"It's Our Happy Birthday!"

Okay, so I'm cheating, and the date posted is not the date posted. But (as you may have gathered from the lack of information on these pages) things haven't slowed down 'round here. In many ways, they've most definately sped up. The only thing that's stayed the same is the march of time. It seems that whether or not I agree with the speed it travels, it keeps marching steadily on. Which brings me to the point, which is:

And Now They Are Five


And what brilliant, witty, beautiful little whippersnappers they have become in these past five years. If I had the time to make a list of proofs to back up my assertions, I would. But I don't even have the time to blog about it all from time to time, so... I'm sorry, but you'll just have to believe me.

Here they are on their last day as 4-year-olds, crossing off the 27th on the countdown calendar their papa made for them, after countless questions and conversations about how long it was until their "Happy Birthday". It was hilariously cute to watch them get so into this. They tried cheating! (she shakes her head)


Here is my utterly ingenious invention, in order that Jean-Philippe be able to carry six carrot cake-breads (we had to feed 55!) with frosting to school - and get them there in relatively good shape. Grabbed the boxes from the organic store around the corner, and we were set! The box without handles fit snugly in over the deeper one, which did have handles. No trouble with slipping, sliding, balance or smushing! I won't even begin to tell you about the day I spent baking... Okay, no: I will. It started with pumpkin muffins. But 24 muffins took 4 hours. And NONE OF THEM ROSE more than a centimetre or so. Ugh. So carrot cake-bread it was. Eight in four hours. And they don't look like much (especially since six of them also refused to rise, and since I realised at 10pm that we didn't have enough powdered sugar for a proper topping...), but they were delicious! Unfortunately, I start work early on Friday, so I couldn't help with the delivery. But hey! I think I did more than my share, don't you? Heh! heh!


So. Since I am the unofficial family photographer, and since I'm like a lot of bloggers, and find it much easier to post pictures of those around me than those of myself, there are relatively few photographs of me in existence in our collection or even on our blog. The other day, though, I had to make myself an i.d. photo. So I monkeyed around with the camera for a while, trying to get something worthwhile. The next day was the boys' birthday, and by some twist of thought that started with the monkey business, I decided to start a tradition for them by which I would get a morning and an evening picture of each of their parents on or around their birthday each year. I hope they appreciate this. It was fun, but I'm not sure how happy I'll be in twenty years to see the change that has inexorably come over us. Anyway, here's me - their mom - early in the morning and later in the evening of the 28th November 2008 (and that's my beloved mug):


It was a whirlwind birthday weekend, what with work-as-unusual (as in, more than usual), combined with the school cakes to prepare; a dinner on B-Day with their mémé & pépé; the Pirates and Mermaids birthday party with school buddies on Saturday (what a blast!); a school buddy's birthday party on Sunday morning (?!); followed by a long afternoon-into-the-evening with good friends, two of whom announced that they are getting married next August! We were so tired on Monday morning (happily, but still...!) that when the alarm went off, we parents both simply integrated it into our dreams and got another forty minutes' sleep. Gulp! It wasn't the best way to start a school day... (But it was well worth it!)

A Most Incredible Moment

We tried to pull an all-nighter, but I lost the battle with my eyelids at around 3am (Chicago time + 7).

At 7:40 the radio woke us up, blaring the news: "BARACK OBAMA, 44ème PRÉSIDENT DES ÉTATS-UNIS!"

My eyes filled with tears of joy, relief, hope - they keep filling, again and again.

And talk about a moving speech. When I caught a glimpse of the Rev Jesse Jackson's tearful gaze, I nearly burst into sobs.

The end of one of the worst errors in recent American history is finally at hand, and we can - finally - start the massive work of repairing the damage done over the past eight years (and then some, since alot of the damage was given its start well before the worst of it).

Of note:
Fellow blogger Betsy and I both noticed a telling detail in the course of the speeches given by the two candidates last night. When McCain mentioned Obama, booing followed; whereas when Obama mentioned McCain, there was clapping. I'm sure at least 53% of you will draw the same conclusions that we did.

