we had a little “what do you miss about france” conversation tonight. steve and joe both blurted out, “oysters.” then both blurted out again, “moules marinières.” almost in tandem. if i had managed to blurt faster than my two boys, i would have blurted that  i miss uninterrupted, unfragmented, unspoken-for, unquestioned, unshared, unstructured, unscheduled, and, since our return, unimaginable hours of creative play. i miss my dining room table converted to an art table, while podcasts play and i sip tea and arrange pieces of paper on other pieces of paper. in related news, today i called center point energy, healthpartners insurance network, allstate insurance, the piano tuner, our handyman, and the city of minneapolis utility billing departement. om…

mediterranean mussels

etang de thau, languedoc, france