Food for Thought, News, Television

I’m Back. Sort of.

74 Comments

What a difference a presidential election makes. Before November, I was full of enthusiasm for my blog, especially for my Thankful Thursday posts, where I wrote about the good things in my life.

Now, I have little enthusiasm and energy for my blog. I am just so sad, and the hose of sewerage coming from the first two weeks—has it only been two weeks?— of Trump’s presidency doesn’t help. In the face of such malevolence, writing about life on the edge of the woods seems trivial, my thankful posts naive.

And yet I have missed the blogging community. I’ve intermittently kept track of blogging friends’ posts, but it’s not the same as reading and posting regularly. So here I am. This piece is a tentative first step in returning to something approaching a normal blogging schedule.

Despite my heavy heart, I have still been reading novels, listening to podcasts, and watching television series and movies.

For reasons that shouldn’t be too hard to figure out, I have become obsessed with World War II. (No, I am not comparing Trump with Hitler. Bad as Trump as, he doesn’t reach the horrible evil of Hitler.)

A French television series I have become particularly engrossed with is Un Village Français (A French Village.) Covering the years from 1940 to 1945 (and beyond), the series centers on Villeneuve, a fictional French village, and how the various inhabitants cope with the German occupation of France. Some villagers just try and live their lives, no easy thing to do when the Germans are occupying your community. Others collaborate. Some join the resistance, an uneasy coalition of Communists, Socialists, and Gaullists, among others.

There is a huge cast in A French Village, with the focus on a group of main characters, all of whom are vivid. Because this a French production, there are affairs aplenty, but they never sink the show or get in the way of the central issue: who resists and who collaborates? Warning: main characters do get killed. Don’t get too attached.

As I watched the show I asked myself, what would I do? Would I resist, or would I keep my head down? I think of Marie, one of the main characters in the show and a hero of the Resistance. In one scene, she is biking madly down the road on some important Resistance business. Her expression is resolute, and the camera focuses briefly on her shapely legs. (Back then women biked in skirts.) I hope I would be like Marie, but in all honesty, I can’t say for sure that I would.

The series is not without its flaws. There are plot contrivances and jumps that don’t always make sense. Nevertheless, A French Village is a monumental achievement and very much worth seeing.

How to watch it? Here’s the rub. Some of the seasons—but not all—can be viewed on Amazon. The missing seasons are important, and I don’t recommend watching it this way. For those who get Kanopy, a library streaming service, all seven seasons are available. Our library system also has the seven seasons available on DVD. Yours might, too. Finally, the series can be watched via the streaming service MHz Choice, which costs 7.99 a month.

And for those who like podcasts, The Bulwark offers an excellent French Village series with Sarah Longwell and Benjamin Wittes.

Vive la France! They made it through hard times. I’m hoping that we can, too.

 

 

74 thoughts on “I’m Back. Sort of.”

  3. So good to hear from you, Laurie! Things feel so scary and bleak. I’m glad you are working your way through this sad winter as best you can.

    Sending hugs from New Jersey.

  4. How lovely to find you in my inbox today! The last couple of weeks have been simply unbelievable and I’m sure so many of us are struggling with it. Keep a stiff upper lip! (Hmmm, wonder how that saying came to mean what it does?)
    The French Village sounds interesting, especially since my fave genre of historical fiction is WWII. I’ll check it out.
    Take care of yourself.

    1. Thanks so very much! The last couple of weeks have indeed unbelievable. I was completely hooked on A French Village. I binged my way through it. Yes, let’s take care of ourselves.

  5. Good to see you back on whatever terms! I so understand. It has been a rough ride for many of us! Thanks for sharing. I have already explored how I might view The French Village.

  6. It’s okay to retreat when you need to and it’s okay to put a toe back in the water when you can. None of your posts of your home on the edge of the forest are naive. They are heartfelt spots of thankfulness, and it’s what people need. That real, true life is moving on…

  8. Hi Laurie, I was delighted to recieve an email notification from your blog. I confess I try to avoid the news. It’s too insane so I try to live in my bubble of events I can control within my life. I live on the edge of nowhere and you live on the edge of a forest.

    I love the sound of A FRench Village and I’ve asked Mr. Piglet if we can get it on our TV box. I hope so.

    HAve you ever watched an English TV series called Dad’s Army. It is set in WWII and is is funny but behind the comedy it is a reminder how simple life was back then and how the smallest things made people happy.

    Hang in there.

    1. Thank you, thank you! Yes, so much is out of our control. Hope you are able to get A French Village. Yes, I have watched Dad’s Army. I remember chuckling through the show.