Circus Boys' Dreams

Above are our Circus Boys, on their last day of circus classes. Tomi in particular had been dreaming of joining the circus ever since his first sighting of nouveau cirque. There are five vacation cycles in France, starting with ten days around All Saints Day, so we filled the first week with a circus initiation for 5-7 year olds which was brilliant (and which had a secondary effect of conking three of the four of us out at hours which this family has never before seen). By the way, Tomi is walking backwards on the low beam, there. Funny, the things we take for granted when we're older. It was really touching to watch them all "try, try, try, and try it again" - and also stunning to watch them come up with some of their ideas, when they were working in groups or pairs. Kids are absolutely amazing.

Ah, and speaking of boys and dreams:

Ours began understanding the difference between dreams and reality a bit later than some, from the stories we've heard tell. But recently, they've been really into their dreams, and telling us about them. Sometimes, I suspect that they're telling us what they would have dreamed of, if they'd have had the choice. The other morning, though, I swished into their room just as Tomi woke up with a giggly laugh, saying, "Mmmm!" and then, as he came to, he mumbled, happily, "I was dreaming of chocolate!" There was a satisfied pause, and then, from the other bed, a happy little voice chirruped, "C'était quoi comme chocolat?! (What kind of chocolate was it?!)" and when Tomi didn't answer immediately, Leo said, "It was with milk in it? An' nuts?" Tomi never really did answer the question, nor did he have the time, because the idea of hot chocolate had already taken ahold of him, with the mention of a milk & chocolate combination. Suddenly, two little chocolate hounds were sprinting for the kitchen...

And then, this morning, I was in the bathroom when I heard the boys' door slowly creak open. I looked around the corner and saw a half-sleeping little Tomi, peeking out and saying, "Papa? Tu es là? Parce que je t'aime (Papa? Are you there? Because I love you)." I think he thought I was his daddy, so I said, softly, "Papa's in bed. You can go tell him..." He hugged me and whispered, "I dreamed of Daddy, and I wanted to tell him I love him." But by then, he was waking out of his dream-state, and got entangled in embarrassment, and never got around to telling his papa about it.

A Cartoon Lightbulb

Leo is sick, so he got to stay home today. As he was lounging in bed and his brother and papa were getting ready to head off to school, I started to explain to him how the day was going to proceed, starting with the fact that I was going to take a bath and wash my hair. This is the conversation that followed...

Leo: Why do you have to wash your hair?

Mom: Because it's dirty.

Leo: Why is it dirty?

Mom: (explains as best she can)

Leo: Why don't I have to wash my hair?

Mom: Because yours isn't dirty.

Leo: Why?

Mom: Well, little kids' hair doesn't get dirty as quickly as adults' hair does.

Leo: Why?

Mom: Good question. Yet another that I'll have to look up, later. In any case, your hair doesn't get dirty as quickly as mine does. You can wash yours less often than I do.

Leo: What is "less often"?

Mom: "Not as often"? ..."Not so much"? ..."Not as many times"? ..."A little bit - not alot"? For instance: you can do something alot, or just a little bit; you can do something often, or you can do it less often.

Leo: AH! (laughs with understanding and holds up one hand) "Ro-o-ock!... (holds up the other hand) Tree-ee-ee!..."

Those of you who have never watched The Iron Giant (1) should watch it and (2) may not get what just happened. What was really cool/funny was that Leo was clearly understanding that I was giving him an on-the-one-hand-versus-on-the-other-hand definition, and was delighted to have understood. And when the lightbulb flashed on, he immediately made the connection with the scene from The Iron Giant in which Hogarth is giving the giant his first English lesson. (Here is a page with some transcripts from the film, including this one, second from the last. The last one is actually the scene which taught the boys their first taunting/insulting phrase - another funny chapter in our family's book, which included yet another cool cartoon lightbulb.)

