News Detox Day 1

 No U.S. Political News Leaves a Hole in the Day

Usually when we got up, the first thing we did was to put on U.S. news. This morning was a little different. We were in The Nest, my studio, which we use for a guest room. Our American dog sitters still were sleeping in our flat around the corner. An hour later we drove them to the airport in Perpignan. They were expressed fears for the future. Like us they were turning off what was happening for sanity.

Once back in our flat, we unpacked and did all the settling in things that are normal after being away. Before the election, we would have had the news on. Instead it was music. Some of the things we want to play: Leonard Cohen, Il Divo, Garou, Carmen Burana, Beethoven, Bach and much more. 

We have five days until we shift to Geneva for the winter.

We ate at a restaurant at the end of our street. Unlike yesterday, when many people in the neighborhood wanted to talk about the election, no one asked us our opinion. We didn't volunteer either. We said too many time that "Our birth country as we know it is dead. We are shutting down on everything connected, detoxing."

Normally we watch Smercornish at 3 p.m. I told Rick I debated printing the bald guy's picture and pasting it on the TV for an hour.

There is American visiting the village whom we heard was devastated by the election. We invited her to join us for a mint tea at Mille et Une. Like us, she is doing a mental news block out not wanting to face it.

A former schoolmate Facebooked me that I was wrong about the election, I have blinkers on and that I would see how great America would become. His ignorance is frightening. He said had I not given up my nationality I would be a traitor. 

We watched the new season of Diplomat on Netflix sharing vanilla pecan ice cream.

When we went to bed to read, I divided my time between Gray Wolf by Louise Penny and War by Bob Woodward, which isn't breaking the no news detox, but recent or current history.

Today is Sunday. Nothing planned but enjoying our last days here in France. Rick is making his special Sunday breakfast, I'll do home made tomato soup and a croissant cheese sandwich like we had in Portugal. Both of us may do some writing. We need to find my backgammon set. I know where the Scrabble is. Games to occupy the hole left by news will become part of our future.

It seems strange not to be following every political utterance, on the many channels in many countries. We aren't anti-other news, but the pain of watching our birth country self destruct is too much to indulge in it minute by minute.