June 7, 2007
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The Irresistible soar of life.
L ' irrésistible essor de la vie .
The irresistible soar of life .
English version after the French texts . and you can click to enlarge
Chaque printemps je suis admiratif devant l ' irrésistible réveil de la vie et la force de son élan .
Evey spring I am amazed in front of the irresistible awakening of life and the strenght of its soar .
.... Et cela dans les pires conditions . Regardez ces jeunes pieds de tomates qui poussent gaillardement dans un soil argileus sec remplis de silex !!
Et il y aura des belles tomates .
........ and this , in the worst of the conditions ! Look at those young plants of tomatoes that are growing joyously in a dried clayed soil full of flints .
Be sure there will be beautiful tomatoes
Jeunes pieds de tomates poussant vigoureusement dans un mauvais terrain
Young plants of tomatoes growing vigourously on a bad soil ? 7May 07 M Fauquet
Ceux qui ont déjà vu les minuscules graines de carottes peuvent apprecier de les voir se transfomer en un mois en ces jeunes plantes
d ' allure très encourageantes . Elles sont d ' ailleurs appréciées des limaces qui ont attaqué le bout des rangs .
J ' ai conservé le pied de thym qui avait poussé là narurellement .
Those who already saw the tiny seeds of carrots will appreciate to see them to be transformed in a month in those your good looking plants .
They are also appreciated by the slugs that attacked the ends of the rows !
I keep safe a thyme that was growing there in a natural way .
Jeunes carotte . A doite un rang de betteraves rouges . A doite : Echalotes .M Fauquet
Young carotts On the left a row of red beats and on the right ; shallots May 27 07
Ces jeunes poireaix viennent d ' être nettoyés . Les mauvaises herbes sont enlevées une à une à la main tellemnt ces jeunes poireux sont fragiles .
f ragiles , oui mais ô comnien vaillants et résistants . Ah ! les bonnes soupes qu 'ils donneront (avec les carottes ) quand ils seront gros en Septembre .
Vous pouvez noter les silex dans le sol .
Those youngs leeks have just been cleaned . The weeds have to be taken off one by one at hand , those young leeks are so frail !
Frail but valiant and resisting . Ah ! the good soup they will give ( with carrots ) when they will big in September .
You can notice all the flints in the soil .
Jeunes poireaux
Young leeks May 27 M.Fauquet
Dans un mois nous récolteront ces oignons plantés en Mars dernier .
In a month we will crop those onions planted last March ..
Oignons . Onions . May 27 , 2007 M. Fauquet
Dois - ja avouer que je suis fier de mon carré de pommes de terre en fleurs ! Plantées fin Mars elles seront récoltées en Juillet . Quelle vitesse de croissance et de production primaire !
Have I to confess I am proud of my square of bloomed potatoes ! Planted at the end of march , their crop is foreseen for July ! What an amazing and speed primary productivity !
Le carré des pomme de tere en fleurs .
the square of the bloomed potatoes . May 27 07 M. fauquet
Cette photo a été prise le 5 Juin dernier .: les premières cerise . Clafoutis et compotes en vue !
This picture has been taken on the 5th June 2007 : the first cheeries ! Clafoutis and compotes in sight .
Janine picking cheeries June 5 , 2007 MFauquet
Tina vient de naître à la maison de ma fille . Comme un jeune poireau elle est frêle mais se tient déjà debout .
Tina has just born at my daughter ' s . Like a young leek she is frail but already stands up !
Tina ( 1 jour) et sa mère Ode . Tina ( one day old )and her mother Ode
Photo Carole Fauquet May 27 , 2007
Etait ce bien utile que ma fille Carole guide Tina vers la source du lait ??? Je crois que c ' est plutôt un geste d ' affection et d ' aide.
Was it really useful that my daughter Carole leads Tina to the well of milk ?? I believe it is rather an attitude of tenderness and helpness .
Carole aidant Tina . Carole helping Tina . May 27 , 2007
J ' ai voulu montrer divers aspects de la vie naissante et prenant vigoureusement sa place en dépit de difficultés . C ' est un spectacle grandiose dont on ne se lasse pas .
I wanted to show various aspects of the nascent live taking vigourously its place in spite of all kinds of difficulties . We are never tired to see this grandiose show.
Comments (139)
I have two acres here that need a big planting like that. If you get bored you can come to my house and plant some for me. I have lots of room. I love carrots and leeks and have several recipes for them and they are awesome tasting.
I also love the pictures. I love horseback riding and they like the carrots. Great thing for the little baby standing up and showing its poise and stamina. Beautiful colored and looks like a gentle soul. Your Daughter is beautiful.
