Day 129: On The Battle Front

7 Janvier 2010 (Day 129)
Boy was breakfast “fun” today. We woke up early because we had to take Brooke down to the bus. We were all tranquilly eating breakfast when Jean Claude brought up how you can’t say that you are a friend of the environment and take and airplane, anywhere. This turned into a semi-heated debate that got talked about for quite some time. At least we got to eat cookies for breakfast. Due to said debate, we thought we were late for the bus because it wasn’t there! We had already descended partway down the mountain, and Jean Claude went even faster, thinking we could catch the bus at the next city. We didn’t catch the bus, but we saw it on its way up (it was late), so we had gone all that extra way for nothing! At the stop Jean Claude was backing up and hit the barrier (that thankfully kept us from going over the mountain). Cursing insued. Everyone, including the car, is okay. We said goodbye to Brooke and then it was back up the mountain, talking about hiking the Alps (they have cabins you can stay in along the way hiking all over), parachuting, rock climbing, Alp skiing (no lifts involved). Life sounds pretty cool!
We finished breakfast more mellow-ly (I had to get help yet again with the gas stove to make my hot cocoa). Well actually, I did. The adult persons (*cough* Jean Claude) were hollering at Antoine to hurry and at each other. I’m glad I’m normally asleep for this part of the day. Antoine, “our little bunny”, got to school on time. It was so cute to see him out waiting for the bus with his lunch and the dog by his side. It was too classic.
After washing the dishes I went out and fed the sheep by myself. They were awful today, as was Jama (apparently the horse’s name is NOT Jean…oops). They were very hungry so they were going nuts. I did get them fed, although moving hay bales over fences without them touching the ground is a lot easier with another person on the other side of the fence. I went and helped Jean Claude do some plumbing. By help I mean I put some Teflon tape on things and learned the word for screwdriver (tournevis). We got the system working though (after more cursing!). Jean Claude is a true MacGyver. He rebuilt (and enlarged) their house by himself as well as built the mielry. The dogs stole my slipper, but luckily I found it outside before they ate it.
Jean Claude offered to drive me to Grenoble because he is going to work there. He is not only a farmer, but some nuclear electrician or something really cool sounding like that. Not only will my train ride be 9 hours shorter, I will also be several dollars richer! I made some celery salad and a couscous/tuna/onion/corn salad for lunch. Jean Claude kind of freaked out that I put corn in it (that is what chickens eat. He is also against eating oats as homo sapiens. I didn’t have the heart to tell him I normally have them every morning for breakfast.) I thought it was really nice though. I think the highlight of the awkward lunch (since I had cooked it) was the cat barfing. We had some pate that they made. Florence gave some to the old half blind cat and she puked it up about 90 seconds later and then proceed to eat the foamy spit.
After lunch I learned how to put the honey in the jars. I am totally a pro now! I didn’t spill that much, and what I did spill I got to taste test.  After filling honey jars (relatively uneventfully) I proof-read my two articles for The Statesmen. Quite the productive day!
So, as I am typing right now, the parentals are getting lice and nits (the eggs) out of Antoine’s head. At the kitchen table. With food on the table. Not only do I find this disgusting, this house is not at all sanitary. I worry for my head. Luckily it hasn’t started itching. I’ve just been tapping away, taking occasional breaks to play the guitar and the piano.
For dinner we essentially had mushy peas, sausage they made themselves from their pigs (it was delish). Today wins for awkward dinner conversation. Somehow we got on the topic of killing people, the best way, the most efficient way, how you would want to die, etc. Jean Claude is quite brutal. He said we didn’t kill enough people in the Reign of Terror (by we I mean France) and that we should have had something more efficient, though the guillotine was, but he prefers different ways to exterminate mass quantities of people, like burning or bombs. He did give props to Hitler though. I just thought of how much Jean Claude would get along with Thomas Malthus, lol.