Rachefest

rain, rain, more rain. Rain. Temps 14

there's actually a rain warning out for our area. fortunately we're on high ground, though as some of you have noted, we manage to have floods in the house anyway. Mostly from burst pipes. But, so far, so good.

Watching the terrible flooding along the Mississippi. Terrifying. To see something coming, for so long, and being almost unable to stop it. Then having to make the dreadful decision to open the levies.

closer to home, the flood waters doing so much damage in Sherbooke and St-Jean-sur-Richelieu are receding.

Heavy rains expected all week, though.

I took a photo of our cutting garden, outside the kitchen door. You can see our crop of tulips. Shortly after I took this I cut most of them and took a vase to our neighbours, Guy and Nicole. He was just named the Volunteer of the Year for this area. He is really extraordinary, as is Nicole. He was telling us he's planning to take the First Responders course next month. I'm sure most of you have this programme in your communities, but it's fairly new out here. Neighbours take emergency first aid courses and then are called to scenes of accidents or fires or sudden illness like heart attacks, and try to stabilize the person until professional help arrives. I always find it so moving when people do those things for others.

I also thought I'd show you our asperagus crop. That's the other photo...you can see one tall, slender asperagus (asperagi?) So far, that's it. Will have to get the combine out and harvest it soon. Thank God we're not pioneers.

The other funny thing about the cutting garden is that all the spring flowers come out on basically the same day. So we're madly running around sticking daffs and tulips in every container in the house. for a week we're tripping over fresh-cut flowers, littering the place.

Then nothing for another month or more.

Lise will then turn the cutting garden into the vegetable garden, with beans and peas and potatoes.

Yesterday was spectacularly beautiful here. Sunny and not just warm, but hot. Our new barbeque arrived, as did the new patio furniture. A line of outdoor furniture by La-z-boy. Who knew. Fortunately, no recliners. But the furniture looked so good in the showroom. Then it shows up and guess what? It needs assembling. Sofas and arm chairs and coffee table.

Honestly - if your product is called La-z-boy, shouldn't that give you a clue who your customers might be??

The delivery people did the sofa, then left me to put the coffee table together, with the assurance that it wouldn't be difficult.

Compared to what? After an hour and half, in the baking sun and black flies I was ready to plunge the little toy wrench it comes with into a vein. I was longing for the halcyon days of Ikea assembly. The fun-fest of putting together the Ikea wardrobe. That was nothing compared to the La-z-boy coffee table.

It was the most difficult thing I've done since attending my mother's funeral. Though, to be fair, that needed almost no assembly. But, finally, it was done.

I stood, admiring my work. Then the heavens opened and I haven't been near it since.

Am plunging ahead with the book....the fear all but gone. Still whispers of, 'You can't do this, you can't possibly write a book.' Or, if the fear admits, grudgingly, that maybe I can write a book, it finds another tact - "OK, but it won't be any good.'

Silly old voice in the head. always there - but sometimes it will actually tell me I'm beautiful, and kind, talented and loved.

So, we take the good with the bad.

Michael is feeling better - spent yesterday in bed...quite upsetting, deep cough...but fever gone. And he always had his apetite, so I knew it couldn't be that bad. Still, best to watch over him carefully. He's in his big chair now, by the fire, reading me snippets from some medical journal about procedures I can't pronounce by doctors I don't know. But it makes him happy. He also had three of our friend Susan's homemade Eccles cakes beside him and a vat of hot chocolate.

Now - about the title of today's post. If you are as baffled by it as I am, then you probably won't be able to help.

Rachefest is the German title for the fourth book in the Gamache series. In the UK and Canada it's called The Murder Stone and in the US it's A Rule Against Murder.

Rachefeste just came out in Germany - and I'm embarrassed to admit, I don't know what the title means! I honestly don't even know if it should be one word or two. Rachefest or Rache Fest?

But I do know I am thrilled book 4 is available in Germany!! The germans are HUGE readers - very literate and very supportive of the arts. If you happen to live in Germany, or have German friends or family, please let them know about the book. Oh, and can you also tell me what the title means???

And a happy rachefest to all of you!