How is your Daughter-in-Law and you holding up????
Have a great one.
Michel I must say thank you so MUCH for such a hopeful blog. the pictures and also the old romantic song make me smile. I love your garden.
Thank you Michel or sharing bits and peices of you life. I enjoy your post so much. I love seeing your garden. Hope all is well in your part of the world.
(hug) Ang
I will have to post pictures of my garden - it does not compare with yours!!! and the music is fabulous....blessings Michel.
I love it when you show photos of your wonderful garden , it is a marvel what can be grown just from a little seed. I would love some cherry pie please
It is great to see the young foal growing up strong
lovely garden photos. and i love the baby horse.
I love the pictures of the horses. It's amazing and beautiful how you and your daughter have effortlessly surrounded yourself with nature.
My poor vegetable garden got such a late start and with the drought and water restrictions, we are at God's mercy for a crop this year. My garden is very small in comparison to yours. We have Cucumber, Green and Yellow sweet Bell pepper, 2 kinds of tomatoes, crook neck yellow squash, zucchini, and a new for us this year.....watermelon. We can buy onion, carrot and potato cheaper than we can grow our own, so we do not take up garden space with them. The only herb I have left is a small amount of lemon mint that my RH (retired husband) demanded that I keep.
beautiful!!
i love vegatable and fruit gardens. i don't have any yet, but someday i will have some beautiful ones like you! and tina has a beautiful daughter!
The earth's capacity for renewal is where hope lies.
Your garden is wonderful. King is my garage cat. He used to belong to a neighbor then they did not feed him so he moved in with me in the garage because he has some bad habit in the house. But he is a great mouser. He is also very affectionate. He has been with me about nine years now. There are rats in this neighborhood but I never have any as he kills them and lines them up. Like see how good I am. lol. I got some sleep and my mood is so much better. Will put up some pictures of my garden soon. Your friend, Judi
Your photos are so alive! I'm excited to read about your springtime. I was also interested to see that "pieds" is "plants." Little "foot" plantlings.
Les langues sont belles! (or is it beaux?) 
Your garden looks great,nice potato patch!I need to go pick sugar snap peas today.We have beautiful heads of lettuce,radishes and Kohl-rabi .I love garden produce!
You are a true " son of the soil " Michel. Your garden looks magnificent and of course, will get even better. I have a wonderful crop of dandelions, weeds and very tall grass.
Congrats on the music, very pleasant listening. The baby foal is a sign of the wonders of nature- like your garden actually ! I used to make apple clafoutis for the family when they had been to watch Widnes play - it was part of their Sunday afternoon treat. 
Marie PS I am still praying for your DIL and hope she is making good progress.
What a busy man yoou are Michel, and such beautiful show of vegetables, so attracive and pleasing to the eye everything so orderly, your family must be so prud of you, do your granchildren help or a do they show an interest in the garden too? I have no garden, but my father did, my eldest son Franco loved helping his grandfather in the vegetable garden.
The pleasure and satisfaction of planting sowing, picking, eating ones own produce is superlative.
RITA
I didn't know your family had horses. That is very neat. I wish I had space in the city for a garden, it would be so lovely to be able to tend to it. I miss living near my grandparents farm in the country where they grew fresh strawberries, cherries, apples, raspberries, grapes, peaches, corn, and tomatoes!
<3,
Aubrey
Wonderful garden.
Vive la Vie
la nature et Tina et toute la famille Fauquet
Merci Michel de nous donner à apprécier ces très belles images et textes !
et puis merci aussi pour la jolie chanson
ici un violon non pas d'automne mais printanier http://todayinhk.multiply.com/video/item/22
))
Amitiés
You have done so, beautifully. You have a lovely garden, flints and all. Blessings abound
Your garden looks so promising! I had one rather like it ten years ago in North Florida where they have real dirt. Down in this part of Florida the soil is almost pure sand, and the insects are really vicious. I tried vegetables two years in a row--tomatoes, okra. The bugs were victorious. Now I just grow herbs (basil, cilantro, Spanish oregano) in a bucket by my front door.
These are all very lovely photos of your garden, Michel. You've done a fantastic job with it.
The music you're playing here is excellent!
I am so happy you posted a garden update, Michel. Your hard and satisfying work is very evident. Love, Christine
My friend, you show well the renewal and productivity of all kinds of life, and well demonstrate the amount of effort put forth to reach that goal.
What a wonderful and useful garden you have, Michel! I would love to grow my own vegetables, though that's pretty much a pipe dream when one lives in a city.
