All the News

As I read these news tidbits this week, had to stop and ponder how different living here in rural France is from living in the California Bay Area…

Apparently there was a burglary in Porte de Couze, our sister village less than 2 miles from here. I had heard there were seven break-ins during Christmas time—a real rash of crime for here—so we were all being extra careful to lock our doors and close our shutters when we went out.

I was in the garden working the other day and noticed a most out-of-place helicopter buzzing around, back and forth, obviously looking for something. Then I stumble upon the article that explained there had been another burglary in Couze and they sent out a helicopter to search for the perpetrator! Couldn’t help but contemplate that if they sent out one helicopter per burglary in San Jose, the sky would be dark with aircraft!!!

Lalinde Gangster

Another funny incident was this one about a goat that was ‘locked up’ behind bars at our town’s gendarmerie. What made it super funny was last year, my friend and I were headed downtown, when we encountered something standing smack in the middle of the road. At first I thought it was a huge dog, but as we got closer, realized it was a huge billy goat, complete with big thick horns and a long beard! Right in the middle of the road. A country road, nonetheless, but in the middle of the road. Not moving. I honked. He didn’t move. He just stared at me with those slitty eyes and didn’t budge. I honked again, opened my door and hissed at him, and inched the car toward him. He was standing his ground. My friend got out and approached him, while I honked again and finally, he moved enough for us to get around. We were at the town hall and told them there was a billie on the loose and they went to look for him. I don’t think this was the same goat, but probably from the same farmer with obvious voids in his fence! Ah, life in rural France…

What in the world?

Another little oddity from this week…
Saw this in the field and wondered what it was. Had an orange whiffle ball melted? Was it a glob of orange tape? As I got closer, it looked like an alien brain from Star Trek. It was a mushroom that had ‘hatched’ a hollow orange lattice ball. I ran to my French Mushroom Encyclopedia and couldn’t find anything like it. Then found on the computer that is the Clathrus ruber, or Basket Stinkhorn. Then, of course, I had to run back out and sniff on it and yep, it stunk like rotten meat on a hot day. There are many other ‘eggs,’ so I don’t think the show is over yet.

Not exactly news you can use, but cheap thrills of living in the country!