Hi, everyone.
It's a beautifully sunny morning here in Delray-les-Brises. We are expecting cooler temps today, only going as high as 74F. We'll survive. The furnace just kicked in and coffee will be very nice when it finishes dripping. I woke up hungry, something I don't often do. I'll wait until dad puts in an appearance to make breakfast. Toast with 8-year old cheddar and coffee sounds nice.
Lucy was so wrapped up in her jungle gym last night, I didn't have the heart to untangle her. I'll get my snake fix a bit later on today. Right now, she's in her heated cardboard box. The sun is shining directly into her vivarium and I know she doesn't enjoy that part of the day. She's secure in her box, no problem.
Dinner last night was excellent. Oh, how nice the house smelled with that onion soup bubbling gently in the kitchen. The quiche was great. The Caesar salad added that bit of zing a bland dish like quiche requires. The baba au rhum was just a case of gilding the lily. So what? We decided to live a little. So sue us!
Ah, dad just brought me a cup of steaming coffee. I didn't even know he was up and about.
Anna, I know from experience that keeping livestock is a full-time, 7 days a week job. When my friend raised boars, they had to leave for about a week. I took a week's vacation from work and moved in to take care of the boars. I would feed the boars, change their water, wash the boars with the hose and a scrub brush(they loved that), give them a drink from the hose, sit on the ground with them, feed them fallen apples, take them for a walk in the nearby field. It was a blast. I would sit down on the ground and they'd park themselves around me. Some would lay down, others would want to be scratched and the rest just stood around and watched for predators. One of them liked to sit behind me, with its back against mine. When my friends returned, I told them about playing with them and going for walks with them. They were horrified. It seems I could have gotten hurt. I had to say Nay, Nay. Those delightful ungulate artiodactyla enjoyed the company, the attention and the apples. Had my friends been gone 2 weeks, I might have taught those boars to ride a bicycle on the country road in front of the house. I am certain your services are mightily appreciated when those farmers need to get away from it all. And your name must get around quite a bit. Running a milking parlor is not a learn-as-you-go thing. Experience is required so everything runs smoothly. I tip my hat to you.
I am currently shopping for a cruise. My cruising buddy wants to sail in December. I have found an interesting ship and itinerary. I have to get some prices today. Just like car buying, cruise agencies all guarontee the lowest price available and the best perks in the industry. One of them gave me that song and dance yesterday. I answered that had I received a nickel in the mail every time I heard that, I'd be on a world cruise right now. That person at the other end of the line had no sense of humor, whatsoever. I may well not deal with them. And she was pushy, too. "Time is running out.", she said. "You might as well book right now and avoid disappointments.". I smirked. Listen here, Grizelda. The ship sails in December. This is January. I have sailed 26 times before. I think I have a few days to make up my mind. It's like those TV car dealership ads that purport: "Run to get your brand-new car because our prices are so low, we'll run out of cars before you get here". Gimme a break, already!
I have grocery shopping on my to-do list today. I'll get that done this morning. My back is killing me. What else is new? Tylenol is slowly working its magic; never fast enough when you're in pain. I sneezed a few minutes ago and the pain in my lower back was intense. Men were not built to withstand pain. And I have to admit that I am hypersensitive in the first place. And if my back doesn't give me a break today, grocery shopping can always wait until tomorrow. It's not like we are a soggy cracker away from starving in this house.
Take care, everyone.
Sylvain.
