Friday, December 25, 2020

Merry Christmas!

Gaudeline and her family came to spend a covid-Christmas with us. 
 
We had a traditional fancy French meal: foie gras, smoked salmon, and roasted capon with green beans and duchess potatoes - with Reunion Island appetizers: samosas and pork dumplings - and ice cream Yule log for dessert.


Then it was off to bed to wait for the Père Noël, who delivered gifts from the laundry room to under the tree after 1 in the morning.



 

Sunday, December 20, 2020

Early Christmas

 Frédéric's sister and family are coming for Christmas (fewer than six adults, as recommended by the government during covid times), but stockings are an American tradition, so we opened our stockings early. 




Stocking gifts in covid times... new face masks


Thursday, December 17, 2020

Noteworthy report cards

 We got Benjamin's 10th grade report card. And learned that he has "achieved a degree of authenticity and mastery of the language".... 

.... in English. 

We're... so proud?

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Benjamin turns 15

Benjamin turned 15 this year! Time flies... he's in 10th grade, and really enjoys the freedom of high school in spite of the long hours of classes and the homework. We hope he'll be able to start swimming again soon.



Thursday, November 26, 2020

Thanksgiving in France

 This is the fifth Thanksgiving I've spent in France in the past 23 years. The first, I was a student. The second, Frédéric and I had just gotten married in October, so didn't return in November. The third, Jordan and Kacey got married that summer and we didn't go back that fall. The fourth, I was 8 1/2 months pregnant with Benjamin. 

And now, we're still trying to get through a pandemic. So while legally we could have gone home and come back to France, and we've already had covid, we decided to forgo our trip this year in the interest of public health more generally, and not risking a second bout and carrying it to family, specifically.

So Thanksgiving is a "normal day" this year. Noah went off to school this morning, Benjamin is doing virtual school this week at home, and we took a car to the shop and will pick it up later. 

But Frédéric made cheesecake and pecan pie, and turkey and all the fixings for dinner. 

Not as good as a Pettijohn Thanksgiving, but we're happy and healthy and together. 





Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Lockdown Updates

As of November 16th, the high school split the kids into half classes. They're doing hybrid school now, one week in school, one week at home. Benjamin is at home this week.

President Macron spoke tonight to lay out the next steps. As of this weekend, shops can open, with one person per eight square meters, and children's outdoor sports can re-open.

December 15th, if things keep going the right direction, children's indoor sports can open - but the pool closes over the Christmas holidays so we don't have much hope for swimming before January. 

We still need passes to go out, but should be able to gather with family for the holidays. There will be a curfew from 9 pm to 7 am except Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, but public gatherings won't be allowed in any event. 

 January 20th, if things are going the right way, high schools can go back to 100% in person.  

Frédéric is on vacation at the moment and only works three days in December. 

I'm still working, and also keeping busy updating random bits of furniture. We turned the old kitchen cabinets into a shoe cabinet in the entryway a while back, and painting Benjamin's old desk inspired me to paint the cabinet as well. 

before

and after!

I'm not thrilled to be spending Thanksgiving in France, but we'll manage, and hope to get to see everyone by next summer if all goes well. Our dodo has dressed up in turkey feathers to decorate our table and Frédéric is looking forward to cooking Thanksgiving dinner (which will be really at dinnertime, since it will be a normal school day for the boys this year).



Saturday, November 21, 2020

Beaujolais Nouveau

Well, on the downside, we're stuck in France for Thanksgiving. On the bright side, we're here for one of the first times ever for the Beaujolais Nouveau. 

Beaujolais Nouveau is a red wine from Beaujolais region. It's called a vin de primeur, meaning it is fermented for only a few weeks. It's sold starting the third Thursday of November, which explains why we're usually not here for it. As it's a primeur or vin de table (table wine), it's meant to be drunk immediately, and not stored in your wine cellar for years.


Frédéric made us a charcuterie board to go with our wine tasting.

 

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Semi-Lockdown

Tonight, Emmanuel Macron announced a second lockdown. Or a semi-lockdown. Schools remain open, masks become mandatory for children 6 and older, instead of 11 and older. People should work remotely if possible. Non-essential shops are closed, and as in the spring, we need a pass to go out, for the same reasons as in the spring with the addition of taking kids to school. Borders remain closed.

The current lockdown is planned to last until December 1st, at least, but the government will reevaluate measures every two weeks.

Covid in the house

 Despite our best efforts, this happened.

Frédéric started coughing on a Friday, and since he gets bronchitis every year, we didn't think much of it, except to regret that we're out of Robitussin and weren't able to replenish our stock since we haven't been able to go to the US in almost a year now. 

On Sunday, he made lemon chicken for dinner. He asked the boys if they could guess what was for dinner. Noah said he didn't know, but something with lemons. 

Frédéric, astounded, asked how he knew. Noah said, "Because I can smell lemons all over the house!" ... and that's when Frédéric realized there might be a problem. 

He couldn't smell the lemons he had cut, he tried the rosemary, coffee, even vinegar... nothing. 

He started wearing a mask in the house at that point. 

It was the same Monday morning, so he called the doctor. The doctor sent him to the lab for a covid test. He was told it would be 48 hours for the results, but the lab tech told him there was no doubt, with that symptom.

On Wednesday morning, (after only 36 hours, as it turns out) the lab phoned to tell us his result was positive. So we're in quarantine now. The lab and the doctor both said there was no need for the rest of us to be tested if we quarantined as though we had it.

