Weather

Yesterday we experienced weather that is typical for here, but very atypical for the southern US or anywhere else I've ever lived.

Some kind of rainy cold front coming from the ocean brought alternating clouds and rain, then warm sun, over and over, all day. We'd see a nice sunny day out the window, and get the girls' shoes on to go play outside, and by the time we were out there, it was cloudy and cold and starting to rain.  So we'd run back inside.  Then ten minutes later the sun was shining again.

Note the blue sky underneath the rainbow.

It was crazy.

My experience tells me that once clouds roll in, or clouds clear, that is what the rest of the day will be like (or at least the next few hours).  My brain just expects that based on the continent-wide weather patterns that we experience in Tennessee.  To have the weather change so drastically, so quickly, was weird.

(A)

Random things

This part of France, this particular year, has had consistent rain and very mild temperatures.  The grass and clover love it and make a beautiful, thick, green lawn in front of the chateau.  I think I read somewhere that lawns began in France as an expression of extravagance in the gardens/landscaping of rich folk, and people copied that as a way to show that they too were part of the upper crust of society.

Roses and soft lawns are a perfect fit for this part of the world, but not so much in Tennessee.  You really have to work to keep as fescue lawn looking nice and weed-free.  And don't get me started on the southwest where grass lawns are even more unnatural.

I'm not so much pointing out the flaws in trying to adapt French aristocratic lawns to middle class American landscapes as much as marveling over the perfect suited-ness of grass lawns to northern France.

Same goes for stone fruits and apples.

(A)