What was that remark William Faulkner made when he accepted his Pulitzer? Something like, "Good fiction... is about the human heart in conflict with itself." Your cri de coeur above might not be fiction but it sure is narrative. And done extraordinarily well.
But your photos; yes, I note your photos. Your clever progression of including them from the gorgeous but isolated? lonely? opening scene (redolent of Wallace Stevens) to the scenes of rumbustious life with your cats (the one up in the rafters cracked me up) to the final scene, the piece of art that closes your post textually and visually - and that helps make in so many ways your house (however transient) your home.
Astoundingly well done. I swear privately I will not comment on each of your posts for the obvious reasons but damn if your auctorial endeavors are each so different they individual replies and hosannas. Sorry about that. I promise I will keep my hands in my pockets the next time you post. :-)
Oh LA! Asking for help is so fraught. Especially if you've had a dad who championed your competence and ability to soldier on. Whenever I (dare) to ask for help from our French friends (suffering from the same shyness as you), and then express (an embarrassing amount of) gratitude, they always say "bah, c'est normal!" It completely makes sense why the French take time to make friends. They know how much true friendship costs, and they want to make sure you're worth the investment of time and love. I hope your painting project turns out well!
“and it was inexplicably closed” - ahhh France! This was such a beautiful piece, and a lesson worth heeding. Why IS help so easy (and fulfilling!) to give, and so hard to take?!
What was that remark William Faulkner made when he accepted his Pulitzer? Something like, "Good fiction... is about the human heart in conflict with itself." Your cri de coeur above might not be fiction but it sure is narrative. And done extraordinarily well.
But your photos; yes, I note your photos. Your clever progression of including them from the gorgeous but isolated? lonely? opening scene (redolent of Wallace Stevens) to the scenes of rumbustious life with your cats (the one up in the rafters cracked me up) to the final scene, the piece of art that closes your post textually and visually - and that helps make in so many ways your house (however transient) your home.
Astoundingly well done. I swear privately I will not comment on each of your posts for the obvious reasons but damn if your auctorial endeavors are each so different they individual replies and hosannas. Sorry about that. I promise I will keep my hands in my pockets the next time you post. :-)
come now, no need to do anything drastic! thank you for your kind words.
Please keep commenting. I look forward to your insights.
Oh LA! Asking for help is so fraught. Especially if you've had a dad who championed your competence and ability to soldier on. Whenever I (dare) to ask for help from our French friends (suffering from the same shyness as you), and then express (an embarrassing amount of) gratitude, they always say "bah, c'est normal!" It completely makes sense why the French take time to make friends. They know how much true friendship costs, and they want to make sure you're worth the investment of time and love. I hope your painting project turns out well!
it did turn out well, thank you! americans are just so much more transactional and after 20 years i still haven't lost those instincts.
“and it was inexplicably closed” - ahhh France! This was such a beautiful piece, and a lesson worth heeding. Why IS help so easy (and fulfilling!) to give, and so hard to take?!
if i only knew.
This was beautiful and full of your signature wit (which often shines with tales of the felines, clearly) ❤️
thank you honey! the girls are magical fairy princesses.
Beautiful.
Your dad’s older brother, who was with you that last week, later commented to me how honorably you 3 offspring cared for your father.
I imagine many parents wear a backpack full rocks, made up of guilt and certainty that we blew it.
I am off-loading those rocks.
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