Ode is a beautiful and strong horse. Tina will grow up to be as strong as her mother in time.
cheers
Caroline
Thank you for sharing the pictures.
J'aime la musique.
your garden is magnificent.
have you ever grown watermelons? they are magical to watch.
I always like to visit your blog, Michel. I take great inspiration from your pictures and your views on life. Thank you for sharing the pictures of your garden. I love the pictures of Ode and Tina too.
I miss the cherry trees of my youth, so seeing that picture just made me smile.
(((Hugs)))
Love,
Marguerite
Your garden looks lovely. I talked Husband out of putting so much garden out this year. I want to do other things than can food this year. Maybe more garden next year for us.
What a wonderful garden! I have always wanted to try potatoes. My in-laws gave us some when they planted them, long ago, and there is nothing to approach them in flavor at the store! I've tried to grow carrots here but even they have problems with the hard clay and do not grow well.
I have "volunteer" tomatoes growing in soil much like that! I hadn't noticed them until I went to plant some sunflower seeds. We did have two tomato plants there, last year. Now we could be overrun! It's not likely they will bear any actual fruit before the frosts here, but still, it is a wonder. And who knows?
Don't the birds eat all your cherries? We had a tree in the yard when I was growing up, but it was hard to beat the birds to the ripe ones.
Seeing your garden makes me want to get more serious about my own, but - I think it would cut too much into my hammock time! : )
Your garden is beautiful! We can clearly see that a lot of love, attention and devotion goes into it - from the seed and into Janine's wonderful dishes she prepares for you! ;O)
I was not aware that your daughter had horses at her place. Spring brings us much more than new plants but new little ones as well! Where we live, we have seen quite a few calves, kids and fouls running about and staying close to momma! Do you remember me telling you about Monsieur Rabbit? Well...he was actually a she...a Lapin de Maman and her little bunnies. They have been enjoying our little garden until Blaine put up a rabbit proof fence around most of it. Sarah and David helped a little one out of the fence - he somehow got underneath the fencing and was stuck and not a bad place to be stuck in but poor thing he was terrified. He had what we call a Peter Rabbit moment! :O)
Michel...enjoy your Clafoutis and compotes and your beautiful garden!
xoxo Cat
C'est à toi, cette ferme? Que tu es heureux, Michel! Je n'aime pas la cité; si seulement je pourrais vivre comme ceci (je ne sais pas si j'ai utlilise correctement la grammaire). D'avoir des cerises chez moi? Ca serait magnifique!!!! Tina est adorable.
I'm surprised at the addition of music on here! It is nice. I like the old French music but I don't know which to choose!
I like the horses!
oh wow. I love gardening. I wish I had room to plan more veggies here. Thanks for sharing
That is very inspiring. In spite of difficulties, we press forward with the grace of God.
What wonderful pictures, Michel! Thank you for sharing with us.
What a wellspring of new life my Friend! A blessing to watch grow,
a blessing to harvest, and a blessing to SHARE!
my my my Michel, i must say i enjoy looking at each and every one of your photos of your vegetable garden. I love leeks either stirfried with beef & pepper or into a soup mixed with carrots, tomatoes, celery, pumpkin and all ..beautiful fruitful garden!!
Dry clay soil with flints.....that is a description of the soil I also work with. For my garden this year we worked 100 pounds of compost into the soil in an effort to improve it. Now I will see what the result is. It is good to see the earth coming to life in the spring, and there is such satisfaction in harvesting the vegetables from your garden. There is much work in gardening, but great rewards.
As ever, Carol Suzanne
What an absolutely wonderful post you've given us today. The song is perfect, even though I can't understand a word of it. The mood of the music lets me know it's perfect. Your garden is beautiful; I wonder how it grows in such poor soil. It must be by the sheer will of the lovings hands that planted the seeds and tends the shoots.
Watermelon is a tender, warm-season vegetable. Many people think it is a fruit. It is usually round or oblong with a green rine and red “meat” (the part you eat) and black seeds. However newer hybrid varieties have a yellow meat and some with no seeds. It takes up a lot of space for each plant, as you are supposed to allow at least 6 feet between each plant and the vines will extend about 10 feet before producing the watermelon. The variety of watermelon that we planted should weigh about 12 pounds and be about 14 - 16 inches long. It is quite popular in the American South.
I can't tell you how much I enjoy your posts. These pictures and their captions are great! They definitely make me want to get my hands into some dirt! That and I can practically taste the wonderful soup your garden will deliver.
It's all just beautiful. Hope you have a great weekend!
Wonderful gardens and pictures. So calming to look at and sense God's presence in it all.