Blowing Kisses

My dear, dear Gramma (a.k.a, the boys' dear, dear Great-Gramma) celebrates her 88th year as a spring chicken today!

We on this side of the Atlantic wish you a very happy one, Gram - and I add my thanks (many times over) for the 39 of those years during which you've been my Gramma. xoxo

p.s. I start every day with thoughts of you as I sip my hot coffee (though admittedly not as hot as you'd like it!) in my favourite mug - the green-grey loon mug that you gave me to replace the even loonier one that was broken in our first household-with-kids accident, several years ago. Since it's addition to our household, I've only extremely rarely drunk from another. More thanks for the mug, and for its attendant daily thoughts.

The pictures are from our trip to Como Park this summer. The best part, according to everybody who was there, was our ride at the end of the day on the beautifully restored merry-go-round, which Gramma remembers riding as a child. Tomi was adamant that his great-gramma ride one of the chariots with him, and held her hand tightly the whole way. The rest of us charged ahead, atop the steeds that carried them along, so to speak. A lovely end to a lovely day.

Good Times, Gain, Losing It & Loss

(1) the casting of a most important vote* (2) the castaways at work together on their cushion raft (3) and the find of the weekend: four antique Louis-something chairs, for a song, one with the 'cast' for the cushions I'm going to make in order to prolong the life of their caning.

It was a very busy, very good weekend, filled with friends, old and new, and some quiet times so lovely that they took my breath away. It ended weirdly, spectacularly, with a bout of gastrointestinitis that made itself known to Tomi and the rest of us in the group as we waited for the train in Rosheim. Luckily, I had hurriedly stashed a pair of underwear and two plastic bags in with the rest of the junk in the backpack before we left. Even more luckily, our friend Alain had some wipeys, also for 'just in case.' And then, the weather was not only on our side, but brilliant. So the little sicky on his mother's lap in the train, wearing only a sweatshirt and undies (even the shoes and socks had to be bagged up!) wasn't too uncomfortable, after all. His mommy (ahem!) was wearing about 25 kilos of pumpkins and pumpkin beer on her back and 18 kilos of sick boy on her front, though, so she is still hurting from the exprience.**

And here is an article that went straight to my heart and head on several different levels. The compassion and caring for humanity that the various members of this family have shown - starting with their son and brother, Tom - is immense and uplifting; the thoughts and feelings shared, concerning loss and grief, are extremely well put; and the political parts are not only clear and concise, but serve to illustrate and as food for thought for so many other situations, political and otherwise.

* Please excuse the 'do.' The picture was taken before the bath was.

** His daddy can't do this any longer, because of a work-related back injury that would be all the more horrible if it were given any cause to flame back up.

A Pick from Last June

I just realised that I had a good example of the boys' prowess scanned from last June. We had stopped by their mémé & pépé's place on the way out for tartes flambées, and pépé put a cartoon channel on for the boys. Crypton immediately caught all of their attention, making it hard to get back out and to our tartes and so on. But the up side of that part of the adventure was the drawings that the boys came up with later, while the adults chatted away over tartes and brews on the restaurant's terrace. These were the first things Leo came up with:


I have to admit that I'm feeling humbled by what is unfolding before my very eyes. And thrilled, too!

Another Few From the Peanut Gallery

Our boys are difficult to pull away from their "workspace" in the corner of the living room. And their teachers tell us that things are the same at school. There is so much being produced that we honestly can't keep track of it all. I'm trying to devise ways, but the work piles up faster than I can tag and file it away, or send it to those for whom it was made, or simply get it up on their art string (just above their workspace).

