Introducing Kerrouet House

My good friends Niall and Poul have opened their culinary school at Kerrouet House in Brittany, France.

Check out their link Kerrouet House on my General Blogs sidebar to see what's going on and how you can have a great vacation in rural France while at the same time learning to cook gourmet.

The first part's in French. Just scroll down to get the English parts.

Merci!

Back in the USA

I returned to the United States last week and find myself trying to start a new project this morning. It is something I have mulled for the past two weeks yet it is difficult to begin because so much of my head is still back in Ireland. I see the churchyard and fringe of sturdy beech trees in front of which my father lies sleeping. I see the flagstone path up to his grave which I helped to lay in conjunction with my youngest brother Dermot and brother-in-law Michael and my nephews. I see my mother sitting alone in the living room saying her novenas, praying for me, for Dad, fore all of us. I see Siobhan hugging Max, the lovable puppy she fell in love with at first glance despite her insisting my nephew had to have a dog that wouldn't shed. I see Floss, the Springer Spaniel puppy my brotehr Dermot's children had to get when they knew their cousin had a new puppy. I see the enclosures my father built for the puppies just before his death. I see my sister Deirdre at work in the broadband I helped set up for her. I see my brother Seamus wait fro the letter telling him he can come up for the epidural to Belfast for the epidural that hopefully will take away the pain in his back. I see Dermot gazing at our Dad's photograph on his bedside table before tuirning off his light.

Time will let us all move on, but he will be with us and we will never forget him.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is an exciting day, an opportunity for the citizens of the United States to renounce the horrid mistakes and deliberate cruel calculations of the past eight years, to overcome racism as much as we can, to move forward in the full spirit of the Founding Fathers, to kick start our sick economy, to look after the less privileged and sick among us, to behave with a conscience, act with full respect for international laws and our obligations under fair treaties and restore our leadership and trust abroad.

Let us hope we do it.

I wish for a newly organized House and Senate with filibuster proof majorities, or one where honest and conscientious moderate Republicans need have no fear to vote with the new party in power to move this country quickly forward. It is necessary to relax the power of wisely inserted checks and balances among the branches of government for a very short period when we have been driven to edge of a dark and unpredictable abyss. Four years will be enough time to do this necessary work.