MRS. COW AND MRS. HORSE

FRENCH COUNTRY COWS

It’s another story as to why, but when my sister and I were small we shared a double bed. Many nights under the covers we would play-act. We had vivid imaginations! We must have played many things, but the ones I remember most were “Radio” and “Farm”.  We thought we were putting one over on our Mom, but of course she knew what was going on and knew, as she told us years later, we’d soon fall asleep.

 

 

When we played “Radio” one of us would decide what she wanted to hear and the other would make twist-the-dial noises and provide the show. “Farm” must have been our favorite.  Chit-chatting about our day, she was Mrs. Cow and I was Mrs. Horse.  And to each other, until the day she died, we were still Mrs. Cow and Mrs. Horse.  We were Mrs. Cow and Mrs. Horse to the point that our Mom once bought us beautifully-made cloth dolls with cow and horse bodies. We were Mrs. Cow and Mrs. Horse to the point where every time I see a cow – or her favorite daisies – I think of my sister Karen.

A heartfelt thank you to Sharon Santoni at My French Country Home. Today when I opened her blog there were several wonderful pictures of my favorite animal: cows. My sister would have loved those photos. Sharon has a great eye for photography and takes the most gorgeous photos. The shots from her brocante trips are not to be missed. I save many of her pictures for my Desktop slide show. So – the real cows are from Sharon, the dollies, sitting happily in my guest room, are my own.

 

 

 

ADDICTED TO BLOGS - PERHAPS

I have become an addict – well, sort of. I’ve discovered quite a number of blogs that are just up my alley.* If not checked – usually by household chores, things to do, places to go – I could spend hours going from blog to blog. Seeing as how I am fairly new to the scene, I’ve a lot to catch up on. After many posts the bloggers entice you with “You may also like”: several pictorial references to further explore past posts. The temptation is too great to resist.

I don’t know how many blogs are written by younger women, but most of my favorites seem to be from gals of a certain age, a certain age where they’ve discovered something sweet unique inspiring beautiful intelligent that they want to pass on to others.  They blog not to get on the rooftop and yell “listen to this,” but to give a little nudge and say “excuse me, this struck me as being fairly sweet unique inspiring beautiful intelligent (maybe even sad) and you may enjoy reading about it.” –or- “You know I’m not a world leader, not even a neighborhood one, but someone else out there may just find this topic food for thought – and comment.”

We ‘mature’ bloggers don’t sit around “chewing the fat” – or talking about it - or talking about our kids or, worse, our grand kids.  We bring to each other the best tidbits we found that day, offering them like petit fours on the prettiest plate we can find. That ‘pretty plate’ is usually an accompaniment of wonderful photos, some gleaned from the internet, some the blogger’s own. Myself, I use photos from both sources.

Though every once in a while I’ll comment on what’s happening that day, my usual posts are essays like this, sometimes about my memories, or are my curmudgeonly observations. Most of my favorite bloggers let me in on what they did that day or that weekend, their latest travels, or their local culture scene. I learn what’s new in the world of fashion, home décor, or even the latest in beauty products.  And of course, many of them offer wonderful recipes. I’ve got to watch myself or I’ll drool into my laptop.

I get the weather reports and how the weather is affecting the bloggers from as close as the Carolinas or even Ontario, to as far away as Scotland, Normandy, Provence, and further on to North Africa. How could I fail to be intrigued and amazed?

*These then are some of my favorite blogs.  You may notice a definite French connection in several of them: I am a died-in-the-wool Francophile.

A Femme d'Un Certain Age – from France, of course!

Backwards in High Heels – from Northern Scotland

French Essence  - from Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, by a transplanted Australian

   My, my my!      

My Carolina Kitchen – from North Carolina (ah, and she’s a Francophile too!)

My French Country Home – from Normandy

My Marrakesh  - there’s the North African connection   

Plain & Fancy Living – from Kentucky

Spectator – from Carla Carlisle in England. Her weekly blog in Country Life is required reading.

susannahsays – by my dear friend from Ontario (ZH) – she says she may not continue blogging, but I hope she does.  I need more of her insightful essays, and her wonderful poems.

I follow many other sites, of course, and you can find them listed on the right.I’ve seen other lists of followed blogs and they are longer than a roll of toilet paper. I think I’ve culled mine down to the best, the essential few for my own delight.  Any less and I’d feel I was missing something, any more and I’d be bleary-eyed.