Thank you for sharing them. I'm taking my twin nephew and niece (4 years old, almost 5 years old) to the zoo this morning. Your post helped me relax and prepare for the hot, humid animal-filled day.
Dr. G
I envy you your big vegetable garden! Fresh vegetables are so delicious! We used to have a large garden, but we don't like to tend it, so all we have now are tomatoes and asparagus.
I love cherries! I should make a clafouti.
Is that Maurice Chevalier you are playing?
Michel, I am filled with admiration for you have shown us just what can be achieved if you have the will and know exactly what you are doing.
And some fell on stony ground? ---- in Michel's garden it bloomed and prospered. Ron
Lovely to see your garden growing and new foal taking its first steps.
Just that nature renews itself. It comes back every spring and when old trees die new plants spring from the old stump. We humans can sometimes give up, but the earth does not. It is constantly growing, constantly repairing itself. And that reminds me to try to do the same.
by the way, yes, so many regions and dialects in France, from Breton to the Langue d'Oc. And nothing is more beautiful as a language of love than Francais.
I am glad she continues to improve in her health. I remember all you posted about her, but when my brother had cancer I was asking every week cause his condition went up and down. I adore horse back riding. My sister has several horses. When I last visited her I had to help her take care of them.
Have a great day and hugs.
Love ya
Margaret.
I am excited about the balloon ride. Silly but I have never been. Thanks for the tips. I love the music. Judi
I get so excited when I see new plants coming up. I love playing in the dirt. The baby horse is so cute.
Hello Michel,
I certainly did not mean to be offensive to the French or Italian language...it's just that Ira's post today was exceptional in overtones of the kind of "love" not too many speak of, today. The French and Italians have always claimed (and justly deserved) the title of speaking the language of love, but thenarrator, as an "individual" topped it all, I thought. So, forgive me, if you may have taken umbrage with what I wrote...it was not intended to broadstroke. Have a wonderful weekend and bless you, dear man.
GraceAnn
What a marvelous garden. I am so envious. Your music is interesting. I know it has to be a dated piece, the tempo and group of instruments give it away. I love it even if I don't understand a word. I am a fan of a lot of older music. It brings back memories.
Best to you and your family. My thoughts still include Marina. I hope she is doing well.
Becca
Home grown vegetable's and having fruit tree's really is healthy for the family. I have no land for a garden however one can plant in gallon pot's tomatoes, cucumber's just stake them when they grow, I have done this a few times and it bear's many tomatoe's and cucumber's. This is the first time I have planted a tomato vine here so I am hoping it will do well, it should since it is under a sky light. I enjoyed my visit to your garden Michel, and seeing the foot step's you left behind in the soil.
Shirley
It's been a long time since I have seen a garden, and even longer cherries. Thank you for sharing. Amazed the soil grows so much.
The music was nice too.
In its own way, life keeps changing and yet it stays the same. It is constant. It is our 'rock' that we can hold on to when everything else moves around us. God is good to give us things in life to look forward to. The garden is one of those "things". I feel inspired, after seeing your pictures. I should go out and take pictures myself.
Have a good weekend! - Rachel
wow, it's another amazing year for your garden, Michel. I love it.
Tina already looks very alert and strong. congrats to all
~janny
It's wonderful that you get to experience such a facet of life. In modernised and land-scarce Singapore, I have never grown anything nor been with farm animals (except in our local zoo or when I travel overseas). It must be nice to have them at your backyard.
I can't wait to read about your harvest in the coming months.
I am also growing tomatoes and I am very excited. It made me smile when you mentioned the flints. My garden is full of them too. How amusing!
Look how huge the knees are on that baby horse! It looks arthritic. I assume they are supposed to be that big for that breed...or any breed. I don't look at baby horses often.
I love your background music. It's so old fashioned. I have no idea what the man is singing, though.
I love Edith Piaf. Do you?
Beautiful garden, Michel! Your square of potatoes looks especially lush and thriving. God bless you!
wow, you have a big garden..
very true - never tired of seeing the ordinary miracles of life
I asked Husband how many nails to put in each joist board on the deck. I told him I was going to dance on it. He said just one!!!
Either he thinks I'm light as a feather or he wants the deck to fall.
Elle est comme çà la terre de Picardie ? çà alors ! Moi, je ne connais que la terre de Lorraine qui est noire et argileuse, celle d'Alsace qui est une terre d'alluvions très fertile et la terre d'ici qui est très sablonneuse. Mais c'est vrai que dans la Sarthe où j'ai vécu deux ans, il y a pas mal de silex aussi. Peut-être que la silice n'est pas si mal pour les plantes ? En tout cas, çà pousse bien en effet ! C'est vrai que c'est merveilleux de voir pousser ce qu'on mange. çà manque tant en ville... Et le petit poulain est si mignon ! On a envie de la calîner ! Vous en avez de la chance d'avoir une fille qui élève des chevaux !
