Recent Posts
Au Revoir and Thanks for the Memories
Bonjour mes ami, This is always a difficult post, and I work on it for days to find the right words graced with tenderness. It’s time to say good-bye to Paris, to you who have faithfully read the blog, to you who kindly made supportive comments (some almost every day), to our cherished local friends […]
More Eating, More Fun in a Cool Paris
Bonjour, It’s hard to believe that we are starting our final week in Paris for 2023. It’s flown by filled with many memories, lots of company, some challenges, a new apartment, and a bittersweet taste of Parisian life that ebbs and flows as the years pass. We will say good-bye to Pierre and Laurie this […]
Cool Temps, Catch-Up and Food, Food, Food
Bonjour, This is a catch-up post from the past few days. We’ve been busy, and I have struggled with some health challenges, but better now. Monday was laundry day, and our Laverie where we dry our clothes is directly across from what has become one of our favorite local restaurants, Le Temps des Cerises. We […]
Meet the Other Verdiers
Bonjour, After a busy day of laundry and cleaning yesterday, we are in full prep-mode for our visitors, Pierre and Laurie Verdier. They live in Soultz Haute Rhin, France near the German border. Laurie is a retired anesthesiologist, and Pierre holds a doctorate in geology and worked for Elf Oil. It’s a great family story […]
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.