A place to call home

We've had a place to stay but have been feeling like nomads for the last month because we lacked an actual address and a place that we could say was ours. Most folks saw Clay's post from a few days ago about signing a lease on a new place. On Tuesday we actually got the keys and took possession of it. 

We have a month to actually move and that's good because the new place is unfurnished and we have only what we brought over with us in luggage. Typical of unfurnished apartments in France, this one lacks even some of the necessary appliances. A refrigerator is at the top of our list to buy, along with a bed. I expect we'll acquire those things within the next week and have them delivered. Clay has already arranged electrical service and we'll get a phone/internet/television package sometime soon as well. 

We have a two bedroom flat in an old mansion house, older even than our house in Palmyra. The Petipas de Walle hotel was built in 1778. Despite the name is was never what we would call a hotel, it was the private residence of some local noble. It's a scheduled monument and has its own Wikipedia page. There are eight units, six in the main house and two more in the gate house. It has been restored, but not quite back to its original splendor, so it has a bit of the decrepit European feel to it. Our place consists of three large rooms, a small kitchen, and another small room, and just one bathroom. It is more than enough space for us and Bailey and the 12 foot ceilings make it seem cavernous, at least until we get some furniture in there to make it look and feel lived in. 

It will be an adventure.

We are the left half of the second floor (which they call the first floor here), in the main house.

View of the main house and courtyard from inside the front gate.

View from across the street.

Staircase up to the first floor.

Dome above the staircase

This is the salon or the main room.

Office, second bedroom

Master bedroom

View of the courtyard and gatehouse from our windows.

Office/second bedroom. Each room has a fireplace, none are functional now.

This is a pantry or storage room. 

Bathroom does not fit the look of the building, but it's functional.

There's a lot of detail on the front of the building that doesn't really show well in photos.

The gatehouse from inside the courtyard looking out.

I could have lived in this if had been available.

Marble floor on the entry hall.

Detail of the front gate. This is plaster work. 

Original front gates, oak and iron.

One month in Lille

We left Virginia on July 31 and today is August 31. It's been a month but we've been very busy so the time has flown by. Here's a few observations in no particular order of importance.

• Bailey has adjusted to a lot of things very quickly and very well. She has no problem being on a leash and no issue with doing her business while leashed. The biggest aspect of city life that still bothers her is the traffic, and motorcycles in particular (too loud and fast).
• I've been walking an average of nine miles a day, most of that with Bailey. What I don't know is whether the increased calorie burn is making up for increased consumption of bread and beer. We are eating much more fresh fruit and vegetables, but I don't yet know the net result in terms of its effects on my weight and blood sugar.
• Speaking of beer, I have a new favorite style, which is the Belgian Triple. A nearby French brewery called Paix Dieu makes my current favorite but I've yet to have one that I don't like.
• Clay's exhaustive research and planning have really paid off in terms of finding a nice Air B&B as a temporary home, getting our immigration status settled (and Bailey's), getting internet and phone service that works, finding our way around, and even finding a new apartment. I don't know how anyone would ever make a move like this without Clay.
• I'm enrolled in an language course beginning the second week of September, three hours a day, five days a week, and although that sounds onerous, I'm looking forward to it because I really would like to be able to communicate better, especially with people in the dog park.
• Everything has been going very well. The locals are friendly. The only bad, really devastating, thing to happen occurred yesterday. We were riding the subway back after visiting a brewery in a nearby suburb. It was fairly crowded so we were standing when some young man looked at me and offered me his seat. While that gesture reinforced my point about the locals being very friendly, it dealt a death blow to my ego and self image from which I may never recover. I will accept senior discounts wherever they are available, but I prefer needing to prove my age to get them. I guess it's time to start a skincare routine. 

Pictures and video below are of Bailey on walks and at the dog park. 

Daisy needs a new home

Daisy came up from Texas with a batch of shepherds rescued by Shenandoah Shepherd Rescue back in 2020.  I had her for just a short time and then she was adopted by a woman who had adopted two or three rotties from me in the past. Daisy's paperwork gave her a birth date of July 4, 2019, making her six years old now. She's small for a rottweiler, probably not more than 80 pounds. Daisy's owner suffered a brain aneurism a couple weeks ago and is facing a very long road of recovery. There's no family able to take her so Daisy needs a new home.

Daisy was adopted during Covid and like many Covid-era dogs she never really got properly socialized. She loved her owner and was very protective of her. She was always fine with me and she stayed with me over the years whenever the owner had houseguests or went out of town herself. She had several good human friends in and around Crozet where she lived and walked with her owner. However, Daisy is not always quick to warm up to a stranger, especially if she feels the need to protect her human.

Daisy's world has been turned upside down and she's been boarding at Green Dogs for the past week. She started out being scared and growling, but now she's a big wiggling pile of sweetness around the adults and children. I'm sure she's had more interaction with more humans in the past week than she's had in the past five years because she was only around her owner, a couple of dog walkers, and myself since she came to Virginia. 

Daisy may need some time to warm up but it will happen and it will happen more quickly than you might think. She will be an extremely loving and loyal companion. Contact me at vadogrescue@gmail.com if you can either foster or adopt Daisy.

Official paperwork

Bailey is now, for all intents, constructions, and purposes, a French citizen. Or at least a permanent resident. She has a national registration card, and today she got a French passport. Clay and I are more than a little envious. 

The week that we arrived we had a vet visit. That vet reviewed her U.S. documentation and submitted the information to the French government. Just a few days ago I received an email with her registration card.

Today we had a follow up vet visit for the second lepto vaccine. We repeated another vaccine that wasn't yet due in order to have the proper documentation for the passport. The vet filled that out and issued it on the spot. With this we can take her anywhere in the E.U. 

Today's vet visit was fairly early in the morning. When it was over Bailey and I headed directly to the park for our morning walk and dog park visit. There were three setters in the dog park when we arrived although two of them left soon after. The third was a puppy who really wanted to play with Bailey. After they figured out how to make it work they had a great time. The pup's owners were a young couple in grad school, both of whom spoke English, so we had a nice visit. They really appreciated the fact that Bailey wanted to play with their pup. 

Some other dogs arrived and soon there was a nice play group of five or six other dogs. Bailey played well with everyone and all of the owners had at least some English so I was able to participate as well. We all had a good time.

I didn't get a picture of it, but after seeing Bailey jump up and walk across the log, the puppy found a way to scramble up there with her. It was a first for him and his owners were very pleased.

Later, Bailey at my feet while I had a cup of coffee in the cafe at the park.