  9. Trump is horrible. Every person that voted for him is, at minimum, a jerk. Many Trump supporters are way worse than jerks. Anyway, here are a couple of Netflix series you might enjoy: A Man On The Inside; No Good Deed.

  11. Welcome back, Laurie. Thank you for the series recommendation. We’ve been trying out Kanopy lately. I’ll look for it. I’ve been in and out of blogging lately. Like you, I’m not sure it makes sense to be blogging about the things I blog about, but I do appreciate the community.

  12. I’m glad you are back! I’m now curious about the series, although the topic feels a bit close right now.
    Our community is profoundly polarized and the threat of violence, while somewhat receded, remains. I’ve been reading Seamus Heaney’s interviews, poetry, and letters. In some ways the present moment seems more like the lead-up to The Troubles, than Germany or occupied France. I guess we shall see.

    1. Yes, I think you are right that our situation resembles the Troubles rather than occupied France. Still, I am drawn to France during World War II. Maybe it’s because I am of French descent who has a German Jew in my family tree. Anyway, thanks for the kind words.

  13. Hello, my friend to the north. I’ll keep my blood pressure even and not comment on the last couple of weeks, but I will say I am amazed and not in a good way. I wish I had a series to recommend, but I haven’t seen anything in a while worth talking about. Glad to hear from you, and I hope your little snow blower is working because it looks like we have a busy week ahead of us.

  14. hi Laurie. I am also glad to see you back. My previous comment came back with a message “unable to post.” If that was you, I understand; it was dark. If it was WP I’m a bit concerned! 😊

    1. It’s WP. I have been having the same problem, and it often takes me two times to post a comment. I have no reason why the first time is frequently rejected.

      1. Interesting. Then I’ll add this reminder: Hitler didn’t start out with gas chambers back in 1933. His actions were similar to Trump’s, being a disrupter and challenging neighbors for land, but with many ardent followers who believed he could improve their economic plight. The truly horrific actions didn’t start until closer to 1938. It’s actually far more similar than most people might like to think. 🥲

  17. Welcome back Laurie, and I understand that writing posts seems trivial at a time like this, but I think most bloggers do like to read and discuss… even in far away Australia!
    Best wishes to you and your family.. 🌞😁😍

  20. I hear you… take comfort knowing that nearly half the nation agrees with you! It seems you are finding some good coping strategies. 🙂 Keep calm and carry on!

  21. It is good to have you back! Coincidentally, I came across this quotation by Theodore Roosevelt this morning: “To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.” To blog about the good things in life is not trivial – it is a way to remind yourself that there are positive elements in your life and is a way of focusing on them. Keep it up!

  22. Welcome back, Laurie. Life goes on, and I know you’ll do what’s necessary to navigate a path through these dark days. Take it one step at a time, tread carefully but with confidence, and remember that you have lots of friends out here on your side!

  24. Thrilled you are back, in whatever level of intensity works for you. It was a good idea to share something that may help others feeling down since the election.

  25. I’m tickled to death to see you back. Every now and then I come across some music and think, “Laurie would like this!” and realize again how much I’ve missed your blog.

    As for the commenting business: I’ve experienced the same, and so have some of my readers. I got in touch with WordPress about it, and they responded immediately. We’ve exchanged several emails as they’ve asked additional questions, so they’re clearly exploring the issue. I just sent along your URL and this comment thread as an addition to the list I’d already sent; maybe it will help them sort things out.

  27. Welcome back, Laurie. As I commented on Robin’s blog, I don’t discuss political issues, nor do I write about them on my blog. People who are interested in that subject will just have to go elsewhere. I truly love the blogging community and will continue to see out optimistic, uplifting, hopeful blogs to follow. We all have only one vote, and regardless of who won and who didn’t, perhaps in reality we all lost a bit of something this time around?

  28. G;ad to see you back, Laurie! Libraries need rebuilding and trees need to be planted and grow. There is plenty of room for Grenogs and assorted beings! Not much different than what you wrote about in Maya’s adventures.

  29. Hi, Laurie – I just wrote a lengthy reply – trying hard to be as non-political as possible, but I received a reply saying that my comment could not be posted. In short summary, I wanted to thank you for coming back into the blogging world, despite the difficult times we are in. Your voice matters and makes a very positive difference.

    1. Darn! I, too, have had trouble leaving comments on other people’s blogs. The second time it always goes through, and I have taken to copying my comments should they be rejected. That way all I have to do is paste the second time and it always goes through. What a nuisance!

