If you say the name “Popeye,” you will immediately think duct tape. He loved the stuff. He covered his clothes with it; he covered his legs with it; he covered his little cart with it. You couldn’t ever tell what Popeye had with him. It was always a big duct tape blob. Popeye had a […]
CHAPTER 6: In Search of Clouards Read More »
French legend tells of mythical fish in the Seine that carry all the wandering souls who have lost themselves in Paris. They are small, transparent, almost invisible, like baby guppies. If you put them in a glass of water, you could drink them without knowing they were there. ********* You can only see them when
Souris a la Creme (Mice in Cream) Skin, gut and wash some fat mice without removing their heads. Cover them in a pot with ethyl alcohol and marinate 2 hours. Cut a piece of salt pork or sowbelly into small dice and cook it slowly to extract the fat. Drain the mice, dredge them thoroughly
CHAPTER 4: Musophobia/Bernie Smells a Rat Read More »
This cat-sitting has deteriorated rapidly into a major imposition. It’s been a full week and not a word from her. Where is Ella Mae? Maybe something happened to her. When I go over there tonight, I’m going to check and see if I can find something that might tell me how to reach her. I’ve
CHAPTER 3: Monday (Part Three) Read More »
She’s been gone five days. Ella Mae said she’d be home late Wednesday, and it’s now Friday afternoon. I had to buy more cans of cat food at the market because I used up everything she had left. The apartment is beginning to smell. She said I didn’t have to change the cat box —
CHAPTER 3: Friday (Part Two) Read More »
Monday Our nearest neighbor Ella Mae and her 14-year-old cat Msr. Snuff live just across the little courtyard from us. At least Ella Mae says there is a Msr. Snuff in there. He’s an inside cat, and I’ve never seen him. I’ve never been to her apartment, nor she to mine, but she’s a pleasant
CHAPTER 3: Le Chiou/Bernie Meets Monsieur Snuff (Part One) Read More »
I eventually ask Pierre about our building owners. Heloise, the one with the hearing problem, has been partially deaf for more than 20 years. It happened tragically on her first — and last — trip to the United States. She was convinced to attend the Colorado State Fair by the daughter of her hostess, who
CHAPTER 2: Heloise and Bibi Read More »
The elevator in our ancient building is one of those old-fashioned clunky types, with a folding gate. Our building on Rue Ravignon went up in the late 1800s and I wonder if the elevator is that old too. The owners have few rules for the residents, but the ones they do have are absolutes. And
CHAPTER 1: Rue Ravignon/Bernie and the Elevator Read More »