THIS AND THAT...

The past few weeks have flown by as we passed the cold, sometimes snowy days,  inside when we could and outside when we had to.

It was "hair" time last week which is not enjoyable for me at all.  The ladies at my salon, Le Salon,  are very nice and very French,  aka they don't speak English!!!!  I know I could go somewhere else, but that would involve finding a salon where the stylists do speak English, and, the truth is, I'm not sure it's not better for me and my French (such as it is) to be in a salon where I HAVE to speak French.

Le Salon

 Anyway, the struggle is getting her (my stylist) to understand what it is I really want.  I have yet to succeed😞!  So, last week I went in prepared (or so I thought) with pics from my beloved Pinterest.  Everyone can understand a picture, right???!!!  Wrong!!!  I want dark roots and blond streaks...

like this!!!  BTW if they could give me her skin and lips I'd be willing to pay big!!!  But, alas,  my salon doesn't do miracles!!!!!lol. (forgive the X-it wouldn't let us eliminate it-sad face!!!). Anyway, this is what I got.....

(I first had a front view picture where my hair looks really blond.  Then we took this profile picture so you could really see a comparison and I realize the color isn't as blond in the back.  Hmmmmmm.). I guess I'll just keep doing what I'm doing...as she darkens the roots next time, the blond will change some.  This high maintenance isn't for sissies!!!!  I could let the gray grow out......uh, NO!!!  Maybe sometime...not now!!!!

Moving right along...one of the things we've (especially David!) missed living here is refried beans and crunchy taco shells.  We've survived this almost year with flour tortillas, which are easy to get, and a type of canned red bean.  But it's not the same!  We haven't even been successful finding black beans (canned for ease).  A friend of David's brought him a gift a week or so ago of....crunchy taco shells.  David was so excited!  He had purchased them at a store here, Lidl, where David visited later.  Unfortunately, it's one of those things that's come and go...sometimes they have the shells, sometimes they don't.  That's okay.  There were no refried beans to be found, so David finally just went to The Real McCoy, a store of all the American foods and treats you can't find elsewhere in Paris.  They are costlier but at least available.  One can of refried beans cost 6Euros!!!!  We'll probably be bringing some back from the US when we go this summer!!!!!  The happily-ever-after was Saturday night when we had our "real" TexMex dinner....

A taste of home!!!

On another subject, as convenient as Kindle and other readers are, I still prefer real books and bookstores.  We walked over to The Red Wheelbarrow Bookstore last week to check in with its owner, Penelope.  We first became acquainted with Penelope when she agreed last fall to work with us at the ACP Bloom event.  She did a great job providing the books of our speakers and additional books for our participants.  We've invited her back this year so wanted to visit with her about some  specifics of this year's event.  Her bookstore is a little place, reminiscent of the bookstore in "You've Got Mail" only smaller, that is full of books crowding its antique shelves.  It's located across the street from Le Jardin du Luxembourg and a couple of shops down is a darling little cafe we have yet to visit.  I look forward to going again when the weather is nice, buying a book and either sitting in the jardin or at the little cafe.  That's life in Paris!!

Pursuit of happiness - A trip to the bookstore!

I'll end today's post with a quote I found somewhere that says it all for me.....

A bientôt!!