      Many, many thanks for the kind words! As devastated as I am by the November election, I do agree that our voices are important. Slowly, step by little step, I am returning to blogging.

  30. I’m glad you are sort of back, Laurie. My husband and I talked a lot about “how can we be laughing, launching books, and enjoying our edge of the forest when so many people are suffering?” A number of lovely bloggers said this to me (paraphrasing): “Trump is stealing whatever he can get his hands on. Don’t let him steal our joy too. Find what makes you happy and spread it around.” Don’t let him steal your joy, my friend. It matters.

    1. So moved by what you wrote. And so true. But it is hard to feel joy when I’m feeling this sad. On the other hand, the advice is spot on. I guess the question would be, how to resist and still feel joy? Can the two go hand in hand? If you have time, I would be interested in reading what you think.

      Also, hope to buy your book next month. Lots of expenses this month.

      1. I still struggle with the whole sad/joy/resistance combo too, Laurie, and I’m far from having a solution. I think we need to transform our sadness into resistance and resilience, because otherwise our sadness is just hurting ourselves, our families, and our friends. It does nothing but ruin “our “days. The rapist doesn’t care if we’re sad – in fact, he probably gets a little glee from sticking to the loser libs. Joy is a form of Resistance – the joy and kindness we share with others is a sign of resilience and it will serve everyone in this new world, and the one to follow. ❤

        And thanks for the note on the book. I hope it brings you a touch of entertainment if not joy.

  31. It’s good to see you back here. Laurie. I’ve been listening to The Rest is Politics US podcast to try to keep up with some of the political developments on your side of the pond, and the crazy appointments, pronouncements and executive orders just keep on coming…

    Culture continues to be a vital counterbalance to all the horrors of the world for me, too, so it’s great to see you sharing recommendations again.

    1. Many thanks! I was moved by what you wrote about culture. Yes, a counter balance as well as a source of illumination. No doubt that is why I am obsessed with A French Village.

  32. Welcome back, Laurie.

    I share your heavy heart and incredulity about the sewage that has been spewing out of D.C. But I think that there are many disconcerting parallels between what happened in Germany in the 1930s and what is happening here now. We can only hope that there are enough politicians left with a backbone to stand up to utter mayhem and malevolence.

    Keep enjoying your little house, beautiful winter garden, avian visitors, books, and films. We need to fill our minds and souls with things that bring us some happiness, otherwise we might as well stop living.

    Standing in solidarity against evil,

    Tanja

    1. Many thaks! Yes, we do need to fill our minds with things that bring some happiness, which for me are books and films and nature.

      “Standing in solidarity against evil” would make a great tagline.

  33. Remember that there are still plenty of things to be thankful for and simple pleasures to be had. And remember that your writing brings pleasure to others so by writing you are helping to resist what is happening.

    1. You are right, but it’s so easy to be overwhelmed by all the chaos and sewerage coming from DC. He’s turned his jaundiced eye toward Canada again, and wants it—the whole country—to be the 51 state.

  35. It is the same here too. For the past ten years our country is being divided on the basis of religion. People have been and are being brainwashed . Long back unity in diversity is what people believed in. We have to go on. Politicians are not worth it. We cannot spoil our lives for them. One of my favourite quotes is, There is not enough darkness in the world to extinguish the light of a small candle.

  36. Hi Laurie, Newbie to your space here and happy to have found you through Thistles and Kiwis. As a fellow American, I feel your words deeply. All of this is just…a lot. I often don’t know what to say in the face of everything happening around us but deeply believe we must do what we can with what we have. Some days that means loudly resisting, some days that means drinking tea and writing/reading blogs. I’m glad you’re here and hope you’ll find the inspiration to keep going. The small things in life we can find gratitude in are truly the most important.

    1. Thanks so very much for stopping by. How nice to be discovered through Thistles and Kiwis, one of my favorite blogs.

      Yes, all of this is a lot. And it just keeps coming.I think you are right about balancing resistance with everyday life, which must go on. I am getting back into the groove of blogging, and it feels good.

  37. Welcome back Laurie! We liked A French Village too! And it prompted to same feeling in me—what would I do? What WILL I do?
    Also, the grief is real. I feel it so much.

    1. What would we do and what will we do are two important questions. Glad to read you liked A French Village. I have pretty much been obsessed with it this past month. And, yes, the grief is real. Sigh.

  38. Dear Laurie, I can relate to what you have written in your blog. I feel sick when I think of all the wars in the world, what some humans can do to people is beyond me. I try to take life a day at the time but it is not easy. Take care !!

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