La vie n'est pas un long fleuve tranquille... Life is not a long, quiet river.
Life has been getting in the way lately, cher Blog, and I have neglected you.
I miss you, and I am looking forward to spending more time with you over the next few months.
Happy to be back in front of the keyboard... Tonight I stole a few minutes out of a busy schedule to say: "Je suis toujours là!" - I am still here, or, as Elton would put it, "I am still standing, better than I ever did..."
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| I am kind of a big deal, you know! |
I am still standing, but there have been days lately when I have thought...
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No matter, there is always a good friend nearby, ready to help out; lend a hand; listen; or pour some bubbly in a pretty champagne glass.
I am fortunate to have amazing friends. When the going gets tough, they circle the wagons...
... Because sometimes, all a girl needs to hear is...
and...
or...
On a warm and sunny spring day, a favorite lady of mine invited me over for brunch.
I have a confession to make: My heroes have always been cowgirls.
I have another confession: As a young teenager growing up in France, I dreamed of living on a ranch, somewhere in the great American wilderness. I could just picture the life of my alter-ego: working with horses, surrounded by a pack of dogs (and rugged and handsome ranch hands,) riding off into the sunset on a beautiful chestnut stallion...
I gave up on that dream a long time ago. I never even learned to ride horses properly. Then one day, I met a strong, independent-minded lady who had once decided to become a cowgirl and had turned into one... And what an interesting cowgirl she was - and still is! An animal lover. A francophile. A lover of fine things. She came to me as a French student, and we became fast friends.
Her mantra?
And so on a glorious Sunday afternoon a few days ago, I visited my friend the cowgirl "at the ranch..."
A beautiful, peaceful, relaxing place...
She prepared a Western brunch (or, as I like to call it, fancy cowgirl food,) and set a lovely table just for the two of us...
Coffee was dark and strong, as it should be. Mimosas, cheerful and refreshing; the perfect match for the delicious food on the red plates. Miam! Yum!
Meanwhile, one of the cowgirl's furry friends relaxed in the sun at our feet...
Because in the cowgirl's house, all animals are welcomed, sheltered and loved.
Horses, goats, dogs and cats... They all have a place in the pack and in her heart. They live as a big, happy family. And when one sad day they cross the Rainbow Bridge, the cowgirl says "so long," and she finds a special place for her cherished friends...
And in these beautiful surroundings, laughing with the cowgirl and playing with her animals, this French Girl forgot she had been a little down lately, and for a few special hours, believed she had finally turned into a horse whisperer...
... or was it a dog whisperer?
She felt at peace... and happy. She knew that in that unique home, with her special friend, she would always have a place to stay, and a place to regroup.
And she considers herself pretty darn lucky.
A bientôt.
I am fortunate to have amazing friends. When the going gets tough, they circle the wagons...
 |
... Because sometimes, all a girl needs to hear is...
 |
 |
 |
On a warm and sunny spring day, a favorite lady of mine invited me over for brunch.
I have a confession to make: My heroes have always been cowgirls.
I have another confession: As a young teenager growing up in France, I dreamed of living on a ranch, somewhere in the great American wilderness. I could just picture the life of my alter-ego: working with horses, surrounded by a pack of dogs (and rugged and handsome ranch hands,) riding off into the sunset on a beautiful chestnut stallion...
I gave up on that dream a long time ago. I never even learned to ride horses properly. Then one day, I met a strong, independent-minded lady who had once decided to become a cowgirl and had turned into one... And what an interesting cowgirl she was - and still is! An animal lover. A francophile. A lover of fine things. She came to me as a French student, and we became fast friends.
Her mantra?
 |
And so on a glorious Sunday afternoon a few days ago, I visited my friend the cowgirl "at the ranch..."
A beautiful, peaceful, relaxing place...
She prepared a Western brunch (or, as I like to call it, fancy cowgirl food,) and set a lovely table just for the two of us...
Coffee was dark and strong, as it should be. Mimosas, cheerful and refreshing; the perfect match for the delicious food on the red plates. Miam! Yum!
Meanwhile, one of the cowgirl's furry friends relaxed in the sun at our feet...
 |
| The most recent rescue and beloved "bébé:" Bisou, the English bulldog |
Because in the cowgirl's house, all animals are welcomed, sheltered and loved.
Horses, goats, dogs and cats... They all have a place in the pack and in her heart. They live as a big, happy family. And when one sad day they cross the Rainbow Bridge, the cowgirl says "so long," and she finds a special place for her cherished friends...
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| St Francis of Assisi, Patron Saint of animals, watches over departed friends |
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| The awesome Biggie, the Great Pyrenees |
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| Miss Piggy, who was a pot-bellied pig but never knew it... |
And in these beautiful surroundings, laughing with the cowgirl and playing with her animals, this French Girl forgot she had been a little down lately, and for a few special hours, believed she had finally turned into a horse whisperer...
