Beautiful Sunday

You can just make out the Pyrenees in the center background

 It was so beautiful here in Carcassonne yesterday;  it made my heart hurt.  I had a boatload of chores to do, since I had been so lazy the previous two days. A trip to the recycling bins helped to make things tidier, and while I was doing that I got my Sunday paper.  I cooked up a pot of beef stew--it's amazing how far I can stretch a piece of beef with vegetables when the meat is expensive.  Delicious! And probably healthier.  I did some housework and sat down for some serious writing.  I am working on an essay about fear-induced paralysis--all research taken from my own upbringing. 

A table for resting your drinks and visiting with friends

But it was simply too lovely to stay indoors.  I took myself out for a walk around the neighborhood.  Whatever had been going on at the Dome on Saturday (I think it was an exhibit by the young farmers) was long dismantled.  I went down to the Pont Vieux and the Chapel of Notre Dame.  I like to go in there and sing when nobody's around.  It's kind of like praying.

Families enjoying the market

Hot wine, hot chocolate, hot coffee--it's a holiday!

Yum--so hard to resist

I felt like I could see all the way to Toulouse.  I could actually see the Pyrenees, and tried to take some photos, but I do not have a camera capable of that feat.  I meandered up to Place Gambetta, although I don't need or want anything from any of the huts there. It's distressing to see cotton candy being spun, but if it's only once a year, I guess that can't hurt too badly.  The booth with the knives is pretty interesting, as is the one housing the guy selling the nougat from Montsegur.  I walked by that temptation, but don't know for how long I will be able to resist.  Can you imagine seeing hot wine at the Christmas bazaar in Brookings?  I wish I had a way to convey the aroma via a blog--vin chaud smells so good.

The Christmas decoration in my window seat

So, today I made a run to the post office, got my paper, and am settled in the window seat to work. I miss all the excitement of having guests, and all the comings and goings.  Time to come back to Earth and get busy doing what I came here to do--live an everyday life.

I don't know this plant, but I love it.