The pieces above and below are among the squillions of things that made me laugh or brought a tear of parental sentimentality or pride or both in the past couple of days, plus the birthday card Tomi spontaneously made for me, after their daddy told the boys that the next day was my birthday, and so on. There was a funny moment at the beginning of the conversation, when Jean-Philippe said, "Demain, c'est l'anniversaire de..."* and Leo yelped, "De NOUS!" When JPhi said, "Non, de maman!" Leo's face crumpled and he wailed, "NO-o-o-o-o-o-o-ON!" Within a minute or two, though, the boys were as excited as though it were their own birthday. Pfew! Anyway, it was impossible to choose from the piles and piles - it quite honestly made me exhausted just thinking of doing so - so I simply scanned the first things I laid my eyes on in MY workspace (whence the boys' insistence on calling their art table "ower work. space" (= our workspace)).

by Leo > from left to right > Tomi, Mommy, Leo & Daddy

by Tomi > a psychedelic skyful

by Leo > a Pokémon cat with hearts representing the four (nuclear) family members, subsequently cut out with a pair of poor kiddie scissors (the boys are looking forward very much to their first pair of real scissors).

* "Tomorrow is guess-who's birthday?" "OUR birthday!" "No, it's mommy's!" "NO-o-o-o-o-O!"

Highly Suggested Watching

Happy Birthday to Me!

What a gorgeously autumnal, delicious, hilarious and generally fantastic day - and well into the night.

A few words and pictures to illustrate the point:

A scene from the end of a long, lovely, languorous lunch at... (drum roll...) the Buerehiesel - !! - during which we thought often of Ellen and Donnie, and which was followed by a walk in the park that merited the same and other, similar adjectives.

the poster reads: A mother, a patriot, a warrior: Jenny! A president!

We were walking home from a movie (which was Made in Strasbourg, and in which the voices of our children can be distinctly heard at the very end - it's true!), knowing that Anne-Sophie and Caroline's offer to babysit while we took it in was not without diabolical plans galore. But we were still shocked when, as we neared our home, we began seeing the Jenny for President and I (heart) Jean-Philippe posters. The posse that awaited us was full of hilarity, there was more good food - this time grilled out (on the terrace), North American style - plus Gallo wines, and a putsch, to boot! Great friends, great times.

p.s. JPhi and I were too busy having fun to take more than the pictures you see here. A few Very Important Friends are conspcuously missing in this compilation, a fact for which I apologize profusely. I'm going to have to ask the official photographer for a CD of his pile and a half of images and films...

A young cowboy with a heart of gold and a spatula of stainless steel.

Marion is not amused.

BBQ-ing before, during and after.

(1) the propoganda posse, cranking out posters for (2) the putsch. Little whippersnappers!

Green Post 01

This just in - a bit of sunshine for a greener, better life!

Interlude: Dilly-Dally-ing (2/4)

above Sweet moments from the day of Dally's arrival.


above and below Sweet moments from the day after Dally's arrival, with a wink in Amber's direction and alot of fun in the sun. The second picture is of Tomikins' explanation of where he got bruised on one of his ways down that slide.* Wasn't half bad enough to keep him from going straight back up the ladder, though!



above An evening out with friends, including a "before" shot of David H's hair (see 4/4 for the "after" shot, whenever I actually manage to get that post up) and a look at the evening sky (which was much more impressive in real life, believe me).

above One of my wee artists at work, and another of his works.

* When we were home for Xmas, we went sledding at my old elementary school, on the hill behind this slide. The weather had turned funny the night before, and a good half of the tons of snow had turned to ice, making sledding quite the feat. At one point, Leo took advantage of our inattention, and bolted over to the slide and up the ladder. Once atop, he wasn't sure what to do. It was a long way back down, either way, and the ladder seemed like the least sure of the two ways, what with all of the ice that had accumulated the night before. So Jean-Philippe hunched down at the bottom of the slide and coaxed him down that way. But there was ice in the slide, as well, and when the kid-torpedo came flying towards him, there was nothing to do but back off - and watch the missile shoot another fifty feet along the icy ground, to an eventual halt. The beached baby whale that we collected in our arms had his eyes wide-wide open, and only this to say: "Ahch!"

Stone Soup and Dandelions*

Above: cute First Day of School pics
Below: yegads! Circuitous sentences galore!

