Two Homelands

I am so pleased to be writing outdoors on our terrace. Last weekend, a special device (don't ask me the name, please) was installed to enable access to the Internet on the third floor of the house including the terrace. This changes everything. I can work from up here, regard Netflix, talk to friends and family on What's App, etc. 

It's been over a week now since Bill returned home to Beaverton.  Honestly, it has been rough without him.

He arrived here in Monflanquin with me so it is only now that I am finding my Monflanquin  rhythm again. I think living through a pandemic makes me more sensitive than usual to the absence of my safety net, i.e. Bill.  Right after he left, I knocked over a little lamp. The  light bulb broke but left its base stuck inside the lamp socket ,if you know what I mean.  When I posted this on the family What's App, the immediate reaction was unplug the lamp before doing anything else.  I felt torn: comforted that  nobody wanted me electrocuted and  miffed that of course, I know at least to unplug.  I needed pliers to get the remains of the light bulb out. Bill's  heavy tool box lives in a cupboard I can't even reach. So I found an accessible screw driver and proceeded to mangle the base in which the light bulb was stuck. Urgh!!!  Enough, I thought!  I need my own lightweight tool box. My best friend Amazon France provided me with a few options.

I chose this one because I  actually understand the use of what's in it , and part of the purchase money goes to breast cancer research. It is  truly portable and easy to store within arm's reach. During the week, I reached for it to make a highly important repair. My mask adjustment piece had fallen off leaving my mask too loose. To get the piece back on, I would have normally used a crochet hook which I do not own here.  One of the pointy screwdrivers made for an excellent substitute. My ladies' tool kit  came to the rescue and was worth the money!

I am also missing someone with whom to share dilemmas.  Those who live alone can perhaps offer advice. I am fortunate to have  many wonderful friends in the village, but it is not quite the same as having an inhouse resident with whom to bounce off ideas, doubts, fears, and reflections. Luckily, texts and phone calls help alleviate this problem with the US/France time difference taken into consideration.

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I promised to write more about Cafe Philo.  David, a retired  American philosophy professor opened this combination book shop/coffee shop in 2020.  His wife Margaret gives him a hand  when she is not  teaching online.  The shop is filled with philosophy books as well as novels, cook books, and really  books of all genres. Most books are in English, but one section is devoted to French books. My favorite bit of the shop is a display table with philosophy books for children.   Augie, David and Margaret's dog plays a big part in the Cafe Philo experience. He is just as friendly and welcoming as the shops owners.  David and Margaret kindly displayed  my book, MY LITTLE FRENCH VILLAGE in both French and English, in

the  Cafe Philo front window.

Appropriately, I will leave you with a  philosophy question.  If anyone out there has two homes or two homelands, two places that call to the heart,  have part of your heart in two places, how do you reconcile the two home experience?

   It is very tricky as Bill and my dog are in Beaverton, and I am here  by myself in my beautiful French village. Thoughts?