I won't go into the specific, horrid details, but I have been sick for about the last three weeks and it has really cut into our fun here in the USA. While in Avignon, I came down with some kind of flu and I had thought it was almost gone when I got on the plane in Geneva on the 10th. But I was coughing by the time we got stuck in Denver and I quickly re-infected poor Valentine. Then we got to Lincoln and made my mom sick. And now poor Mallory is sick in bed. Here's a nice picture from two days ago, back when she was one of the few healthy people left in this House of Plague.

(That's my parent's new dog- a rescue Wirehaired Terrier named Tess. She's very calm and sweet.)

Beth in Nebraska

After many, many adventures, we have finally arrive in Lincoln!
We won't be here for long.... we are here for Art's celebration of life ceremony an will just stay two weeks.
We've been able to spend time with family and have some fun...all of which will eventually appear on this blog.
Just not today.
But I just wanted to say that it is great to be back after three years away....

The month of March sort of got out of hand and escaped unblogged. But rest assured, April will not suffer the same treatment. And I will have plenty to write about because I will be in the United States. FTW! But before I get into all that, lets catch up on last month. To make a long story short: There was Easter. We ate nice food, prepared by Mallory and myself. Then we had a nice outing to a nearby castle, because that is how we roll here in France. 

Le Chateau de Ripaille, near Thonon-les-Bain

The kids all seemed to enjoy it

Another highlight since I last blogged was my visit to Avignon with Valentine.  She was busy at the Fine Arts school, so I had lots of time to wander around on my own.  I spent much of my time revisiting the "Palais de Papes".
I have visited it once before, but as it covers about 2.5 acres, there was still stuff to see....

Mostly built between 1334 to  1364, it still  dominates the city.

The only bad thing about the trip was that I came down with a very bad case of the flu.  in fact, I've been sick for about a week now...but seem to finally be recovering.  For a while I had my doubts that I would.  When I spent two days in bed reading Laura Ingalls Wilder, I knew I was possibly in big trouble.  LIW books are my instinctive go-to position in cases of impending death and disaster. 
Fortunately, I pulled back from the brink of mortality and "The Long Winter" has been put back on the shelf, only three-quarters finished.