I actually sent some of this to one of the people concerned, but then thought a part of it worth another oblique post - and so here it is, another post posted before I finish our Summer, the Io-Way blogging:

In the past few days, I'd been thinking so much of two people, both of whom are suffering from kidney inflictions (and the one of whom I know, in a way, through the other's family blog. Just to make things even more fraught with obliquity. They know who they are, though, and that's what matters)... Anyway, I was thinking so much of them that I managed to convince myself yesterday evening that I was developing another kidney infection, myself (like the one I'd had about ten years ago, thanks to a drunken doctor - no joke! - who gave me the wrong meds. Long, weird, painful story). Those fears didn't stop me from taking the boys out for sushi last night, though. (They asked!**) And by the time we'd gotten home, I'd reverse-convinced myself that the pain was really due to the way I'd been sitting at the drawing board all day. (Fingers crossed, knuckles rapping on wood...)

Anyway... it was kind of weird. I kept alternating between wondering how we'd do things for the next few days, and wondering how in the world all of them had been doing it over the past few days. And breathing in deeply, breathing out...

* Again: oblique. But once it had been thought up, it was staying up. My apologies.

** The boys were watching a Japanese animated series called Kié on the evening of the day before the first day of school (whew! That was a long-winded beginning to break the records the sentences above had already set, eh?), and began pleading with their daddy to be given the skewered meats and makizushi that Kié delights in for their supper. And so - and especially because I was already feeling rotten for not having prepared something special for their first-day-of-school breakfast, well... We broke down and took them around the corner last night, to the Mikado. They had a good time, though they were utterly exasperated by the the fact that they couldn't manipulate their hashi, and Leo wasn't into the fish makizushi at all. Tomi, on the other hand, ate his share, and a good half of my lovely seared tuna dish, as well. Oh, and as some of you know, the best way to keep our boys happy and busy at a restaurant is to bring along the drawing supplies. And as those some of you will probably already have guessed, the boys spent half of the time at the Mikado drawing - what? - Pokémon figures and scenes. Ô-yé!

Heigh-ho! (1/4)

At long last! A few (ermm...) photos and a few more words from our WONDERFUL almost-five-weeks in and up north of Iowa City. Thus begins the first of a four part series:

(1) saying, "See you in a week!" to dear Dally (2) interim airport antics and (3) the thundercloud that awaited us at our final destination (and presaged a beautiful summer storm, as well as the temporary extinction and fabulous rekindling of the glowworms' lanterns. So beautiful. So summer in Iowa)

(1) among other things, the arrows Tomi set down to show monsters the way away from Gramma and Grampa's house (2) a very common scene for five weeks (3) just before the melt down over Dove bars (which was obviously due to jet lag, but still... I will never hear Leo say, "Schokoladen!" with the same thrill of mama-ly pride again) and
(4) bunnies watching bunnies nibbling

(1) the children's corner of the Iowa City Farmers Market from above (2) a close-up of one of the children at the children's corner of the ICFM and (3) a couple of the fantastic performers we saw each time we sat down to rest on the edge of the market. The ambiance at this market is almost too good to be true. I've never felt anything quite like it!

(1) my friend Jean and her two fabulous beans (2) G&G and two sweety elves (3) a bit of the well-done pre-play that we were lucky enough to have caught, and (4) the eldest of the fabulous beans, showing us a mere speck of his climbing repertoir (he's an incredible climber - I've never seen anything like it)!

(1) bluegrass's best (2) snowbunnies with Gramma (3) Grampa with Leo-just-prior-to-wild-meltdown - many thanks again to jet lag, for that rare spectacle... and (4) Daves diggin' it (do people still say that, or has English-speaking life moved on, despite my absence?)

