"Tour de France"

One day on an outing in the city, we watched these tourists assembling for their bicycle tour of Paris.

 We laughed because we had just passed the offices of the Tour de France. (actually this is the office of the The Compagnons du Devoir du Tour de France, an organization of craftsmen and artisans dating from the Middle Ages, but still active today) But what would you think if you saw these two things within  moments of each other? We had to snap them both! So funny.

















So we named the group,  the "Tour de France Paris"

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My Old White Rabbit and Hen

When I was a very little girl, our next door neighbors were elderly sisters. They had taught school for many years In fact one of the ladies was my father's Latin teacher. He Graduated from Wichita High School in 1925. She had this old porcelain rabbit in her house. I always admired it and one Easter she gave it to me. It had been her mother's and now I have had it for over 60 years. It must be well over a hundred years old. It always comes out at Easter along with a sweet milk glass hen sitting on her nest, that was my grandmother's. She was born in 1875. She had eaten her poached egg from this dish as did I as a little girl. My first daughter wasn't too keen on eggs, but my younger one ate boiled or poached eggs for breakfast every morning. She had lots of different egg cups for her soft boiled breakfasts and this dear little hen sitting on her nest guarding a poached egg.

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Just another lovely day in Oregon

Oh, happy day! It is another lovely day in Oregon, with plenty of "Oregon Sunshine".

 

 Do I love cool weather? yes. Do I love rain? Yes not any longer. Not after 20 straight days of it. Not after sloshing around in it for what seems like forever with no let up in sight. Look at the Wonderground forecast for this month:

One day! ONE DRY DAY!!!! That was ALL. It set a record. Not since 1904 has there been so many rainy days.

However,

Things are not all that bad. Look what my #2 daughter brought home last evening. They are so beautiful. Just like looking at sunshine. There are lots of buds that will open as the first ones fade. I'm sure I'll be enjoying them for a long time. I've put them with some of this year's Easter eggs. Just consider that a preview. I'll be posting them in detail later next month closer to Easter.

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Schweizer scherenschnitte

It isn't raining! Here in the Pacific Northwest that is a pretty big deal in spring. The weatherman tells us that this March has been one of the rainiest in many years. Oh, well everything will be beautiful and green, soon.

With four more weeks until Easter, I'm going to share another set of Easter eggs.  This is a set that I made after visiting my daughter who was living in Switzerland at the time. They are decorated with pen and ink in the style of a traditional Swiss folk art.

goatherd

mountain chalet

While it is practiced in Bavaria, Austria, as well as Switzerland, this is a craft that is perfected in Switzerland, and called Scherenschnitte. These beautiful images are made by cutting silhouettes from black paper and pasting it onto a background. 

Schweizer scherenschnitte

American

Lausanne

Sometimes these designs are painted onto the sides of buildings. The ones I like best are the ones like the ones here at the Cheese factory in GI like the ones that show the cows being brought down from the high Alps for the winter.

 Here is the cheese factory La Maison du Gruyère. 

Mural at the factory

close-up

close-up

This is a typical shepherd's hut that is taken up into the high mountains where the cows are pastured all summer.

shepherd's hut

The aging caves at the factory

In Switzerland, every house is required to have a secure room, called a cave. The family usually stores water, and other emergency food. They man's gun is a requirement as well. After the compulsory military service the man is required to keep his gun. This is the cave of the farmhouse home where we stayed near the town of Gruyéres. A real cave!

 

Cave

Wish the would deliver here!

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One of my very favorite blogs belongs to this beautiful young woman,

Angelia of Parisienne Farmgirl

Go look at her blog and discover a smart, stylish, patriotic, thoughtful, funny, clever,...well, I could go on, but discover her for yourself. Generous, too. Here is her giveaway:

le Boucherie

In the town of Bry-Sur-Marne, where my friend Mimi lives, there is a wonderful Butcher. His smile would brighten any cloudy day. His shop is on the main shopping street of the old village.

 

au revoir!

Fancy Farmer

Two darling ladies, Maria and Michelle, started a new stall at our local Farmer's Market, last Autumn. After a lead paint based toy scare on some big name toys, they decided to make fun, safe toys from felt. They have so many cute felt veggies and fruit, hens, roosters, and chicks. I have admired the toys, wishing I had some little people to share them with. (My girls are way past toys) Naturally I thought of all of you who have children and grandchildren who might like some adorable toys.

Hen

White eggs

Peeps

Easter Eggs

veggies

You can buy these adorable Easter toys as well as all the other ones at their Etsy Shop

Stall at the Farmer's Market, Orinco Station, Oregon

http://www.etsy.com/people/thefancyfarmer

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