A Cariad Life

I’ve always had a fascination with exterior doors…the various colors, the ones that have windows, single or double ones, and the hardware that makes every door unique. My favorite type of door is solid wood and painted a vibrant color that stands out, and yet is inviting. Through the years, we have lived in homes with doors painted dark green, teal, apple green, lavender, burgundy, red, black, and white (my least favorite.) Most were single doors that allowed some light, but we have also had double doors. Doors represent to me all that a house has to offer, and it is a common point that we all experience–every guest, whether you know them or not, starts at the doors of your home.

My favorite doors are the ones we have now…they are solid wood, painted a teal blue, and have both round and rectangular window panes at the top, but the truly remarkable thing about them is they are 10.5 feet tall! The cover picture of my blog features me standing in front of them, and they were one of the first things I fell in love with when we visited the house in June. They also have a really wonderful iron knocker attached that when used, reverberates through the entire house. When we open these massive doors, it always feels like we are opening the hull of a ship or that we are welcoming people to a castle–there are levers to be moved and a complex door handle that must be worked just so. Oh, and currently, there is no way to open our front doors from the outside–you have to be let in. We enter the house from the side door (like many Americans in their homes). Our front doors are wonderfully huge, complex, and grand.

I bring up the doors because as much as I love them–they need work. The bottom portion has some wood rot that will have to be repaired; they are not sealed properly, so cold air seeps in from the edges; and, not being able to to enter your house through your front door is not ideal. Also, the locking mechanisms are hard to use as they don’t move easily. We want to do what we can to restore this gorgeous piece of history in our home. Similarly, we have a window that doesn’t close completely (particularly when it rains and the wood swells), and our garage roof leaks and is going to have to be repaired. Oh, and the shutters will need to be sanded and repainted to preserve their life as well. This is living in an old house–there are always places to invest your money, time, and sweat, and it can be easy to get overwhelmed.

The thing is, we knew that there would be work walking into this–this is the same type of thing I share with people preparing to get married. What you love now will also cause you problems–there will be a necessity to make essential investments, not just every now and then, but continuously–time, money, and sweat. Also, never lose the wonder of it–your love (kind of like my 10.5 foot high doors). It can be easy to see the frustrating parts, the parts you wish were different, but at one time you loved something bigger than all of those issues–never lose sight of that.

So, that is what we are doing with our house and with each other. We have been knocking through our punch list, and yesterday, Paul and Lesley stopped by to pick up the last of their mail and a few other things. Lesley told me that our house feels like a home–the best compliment ever! Also, we now own a car and have car insurance. By the way, we were able to navigate getting insurance with an agent who spoke no English! We’ve begun to joke with the afternoon clerk at the boulangerie, who at first was not very friendly, but now greets us with a smile and helps us with our French pronunciation. We are also learning what time to buy a baguette, so that they are still there and fresh (when they’re hot, you can easily tear off the end and chew it–so delicious!) We got approval from the Riberac mayor (maire) to have a Chambre d’hotes (B&B), and we have a signed paper from him attesting that we are a bonafide B&B here in Riberac–the French seem to love their official paper (no electronic signatures here). We have posted our B&B rooms on Booking.com and AirBnB, and in the last week we have had well over 10 reservations for the coming months. We can officially start work on January 20, once we have our visas. We are so ready!

On Sunday morning, we leave for Washington DC to get our visas attached to our passports and then we turn around and head back on Wednesday evening–thankfully, our tenant will be here during that time to keep an eye on things. Once back, we can apply for our resident cards, get a French bank account, and apply for French health insurance. We also start paying French taxes, as we will now be working here. Whew–what a journey and a lot of money, time, and sweat. There are absolutely moments of homesickness and loneliness, and to be perfectly honest, times that Darrell and I take turns saying, “I am not really sure if I want to do this (living in France and constantly trying to learn how to do and say everything) right now,” but then we rally.

Those recharging moments often come when we interact with someone here and get a little French smile (really a treat when you get it); we drive through the stunning countryside; I look up and see a building I had not noticed before with the most intricate iron scrolling for a balcony; when I tear off the end of a still warm baguette, or when, we open our doors after the postman on his bicycle has knocked the big door knocker to deliver a package, and he cheerily calls out, “Bonjour!” It’s in these moments, that I try to keep my focus on what I love, accepting and dealing with what is hard, and remembering what we are accomplishing and who are becoming.

I know we are changing because Darrell said the other day, “I am looking forward to returning to the US for a few days, but I think I will miss some things about France while I am there.” So…this is love…not perfection.