Month: May 2026
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How to Be French in France
More than wearing a scarf, or knowing the different ways to use “ooh la la, and ca va,” or how to slice cheese at dinner, here are a few clues: When entering a shop, pharmacy, gas station, or anywhere, say Bonjour first.…
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Irresistible
Standing in the kitchen, a half-eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwich; next to it, a chocolate cookie and a glass of water. Olivia holds tightly to her favorite book, Rapunzel. On the table, Gabriel’s Mother’s Day gift is stuffed in…
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French Antique: Perfume Label Collection
“Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across thousands of miles and all the years you have lived.” — Helen Keller Recently, I came across hundreds of antique perfume labels for soaps, lotions, and fragrances, and it pulled me…
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Cultivating the Inner Garden
Flowers in her hairPetals wrap around herPerfume traces her stepsA garden planted with her thoughtsSeeds spillHer hand reach for the watering can Rain gathers in her palmsTulips bloom beside her doorThe wind carries traces of tea and honeyBranches sway with…
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The Living
Another bomb.Dust hanging in the air.Names becoming prayers. Then the brooms, shovels- bare hands. Men sweeping destruction into piles.Someone lifting fallen fruit back into a crate.A chair turned upright.Resilience clutched. The killed carried away.The wounded gathered close. Hearts holding infliction…
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Jewelry at the Brocante
I’ve had two groups recently on French la Vie where some of the guests were looking for jewelry. Each mixes medals, chains, pendants, and rhinestones. The other searches for vintage jewelry with bling and bang. I wear very little jewelry myself, and…