Amitiés à vous
Hélène
Tu aimes faire du jardinage? C'est trop dur pour moi hehe.
Yes, this is a wonderful life, so full, so rich. How abundant your garden is! And the baby horse - I don't have words to express how beautiful this little life is. Yes, of course your daughter must help, because it is such a wonderful feeling to be there with your hands on the little baby and taking it to its mamma. Oh, these photos have brought me joy. Good life, Grandfather, good life!
I don't understand the pulse feature either. All I know so far is that it's another place that you can post. I think it's possible for site visitors to make comments, too.
Pie safes were used in the US over a hundred years ago. I do not know if such a thing was ever used in Europe. It's a cabinet with shelves. Mine has 3 shelves and would hold 12 to 16 pies. The sides are made of tin and have holes punched in them in a design. That provides ventilation so the pies can cool. They were used to keep pies and other baked goods safe from birds and animals.
One day I wish to have a garden as rich as yours. It is beautiful to see how life is birthed and how it flourishes!
~Yvette
Hello Michel! I am GraceAnn's husband Jim, and I just read your comment on her site ...so, here I am! Now you have the link! Click on my photo here and it will take you there! I love your site!
Regards my friend! Jim
My husbands both gardened and after my first one died when we were both young I was totally ignorant of gardening. My neighbor came and helped me and that first summer, his gardens saved my sanity. They can be very healing.
PS I was grateful to see the word "nascent" for I had forgotten its meaning and looked it up. In my dictionary it means "Newly conceived". Isn't that lovely?
That's right - Jenny plays flute, I play piano, and Kathy plays clarinet. Kathy is my daughter - I'm not sure I made that clear in my post. Yes, we were very excited to find the relationship is that close. And yes indeed, long live music!! my French is pretty sketchy, I'm sorry to say, but I recognized that much. And by the way, I like the music you have added to your page.
Dorrice
I went up in the hot air balloon it was not long enough. It was rainy and cold too. Want to go up again on a nice day. The pictures were not very good because of the hard rain. Judi
Wow!!! Who does the gardening? I am sure effort done to make this vegetable garden work, is a lot. I am so happy to see a cherry tree, my first time.
Wonderful, Have a nice week!!
Annika
I didn't know you can get tomatoes in this climate, I mean outside tomatoes with no help...unless it is a great summer. One thing I mis the most here in this,the smell of tomatoes in the fields, the leaves have a special smell, I wonder why they don't make parfum from tomatoes.
I love the contrast of tomatoes and potatoes, both brought to us from the new world: one full of sun shine and color and joy, the other growing in the shadows of the soil, gray color and sad looking.
I'm glad to see that "Le temps des cerises" is come again and the blackbirds will be having a good time...if are still there, thy are disappearing too, but not all.
Of course, new life must not only come from the vegetable world, but also from the animal world ,and ,voilà, a nice happening about this. The first days of a new born horse. The meal of the young born horse, told by Michel. If I was a good painter I would paint this picture, but I would never make it better than this picture.
Perhaps Tina does not need the help of human hands to reach the milk from his mother,as nature has provided him with the instinct of doing this by himself,, but Tina will keep the odor and the feeling of this for ever in her life and she will learn to love people too, and that makes the gesture of Carole very important.
Thanks for this blog.
Biens à toi
Carlo
Thanks so much for this blog, Michel! It brings such a feeling of rightness! I was reading in the paper this morning that people need gardens to understand our interaction with the environment. Well, of course they do! How sad that they are just realizing this!
I have only planted petunias and other flowers this year, and they aren't doing very well. I may have given them too much water. And also, I didn't trust the clay soil, so I put them in pots with potting soil, and I'll bet they are missing the real thing. My thumb is not green, but I'll keep trying!
I'm amazed at the blooming potatoes! You are way ahead of us here!
When I look at the knees of the little colt, I wonder if this is not a horse that was originally bred to carry knights in their heavy armor! He looks very sturdy, and ready for adventure already!
But first, dinner.
Thank you again, for a reminder of the wonder of life!
Joy
Only God can make a tree, but I'm in charge of seeds and weeds!
Love sometimes means giving one a lot of space, stepping back and missing the one so very much! Love to you.
