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Welcome back, Ani … you’ve been away just a little too long …

It’s an odd dynamic, living on two continents. I have been stateside now for four months, and it’s a wonderful life with family, friends @home in Southern Oregon.

Returning to France within just a few days, is equally grand — and completely different.

I love the way France smells … when I arrive Paris CDG, the fragrances that pour out of the shops, from perfumes to cheeses, knock on all senses.

I feel truly blessed to have carved out a life that gives so much to my heart and soul at so very many turns, from my beloved family and friends, to the sanctuary of home.

Coming home to France is living the dream for me. Walking the dream in my life, not just through others or in dreamtime — but very really, viscerally, and fully — is waking up every day with a garden waiting for me to tend … bushes to trim, wood to cut and stack, and when the nights grow too chill, a fire to light.

I’ve a kitchen full of favorite pots and pans; knowing every nook and cranny of that room brings me great pleasure — this hearth gathers my friends and family around the table — for long and leisurely conversations, good food and drink, followed by a late night tumble into bed.

Trips? Absolutely. I’ll journey to beloved Chartres for a week of retreat, then home again. I’ve got my eye on a road trip to Foix and the region of Mont Segur — with a stop at Chateau de Gaudanes …

Happy trails!