Wild Life

Bonjour, are you all well? I sure hope that is the way it is with everyone; we are feeling great today because it dropped a good 15 degrees overnight, and we feel freshened and invigorated. We hear that July and August are the official vacation months in France, so I guess the tourists start arriving and the natives start scramming to anywhere but here!

Our day went south on us with Eric having to cancel our appointment, but it picked up big time when we dropped in on Mme. Carillon to bring her two mini bar-b-cue sandwiches to try. She’s our almost blind investigator, and she is a hoot. She is a live wire, with a huge smile and a great seeing eye dog that everyone loves because of her gentleness. She lives right on a busy street, and her window was wide open (no screens) when we came up. She had 2 guests, so we just talked and handed her the food right through the opening. She indicated her friend inside was the one who wanted to meet the Mormons, but was too shy; so Jack naturally popped his head in and invited her to our next meeting with Mme. C., and she said she would come. We hope to get her to church soon; she would be a shot in the arm in Relief Society with her lively sense of humor, and because she wants to know everything and isn’t afraid to ask.

We arrived at our regular meeting with Madeleine Chauveau, and found her laying down, looking white-faced and stricken. Two days earlier, her cleaning lady was with her when she suffered a mild heart attack and was able to get the proper pill into her mouth. She was weak and seemed ready to give up the ghost, so we had her call her doctor and he came and prescribed a patch for her chest, instead of the horse sized pills that made her stomach rebel. Jack got that filled for her and we got soup down her, and she asked for a blessing. We were in tears and felt like this was good-bye for good as we left that day, with the promise to return soon to help her change her patch. When we came three days later, she greeted us at the door with a huge smile of welcome, wearing a smart red and black top, and with her silver hair cut and permed to perfection. The patch was the right medication for her, and she was her former self again. Now she can go to England for her grandson’s wedding after all, and enjoy the trip.

Life is wild at times, but I was thinking of wild things that make me jump in the night, such as spiders . . . UGH! After showering one morning, I stepped into our bedroom and my foot just barely missed a humongous, black, 4 inch wide beastie, sauntering nonchalantly across the floor. I yelped, and leaped to the sky, and that got its attention, and it stopped to consider options. My option was to call for help, so Jack got a bit of toilet paper to snatch it up with (he thinks living things should fulfill the measure of their creation). But, when he saw it, he said, “I’m going to need MORE paper!” and he let the little hummer go out the window to live and scare again. The very next day, while running around without my glasses on, I wondered how the corner of our pink bedroom had become dirty all of a sudden, but the thought passed because I had other things on my mind. Then later, after a day with the Bennett’s, I plopped my weary, warm self down on the bed and noticed that spot again. Later, while getting dressed for English class, I looked up at that spot again, this time with my specs on, and the brilliant realization came to me that spots like that don’t just appear overnight! I moved closer for a better look, and sure enough, it was that spider again (or his evil twin brother!) cleverly concealing himself in the corner of a pink room! I hate spiders. Spiders in a house are not helping people by hunting for flies, they are after big game, and this one was thinking and planning and biding his time, waiting for the chance to get back at me, and looking for a nice juicy meal. Just the thought of a spider chewing on my ankle gives me the heebie-jeebies, so I called for help again, and this time Jack took him clear across the courtyard. I told him if I see him again, he’s MINE (my broom and I will make mince meat of him!). Funny enough, other things, like mosquitoes are nothing. I haven’t been bitten by even one mosquito; you just give them a hard stare and tell them to scram and they fly off home to mommy. Wyoming mosquitoes would eat their lunch, and take over the country too! I’ve seen a homely rabbit, snails, birds galore that eat your garden produce before you can, and have heard of hundreds of slugs on the move, and wild boars running through the woods. We did drive by a large chateau just at twilight, and the front meadow was full of almost a hundred deer running in their protected area . . . it seemed very medieval and picturesque, and we just sat and enjoyed it for awhile.

I think I’m wearing you out, but I missed doing my e-mail last week, so I’m long winded this time. I love you guys. Congrats to Sandra & Keith getting Mckenna blessed, and Anthony for getting married . . . some of the best times of our lives.

Sister Mom (Joanne)