The beauty of nature and the renewal of life gives us hope when things seem bleak. Your sharing of your world is a special treat. Love to you all
Nancy
Monsieur Fauquet,
J'adore la musique sur votre site! C'est le jazz! J'aime bien la
chanson, aussi. Quand j'étais dans ma deuxième année au lycée,
j'ai appris par coeur "Chanson d'Automne" par Paul Verlaine pour
l'examen finale.
Je suis allée au concert de jazz il y a quelques jours, jeudi soir. Je
me suis éclatée!
Ma première année à l'université est terminée! C'est vraiment
incroyable... je fais un stage en entreprise avec un orchestre pour
les enfants cet été.
Je continue à lire les livres en français... la classe de français
me manque! Malheureusement, le programme de français à Messiah College
n'est pas très fort. C'est dommage, non?
Merci pour votres histoires toujours intéressantes! Les photos sont
exquises.
~Élisabeth (et ma mère aussi, elle dit "bonjour!")
J'espère que vous pouvez comprendre ma commentaire....j'ai fait de mon mieux.
Salut Michel!
J'aime tes photos! Il encore fait chaud ici à Ottawa (25C aujourd'hui et 30C pour toute la semaine prochaine). Pardonne-moi pour le retard, j'aurai des examens la semaine prochaine et une tache culmulative en francais pour les trois prochains jours. Yay...
Merci pour tes commentaires encore!
~Anne
Nice plays for build webs. A lot of bugs to be caught.
ha! michel, the father is not Bubai!!! it is Preetam. this is his blog:
http://ppatil.wordpress.com/
Bubai announced the arrival of my baby on his website because he called up my home and found out much before anyone else.
Lots of laugh!
Pallavi
ha! michel, the father is not Bubai!!! it is Preetam. this is his blog:
http://ppatil.wordpress.com/
Bubai announced the arrival of my baby on his website because he called up my home and found out much before anyone else.
Lots of laugh!
Pallavi
A little laughter here! Yes, I think Rich would put radios in them. If we each owned one we could talk back and forth to each other. That would be fun! - Have a good day, Michel!
I didn't see your next comment until I went back. I also massage the feet and legs of people when I want to. It helps relax them - especially if they have been confined to a bed. For Samantha, I think even the smallest pleasures help when you are nine months pregnant. She enjoyed being worked on yesterday. This will make her second child. Michael is her son. - Rachel
Dear Michel, I love the music, makes me want to dance with a man in a tux!
Afterwards, we would have soup made from onions, leeks, potatoes and carrots...hmmm, maybe a couple tomatoes, too? I'm not sure they will make it, water them quickly!
Oh, and a glass of milk would finish things off nicely! I have too good an imagination, no?
Luv you, Lowie in hot Dallas...I think I have sent some your way, too. xoxoxox
I forgot to ask you--when you have clay soil with flint in it, how often do you need to water the garden? Or is the rain sufficient to give the plants what they need?
ryc--I didn't go to the Banjo gathering or the farmers' market, because my daughter came over to help me, and she brought some baby birds she is taking care of. There were two baby phebes and a tiny little Warbler, and a swallow with a broken wing. The little ones have to eat every ten minutes or so, so she can't leave them home alone. They are fascinating to watch! And their little voices when they want to eat are so insistent and sweet! No wonder mother birds get tired at this time of year!
Joy
your garden looks beautiful!! I just love your posts Michel...They make me think about life!!
Take care and God bless you and Janine((((HUGS))))
The hot air balloon ride was fun it just that the pictures were not good because of the heavy rain. I will go again I liked it. Judi
This is absolutely WONDERFUL. (C'est magnifique) What a magnificent garden. And I know that you and Janine make wonderful use of all those lovely fresh vegetables. Interestingly enough, your cherries ripen the same time they do in the MidWest(OH , MI and IN) We had the most wonderful sour cherry trees in OH. Enough for several pies, jams, preserves and to share with the robins. I also love the music. Great music. It's the type that we(our age) like, mellow, melodic and romantic.
RYC: I thought about putting one of the pictures in at a regular size. I thought the entry already too long and felt that the small pics of me at the "awkward age" was just fine...
Love,
votre amie,
Francoise
Your gardens look so wonderful with their neat, straight rows. Our tomato plants are about the same size yours are. But I think yours will grow much faster than ours. Our cooler weather holds the plants back a bit. Our cherry trees have just finished blooming, so are nowhere near ready to harvest. Are your cherries sweet or sour? An area about 50 miles north of us has many cherry orchards, but they are all sour cherries----usually for jams or pies----using lots of sugar, of course.
