The first clue was that, when my friend Kyle was here a couple weeks ago, we were able to have a few picnics. Three to be exact. In the space of a week. I forgot to take photos of the first one along the Seine, but here are the second (in a park near the Marche Beauvau) and third (along the Canal Saint Martin)…

The second clue was that Gertrude has been shedding like a MF. Had a buy a cat brush and two vacuums to keep up with all the fur. And my eyes are still itching.

The third clue arrived this evening. All the bars on my square have set out tables onto the square, expanding their little fiefdoms from the space under their awnings as they’ve done all winter. One of the bars (the sports bar that I hardly ever go to) has a live band playing rock music (even American, like “A horse with no name,” Cyndi Lauper’s “Time after time” and other favorites).

This week has also been filled with the notorious French red tape, including figuring out how to get a notarized translation of my Washington driver’s license and figuring out how to get an apostille for my California birth certificate so I can get health coverage. But it seems to be working itself out. Fingers crossed!

And tomorrow Dani and I head out for our Normandy road trip adventure! (Which was why I needed the notarized translation of my Washington driver’s license, ofc.) Even though I’ve been to a number of regions of France, I haven’t been to Normandy. Yet. And the trouble with Normandy is that there are a shit-ton of things to do and see there.

I’ll keep you posted!