The simple life...

Sitting out under the chestnut trees after dinner. A fine cigar, cheap wine, my page light by a candle shoved into an old wine bottle....which in the gentle breeze flickers, burns fast and drips onto the tablecloth. There is an oil lamp here-one of those contemporary glass jobs with the oil reservoir blowen inside of a column of glass. No oil and no wick however. Plenty of olive oil around thought. Just need a wick. Cotton cordage, woven thread (thank you, Sarah), a cut up sock (smell of burning elastic), a strip of sheeting...none worked. Technique, methodology or material?  I now write by the glow from the window. The simple life...

No telephone, no TV, no computer. Sarah and I both admit we miss communication--news, entertainment, connection with friends and family. The leaves talk to the wind. A dog barks in the dark distance. The simple life...

We built a fire against the cold. Dinner of leftover mashed potatoes topped with chicken from lunch, a bit of leeks, covered with cheese and baked. Accompained with bread, olives, and salad of greens, pine nuts, carrots and aoili provencial, the local mayonaise. The simple life...

This morning I walked into the village. Shopping bag under my arm, it's market day. Vendors on the square selling cheese, meats, olives, spices, flowers, scarfs, jewlery, even mattresses. I return with bag full of jam, potatoes, almond croissant, roasted chicken and of course, bagette. After lunch, a nap. The simple life...

Visited with the neighbors, petted their dog, planned an excursion to Grand Canyon du Verdon, drank rose' from an unmarked bottle. The simple life...

Lost a crown off a back molar the other day. Glued it back on with some temporary dental filling I've been carrying in my first aid kit for 15 years. Got the name of the only dentist in town from the board outside the Office de Tourism. Noticed light in her office this evening. Thought I'd make an appointment for the next day. Was asked "what's wrong" in broken English and told to wait. Fifteen minutes later I'm in her only dental chair and without asking my name, no forms, no medical history, and no gloves my crown is glued in place perfectly. For 35 eruos! Ah, the simple life.....