Emergence

BOO!

Scared ya, didn’t I?

I know, I know…it’s been a really long time. I’ve been away on my yearly Christmas trek to the Midwest and even extended my trip a bit. Each year I think I’m going to blog while I’m away and, of course, I never do. And each year it takes me a couple more weeks to chew my way out of my self-built cocoon and “get on the stick”, as my mother used to say.  I can hear her saying it now…in my head of course. But the things mothers say, even if their echos are only bouncing off the walls of your brain, can be VERY, VERY LOUD!

It was a wonderful trip and even better because it was longer than I expected.  Time with friends and extra time with family warmed my heart and soul. And this year, I did not frostbite my toes or anything else for that matter because it was unseasonably mild.  In fact, I heard on the radio that it had yet to get below zero, which is simply unheard of for a Minnesota January.

Even so, I made my yearly trek (okay, I was probably there 10 times in 5 weeks) to the Valley of the Gods... my shopping nirvana, TJ Maxx.  I bought plenty of warm sweaters, a new coat, new boots, and wool socks and such because I always imagine that it’s going to be so cold when I get back to Aix en Provence.  Even though I live in the south of France, I often feel colder here than I ever do in Minnesota.  I am not alone in this feeling; my other ex-pat friends complain continually about how cold they feel here in the winter. It’s probably because we have stone floors and little tiny heaters that do not much more than heat the wall they’ve been placed on.  No such thing as central heat, near as I can tell. 

I arrived in Marseille donned in my new wool coat with the fur collar thinking I was all that and was spit out into 60 degrees and sunny. Feeling ridiculous did not mar one bit the glory of the warmth and the smell of the sea once again. It’s just too bad I spent the rest of the day unpacking because the next two days were dreary and rainy and then…..the snow arrived.

I’m not feeling so ridiculous now in my woolies and fur! Because the snow and cold have just kept on coming. Not grand measures of the white stuff but you have to understand one inch in Provence is probably equal to one foot in Minnesota. Except it causes more PANIC! And it's bone-chilling. 

Maybe I'm making excuses for constructing a cozy cabin around myself and cutting myself off. And maybe I'm just making an excuse for what I'm doing now. Which I'm not going to tell you about until the next post!

It's good to be back. If you're out there and still reading, I'd love to hear from you. Sorry about the scare!  

Have a great week, my friends.