(1) this moment was too beautiful to pass up (2) three pixies take a two-second break from wild antics, and (3) peace and love

(1) the front yard and the blue-blue skies (2) a view of the lilies in one of the side gardens, and (3) a close-up of a lily in said side-garden

(1) a view from one of the side gardens (2) back garden with bean tee-pee, and (3) Gramma giving Monsanto a run for their money in her garden in the triangle

(1) a bunny and his Sunday comics (2) a bunny at Wallace Winery, reading his Pokémon cards as the adults drink in the fine Iowa wine (it's true!) and the beautiful folk music of Dave Moore, and (3) fellow bloggers and drinkers-in of the beauty

(1) a water sprite (2) another water sprite, and (3) the 2nd water sprite, sniffing the lilies

Those were but a very few of the moments (and the pictures thereof) that we so happily spent in the first week of our Iowa, &cetera summer of 2008 vacation. As usual, a lot of great moments went unrecorded on film. And though I'd love to "talk" about it all, it's taken me so long to get this little bit up that for now, I'm going to have to leave it at that and move on to Part Two - the arrival of the papa. Please stay tuned. And in the meantime, big hugs to all of you who made this summer vacation so lovely for us. You know who you are...! xoxo

"Yes, you do!"

So... I was picking out pictures for the Iowa, Etcetera post, the tardiness of which I am very ( x 583! ) sorry for (but I've hardly even read other people's blogs, much less had time for my own since our return (three weeks ago, now. Yikes). It was a harsh return to reality, I have to say. There was real life. And the anniversary of David's death. But there was also catching up with friends here. And so). So anyway, here we are, three weeks later. And before I actually post abut that wonderful ( x 835! ) time we had with Gamma-Gampa and the rest of the folks back home, I feel obliged (despite my promise NOT to blog about other things until our Iowa post was up) to mention one of the many little parents-and-their-boys conversations that has taken place in the past 21 days.
To wit:

Leo: Why (do bears like honey)?*
Mom: That's a good question, sweety. I really don't know. Remind me to look that one up, will you?
Leo: Yes, you do!
Mom: I do what?
Leo: Yes, you do know!
Mom: No, I really don't. I'm sorry, but...
Leo: Yes! You do!
Mom: No, I really don't! I'll try to find the answer for you, though.
Leo: But you know it!
Mom: No, I don't. Honestly!
Leo: YES, YOU DO! YOU KNOW IT!
Mom: (trying to surpress a laugh, but honestly flummoxed) Honey, why do you think I know the answer to this?
Leo: Because you are not little! You are a big girl! So you know things! You know all things!
Mom: Ahhh... (tries to explain, but has a lot of trouble, what with all the burgeoning laughter and all...)

*I think that that was the question. In any case, it really was the first question of theirs that I couldn't even begin to answer - a rare one for which I didn't even have a that'll-do-for-now or facetious kind of response. I was so thrilled by the astute nature of the request and the back-and-forth that followed, though, that the initial question may have gone out the window, and been replaced by this sozi. Ah, well!

p.s. The pic's from a couple days after our return. Leo had a time out, and when I came to release him from his bonds, that was what I found. These boys make me laugh and laugh - often, in spite of myself.

Hellos & G'byes

Well, we ended the first third of our summer at Fred and Caroline's, making, cutting and eating delicious tarte flambées (baked in the beautiful outdoor oven that Fred made by hand with heart) and drinking various concoctions. Another happy time with people we love...


And now! We're about to head off for (the second third of) a summer in the happiness, heat and humidity of ye aulde homestead. We are so looking forward to this...!

p.s. Advanced apologies for the correspondence that will have to be put on hold until the end of summer. I'm sure it (this correspondence problem, I mean) can only get better in the coming school year. Can't it?

Waltz with Bashir (Ari Folman)

First, the trailer, to provoke instant interest:


And then an interview with Ari Folman:


My own critique can be found here in both French and English.

In any case, I have rarely been so moved - I'd go so far as to say devastated - by a film, animation or otherwise. If it comes to a theatre near you, you know where I suggest you spend your next cinematic hour and a half, eh?

I am the Radio!*

Or: My Friend Jean! (And one of my sons, rather jealous of the attention, the mask, and the drinks that MFJ was receiving - heh! heh!)

