Quiet.

The Roamers slow down

Several people have commented recently that they don’t know how we have the energy to do so much–traveling, hosting, exploring, studying French, and generally staying so very busy. Well, we finally realized that it was time to slow down a bit! After our last house guests left, we decided to take the month of August as a break, and so far we’ve done just that!

It’s been very quiet chez Shroyer, partly because of our resolve to slow down and partly because of the canicule, aka HEAT WAVE. It’s been in the high 90s and low 100s daily for several weeks. Without a car, we depend on our feet and public transportation, and the latter has been quite unreliable due to summer construction/expansion projects. I’ve grown tired of taking three showers a day, so we’ve stayed inside much more than usual.

As I mentioned in the last post, we attended a soirée at the end of July, in the courtyard of a Lebanese restaurant. It was HOT but we had a great evening. We are so grateful for our circle of friends in Montpellier!

Hot but fun evening with (mostly) Americans in Montpellier

About all that walking: we ordered an electric car, a Hyundai Kona, which was supposed to be delivered in July. In July it was delayed until August, and now it’s delayed until mid-September. We’ll be out of the country in September, so the earliest we can get it now will be October. But we’re really looking forward to (a) having a car again, and (b) learning how to be electric car people.

The car we ordered

I’ve been reading a lot, mostly fluff/ fun/forgettable novels, but this week I had a special treat: I read the debut mystery novel by my dear friend and Wild Woman Susan Steiner. Susan was one of my best friends in high school, and I’ve always admired her quirky creativity, sense of humor, and comfort in her own skin. Her novel, Murder by Manuscript, is fascinating–not only is it a great read, but the principal characters are based on her grandchildren as she imagines them as adults. What a concept!

Susan’s book: highly recommended!

Another thing I’ve done during this time-out is expand my earring collection. You may recall that our daughter is a jewelry designer whose company is called Mellie Earrings. I spent two days with her in July, “helping”at the fabulous outdoor market in Stockholm, and I bought a few items there. But when I saw she was having a “flash” sale, I couldn’t resist a bit more shopping. I ordered the Mystery Box, which consists of three pairs of earrings that Mellie intuitively selects. I think she nailed it!

My Mellie Earrings Mystery Box!

In addition to the market and her website, she also has an Etsy shop. Now I have my eye on these beautiful Gaia earrings!

And that’s about it for August-to-date. We’re about to head out for our weekly coffee meetup with fellow English speakers. Several of us usually stay until lunchtime and then walk to an outdoor cafe for lunch, after which I’ll walk over to my French class. We are definitely living the sweet life in France!

The Roamers: not roaming this month.