... or was it a dog whisperer?
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| Playing with Bisou and her big brother, Casanova the Doberman |
She felt at peace... and happy. She knew that in that unique home, with her special friend, she would always have a place to stay, and a place to regroup.
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| funnycrazyweird.com |
And she considers herself pretty darn lucky.
A bientôt.
Merci Anne Taintor for your sarcastic and hilarious not-so-perfect-housewives.
Merci iPhone, for taking most of these photos. You, the cowgirl and I did our best.
Merci, mon amie. Merci, all my other girls. You know who you are.
Housewives vignettes affectionately dedicated to the other Whitman girl.
Housewives vignettes affectionately dedicated to the other Whitman girl.
-- French Girl in Seattle
Indeed, friends are all we need...especially when we need them... Your cowgirl friends sounds like she is rather wonderful. x
ReplyDeleteShe is, and I am lucky to have her.
DeleteJ'arrive !!!... Je viens de passer un excellent moment avec toi ma chère.
ReplyDeletej'aime ton humour et le choix de tes délicieuses illustrations...
Il doit être tellement agréable de vivre ainsi en pleine nature, bien que parfois cela ne doit pas être toujours aussi facile.
Une belle histoire d'amitié.
gros bisous
L'humour aide à faire oublier les moments difficiles, ma chère Martine. La nature dans notre coin est surtout sympathique quand il fait beau... Elle devient très vite monotone et dure pour le moral quand la pluie (et même la neige) s'attardent... La nature est donc sympathique à peu près 4 mois par an... Nous parlons de Seattle, bien entendu :-)
DeleteMoi aussi , toute jeune, je rêvais d'une vie au ranch.. Un rêve qui fait partie de la longe liste des renoncements.
ReplyDeleteJ'adore toutes les illustrations choisies,belles et marrantes. Et la maison de ton amie (soupir..)et j'aime aussi cet esprit , de recueillir les animaux . Et les amies qui ont un coup de cafard aussi , alors?!
Tu es parfaite en celle qui murmure à l'oreille des chiens; Pour les chevaux , peut-être encore un peu d'entrainement?.. :o))
Ce post est un tres bel hommage à l'amitié , en tous cas!
Gros bisous et à bientôt!
(PS: et non, la pluie actuelle ne me rend pas malheureuse , au contraire, j'y repenserai avec délice cet été quand on mourra de chaud!)
Ah, tu vois, encore une chose que nous avons en commun. Les renoncements, les renoncements... Je pourrais écrire un livre là-dessus, mais j'imagine que cela a déjà été fait?
DeleteQuant à mon amie la cowgirl, elle a effectivement l'âme généreuse et ne fait aucune différence entre une amie dans le besoin... ou un animal. C'est, de toutes ses qualités, celle que je préfère. La seconde serait qu'elle ne s'est jamais accommodée de renoncements, justement. Une personnalité très forte. J'ai beaucoup d'admiration pour elle.
A bientôt, Marie. Profite de la pluie, mais dis-lui de filer avant mon arrivée, ok? (J'ai déjà donné...)
Cowgirls... sounds nice, hopefully though without guns! Anyhow, friends in any shape are good to have!
ReplyDeleteNo guns, Peter. Just Champagne... and a pack of Dobermen :-) Thank you for stopping by.
DeleteYour friend has a nice retreat to recover from depressions!
ReplyDeleteA lovely place it is... on a happy day, or a sad one...
DeleteAhh..how nice..When I saw the table set outside..I just knew ..it was a special day for you..
ReplyDeleteLife is a bit of a roller coaster(a lot)..and days like this..can do so much for the soul.
Love her place.So her..and all your cute pics.
Take care~
PS I always wanted to ride also..and as a young girl a group of us would pay to go ride ..they were old old horses..and we just kind of walked and not for long..but I remember the great feeling and smells:)You know like a favorite memory..I think I remember spending a day at a barn also..grooming a horse and loved it..
SO allergic..I have no idea how I did it:)
A roller coaster ride. One needs to hang on!
DeleteYou would have enjoyed the smells at the ranch. You don't get the same experience in the city :-)
I'm so sorry you were experiencing a "p'tit coup de blues," but clearly you made a miraculous recovery with a little help from your two-legged and four-legged friends.
ReplyDeleteSometimes a bit of a Blogger break helps to clear the mind.
Happy belated birthday, ma chère amie. The best is yet to come!
Big bisous, M-T
On fait aller, Madame M-T. On fait aller...
DeleteMerci pour ta carte électronique, bien reçue cette semaine. And I do want to believe that the best is yet to come!
Thank you for your encouraging words.
Dearest Véronique,
ReplyDeleteLOVELY post! Ah, we all need such a cowgirl friend for a once-in-a-while escape from the dreary reality. This was perfect and you must have had a ball! Great animal interaction and yes, the iPhone does serve me well too. Far better than several old-time cameras we had.
