Escaping the Empty Nest

Please enjoy these chapters from my as-yet unpublished novel.

Guest Posts

Talking To Me

Finding a Pet Sitter in Paris

The Art of the "Bonjour"

Series

Vegetable Gallery

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

Toilet Gallery

In Case You Missed It:

France and Coronavirus: Part 1

By last Thursday, in France, we had stopped shaking hands and giving each other les bises, but we were still going about our business unless it was shut down. Friday they told us schools and universities would shut down Monday. Saturday, French authorities ordered that on Sunday all bars, restaurants, gyms, churches, and cafes be closed, and...(read more)

France is our Hot Mess Friend

People find it easy to ridicule France these days, with our Gilets Jaunes and our strikes. But I think France plays an important role in the world community. France is the world’s Hot Mess Friend. We’ve all got a Hot Mess Friend, or at least I hope you do. You know the one. Let’s call her Gloria. Gloria has boyfriend drama. She has family drama...(read more)

The New Laguardia

Laguardia’s Terminal B has been redone! The old terminal resembled a third-world airport, with a dropped ceiling and cramped, stinky bathrooms. Your only dining option was an exorbitantly priced Dunkin Donuts. The fluorescent lighting made everyone headachy. Only the most aggressive flyers got seats in the skimpy waiting area. It made...(read more)

Watching Pride & Prejudice with my (now adult) Daughter

Bethany and I have watched Pride and Prejudice for years. I watched it for the first time when she was a newborn in 1995, probably while nursing her, and rewatched it whenever it came on TV. Later I bought the DVD set at Costco, and now we watch it online. When they...(read more)

What I Ate in Seville

I didn’t go to Spain just to eat. I went with friends. But we did eat. A lot
We started with a delicious goat cheese platter, with nuts and jam and raisins and toasty bread, and an artichoke salad with tomatoes and olive oil. There are no photos because I forgot my phone in my hotel room. You’ll have to believe me. One of our party has been in Spain a little...(read more)

The Glamorous Expat Life: La Mammographie

I was already digging this French health care system when I got a letter in the mail saying: You’re a woman past 50, so you get a free mammogram!
Moving to France has taken up a lot of my brain space, so I hadn’t thought about a mammo lately. But you can’t ignore this stuff, so I ...(read more)

So You Think You Can France

Moving to a different country is like raising children--just when you get good at one stage, your kids grow out of it and it’s a whole new ballgame. I must be at least a toddler expat by now. I’ve gotten good at greetings (I say bonjour everywhere, and I haven’t bonked faces exchanging the bises for quite a while). I can get the food I want in...(read more)

Where to Pee in France

So you’re coming to Paris! That’s so exciting! You’re going to need to pee while you’re here, and it’s not as easy as in some other parts of the world. Let’s get you ready. First of all, if you’re from Japan (best toilets in the world, IMHO, see link below) or other places with an A+ restroom situation, you’ve got to just put all those gleaming fully...(read more)

White Asparagus

I tried a new vegetable. White asparagus is ragingly popular in France during the late spring and early summer months. The first time I saw it in my local market, I wondered what misfortune had occurred that produced fat white asparagus. I hoped the farmers could sell enough to recoup their losses. Turns out, it was no accident--the French love this...(read more)

Let's Talk About Tartare

France loves tartare. And so do I. It’s raw meat squished together with spices, maybe some cooperative herbs or veggies. They shape it into a little patty and serve it as the main course with vegetables or fries. Here are the main types of tartare I’ve found in Paris. First, the above-pictured tuna tartare. This one is just delicious. The tuna is cut up smaller...(read more)

Hotel Sacher Toilet, Salzburg

Since moving to Paris last year, I have neglected my Toilet Gallery blog category. I’ve seen a lot of adequate but unentertaining toilets in Paris. That’s not Paris’ fault, it’s just that when we were traveling around the world the toilets were a constant source of joy or perplexity. Like the one in China where the attendant asked everyone if they were going...(read more)

Expat Life: Burglary

You’d think getting burglarized in Paris would be glamorous, right? Or maybe it would be funny, like the policeman would be Inspector Clouseau? Nope. Getting burglarized in Paris is pretty much like getting burglarized anywhere else--a pain in the derrière. This was not my first rodeo. I first got burgled in 1989, the day I moved into my...(read more)

I'm Yvonne, and this is my blog.
The kids are leaving, I’m changing careers, and I’ve got miles to go before I sleep. If you are as perplexed and excited as I am about the second half of your life, come eat, travel, and figure it out with me.