French Word-A-Day

souci

A garden on a grape farm.

 

souci (soo-see) noun, masculine
    : calendula flower (pot marigold)

[from the Latin solsequia, meaning tournesol (sunflower)]

souci (soo-see) noun, masculine
    : preoccupation; concern

[from se soucier, from the Latin sollicitare (to worry)]

 A Day in a French Life... by Kristin Espinasse

It is with a big fat lip and a bevy of bad luck that I sit here in le Cafe du Commerce. An Hitachi is blaring above my head, but no one is paying the least attention to the news. I should démènage (to the back of the bar?) but this particular table has a view of le trottoir, where passersby catch my eye.

Besides the racket of clanking cups, gurgling espresso makers, and le bonjour (every time a client walks past the door), this is an awfully agreeable ahn-dwa in which to contemplate Murphy's Law: 

       si quelque chose peut mal tourner, alors cette chose finira infailliblement par mal tourner

As I prepare to share with you these woes, I overhear the latest news, via the news or l'info: near Grenoble, a 10-month-old baby was found starved to death in her berceau. 

The news has me biting a big fat mosquito-bitten lip, and I forget what brought me here to this café, if not a sprinkle of soucis, that is all. Yes, that is it.

:: Le Coin Commentaires ::

Comments are welcome! Click here to leave a message. 

French Vocabulary
ahn-dwa = (pronunciation for "endroit")
(Murphy's Law reference by Wikipedia)

Note: The regular edition--with vocabulary translations and sound file will return soon... just as soon as the telephone and internet connections are sorted out. My apologies in advance for any errors in this edition.

:: Newforest's Notes ::

Update! "Newforest," who regularly enlightens us on the French language, via the comments box, has just sent in these excellent "souci" examples:

-- des petits soucis = little worries (nothing serious)
-- de gros soucis = big worries
-- beaucoup de soucis = a lot of worries
-- bien des soucis = quite a few worries
---> avoir des soucis = to have worries
---> avoir de gros soucis de santé = to have serious health problems
---> avoir des soucis d'argent = to have financial problems


---> donner du souci à quelqu'un = to worry somebody
Ex: mon travail me donne du souci = my work worries me
Ex: Mon fils me donne du souci = my son worries me


---> se soucier de / avoir le souci de (quelque chose) = to care about (something)
Ex: se soucier de / avoir le souci de sa santé = to care about (one's health)
Ex: se soucier de / avoir le souci de bien faire = to be anxious to do well


---> se faire du souci pour / à propos de... = to worry about, to feel concerned about, to be worried about

Ex: je me fais beaucoup de soucis pour mon fils = I worry a lot about my son
Ex: Il n'y a pas de quoi se faire du souci = There's nothing to be worried about
Ex: Ne te fais pas de souci. Tout ira bien = Don't worry. Everything will be fine


-- Un souci de moins! =  one thing less to worry about!
-- un / une sans-souci = a happy-go lucky person
-- -> (vivre) sans souci / de facon insouciante  = (to live) carefree, free of worries

vivace

 
Charm at a new chum's house. I've met a few new friends over the past quinzaine. Now to sort out the souvenirs and, eventuellement, share them with you. Today, meet Malou and Doreen...
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vivace (vee-vace) adjective

1. perennial, hardy
2. inveterate, indestructible, vivid
3. (in music) vivace

noun: une vivace = a perennial

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A Day in a French Life... by Kristin Espinasse

At the annual Rare Plants and Flowers fair in Serignan, visitors varied from vivace to vierge d'expérience (or still learning the difference between a pavot and a poppy (au fait--is there a difference?...).

Purchasing a two-day pass at a quaint cabanon that doubled as a ticket stand, I watched as a young man secured my entrance bracelet.
"I'm coming back tomorrow!" I informed him, jiggling my gourmette.
No worries, he assured me, the plastic bracelet was impermeable.
"Vous pouvez même prendre la douche avec!" Reassured, I entered the bustling outdoor market and quickly blended in with the throngs of flower enthusiasts who advanced, like bees, from flower stand to flower stand, pollinating their passions one plant at a time.

At one end of the fair, a demonstration was well underway. A group of volunteers were constructing a traditional restanco: one of those Provençale garden walls composed of regional stones. As I snapped photos of the rocks and the bénévoles, I overheard English... and that is how I came to meet Malou and Doreen. The English voices belonged to their husbands, Dave and Joe, who were patiently waiting for the dirt divas, who were somewhere beyond the rock wall, immersed in a sea of flowers.

As soon as I met Malou and Doreen, they took me under their wings as they would take anyone with a longing to learn about plants, flowers and even cisterns!

My instant amies, Doreen (English) and Malou (French) watched thoughtfully as their new friend approached the flower stands, unsure of what she was looking for—but eager to fill her flimsy garden with flowers galore.

"You can leave that one!" Doreen suggested. "I can give you one of those from my garden!" she explained, pointing to the Bear's Paw, or Acanthus. Malou made me put back the tomatoes, whispering, "I've just seeded several of those... let these go!"

The women made plans for their next co-planting conspiracy... involving (among others) Geranium Bill Wallace, Bouncing Betty, and newbie gardener me...

"What kind of soil do you have at your place?"
Unsure of the answer, I responded, "good soil for grapes and wine!"

"We'll see about that," the ladies offered and with that they were off.

Not four days later they drove up to our farm (husbands and hoes in tow)
bringing with them enough flowers to jump-start my garden...

 

with warm wishes and encouragements that my garden might prosper and continue to grow.

