I really am lucky to have such good friends in a place I have lived in for such a short time. After my woe-is-me post so many people reached out to me here to make sure I was okay and offer their support. This weekend my social calendar is jam-packed as I have plans with so many wonderful people. I find that as I get older my friendships become more genuine and dear to me. Connection plays such a powerful role in my life. It is essential to my happiness.

I haven’t shared this here yet but my “boys” aka the neighbors-that-have-become-family are moving. Perhaps I haven’t written about it because I’ve been in some denial. There is no more denying it. Dave and Matt have found a wonderful home about 30 minutes away that ticks all of their boxes. It is located outside of Vitre so they will have access to much more acitivity and the house is laid out so they can access their garden easily. The only problem is that I can’t skip over and visit in my jammies. I can still visit without too much difficulty but it will be a significant change and I think we all feel it. I have no choice but to support them as I so want them to be happy. It just means that things are changing and my safety net is dropping.

I’m reluctant to let go easily so we have been spending a lot of time together. We have shared meals, laughter and outings. Most recently, I found myself being fingerprinted by Dave who happens to be a retired police officer. In an effort to reinstate my background check requirement for my new telehealth job, Dave ended up taking my prints in his kitchen. I learned I couldn’t help him and literally had to look away as he expertly maneuvered my fingers for perfect, squared prints. We laughed and marveled at the randomness of our shared ink experience. In truth, I had been to the Marie (municipal office) and police station in an effort to get this done but no one was willing to provide me this service.

This week I have decorated my tired window boxes with gourds and seasonal plants to celebrate fall. I found the gourds at a terrific vide grenier (massive flea market) this weekend and I picked up some violas and ornamental cabbage at the local hardware store. I also refreshed my grapevine wreaths that Stella made for me with some berries and grasses that hopefully will last for a while. We don’t have bittersweet around here so I’ve had to be creative.

Addendum*** I just realized that my white gourds look like boobies. Yikes.