1 house and 2 cars sold in California
1 house bought in the Provençal countryside
2 truckloads of memorabilia (letters, photos, artwork, etc) thrown in the garbage
1/2 container shipped 6000 miles filled with artwork, books, craft supplies, camping gear, decorations, photos, my special pillow, a few pieces of furniture, work boots
1 move from one country to another
7 suitcases on the plane with me
3 reunions with French friends and family
7 welcoming new neighbors
226 pink sunrises gazing at the Alpilles mountains
1 pandemic
2 lockdowns
1 birthday all alone
1 contact case
14 days quarantine
1000 square meter potager (veggie garden) installed and worked biodynamically
Kilos and kilos of home-grown vegetables gifted to friends and neighbors (and some given to the chickens)
8000 sycamore (platane) leaves raked
1 leaf blower purchased
1 little chainsaw purchased and mastered
254 times made a fire in the fireplace (I bring the wheelbarrow full of wood all the way inside the living room … unless it’s muddy outside)
3 major injuries sustained while working around the property (hip, shoulder, foot, all good now)
2 (only 2! ) massages
2 new doctors found
6 solid new friendships made (people I could call in the middle of the night with an emergency)
1 unrequited love
Countless (but not enough) WhatsApp calls placed to old friends
Several dramas and jealousies encountered being the new girl in town
887 times said “thank you” (~3x/day since I’ve been here) to my amazing neighbor Jean François for the thousands of acts of kindness and work done on my behalf
Many many many times touched by the kindness of friends and virtual strangers (Gifted: vintage tools, fireplace wood, chocolates, bread, plants, flowers, fruit trees, meals, home-made cookies, time and expertise. Loaned: car, furniture, tools, and heaters. Work done for me on my land, involving tractors, tools, strength and know-how.)
25 hours spent scouring Le Bon Coin (France’s version of CraigsList) searching for the just-right antique farmhouse dining table. Haven’t found it yet. (But there are AMAZING antiques on Le Bon Coin for reasonable prices … unlike CraigsList)
100s of times feeling stupid for not understanding what’s being said or what’s going on or what the joke is
100s of times digging myself out of the “not smart enough” pit
Many times making embarrassing language mistakes (ie - “préservatif” means condom, not preservative)
3 afternoons picking olives
1 bottle of our very own organic olive oil gifted to me
~120 bottles of wine shared (that’s about 3/week … perhaps more? Now enforcing a water-only January!))
Too many baguettes enjoyed (Now enforcing a no-bread January!)
0 snails eaten :-)
Only a few teary meltdowns
3 1000-piece puzzles completed — it’s going to be a long winter
1000s of grateful feelings for this life in this place with these people
