Strong wind, heavy rain, and cold temperatures greeted us outside our windows this morning, so what better thing to do that go to the garden store and buy flowers to plant in the planter!

That done, Patrick and Ren noticed our WWII vet neighbor loading a huge (5 feet high, 25 feet in diameter) pile of wood that was deliveredto his driveway, into his shed, one wheelbarrow at a time. (He must be in his '80s.) So they went to help. I followed soon after to say hello (my neck keeping me from lending a hand), and our neighbor handed me a basket and said, "I have a little job for you." He led me to his beautiful garden and instructed me to pick as many green beans as we could eat. Once I finished that, he handed me three fresh-picked heads of lettuce and several freshly-harvested potatoes from his garden, and then he insisted on giving us four different kinds of jam he had "put up" this spring. So a dreary, depressing day turned into one of bounty! This is me, sitting next to my newly-planted planter, with the jams and veggies on the table in front.

Tomorrow is the village festival, "La Cholande," and since everyone says it is ALWAYS pretty weather for this day, we're looking forward to it. Tents and tables are already being set up!