Guest post: Life in the village by J. Starr

A dear friend from Portland, came to visit me in Paris and Noyers. This was her first time in my village, which allowed me to see it anew through her eyes. Here is her take on the experience... 

Guest blog post by J. Starr:

"I had a sense of preparation for a love to come like the extension of canopies, the unrolling of ceremonial carpets, as if I must first create a marvelous world in which to house it, in which to receive adequately this guest of honor" ~Anais Nin. 

Life in The Village at Jules's
drinking pink bubbles on the stone patio
the sound of pigeons cooing on the roof
the church bell ringing
gazing at the bright stars from my bed while drifting to sleep
the morning light and birds singing as an alarm clock 
tulips on the cusp of blooming
playing slightly naughty card games with friends. 
the worlds best croissants from the bakery that only makes them to order on the weekends. 
singing to Neko Case and Wilco while making homemade ricotta cheese and butternut squash ravioli 
baguettes in a wicker basket
running past bee houses
friends that live a few steps away and walk over in their pajamas for morning coffee. 

Thank you Jules for reminding me of the possibilities of adventure, the beautiful mystery of life, creating the world you dream, nurturing your soul, making your own rules, and wishes fulfilled. 

LBE's jardin

This past weekend I took my garden back.

There were a few pressing factors that were causing me to  make some quick decisions about my plans for the garden at LBE.

1. Spring is in full force in France. Normally we can wait until May to begin planting. But this year, planting season began in March, and it probably could have even begun in February.

2. I will be traveling throughout the month of May, and this is my last opportunity to plant my crops for the upcoming season--when I return it will already be summer.

And the most urgent reason I need to take some swift action, is Mr. B...

3. Mr. B, is my garden's caretaker. I inherited him with the house. He takes his job seriously, and every time I return to the LBE I find that he has taken great care of, and a lot of creative liberties with my garden. Like multi-colored pansies decorating the front entrance,

shallots planted randomly among the peonies, an assault of red and yellow tulips throughout the garden, his acknowledgement of my birthplace by screwing a Route 66 license plate onto my barn door,

and a wooden bench that he refurbished and placed on the stone seating platform.

I totally appreciate his care and attentiveness. He is also meticulous, which I love. Such a lovely man-- he once even declared that he considers himself my second father. "You have two fathers now, one in the US and now one in France. Me." I melted.

Sometimes I get the feeling that he is concerned about me. The fact that I bought this house on my own and am not married. Other times I think that this gives him a sense of purpose and value. I appreciate him immensely and love that the universe brought him into my life.

The problem is that he has no idea of my aesthetic vision.  I prefer monochrome colors. My favorite gardens are usually all white and green, like this:

I also like to have vegetables and herbs that are intentional,  and visually appealing.

So this weekend, I took matters into my own hands to help direct things.  With the help of RDW and Miss Mary from Portland, we gutted the left half of the garden. Removed approximately 350 yellow and red tulip bulbs, dug up six rose bushes and a Camellia bush. We did it within a 24 hour period, with not a single surprise appearance by Mr. B.

Before (tulips beginning to pop up in March):

After:

Kale, spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, parsley, rosemary, sage, basil, coriander, thym, chives.

I didn't have the heart to discard the rose bushes, nor the tulip bulbs for that matter. Therefore, the rose bushes were all relocated to less invasive spots around the house. the tulip bulbs now sit in a compost pile, with the intention that I will gather them up and gift them to someone, or lay them to rest in the forest.

In the meantime, I just hope that Mr. B's feeling are not hurt. And that he will direct his love and care on my new crops.

I can hardly wait to harvest my bounty.