Recent Posts
Yes, Virginia, You Can Have a Bad Day in Paris
Bonjour, Even though it’s beautiful Paris, you can have a bad day here and such was our fate yesterday. But before I walk you through the saga, let me say once again how very thoughtful all of your comments are in regard to Bernie’s health. I read and approve every single one so they will […]
Update on Bernie
Dear Friends near and far, Your comments, texts and even phone calls yesterday were such a support to us. It was a long grueling day spent mostly at the Urgence or emergency room at the American Hospital of Paris. It’s way the heck on the other side of Paris so the round trip cab fare […]
Glorious Windows at Notre Dame
Bonjour mes amis, Bernie was still very under the weather yesterday. Despite my insistence on a few simple things like a hat, he persists that he’s doing okay. So, I left out on my own yesterday to see what the situation was over at Notre Dame. The web site always says that the tickets are […]
A Slow, Easy Paris Day
Bonjour, Yesterday produced no new photos as Bernie is really under the weather with a horrible cold. I did catch-up with laundry, grocery shopping, a little cleaning in the apartment and some other shopping. Looks like today will be much the same. I scanned back through all the photos I’ve taken and found some which […]
Books
Her first book entitled Leading Ladies published in 2003 offers practical leadership tips for women, encouraging them to embrace their femininity as a leadership asset.
In Catch Your Breath, Linda has written a raw, honest series of meditations for caregivers based on her experiences in caring for her own mother. These will evoke both laughter and tears as they offer insight and courage to those caught in the caregiving web.
In Bernie ‘s Paris…Travel Stories with Love, Linda describes with tender and often humorous clarity her eleven years visiting Paris with her best friend and lover, Bernard Verdier, a native Frenchman. From Southern belle to world traveler, she will delight you with her Parisian escapades, her love affair with “Bernie” and hopefully inspire you to fall in love with Paris as she has. Bernie’s photographs will ignite the urge to plan a Paris fling. The book is now available.
Now Available: Bernie’s Paris…Travel Stories with Love
This memoir captures an improbable journey between a love-starved, Southern belle and an over-eager, homesick Parisian. If you’ve ever been to Paris or have always dreamed of going, this is a must-read full of savvy tips, funny mistakes, compelling drama—all entangled in the tender love story of two people who had mostly given up on a late-in-life relationship. You will chuckle; you will sigh; you will remember; and maybe, you will call your travel agent!
Now Available from Balboa Press
Whether you have chosen to be a caregiver or were hijacked by circumstances, Catch Your Breath, a series of touching meditations by Linda Spalla, will become a wisp of sanity and a day-to-day stabilizer. Spalla retraces an eight month care-giving journey with her mother, captured in raw, candid images, truly becoming a walk in her shoes. What started as a thirty-days-to-live commitment of care in her home turned into an unexpected eight months of never-ending responsibility. You will feel a kinship with the roller coaster of emotions; from anger, confusion, surprise, resentment, guilt and ambivalence, to finally relief, recovery and celebration. You will learn through the various vignettes some refreshingly practical information on such topics as finding sitters, managing medicine, dealing with sibling rivalry, contracting with Hospice, moving to assisted living, doing will preparation and other legalities as well as funeral planning. You will laugh; you will sob; your heart will soar; your heart will break. You will find solace, encouragement and inspiration for one of life’s most daunting challenges. But especially, you will discover your best self, emerging stalwart, strong and forged by the fire of your caregiving experience. Give yourself a gift of renewal and Catch Your Breath.