Blessed with an adventurous spirit, Kristin’s mom is having fun with her golden years in France.
Since fulfilling my dream of transferring to France, my mother has been current at each milestone. Though an ocean away in Mexico, Jules packed a tuxedo, braving the pleasant skies to stroll me down the aisle at a cathedral in Marseille. She left Yelapa for the delivery of Max and, two years later, for Jackie’s delivery in Aix-en-Provence. When we moved to the winery, Mom touched down close to Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes for the harvest in time to cheer the harvesters along with her allure and charisma. A gypsy at coronary heart, Jules dreamed of retiring to a tree home on the hill above the olive timber once we moved to Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer. No EHPAD in her future! I used to shake my head at Mom’s outlandish concepts – a treehouse, actually!
Our Peregrine/Our Outlander
When Mom Became a widow and was left alone in Mexico, it was a turning level in our lives. How many can relate to the problem of caring for a mum or dad overseas? Over the telephone, my sister (in Denver) and I mentioned choices: Heidi had a renovated basement and I had a transformed storage. Was both appropriate? Meanwhile, Jules discovered an answer. “I’m moving to the jungle!” our outlander declared, echoing a longtime dream of swapping her rental on the marina for the luxurious hinterland. Her housekeeper’s brother had a rental – a tin-roofed construction alongside a crowded filth lane dotted with pigs, chickens and trash cans. Heidi and I have been doubtful, however Mom insisted she’d have a village watching over her. She eagerly moved to her paradise, discovering pleasure in sweeping up the neighborhood, a band of native youngsters in tow. Thousands of miles from Mexico, Heidi and I have been going by related transitions: her lease was up, and my husband and I had deserted the winery for a small bungalow. Just as we have been settled, Mom was robbed at dwelling.