So. I've been trying for ages and by all means possible (including, of course, friendly but unrelenting harrassment) to get My Friend Jean to get herself (and her boys) over here. And then, one fine day not long ago, it all began pulling itself together! (The boys couldn't come this time, but as you may well imagine, we're already working on that for the next time...)

And it was one helluva big, long, too-short, joyful, teary, catch-up, moutarde, sleep-over, sally forth, eat up, drink down, silly willy, tongue twisting time all the way from the first to the last of the hugs and a sad sayonara. The only thing that made her leaving again bearable was knowing that we'd be saying "Hiya!" to her and her boys in just a few days, on the other side of the Big Pond.

Here are a few pics from the five-and-a-half days we all spent together, starting with some from the huge "do" that Jean-Philippe organised at Arte for the end of the "school year". It was a fantastic party, made all the more so by the artistic intervention that (he and) a group of eight artists - otherwise known as Interim - put on during the week that preceded the party, and which culminated on that night. As you can probably tell from the images below, we had a great night. And the artists' work was truly spectacular. So, for that matter, was the musical intervention of our favourite DJ-ing duo. And the food. And the drink. And the... You get the picture.

1) Jean-Philippe being interviewed 2) the hellivator 3) two women in the talking toilets

1) artist-cum-tour-guide 2) way-swank work 3) artist-cum-interventionist

1) I want that little orange television set! 2) the coolest sortie ever 3) My Friend Soapy (don't be fooled: behind all that fur is a heart of gold!)

1) Dirty DJs 2) Dirty Dancing vol. i 3) Dirty Dancing vol. ii 4) Dirty... oops! Sorry.

1) a strange little sign on the door of a strange little craft store in Barr 2) four strangers in the doorway of a dilapidated church 3) three of the four strangers looking at a strange beetle, about equidistant from the strange sign and the dilapidated doorway

1) Tomi's first attempts at self-portraits (and when he was looking through the pics with me later, he saw the belly shot and said, "Oh! Je l'ai raté, cette photo de moi (Oh! I screwed up that photo of me)!" just as I was saying, "Oh! Great shot of dolphins jumping!" He looked at me sideways and smiled, knowingly, but not without a bit of extra pride, anyway... sigh... My little bunny...) 2) a work of art co-authored by Jean and Tomi (who had seen Jean working on the side panels of a paper airplane Leo had made for her, and was so impatient for her to do the side panels on HIS plane, that he hijacked her job of writing the plane's name, before pleading with her to draw a caterpillar (to start with)

1) Phone Tag 2) Name Tag (ah! Serendipity!) 3) À la carte : Canard à la Jean's last meal in Alsace, accompanied by an array of assays and one sure thing: good aulde Alsatian Pinot Noir. Mmmm...

1) snif! 2) What we both saw when we returned home that day (me from dropping Jean off at the train station and Jean when she landed in CR/IC airport and drove through the saturated lands surrounding our home town... yikes).

Just a couple of minutes after dropping Jean off, I walked in the front door to see JPhi and the boys sitting down to breakfast in the kitchen. Tomi asked where Jean was, and I explained. A very-VERY sad look came over both boys, and Leo made a cry of pathetic indignation. Tomi told me that made him very sad, and that that was why he was so sad the night before (when I went in to kiss them good-night, after she'd read to them and they understood that she was leaving in the morning). We talked about this, and about the fact that we were going to see her in a couple of weeks, and the excitement that this idea instilled helped a bit. And then, all day, there were these funny coincidences. For instance: I showed them a few movies from when they were smaller (which even I hadn't seen since they'd been taken), and at the end of one, someone behind the camera yelled "JEA--!" just as the film was cut. The boys both screamed with delight, "JEAN! JEAN!" then looked to see where she was on the screen, and were confused at first that she wasn't there - and then kind of pissed off. We had to have the conversation about seeing Jean in a couple of weeks again... And again...

In other words, and if it weren't already patently obvious:

We all miss Jean.

* Don't you just hate inside jokes?