Budding

February 5, 2017 (036/365)

"The February sunshine steeps your boughs and tints the buds and swells the leaves within." - William C. Bryant

Vision

February 4, 2017 (035/365)

"Create your own pathway. Create your own new vision." - Herbie Hancock

French Friday: Les lèvres

le 3 février 2017 (034/365)

« Qu'importe de quoi parlent les lèvres, lorsqu'on écoute les cœurs se répondre ? » - Alfred de Musset

La Chandeleur

le 2 février 2017 - la Chandeleur (033/365)

« Chandeleur couverte, quarante jours de perte. »

One of the best things about teaching French again is the opportunity to share cultural activities with my students. In France, the month of February begins with La Chandeleur, 40 days after Christmas. This religious celebration recalls the Presentation of Jesus to the Temple (Luke 2:22-40), but its origins date back to a pagan ritual of lighting candles to purify the new year.  The Church adapted the tradition into a blessing of candles to protect and sanctify the homes of believers. Having almost made it through the winter, the tradition is to celebrate prosperity and renewal by indulging in crêpes

In keeping with tradition, my students held a gold coin in one hand, made wishes, and flipped a crêpe with the other. All were skillful enough to catch the crêpe in the pan, so their wishes are bound to come true before this year's harvest. Flipping crêpes was fun, but of course the best part was eating them! The students enjoyed their crêpes with classic toppings including berries, chocolate, Nutella, bananas, and whipped cream. As for me, I'll wait to indulge in Paris. We all agreed that this tradition is much more fun than wondering if the groundhog will see his shadow -- by the way, he did.

Février

le premier février 2017 (032/365)

« En février n'a pas deux jours pareils. » | "In February, no two days are alike."

It's February and I'm excited! This is going to be a fantastic month, culminating in my trip to France in three weeks: fantastic, February, France, and another fabulous word that starts with "f" -- Bonjour, fifty! So this month, I'm giving my self carte blanche -- or in this case, carte rouge (my February tradition for the past three years) to post anything I like, including old photos of France, in anticipation of the hundreds of new ones to be taken bientôt! So, don't be surprised if, this month, French Fridays turn into French February. It's going to be formidable!

January 2017 in Pictures

"The leaves hop, scraping on the ground. It is deep January. The sky is hard. The stalks are firmly rooted in ice. It is in this solitude, a syllable, out of these gawky flitterings, intones its single emptiness, the savagest hollow of winter-sound."

- Wallace Stevens, "No Possum, No Sop, No Taters"