:: Le Coin Commentaires ::
Please say hello to Doreen and Malou and help me to thank them for sharing their story with you! Would you like more stories about these two dirt divas?  Leave a comment here.

French Vocabulary

quinzaine
eventuellement
vierge d'expérience
pavot
au fait
cabanon
gourmette
vous pouvez même prendre la douche avec = you can even take a shower with it (on)
restanco = Provençal for "restanque"
bénévoles
ami
Geranium Bill Wallace = hardy geranium with purple flowers
Bouncing Betty = Bouncing Bet (soapwort)


(Note: I am running very late today in posting this edition... would you mind helping me to complete the vocabulary section? Leave the French words and their English equivalents in the comments box. Merci!

A Day in a Dog's Life...
(with guest writer Carol Donnay, filling in for Smokey today)

 

Note: I need your help with the English translation of Carol's poem, below. Would some of you like to leave the translation in the comments box? Many thanks for your help!


Smokey déguisé en brin d'herbe 

ou en fleur de parterre.....

Huummm....

Dans quel costume on le préfère?

Les deux lui sont seyants

Mais dans votre jardin 

Pourtant ravissant

C'est ce petit chien

Le plus épatant

Car, parmi les "soucis", 

"La monnaie" (du pape) et les "gueules-de-loup"

Fleurs aux noms bizarres

Pour hanter des cauchemars 

Smokey le dormeur  

Y rêve en connaisseur:

Finesse, délicatesse et senteurs.

A plus tard.

 

Carol 

P.S.: Avez-vous remarqué que Smokey-Joli a une crinière de lion sur la deuxième photo. Comme il est mignon ce lionceau! Je rêve que je le serre dans mes bras. Bisous sur sa crinière :-)

 

sarcler

 
For the purposes of this edition (there's always the need for an illustrative photo) Smokey pretends to be a weed. But we're not buyin' it, are we?

sarcler (sar-clay) verb

    : to weed

Yabla French Video Immersion.
The fun way to learn French

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A Day in a French Life... by Kristin Espinasse

(Note: this story was written one year ago.)

Our neighbor stopped by the other day to drop off a forklift—something we needed for our latest mise-en-bouteille. While Jean-Marie was here, I took the opportunity to ask him a few questions about gardening as he and his wife, Brigitte, have 50 hectares of vines and a few potagers to boot.

"I'm thinking of moving the tomatoes up here," I mentionned to Jean-Marie, as we stood on the patch of grass just above the ruisseau.

"In that case, you'll need to put up un coupe-vent.. a row of thick buissons, for example."

Jean-Marie had a point. After all, we were standing pile-poil in the middle of the Rhône, where the wind blows down the valley like a fleet of jet planes, upending anything that isn't anchored to the ground (or at least deeply-rooted, like our vines... or cemented in, like our home!). The tomatoes would not stand a chance.

Our next stop was the portail, beside which I had been transplanting local flora, including a new, unidentified favorite: a rusty red grass that Mom and I had seen growing, en masse, near the town of Tulette. This vibrant herb would make a lovely contrast to the purple irises and Spanish Lily, two other "locals" that have made their way into our garden.

In a field on the road to Tulette, Mom and I had dug up a few samples of the exotic and colorful herbe... and quickly transplanted it into our garden....

 

 

 

 

Jean-Marie took one look at our botanical "find"... and chuckled as he identified it:

"C'est Roondoop."

"Roondoop?"

The plant's name did not disappoint! It had just the je ne sais quoi that I would expect for such an exotic variety: Roondoop. I loved it!

"Oui..." Jean-Marie continued. "The grass turns red like that after the herbicide takes effect.

"Grass killer?"

That is when the dots connected: "Roondoop" was really "Roundup"! A désherbant used by certain farmers to control weeds in the vineyard.

No wonder we didn't have any of that "lovely red grass" growing here at our farm...

Just then I remembered Chief Grape, my organic-wine-farmer husband, who was about to come onto the scene and discover some foul play in the near vicinity of his precious raisins!

I quickly went to work yanking out the chemically-loaded grass, discretely shoving it all into the closest container of trash, before I myself got roondedup by Chief Grape.

*     *     *
:: Le Coin Commentaires::
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French Vocabulary

la mise en bouteille = bottling
le potager = vegetable garden
le ruisseau = creek
un coupe-vent = windbreak, windbreaker
le buisson = bush
pile-poil = smack, just, exactly
le portail = gate
l'herbe (f) =  grass
je ne sais quoi = that certain something
un désherbant = weedkiller
le raisin = grape


Example sentence: Le sarclage étant plus difficile lorsque la terre est sèche, il est judicieux d'arroser le terrain légèrement une heure avant de commencer. Weeding being the most difficult when the earth is dry, it is a good idea to lightly water the area one hour before beginning. (Suite101)

 
Here's Smokey—pretending to be a blade of grass—in order to get out of today's chore here at Domaine Rouge-Bleu (we're bottling 6000 units today! I had thought to ask Mr. Smoke to take my place, only he was no where to be found... Meantime, he blended in beautifully with the scenery....) To his left, les "soucis" (marigolds). Above, "la monnaie du pape" (coin flowers). To his right (background), his favorite "snapper"dragons. Now who, pray tell, would want to break a back bottling wine all day when you could lie flat-bellied in a forest of flowers?

 

Books & Language Tools:
The Ultimate French Verb Review and Practice
Buying a Piece of Paris: A Memoir
Cuthbertson French Verb Wheel