A Night To Remember - Paris

 This is a 'blast from the past' ....

In 1986 my dau. Susan needed to work in Paris for awhile to upgrade her portfolio. Models have to do that and Europe is an excellent place to achieve a better book. 

She invited me to go along. Neither of us had ever been to Europe. If any of you have been in another country you know that things are different 'across the pond'. And, I was nervous about us not knowing one word of French! So, I bought one of those books 'See Paris on $10 a Day' or something like that. I found a listing for a hotel that might work for us... the staff spoke English. 

We take a cab to Hotel Marginan, the driver sets our suitcases on the sidewalk and away he goes. We go in to find the check-in desk in a tiny cubby hole. No lobby. Okay, that's different. 

We follow the clerk up a narrow wrought iron stairway to the second floor and down a long hallway. We open the door ... it looks like a girl scout camp! 3 small cots lined up along one wall, covered with those stiff, indian looking blankets. There's one small wardrobe to hang our clothes in, a chair and a telephone on the wall.

No bathroom? Oh no, there's just one bathroom for the entire floor and it's back down the hall.

We are exhausted. I mean, there's no getting any sleep on an overnight flight! So, we crawl into bed. It's January, folks. and those people don't believe in heat evidently. I got up and piled our coats and other clothing on top of us to stay warm.

Sometime during the night I needed to go find that elusive bathroom. One tiny light gave me enough guidance as I wandered down the hall. I finally found the place. I went in, tried to turn the light switch on but it was weird. It was a knob that you turned. I sit down to take care of things and notice that the ceiling is very high and there is a small window up there and the darn thing is open. Cold air was flowing in. 

All of a sudden the light goes out. I am in total darkness. That thing was on a timer. I stumble to the door and make my way back to the 'comfort' of my bed. 

Needless to say as soon as we got awake we set out to find a different place to stay. And, we found it, too. Hotel La Louisanne ..... 

We had our own bath! Glory Be. And, it was warm inside and was on a street filled with sidewalk vendors (flowers, fish, etc, etc). So much for following a travel book to find lodging. We'd done better on our own.

that's me with the camera standing behind the truck. 

As I say things are different in different countries. Americans are pretty used to comfort. We might could use a little more restraint on that level. But, that's another story. 

A Perfect Life

 This journey that I've been on to find ME has been so interesting. And, I'm still finding out something new about myself every day! I'm loving it.

On April 10th I posted something about the woman that is my "life coach". She comes once a month and always has a 'project' for us to tackle. The latest one was this:

During the night a miracle happened... you awoke to find that you were living your PERFECT LIFE.. What would that life look like? 

Well, now, that was mind-provoking. You'd think I would say something like, I'd be healthy, rich, traveling, eating at fancy restaurants, have a perfect family and staff so I didn't have to do anything. HA HA. 

Here is what I said:

1. I would never get cancer again. I mean, I've had it twice already. Isn't that enough! There is always a niggling in my head saying, 'suppose you do'. 

2. I'd know that the lives of my children were as good as it could  be. There's some changes that need to happen there.

3. I would never again feel guilt in saying the word, NO.  I wish I'd learned that years ago.

4. I'd be an elegant lady with perfect manners and have a real sense of fashion. I always feel like I am not put together very well. 

5. I'd find out I just won the lottery. I'd hire an assistant and the two of us would travel to all those places I've always wanted to go. 

Here's the thing. If you'd like to play along, I hope you will post your perfect life in the comment section. That will be some fun reading!

My Life in a Nutshell

 Some time back one of the bloggers, Brenda, asked if I would give some info on myself like where I live, favorite place and where I grew up etc. I'm at a total loss as to which blog Brenda has so if you are reading this, Brenda, let us know where you are.

Well, here goes. 

I was born in 1934 in Alabama to a newly widowed mother. We lived with my grandparents because Mom had to work and heaven forbid she have her own apartment in town! A single woman. That was unheard of back in those days. 

Me with my grandparents and hen that was wandering around. 

I married when I was 16 to a Navy man! Handsome, the most kind, gentle and happy person ever. We were married 60 years. 

This picture was made shortly after we were married.

20 of those years I followed him around, when I could, to various bases so I've lived in a lot of places. All of my babies were born in different states.

I had 5 children, 3 girls, 2 boys. One of my sons died when he was 3 months old. I was all of 20 years old when we had to bury our baby. That was tough.

My husband retired from the Navy in 1969 and we moved back to our hometown. Stayed there 30 years and then moved to Wakefield, Virginia where a daughter and her family lived. ( I now live in a nearby town)

My husband died in 2011 after years of battling Alzheimers. 

