Definition of Gluttony

I stayed up until midnight sewing another “block” for my quilt.  I haven’t been able to get Roger’s sewing machine to work yet.  My husband bought me some new needles when he was in town, but when I tried to put one in, I couldn’t figure out how to get it to stay in there.  There seems to be a part missing that holds the needle in, and I’m hoping that I’m not the one who caused it to go missing because there was a needle firmly in place when Roger brought the machine to my house. 

So I’ve continued to sew the blocks by hand. The nice thing about sewing by hand is that you can sit outside while you work.  Last night, I sat out until it was too dark to see, listening to the frogs, birds, and the neighbor's chickens.  I have eight blocks finished and only have twenty-seven to go!  When those blocks are completed, then I need to add the batting and the piece of material for the reverse side, which I haven’t found yet but I’m sure the perfect piece will arrive in my life soon.   The three components, joined blocks, batting, and reverse side will then be joined by hand quilting.  I might, just might, be finished with the quilt by the time I leave in the autumn.

For my breakfast this morning, I just finished a fantastic piece of chocolate mousse cake which Francine brought over for lunch yesterday.  There’s a good book by Robert Arbor entitled Joie de Vivre which covers the reasons Arbor, a French native, and successful café owner in New York City, believes the French live the good life. One of these quality of life tips is to indulge in the French habit of drinking coffee in the morning and only eating a piece of bread with jam or butter for breakfast.  With my husband here, and with him being willing to make bakery runs in the morning, I’ve been eating a lot of croissants.  The other day, I ate one that was still warm. It had just slid off of the baker’s pan and I have to say it was one of the most sublime tastes I’ve ever had the pleasure to experience.  This morning I went overboard by having a piece of this leftover chocolate cake for breakfast.  I rationalized the sinning by telling myself I would walk the sheep this morning.  But that rationalization is meaningless because we’re invited to a neighbor’s for lunch today and that will be another food orgy as was the lunch I made yesterday for a few of the neighbors.  After that lunch, my son had eaten so much that he had to lay down for a few hours. 

I had told Nicole on Saturday that I would show up this morning to ride Tasha, but when I saw Nicole at the village dinner she told me that the other two women who ride the horses were scheduled to come Monday.  So I’ll have to wait until tomorrow to ride.  Today, I’ll take Blanche out for a hike.

Thankfully, Blanche has finally figured out that there are sheds she can use for shelter in the back of her pasture.  That means she will be able to stay comfortably out in the pasture during the winter.  Already, she stays in the sheds during the hottest part of the day.  For some reason, flies aren’t as bothersome to animals in sheds and barns as they are when they are outside. 

(My husband just returned from the bakery with another perfect croissant.  I sat out on the terrace in the morning sunshine and pulled it apart as I devoured it.  The chocolate cake hadn’t sated my appetite for a good croissant.)

Later . . .

At lunch, we drove up the hill to Nadine Fleury’s for lunch.  Her boyfriend of many years, Jean-Claude joined us, as well as another friend Jacqueline.  All three are very thin.  And the reason why is that they eat sensibly.  Nadine served a cucumber and yogurt salad.  She had made the yogurt herself from the milk of her goats.  The main course was a roasted chicken with roasted peaches.  Next we were served the cheese course: goat cheese that Nadine had made, with some Cantal and Camembert thrown in for variety.  Nadine’s neighbor’s homemade bread was available throughout the meal. For dessert, we devoured strawberries dusted with some sugar. 

After my husband and I arrived home, we waited about an hour, and then I ate the rest of the chocolate cake, and my husband took out the cookies.  I didn’t think I could eat dinner because I was so stuffed from gorging, but then my son and his girlfriend made duck breasts in a mushroom cream sauce with a vinaigrette salad and I did partake of the delicious meal. For dessert, my husband and I ate some more cookies, and my son and his girlfriend walked down the road to a restaurant to eat ice cream sundaes. 

After a long hard day of eating constantly, I stayed up late again sewing my quilt squares in bed.  Oh, and I'm ashamed to admit, Blanche never did get that walk I promised.