Cousins

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Beagles!

Piper + Lucky

Currently • March 2019

“It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want—oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!” - Mark Twain

ENJOYING: Spring Break. Nope, I didn’t go anywhere, but sometimes a bouquet of tulips, a big stack of books, coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon, and wine in the evening, along with a super smooshy beagle are just the vacation a girl needs.

READING:

• A Well-Behaved Woman: A Novel of the Vanderbilts - By the bestselling author of Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, this book was a Christmas gift from a friend who knows my literary taste so well. I started trying to read it in January, but the limited daylight made it really hard to read in the evening. I put it away for Spring Break and I quite enjoyed it. Alva Vanderbilt Belmont was a formidable woman!

• J.D. Salinger: A Life - A great biography/anthology of the life and work of one of the most popular and mysterious figures in American literary history.

• Writer, Sailor, Soldier, Spy: Ernest Hemingway's Secret Adventures, 1935-1961 - A former CIA officer and curator of the CIA Museum unveils the shocking, untold story of Nobel Prize-winning author Ernest Hemingway’s secret life as a spy for both the Americans and the Soviets before and during World War II. This one makes me a bit nervous…

• The Race for Paris - World War II novel about two American journalists and an Englishman who together race the Allies to Occupied Paris for the scoop of their lives.

WATCHING:

• Upstairs, Downstairs - I’m not sure why I didn’t watch this PBS series sooner. It certainly fills a void until the Downton Abbey movie premieres this fall. The first season of Upstairs, Downstairs, set in the 1930s featuring the abdication of King Edward VIII and the events that led to England’s involvement in WWII, was riveting, but the second/final season got a bit soapy for me.

• Project Runway All Stars and the new season of Project Runway on Bravo - I’m glad that PW has returned to Bravo and NYC, but I’m not sure that I’m going to enjoy host Karlie Kloss & mentor Christian Siriano as much as Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn.

• And yes, I’m embarrassed to admit, but I am watching the latest season of The Real Housewives of New York City. There’s no excuse for it, but at least they’re the the only Housewives that I follow.

• Help me find something new to binge. Have any of you watched Home Fires, Poldark, or The Durells in Corfu? I need some PBS to rebuild the braincells that I’m losing on Bravo!

LOOKING FORWARD TO:

• Fresh air and the song of robins, cardinals, and chickadees wafting through open windows.

• The first tender green shoots pushing their way up through the thawing earth. I got a preview of crocus, tulips, and jonquils in Paris, and now, I can hardly wait to see them appear in my own garden — that is, if the bulbs haven’t frozen or been eaten by the deer who visit Piper every evening.

• That first glass of rosé on a warm spring evening — the one(s) I had in Paris don’t count.

• The Les Misérables miniseries on PBS in two weeks.

• Art in Bloom at the Milwaukee Art Museum

• Taking more photos — I’ve been a bit lax lately.

Week 12 - Inspiration: Trash

"Too much of anything is bad, but too much Champagne is just right." - Mark Twain

#2019dogwood52 #dogwood52 #dogwoodweek12

French Friday: Je pense à toi sans cesse...

« Paris sera toujours Paris. Qu’est-ce que tu veux qu’il fasse d’autre ? » - Fréderic Dard

On se rappelle les chansons, un soir d'hiver, un frais visage, la scène à marchands de marrons, une chambre au cinquième étage, les cafés crèmes du matin, Montparnasse, le Café du Dôme, les faubourgs, le Quartier latin, les Tuileries et la Place Vendôme.

Paris, c'était la gaieté, Paris, c'était la douceur aussi. C'était notre tendresse. Paris, tes gamins, tes artisans, tes camelots et tes agents, et tes matins de printemps. Paris, l'odeur de ton pavé d'oies, de tes marronniers, du bois. Je pense à toi sans cesse. Paris, je m'ennuie de toi, mon vieux. On se retrouvera tous les deux, mon grand Paris.

Évidemment, il y a parfois les heures un peu difficiles, mais tout s'arrange bien, ma foi. Avec Paris, c'est si facile. Pour moi, Paris, c'est les beaux jours, les airs légers, graves, ou tendres. Pour moi, Paris, c'est mes amours et mon cœur ne peut se reprendre.

Paris, c'était la gaieté, Paris, c'était la douceur aussi. C'était notre tendresse. Paris, tes gamins, tes artisans, tes camelots et tes agents, et tes matins de printemps. Paris, l'odeur de ton pavé d'oies, de tes marronniers, du bois. Je pense à toi sans cesse. Paris, je m'ennuie de toi, mon vieux. On se retrouvera tous les deux, mon grand Paris. - Paris, chanté par Édith Piaf

Links I Love • March 2019

“Link yourself with those who think and ink like you.” ― Michael Bassey Johnson. Here’s what caught my eye this month…

La joie de vivre:

• Wine and Macaron Parings - Pourquoi pas?! I enjoyed Champagne macarons to celebrate Le Jour du Macaron - March 20th - does that count?

• The Founding Mothers of Champagne - Clicquot, Pommery, Bollinger, the story of the Champagne empire and the “Merry Widows” who ruled it.

• A Dead Poets Society Reading List - Whitman, Thoreau, Tennyson, Shakespeare — Seize the Book!

• Five Ways Photography Can Change Your Life - This is 100% true for me.

• Best French Versions of Disney Songs - I went to Disney World in January and Paris in February, so this month, I’m combining the two experiences. For the record, I would add these songs and these to the list.

Paris and Beyond (I may have just returned, but I’m already planning for November!):

• The Ultimate Paris Bucket List - I’ve done 8/12. Still to do: cooking class, jazz club, private tour of the Louvre, and a night at the opera. Time to go back!

• The Disappearing Chimney Sweeps of Paris - I’ve often wondered how many of those iconic Paris chimney pots are still functional.

• Explore France’s Loire Valley in the Footsteps of Leonardo da Vinci - Chambord, Chenonceau, Amboise, Blois — I love the châteaux of the Loire.

• Why is the Paris Métro so Good? It’s easy and efficient and most stations are pretty clean. I’ll always choose the Métro over the bus or a taxi, but, if you’re able, walking is still the best way to get around Paris.

• Get Out of Town! There are so many great day trips that you can take just outside of Paris.

• And a bit closer to home: Tall Ships are Returning to Wisconsin this Summer - and some are sailing through Sturgeon Bay.

Paris Fashion Week Recap:

• Watch Karl Lagerfeld’s Final Chanel Fashion Show - Before showing the Fall/Winter 2019 collection in the Grand Palais last month, the world said goodbye to Karl with a one minute silence. What’s next for Chanel under new leadership?

• Why Was Coco Obsessed with Camellias? I featured this video in a post two years ago.

• French Films All Fashion Lovers Should See - I’ve only seen 1, 2, and 9. I hope to watch a few more during Spring Break.

• All of Paris Fashion Week on 4 Minutes - I saw tents, models, and photoshoots during PFW in February, but here’s what I’ve been missing.

Coincidence

“When spring came, even false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest.” - Ernest Hemingway

It can’t be a coincidence that today is the first day of spring, National Happiness Day (Why is there just one day?), and La Journée internationale du macaron!

Champagne macarons from Le Rêve