As for favorite places: We lived in Honolulu, Hawaii for awhile. That was a cool place and could be classified as a favorite! 

my two daughters standing outside our apartment in Honolulu

Then we moved on to Midway Island. That was not a favorite place but one that was so different and unusual that I  had to mention it. 

We are about to board a plane bringing us back to the U. S. after our stint on Midway Island.

If I could have, when I was younger, I would have lived for awhile in Paris, France. My favorite place!! I've been twice on short visits and if I had the energy I'd go back again. I can just imagine going out every day, grabbing a pastry and some tea and sitting at one of those sidewalk cafes for hours maybe reading a bit, watching passersby and listening to music being played out on the street. Scents of flowers fill the air. They are in big bins lining the sidewalk. But, alas that is just a fantasy! 

1986 Susan and I are in Paris.

I've always been involved in learning, going to museums, etc. I paint, I write, I enjoy classical music and I used to quilt all the time. Nowdays I blog, I watch tv, read, paint and just putter around in my apartment alone. 

                   Glad I have my blogging buddies to keep me company. 

                                                                                                                   Latane

German Chocolate Cake

                  Guess what I have been doing? 

I have been scanning and then saving my recipes to my pictures on my computer. I already had several but decided I needed to do the rest of them. Goodness knows I need another project!! 😉

My daughter asked me why!! Good question. But, when someone wants a recipe from me I can just email or message it. When I want to share a dish with all of you... I just load it into my post. 

Even though I don't cook like I used to I do enjoy trying new recipes. Some I keep... some go right into the trashcan. 

All of my recipes are on file cards and I store them in a file box. 

Then when I am ready to use one, I clip it in my duck's beak so I have it handy to refer to as I cook. 

Oh, golly,  my duck needs a bath!! and it would help if I painted an eye on there!

I picked up that cute little duck years and years ago at a yard sale. Good buy!

So, today I will share one of my recipes with you. 

It is sooooo good. Wish I had a piece right this minute. 

We were living on Midway Island (back in the late 1950s) the first time I ever heard of German Chocolate Cake. My step-sister sent me the recipe and it is still a family favorite. 

Finding Yourself

 We gals have all led lives that were and are filled with giving and caring. When my husband died in 2011 after 11 years of Alzheimers, I rattled around in our big house just wondering what I was supposed to do next. It was very unsettling. 

I'd been a wife, a mother, a caregiver, a caretaker, a butcher, a baker and a candlestick maker... Whoops got off on a nursery rhyme tangent there! But, you get the picture. 

I did not know who I was supposed to be. Some months of therapy helped. Then I started reading self-discovery books. The ones that helped the most were "The Artist's Way" and 'The Original me". 

It's been quite a journey and one I would not have missed for anything! Every day, through every new door opening to me I became more aware of who I was as a person. The real me!! and I am still seeking and searching for new and exciting facets of my life. 

I am ticked that all this happened so late in my life. But, there is a time and place for everything under the sun. And, this was my time. 

I hope you girls will start on your own journey to becoming your authentic self. You just might be surprised at what lies deep inside of you.

A Fun Saturday

 Wow, yesterday was fun!

The family couldn't get together for Easter so one week later we met at my granddaughter's home for a taco party! Complete switch from the traditional ham and potato salad, wouldn't you think! It was delish! 

We always get entertained by my great-grandson, Dylan. He taught himself to play the piano when he was about 11. At 14 he won the National Beta Club instrumental contest in Orlando, Florida. So, the entertainment is delightful and we are so proud of him.

As we headed home we stopped at Quail Cove Farm Store in Machipongo, Va. Oh, my gosh... I could have spent a fortune in that place! They are organic farmers and besides their produce they carry all those things you can't find in a regular grocer. I wish that place was right around the corner from me but alas it is about an hour and a half drive from my apartment. 

I bought 2 chicken pot pies, a jar of local honey, a bag of red lentils (I have a recipe I want to try), colby cheese (that's my favorite and oft times the grocery store's brand just doesn't taste much like Colby). I haven't tried it yet but I just know it's gonna be great. I found some German bologna and of course, I had to have that. I used to buy Garlic bologna at my grocer but they quit carrying it. I had a sandwich when I got home and YUM! seems like there was something else I bought but it doesn't pop into my head at the moment.. 

Here are some pictures from the place: Not mine. I 'borrowed' them from Quail Cove website. Hope they don't mind. 

I have to go visit my granddaughter more often. Or perhaps I can get her to pick stuff up for me. 

Y'all take care... have a great week coming up.