Things are settling into a routine here...pretty much. Anna seems to be adjusting well to her new life in a foreign country. As far as I can tell, she doesn't seemed fazed. Although she misses my family, I can tell. She gets these far off looks and I know she is thinking about my mother and laying in the middle of the floor while Jane tried to walk, clean and cook around her. Funny thing is that I like to lay in the middle of the floor too. I guess Anna gets that from me.
Once I get out of bed in the morning (and this is not at an early hour, keep in mind) Dennis and Denise are already at breakfast and Anna is all "I wanna go out! I gotta go now!!!"..following me closely, bumping into the backs of my knees with her nose...herding me toward the door. So I dress and drag my feet out the door and down the street. We pass the local grocery store with the homeless man sitting out front, who always speaks to us but I have no idea if he is saying "have a lovely morning beautiful lady" or more like "can't you spare a euro? I'm starving to death, you fat American pig"...so I smile at him and keep walking. Past the butcher shop, across the street to a grass patch for Anna to do her deed in. When she is through with that first step we continue on toward the olive tree garden. The street is quiet and we usually pass a few other dogs. One morning a tall and elegantly dressed woman, in dark sunglasses and 5 inch heels was walking what looked like two rats on long long leashes appeared from a driveway. There was a flurry of French and barking from the rats and the woman....Anna stared and I kept going. Anna kept turning around to stare. She turned around so much that she walked into a tree, a car, a garbage can and finally she walked right into me, causing us both to trip and end up in a tangle. Anna likes to turn around and stare while still walking. Not good for me before I've actually woken up.
Sometimes we pass dogs unleashed, which is always an adventure...barking..jumping and lots of disgusted French comments. I can't understand the words but I know what the people are saying. I've said it all myself.
Now as we approach the area where dogs are allowed, just around the edges of the fenced in garden of 500 year old olive trees...I need to pause and add this side bit. Anna and grass. If you know Anna, you know that she cannot be responsible for her actions when she is around grass. The girl is ridiculous. Rolling like a fool in any spot of the green. She is like a grass addict. Well, grass is not too easy to come by here in the South of France. Most places Anna can be have been visited by tons of other dogs and the grass is long gone. But Anna has turned to more exotic flora and fauna. Still in the grass family, don't get me wrong. She has discovered Ornamental Grass. The six foot high kind with those fuzzy brown seed things on top. And she manages to roll into it.. vertically. Like a big tumbleweed. So there I am, on any given morning....speaking in hushed angry tones to my dog as she rolls vertically with abandon into this huge bush of ornamental grass. The grass has been slowly browning and falling over on the ends because its winter here, so after a few moments, Anna is completely invisible and all you could see if you were to walk by is a crazy American woman, talking in angry tones at a quivering bush of six foot tall grass, that she appears to have tied a red leash to. Thanks Anna, for disappearing and leaving me here to look like a fool, a fool shouting at ornamental grass.
Once I get out of bed in the morning (and this is not at an early hour, keep in mind) Dennis and Denise are already at breakfast and Anna is all "I wanna go out! I gotta go now!!!"..following me closely, bumping into the backs of my knees with her nose...herding me toward the door. So I dress and drag my feet out the door and down the street. We pass the local grocery store with the homeless man sitting out front, who always speaks to us but I have no idea if he is saying "have a lovely morning beautiful lady" or more like "can't you spare a euro? I'm starving to death, you fat American pig"...so I smile at him and keep walking. Past the butcher shop, across the street to a grass patch for Anna to do her deed in. When she is through with that first step we continue on toward the olive tree garden. The street is quiet and we usually pass a few other dogs. One morning a tall and elegantly dressed woman, in dark sunglasses and 5 inch heels was walking what looked like two rats on long long leashes appeared from a driveway. There was a flurry of French and barking from the rats and the woman....Anna stared and I kept going. Anna kept turning around to stare. She turned around so much that she walked into a tree, a car, a garbage can and finally she walked right into me, causing us both to trip and end up in a tangle. Anna likes to turn around and stare while still walking. Not good for me before I've actually woken up.
Sometimes we pass dogs unleashed, which is always an adventure...barking..jumping and lots of disgusted French comments. I can't understand the words but I know what the people are saying. I've said it all myself.
Now as we approach the area where dogs are allowed, just around the edges of the fenced in garden of 500 year old olive trees...I need to pause and add this side bit. Anna and grass. If you know Anna, you know that she cannot be responsible for her actions when she is around grass. The girl is ridiculous. Rolling like a fool in any spot of the green. She is like a grass addict. Well, grass is not too easy to come by here in the South of France. Most places Anna can be have been visited by tons of other dogs and the grass is long gone. But Anna has turned to more exotic flora and fauna. Still in the grass family, don't get me wrong. She has discovered Ornamental Grass. The six foot high kind with those fuzzy brown seed things on top. And she manages to roll into it.. vertically. Like a big tumbleweed. So there I am, on any given morning....speaking in hushed angry tones to my dog as she rolls vertically with abandon into this huge bush of ornamental grass. The grass has been slowly browning and falling over on the ends because its winter here, so after a few moments, Anna is completely invisible and all you could see if you were to walk by is a crazy American woman, talking in angry tones at a quivering bush of six foot tall grass, that she appears to have tied a red leash to. Thanks Anna, for disappearing and leaving me here to look like a fool, a fool shouting at ornamental grass.
