvel and singing and stepping on toys and puzzles and games. Speaking of games, did you know that Thomas cheats at Trouble? So do Simon and John. ( Maybe me too.) They have totally adopted the Vince Lombardi approach – winning is everything.

So, New Year's means resolutions. Got any??  I do. Or at least did. Maybe I'll do an every day but New Year's Day resolution. Let's see how long I can keep it.

Today is my sister Ann's birthday. She would be 72. She always complained about her birthday being too close to Christmas, that people just held over their Christmas gifts for her birthday.  Joe didn't complain, though since he probably got extra presents when we celebrated in Pomfret, with everyone there.

With that, love from up here.

 

 

Only ten more sleeps

The snow is gone, but it sure is cold up here. In a few days it will warm up and rain. But we want snow! Not too much, and not in March, thanks. But for Christmas, yes.

Cold weather means we are rapidly going through our woodpile. Not sure if it will last through the winter, so I went out to try to split some more logs. No can do. But I was able to put a shovel in the ground and get a few more carrots. A harvest in December?

Yesterday, Mary went to Worcester for the annual New England swim meet, and she came home with a rubber ducky (first in her heat,) a slew of ribbons, mostly blue, and a hair-raising story about someone collapsing in the pool. After a long time of medical attention and transfer to the hospital, the reports are that the swimmer-patient is okay. Fingers crossed. (The swimmer was my age.)

Our big news since the last letter was that we had to cancel our trip to Fairport. I felt a tickle in my throat that turned into the sniffles, and thought it best not to expose anyone. Too bad, as it would have been great to catch up with David and Paula. But, it was the right choice, as the cold went into my chest, and stuck around for a while. Fortunately, Mary didn't get anything, thanks to Airborne, Zicam, garlic and ginger, and Sankar's father herbal mix. It worked for her, but not me.

Haircuts were on the agenda, but no dump. Must be getting ready for the holidays to get your haircut early and let it grow out in case it was a total mess-up. Anyway, we also saw Luisa, Thomas, and John got their coifs all nicied up.

Photos of Ronan down in Baltimore show an alert baby who's even smiling and perhaps laughing a little? I thought that didn't happen for months. Must be on the college track.

Facebook is my source of all news, at least Dickson news. The photos of Bill and family at the Polar Express in Denver show them quickly settled into their new landscape. Also, I found photos of Matthew and family also out doing Christmas activities, even without front teeth, for Everett.

We had a few conversations with John and Marilyn as he had an operation to take care of a gall bladder issue. Marilyn is looking at a knee operation soon too. Uggh.

Out in Illinois, Andrew and Lur went to a Wishbone Ash concert and gave it two thumbs up! Now there's a group I hadn't heard in a long time. Not sure I can name one of their songs.

We went to a concert as well, but of Christmas music. Wonderful full choral music, but only a few Christmas songs that we recognized. Still good. We'll try again today, at a different venue.

Finally, I wanted to share with you that I have a new Afghan student. The last one moved away with the acceptance of a better job in Springfield MA. My new student showed up in Pittsfield right before Thanksgiving.  His story, at least what I've figured out so far, is heart-breaking, as he fled his country since he was in the military and has spent the last few years in Pakistan, unable to see his family. He doesn't have a word of English, has a sixth-grade education, but proudly showed me pictures of both his family and army unit. It will be interesting to see him grow in language and confidence and in contributing in the year ahead.

With that, wishing you all the merriest of Christmases. Love from up here.