Muguet de Paris

I am back in Paris after a brief but satisfying stay in Atlanta. The reason for my visit was to visit family and to welcome a new addition to the fold. Let me just say that she is magnifique, with the hands of a pianist (or perhaps a surgeon!), the legs of a ballerina, the eyes of a little fawn, and  a lovely, sweet manner all her own. It was wonderful, exciting yet restful, and just the break I needed.

Miranda in the Bois du Boulogne

One of the necessary steps before any absence from home is to arrange for someone to care for my running buddy and assistant par excellence, Miranda. After a few stressful days when I lost my original caretaker,  I found the perfect dogwalker. Her name is Michèle, and she is heaven-sent.

I am used to the gold standard for dogwalkers — my daughter, who ran a successful dog care business while attending university — so my expectations are high, and Michèle didn’t disappoint. She arrives in a minivan to pick up the dogs and, then, it’s off to play in the Bois du Boulogne. Now, this is a Frenchwoman, so I shouldn’t have been surprised to see that she was better dressed for an afternoon in the woods than many for a day at the office. She is  professional and attentive to details, and I was impressed to learn that she replaces each dog’s collar with one of her own, bearing her name and phone number, in case anyone decides to take off on his own.

She has the warm, fuzzy aspect covered, too, and it was obvious after our first meeting that Miranda loved her. She kept in touch with progress reports by e-mail while I was away, sending a photo (above) one day, a video another. Despite several hours of my best efforts, I have been unable to upload the video. Obviously, I’m not as techno-savvy as I would like to believe.

The life of a Parisian dog isn’t so rough. During my relatively quiet time in Atlanta, Miranda camped in a lovely Art Deco building behind Les Invalides, after running every day for a couple of hours in the Bois. One weekend, it was off to the beach, where she and her doggy friends frolicked on the beach at Deauville. Although reports have it that she never made it to the Casino, who can you trust these days?

When I returned home, Michèle delivered a calm, well-behaved, whippet-thin dog. Gone was my enfant terrible. I wish I could replicate whatever magic she performed. Clearly, Miranda had benefited from her spa experience, although she is showing signs of her former self. I think it’s time for a refresher course.

The day after my return, I had lunch at Café Flore with the adorable cigalechanta, whose comments you have read on the blog. It was nice to finally put a face with the name, and I think we both had a wonderful time. Suffice it to say that the wine industry in France isn’t suffering on our account.

Then, it was back to work.  As you may know, when I am not blogging here or unearthing (sometimes literally) art and antiques for a client, a part of my job that I love  is introducing people to the Paris (and its environs) I love, one they might not find on their own. I am currently developing some new tours, and I am really excited. In addition to expanding the scope of the visit to the Puces at Saint-Ouen, I am working on a couple of day trips close to Paris, as well as putting together something on a very important, often-overlooked part of the Musée d’Orsay.

So this promises to be a busy summer, both with work and with old friends who come to town. So far, everyone who has visited has had the kind of weather you always hope for when you come to Paris. The season is filled with new exhibitions and other things to do, and I’ll keep you posted on Save the Date as I learn of them. 

Here’s to a wonderful summer, and à bientôt.

Jan del Monte, blogging from the rue du Cherche-Midi, Paris, France

© Jan del Monte

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~ by Jane del Monte on May 4, 2009.

Posted in L'Art de Vivre, Potpourri