Hugs to you,
Mariette
Bonjour Mariette. Great animal interaction except when this French cowgirl tried to push away the big horse who was trying to kiss her :-) I am definitely more comfortable with dogs, and the bigger the better. Maybe it is a good thing I never became a cowgirl, after all...
DeleteSorry to hear of some down days Veronique... feel better soon. I liked reading about and seeing photos of your friends ranch - now that's a stylish log cabin! The weather looks super, as does the brunch. You're lucky to have each other.
ReplyDeleteMerci Craig. I will feel better. You are correct: My friend is a stylish cowgirl who loves stylish things. It's always fun to be around her. Yes, we are lucky to have met each other. Take care, and I hope the weather has warmed up a bit for you by now (Boris probably doesn't mind, with all his hair!)
DeleteJe suis désolée que le cafard a passé dans ton coin. Tes illustrations sont plein d’humour et avoir passé quelque temps avec une amie dans un ranch a certainement dû te remonter le moral! Mais, j’ai aussi une confession à te faire, qui ne va pas te rendre heureuse – mes héros ont toujours tué les cowboys – quand on jouait à Paris, j’étais toujours la petite Indienne, donc je n’aimais pas les cowboys. En arrivant dans le Montana j’ai même trouvé, dans une réservation indienne, un tee-shirt qui disait “My Heroes have always killed cowboy.”
ReplyDeleteTranslation: I'm sorry that the blues have come your way. Your illustrations are full of humor and to have spent some time with a friend on a ranch must have certainly lifted your spirits! But I also have a confession to make, that will not make you happy - my heroes have always killed cowboys - when we played in Paris, I was always the little Indian girl, so I did not like cowboys. Arriving in Montana I even found, in an Indian Reservation, a T-shirt that said "My Heroes Have always killed Cowboys."
Merci pour cette visite bilingue, Vagabonde.
DeleteI think I forgive you for "killing" all those cowboys as a child. After all, some of them had probably deserved it. And I am certain you never harmed a single cowgirl :-)
Hello, and thank you so much for sharing your life and your beautiful photos. I fully understand the down days; I hope that those days will pass and that you will get to feeling better. Your photos are lovely. Bonjour de Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
ReplyDeleteMerci beaucoup Linda. Here's to sunnier days!
DeleteI also know 'those days' and you've illustrated them beautifully. A good friend is often just what we need when "Cowgirls start singin' the blues. . ." Glad to have you back in the blogosphere. xoxo J.
ReplyDeleteMerci beaucoup Jackie. I have not forgotten you, but things have been a bit hectic since the beginning of the year. I still hope we can meet before long... Please be patient with me!
DeleteI'm so glad you found the perfect medicine. What a lovely place to recoup, and best of all, with great friends. What luck! xo
ReplyDeleteThe perfect medicine indeed... and lots of it, is what the doctor prescribed. Thank you for stopping by.
DeleteI hope you are feeling better. Your friend's ranch seems a beautiful log home. Her bulldog is so adorable. It's always refreshing to have some relaxing break
ReplyDeleteMerci Pamela. Yes, my friend's home is a beautiful log home, that she renovated a long time ago. Her taste is excellent, and it is one of my favorite homes in the whole entire world... I am lucky I get invited there on a regular basis so I can see "my niece," Bisou the English bulldog...
DeleteYour time over 'at the ranch' seems to have done you the world of good and I can see why! Your friend has a lovely home and what a perfect spot to have brunch at the cute little table. It looks idyllic! You certainly look very relaxed and happy surrounded by all the furry friends too. Those housewife illustrations are wonderful! Good to see you back in blogland and thank you so much for popping over this week - your lovely comment made my day!
ReplyDeletehttp://missbbobochic.blogspot.co.uk/
You're so welcome miss b. You wrote a wonderful post on Dubai!
DeleteThank you for stopping by this week...
I love this post Veronique French Cowgirls yeehaa! What a wonderful friendship to cherish I love her style.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful weekend from Paris with no spring!!
Much love Carla xx
Welcome back, ô, great photographer! :-)
DeleteParis with no spring does not sound that appealing. Seattle had a beautiful, sunny spring for about a week, but the rain came back yesterday. At least you can hang out in Le Marais. :-) Bon weekend!
I just returned from Houston...where my friends had a belated going away party for me. Looks like your girlfriend pampered you as we'll. Loved the post.
ReplyDeleteHow much fun! It's always extra special to get celebrated by our special friends...
DeleteI can think of nothing more uplifting than spending time with a dear friend, and she has taken good care of you in the finest style of a cowgirl. Friends will always treat our hearts gently.
ReplyDeleteBises,
Genie
You are right, Madame Genie. So true. Thank you for stopping by. I am thinking about you! -- Hugs :-)
Delete