Sweet talk

You just know a blogger has nothing to blog about when he or she starts posting pictures that have been enhanced and modified in Photoshop. That's me today.

Geranium flower

Guess what! It's raining. Well, misting, really. It's just damp and windy enough that you don't want to go outside. I walked Callie this morning, before the mist started blowing down out of the clouds. Walt is cooking a coq au vin — actually, it's a poulet cuit au vin rouge, since he's using a chicken, not a rooster. That's wintertime food, but it seems appropriate on a gray, windy, misty day.

Geraniums in a window box

I'm now patiently waiting to get my new camera. Some of the comments on my topic a couple of days ago pointed out that there is a lot of fraud committed by people placing orders internationally. Somebody said you wouldn't want to accept payment by credit cards issued by banks in certain countries. Fair enough, I guess.

Dahlias by the garden shed

I think certain Internet vendors should make an effort to refine their policies regarding credit card payments, and educate their sales and customer service agents. They ought to recognize when a card is issued by and U.S. bank, at least. Don't they want to sell the merchandise they advertise? I know, I'm just ranting.

Blackberries by the pond, not yet ripe

Somebody else said all this a good argument for maintaining a billing address in the U.S., but I'm not sure whether that's kosher. My primary address is in France. I guess I should just buy things in France, and I do buy most things in France. My new computer speaks French. You probably can't tell, because the computer doesn't talk to you. To me, it says things like Réorganiser les icône par... and Vérouiller les éléments sur le bureau.

The gravel road through the vineyard

My computer sweet-talks me in French. C'est fantastique. I also have a camera that speaks and, I assume, sees the world, in French. I used it to take some of these pictures. Can you tell?