Fortunately (from our point of view, not the boys'...) it's school vacation, so we can do our full quarantine and they won't have to miss any school. Frédéric was only scheduled to work two days during these two weeks, too. 

We're baffled about how he got it, because he's been super careful this entire time - constant mask-wearing, handwashing, using hand sanitizer when out. We think it's likely he got it from work, since that's where he usually brings things home from (exhibit A, the flu he brought home to share in January). But they do wear masks at work, too, so it's confusing. Although I read an article today showing how it can circulate in closed spaces despite masks, and if you stay in the same place long enough, it's just a matter of time. It also went around the swim team coaches, so it's vaguely possible the boys could have brought it home, asymptomatically. But they weren't identified as contact cases, either, and since we didn't have hem tested, we don't know if they have/had it or not.

As for quarantine: current government rules indicate a seven-day quarantine for Frédéric starting from his first symptoms. And then seven further days for the rest of us after that. The doctor asked him to isolate until the Monday ten days later, and signed him off work through the 29th, which ends up being two weeks since his first symptoms. The timing works out well since that means Frédéric will be clear to work on his next scheduled day, October 31st, and the boys will be clear to go to school after fall break, November 2nd.

Frédéric is on day 13 of the illness now and has not had any severe symptoms. Just coughing and loss of sense of smell. We think I've got it as well since I've also had a small cough and had a little trouble breathing the other day. We're glad that our symptoms have remained mild.

Thursday, October 15, 2020

And it goes on and on and on and on

 The president, Emmanuel Macron, spoke again last night. He established a curfew for the Paris region and seven other large French cities (Grenoble, Lille, Lyon, Aix-Marseille, Montpellier, Rouen, Saint-Etienne et Toulouse) from 9 pm to 6 am in the hopes of curtailing private gatherings, since private gatherings seem to be a greater source of Covid spread. There will be exemptions for those who have to work, or for emergency health situations.

Though it's not a rule as such, he suggested that people not gather in groups of more than six people.

We're seven months past lockdown, our kids are used to wearing their masks all day in school, we're used to wearing them when we go out, and using hand sanitizer, but we're having trouble seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. When can we travel overseas again and see family? How long can the airlines hang on?

Macron said the scientists agree that the virus will be around until at least next summer, which is a depressing thought. 

The boys' pool is closed this week due to a confirmed case of Covid among the staff. The boys aren't contact cases, though, so they didn't have to be tested. They'll be on fall break starting this weekend, and the pool should be open by Monday for swim practice over the break.

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Covid Birthday

Well, Covid birthday didn't change much from normal birthdays, anyway. I'm not a fan of big birthday bashes, so it was just the four of us, as usual. Frédéric made me a delicious red velvet cake with fancy chocolate hearts on top.




 

Monday, September 28, 2020

Covid Wedding

Our friends had planned their wedding for April 26th. Unfortunately, the entire country was in lockdown at that point, so they had to reschedule. 

They were able to reschedule for five months later, September 26th. And they were lucky, because September 28th, the number of guests allowed in weddings was lowered to 30. They and their 50-ish guests squeezed in just in time. 

This was our first masked wedding - a new Covid experience. Guests respected the mask rules fairly well, only removing them for eating, drinking, or very briefly for photographs. At French weddings, the photographers take pictures of all the guests as well as the bridal party and families.
 
Masks aside, it was quite an event, stretching over two days. The wedding was around 4:30 pm, with a drinks party followed by a dinner, and then a barbecue the next day at noon. Since the event was over an hour and a half from where we live, we stayed overnight in the domaine (estate). The owners remodeled former stables into fancy hotel rooms. 

The weather didn't cooperate as much as we'd hoped - it was cold and dreary - but at least it didn't rain on us!

Stables at left, remodeled into hotel rooms


 
Benjamin, hanging out with the other teenagers




All dressed up and ready to go.

Fancy.
 

Thursday, September 3, 2020

Back to School!

School started on September 1st for Benjamin, who entered the 10th grade, which is the first year of high school here. He's in the European section: English of a "European high school." That means he takes English language classes but also a history class taught in English, on top of German, Greek, and standard high school courses like French, math, physics, chemistry, science, P.E., and social studies.

Noah started 8th grade, his third year of middle school. During a pandemic, back-to-school means two masks a day.






Sunday, August 23, 2020

Marseille

Our visit to Marseille didn't turn out quite the way we expected. We had hoped to see friends, but some of their friends had tested positive for Covid, so we opted not to take the extra risk. But we did take the boys to the Vieux Port.

Marseille... which has become Hollywood, it seems


What tourists look like during a pandemic

Le Vieux Port and Notre Dame de la Garde

City Hall

 It was hot, hot, hot, and the people of Marseille flaunted the regulations requiring masks downtown, so we didn't stick around too long.

Glanum

On our way to Marseille Saturday, we stopped by the ruins of the Roman city of Glanum, located just outside St Rémy de Provence. 

 The city began as a Celto-Ligurian fortified settlement between the 4th and 2nd centuries BC before coming under Greek influence and then becoming a Roman city around 27 BC. The town was abandoned in 260 AD when it was overrun by foreign tribes.

Typical road in southern France

The Jules Mausoleum

The Triumphal Arch

The ruins of Glanum

Remains of a twin temple



Public baths


Benjamin reading Latin inscriptions