Already in Provence

Yes, it is May, and in May in my world, my mind begins to wander to Provence. Although our house is already reserved and tickets purchased, we begin planning supplied and clothes and deciding what we need to buy in advance, what we need to send ahead (this year not much), and begin to work harder to finish everything we need to do before we get on the plane.

But today, when the temperature was to reach 90 degrees, my mind was already in Provence, as I dressed this morning in linen slacks and a t-shirt, and picked out my bag, sunglasses and shoes, as if I was going to walk through the market in St. Remy or have lunch in Apt or Aix, I have been infected yet again with the attitude and comfort I find there. And I wish I could maintain it year-round, but I can sustain it for only a few months after I return (our French class for 11 weeks helped), and maybe begin again a month or two before we travel again.

In the years when we are able to travel to Paris during the winter, we can get infused once again. This spring we were unable to complete our French class as planned, but that probably would have helped sustain the disease, and taken us to the brink of when we travel. But maybe next year we will try yet again.

But we are beginning the wind up to the wind down, and my mind will be getting ready to let down, unwrap and slip sideways.