Tina is so cute. Seeing new life, whether it be plants or animals, is wonderful, isn't it?
beautiful observations, as always.
i
that you added music for your blog! wonderful! 
i also love to see how your garden work is going! also lovely picture of cute tina!!! 
you have a cherry tree too? wonderful!! how lovely! i loved all your pictures!! can't wait to hear about the lovely soup of leeks and carrots later! 
ryc, my profile pic says be strong forever, i think.... you don't have time to go to the theater with janine? that's too bad. are you far from the city? or do you live in the city?
What a wonderful garden you have! You can grow so much food. Yes it is so exciting to watch the plants grow and imagine the harvest . And your daughter's horse with her precious baby! Thank you! And thanks for the music--I love the big-band sound of the 1940's.
Hi Michel, your blog is like a breath of fresh air. Must show it to my son in law next time he comes here. He is a Doctor of Botany and his main hobby is gardening. I love the musical accompaniment as well.- Best wishes, Tim
HI! And cherries, too??! I just bought some delicious cherries. I ate them all! You do have the life I wish to lead someday.
Your images and ideas fill my heart with gratitude for the beauty of Life...
Un grand merci, Michel, pour avoir nous rappelé les différents aspects de la vie naissante avec des si belles photos! J'ai un exemple de ça sous mes yeux presque tous les jours: mon petit-fils, et cela prend un grand temps!
A propos de vie naissante: il y a déjà beaucoup de tomates - encore vertes mais déjà bien formées - sur mes plantes! Mais pas de fruits cette année, personne n'en a eu sur la colline, ni cerises ni abricots ni pommes, faute des gelées du printemps. On ira se reposer au temps des confitures...
J'ai eu quelques problèmes non indifférents dans ces derniers jours, je n'ai plus eu le temps d'aller sur internet, tout mon temps était dédié aux fils, en particulier à ma fille qui est en train de passer un moment plutôt difficile et démoralisant. J'espère que ton rappel à la vie naissante nous apportera le courage nécessaire à dépasser les adversités... (et peut être pourrai-je demander aussi quelques prières pour ma fille?).
Je vous ai tous dans mon coeur, toujours, même si maintenant je n'arrive plus à visiter les blogs comme je voudrai.
Ciao.
I feel like I am working and taking all this in right along side of you and your family. Thank you for the trip! Wonderful.
Beau Music!
Your garden is so beautiful and well loved, just like little Tina. All will grow to be strong.
ouiii, j'adore les champs de lavande. J'irai au sud pour les voir ce weekend hehe.
Anthea.xx
ryc: You are very astute. Thank you, I fixed the time and day! Ah, but I dont want to leave this great music and respite!
Very nice!
et qu'est-ce qu'on dit quand quelqu'un pete?
RTC- yes..very true*
and I just love passing through all of the beauty on this page...* have a wondrous day..*hugs, Lee
RYC: O non mon ami!
I did not find your comment at all offensive. In fact, I felt it quite helpful and a mark of friendship. I do need discipline to say meaningful things with fewer words..
votre amie,
Francoise,
En anglais, la personne qui pete peut dire, "Run for the hills" ou on peut dire, "*gasp* You should go see a doctor"
RYC... it's beautiful to think that Janine "gardens" in souls at her job and at home... she seems to be a profound blessing to those within her spheres... please greet her for me...
Last night went much better with the man I care for after the fall he let me help him more. Judi
Dear Michel,
I'm very sorry I'm so late here!!
Your new blog hadn't shown up in my subscriptions for some reason. So sorry. Your garden is just magnificent! 
Delicious fruits and vegetables adorn your lovely yard. I can only imagine how wonderful the meals would be with your home ground products! Lovely pictures here!
As for this darling new foal, I didn't know your daughter had horses!! This picture of mare and foal is delightful, and the photos of your daughter holding Tina at the "milk bar".
You know Michel, my horse I owned as a teenager was named Tina!!!!
Again, so sorry I'm late here. I've thoroughly enjoyed this post.
What a wonderful garden. And I love the music!
And yes, I meant Carlo of the Grape and Raindrop.
I know I commented here before but...I was showing husband the pictures of the garden on your site. He is very impressed. We are needing rain very badly. Our garden is not doing well.
tres beau.
What a wonderful garden. How fortunate for you and your family that you have such a large garden. A bountiful harvest will be yours later this summer.
The foal is precious. She will be running and prancing and growing by the end of the summer!
Thanks for sharing about all of the living, growing things..
Christy
WILL MISS YOU! BE SAFE! ANG
Hello Michel,
I like your site that you made so simple yet elegant. The music and pictures are a nice touch. I see that you are going on vacation!
