Amazing how quickly the days, weeks, months, and seasons come and go.  Spring has finally arrived here in the Luberon … just as I must leave. This post will be shorter than most, so I can get on with packing.

I’ve had a nasty head cold, which seems to be on the run. Gratefully, it seemed to run its course in record time. Pardon the racing analogy, but being in France did not mean being immune to, nor away from, the non-stop reporting on the Boston Marathon bombing. My head and heart were both heavy. More »

I’m down to the last month of my winter stay in Provence. Actually, it’s going on eight months. Spring has been a little reluctant to appear. There are, however, a few signs of warmer days. The sunshine yellow forsythia is full. Early daffodils and violets provide dabs of yellow and purple to the drab ground. Although the cherry trees are only showing feeble signs of blossoms, the almond trees are in full array. More »

If I were in Michigan, it would be just another one of those typically Michigan gray days. Here in the Luberon, however, it is unusual, and I feel a sense of sadness. Amazing how quickly a person can become addicted to the provençal sun and blue skies.

I’m spending a few days again near Roussillon with my friends, the furry felines Sebby, Frankie, and Ellie.  Their folks are away for a short break.

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I’m almost reluctant to write about how warm the temperatures are here and the fact that the almond trees are just beginning to blossom. I know that the greater Grand Traverse Area is still experiencing snow. Today as I walked around the village, I spotted the first blossoms against the provençal blue sky. More »

Over the years that I’ve been writing this blog, I’ve attempted to present life here as it is, outside of the guidebooks and movies. Events of the past couple of months made me realize that I have not touched on some of the less savory aspects of life in Provence.

Car thefts, break-ins of houses, and other forms of robbery and theft are not that uncommon, particularly during the summer months. Tourists make easy targets for purse snatching. Cars loaded with purchases from the market are easy pickings. ATM machines are very prevalent here and one is always advised to use extra caution when using them. More »

When you live with one foot on two separate continents, life takes on a different dimension. Regular readers of this blog will remember that I did several posts last year, with the theme of “here and there”.  

I recently visited with the English woman who is basically responsible for my being here in France. It was while working for her that I began considering Saignon and the Luberon area my second home. During our recent visit, we had a good conversation about the notion of parallel lives; lives lived with equal depth, intensity, and meaning, in two geographically distant places. More »

We usually say that it’s the month of March that can come in like a lamb (or a lion).  This year, however, January in the Luberon has come in like a lamb.

New Year’s Day was uncharacteristically gray and rainy.  It seemed foreboding, a harbinger of bleak January days to come.  Then voilà, on the second day of the new year, the sun came out and the last eight days have been very nice.  Oh, it gets cold at night, and there’s likely to be frost on the windshield and roads in the morning.  Once the sun comes up, the frost melts, and the day moves on warm and wonderful. More »

I’ve had two and a half months of enjoying the vineyard views. I have done some moving around taking care of houses and pets in a couple of different venues. Taking care of Pussycat and Orlando was a new venue for me.  I enjoyed the apartment and the home as well as making two new feline friends. A week ago, I was able to reconnect with my three feline friends at their home near Roussillon. More »

As Yogi Berra would say, “It’s déjà vu all over again.” After a four-month stay in Traverse City, I’m once again in the Luberon region of the Vaucluse in Southern France.  Back home in Provence.

It was a good summer for me, and one with decisions made and changes.  I decided not to sell my lovely little condo and rapidly decided to find a house sitter for it for the winter.  Lady Luck (or the starts or whatever) was on my side and I have a terrific woman who is looking after the condo.  Things fell quickly into place and I flew out of Traverse City on September 3^rd, Labor Day. More »

Today I enjoyed an hour walk here, from Saignon, up through the lavender fields that spread for acres over the hillsides.  The lavender is not in bloom this time of year, but the rows of plants still are extraordinarily pretty.  The plants are rounded in form from the previous year’s cutting and the branches and leaves are a lovely shade of gray green with a slightly purple hue. More »