Some unsolicited advice, and…puppies!
I’m being only partly tongue in cheek in sending you a page full of puppy photos.
Every day dawns with the sun shrouded in the low lying fog of the Charente River, but by mid morning the sun will be bright and the sky blue. We are planning a little trip to a nearby winery, which, curiously, we have not done on any of our many trips to this region of France, which carries its own appellation and is nestled among the better known vineyards of Bordeaux and Cognac. We are not group tour people, but group tours are probably the best way to visit a winery because someone else is driving. We will taste, and purchase, and drink safely at home, sitting on the terrace in the warm afternoon sun while across the Atlantic, Americans begin their long vigil.
We are here to see family, but chose this time very specifically to remove ourselves from the minute speculation and premature prognostications that no one can seem to resist on election night. I have learned how to watch the polls from my husband, but apparently most news organizations either have not, or choose not to acknowledge what they know. So let me offer a tiny bit of amateur advice for your own sanity: 1) Ignore the exit polls. 2) Early percentages of returns before all the precincts are in are meaningless. If you don’t know which precincts lean toward which candidate, and which particular areas have been counted, you cannot rely on a lead for your candidate when only a percentage of the vote is in. 3) The early votes from the east coast may offer hopeful indications, but everything can change with the time zones.
So. Since the craziness is about to commence, here’s a happy little trip down puppy memory lane. Enjoy. Relax. Eat a brownie. Watch a happy movie (no dystopian dramas tonight). Once you have participated to the best of your ability, it’s out of your hands. Let it go. There will be time to process it all in the morning.
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And now…puppies!!! Bragging rights if you can identify who is who.


















Already decided I won't watch any early election results tonight; 📺 I'm so weary of the hateful ads (no names needed 🤐) and the ads in general, my mind needs a break. 😮💨 Maybe some wine 🍷 or a good whiskey, 🥃 maybe some ice cream,🍦 heck, maybe two of the three! Please keep enjoying those gorgeous surroundings and your trip to the vineyards, 🍇 and a sincere thank you 🫶 for the lovely bounty of puppy pictures. 🐕 They always make everything better! ❤️
Thank you so much for posting photos of all your beautiful lads. It’s a stroke of genius to pick this particular time to be on a French wine country vacation. I can’t imagine anything better. Even if you’re helping your daughter with her new home, you’re doing it somewhere beautiful, with a loving family, and you’re not in the middle of today’s craziness. Brilliant move.
Today’s post is just what I needed. My 80 year old husband fell down the stairs over the weekend and is in the hospital, hopefully coming home today. It’s going to be rough going for a while, but your posts and photos will brighten the day for sure. Have a sip, or two, of wine for me, please, when sampling. I’d appreciate it. Thank you.