I like to write articles about God and religion on my site. I want to help people to really get to know God, especially in these troubled times. Jesus gave us a message of hope that is in the Bible: 14 "And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." (Matthew 24:14) (ESV) I hope you get a chance to look at them.
You will be greatly missed. Have a great vacation. Judi
Hey after all the commenting you do I dont blame you to stop for a while.
I comment enough and dont get as many as you do at one time but understand.
Michel,
Have a wonderful break and vacation! We will miss you and think of you and Janine as well! :O)
xoxo Cat
Dearest Michel, I wish you a good rest, and thank you for being my friend...it has meant quite alot to me, your comments, wishes, hopes for my welfare, and sharing of your life...someday, when I travel to Paris, I want to meet you for a cup of tea and chat! I just wanted to tell you that, and also that I think of you often, and wish you and your family lovely times and good health...all this from Texas! Love you and look forward to your next post! Lowie
En voyant la photo des Alpilles, j'ai cru reconnaître la route qui mène à Les Baux de Provence... Quelle nostalgie.
Bonne vacances cher ami. Nous aussi on pensera à toi, e tu nous manqueras. A bientôt.
Ciao.
Beautiful garden & horses, Michel!
What a wonderful garden. I do not have any cherries this year. I do not know why some years there is no fruit on some trees. I will buy some. I love cherries. Judi
Great pictures! Always nice to look into someone else's life. I hope all is going well for you Michel.
Hope you come back soon : )
Just stopped by 2 say hi and I'm thinking of you. Hug and God Bless!
CLICK HERE
Your garden is lovely. Here in Tennessee it's been so dry. We are getting small amounts of rain but we are used to lots of it. It's going to be a hot summer. You take care if it's this hot where you are.
I love the pictures of the horses. I heard a story of a woman thats horse was giving birth. She had the whole family come into the barn to watch. They had hay bales to sit on and she even had a cell phone on and placed nearby so her mother could hear the joyus news when it happened. So they are all sitting there waiting and a skunk comes into the barn and sprays them all plus ruins the cell phone....ugh can you imagine. It is pretty funny if you think about it.
Take Care Michel and have a lovely vacation.
Love, Brenda
I will be glad when you are back I miss you. Judi
For some reason, my subscription browser hasn't been leading me to your page. I'll have to figure out what I've done wrong in my settings.
This is a lovely entry. I love seeing your bountiful garden grow. You have an amazing number of plants. I wonder how you keep all of the food fresh so that it is properly eaten. We are still learning how to keep our things fresh, if you can believe that. It always seems that something we've bought from the store rots before we can eat it. I wonder if it's because of the ripening chemicals used. I don't know.
I would love to see all of those potatoes harvested. I do hope you share the pictures at harvest time.
Enjoy your vacation!
Amuse-toi bien!
Hope your vacation is a wonderful time! I will be going to Boston on August 8th, for a week. Plenty to see and do there, and the ocean is calling my name! Much love to you and your's.
Laurie
Dear Michel.
happy day to you. I have missed you. I hope you and your wonderful family are very happy and healthy!
I always love to read your stories. You have a very VERY big garden and yes, it is amazing that those vegetables are growing there in the dry soil! You are such a careful gardener, and give lots of attention to the needs.
Here, I am not so interested in gardening. sometimes it gets discouraging... when there are diseases on the young trees and bugs all over the flowers... but sometimes I go out and just try a little bit. Some day I will put some pictures up.
I love horses too. The baby horse is soo adorable!
Now I am taking care of my 2 old cats 16 years (78 in human years) they are doing well but need attention, just like plants.
My cats have given me so much happiness!
The music you play on your blog, Beethoven's Emperor Concerto (piano concerto #5, I know it exactly) is my very very very favorite. I could listen to this over and over. About 25 years ago, when I lived in Belgium, they had the piano competition and I watched this played so many times on the television!
I hope you are enjoying your rest.
You are loved by me.
Rosemary
also... the comment by "slinky" Brenda ^ is very very funny. I had to read it to Rex (my husband) and Elizabeth.
Missing you online...praying you are having the rest you need.
Karen
Bon Fête Nationale!
Je suis desoleé about your voisine. My sympathy à vous.
i trust your garden has outgrown your wildest expectations what a wonder it truly is my grandfather planted wonderful gardens that we ate from all year around the day i dreaded was potato digging day lol he always planted enough for all the families in our family i hope you have been well love beck
oI miss you and hope all is well. I don't speak French but think you have suffered a loss. My heartfelt condolences to you and your family, Michel.
Christine
You are a wonderful gardener Michel! Your pictures refresh me. Isn't it such a blessing to have some land that we can work? Does flint add something to the soil which feed the plants?
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