Hello, Friends. How are you? How was your week? The biggest thing for us this week is that the new school year began. Oscar started 10th grade (it’s the first year of le lycée in France). Betty started 9th grade (it’s the last year of college in France). And Flora June started 5th grade (it’s called CM2 in France).
I realized my youngest child was starting the last year of elementary school and it definitely hit me with all the mom feels. I’ve had at least one child in elementary for the last two decades!
Classes are happening in-person here in Normandy. If you’d like to hear about the school safety precautions, here’s a post I wrote in July when the kids returned to school after quarantine.
Today we’ll be working over at the Tall House. The tile for the bathrooms is being delivered! (Remember the Winckelmans factory tour?)
I’ve been online quite a bit this week, as I managed responses to my latest Twitter thread, and I’ve found lots of good stuff. Here are a few things I’ve wanted to share with you:
–New reporting from the Atlantic. Trump called the Marines who died at Belleau Wood “losers” and “suckers”. He also insulted the intelligence of service members and wanted wounded vets kept out of military parades.
-Disgusting, right? Think this is a first? Not at all. Here’s a thread of 12+ instances where Trump demonstrated how much he dislikes people who serve in the military, all documented with links, and compiled by a person who served in the military. (But sure, keep telling me Biden & Trump are “equally bad”.)
-The electoral college has created a significant probability of minority rule for its entire history.
-Russia and Trump are both spewing disinformation about mail-in voting, right now, at the same time. That seems totally normal.
-For those inventing the idea of “Black Lives Matter riots.” BLM doesn’t “riot.” They march against police violence. And note that those caught setting fires, assaulting and shooting people are consistently of the RIGHT, not the left.
-The NRA’s chief of staff says: “Gun owners across America…should be horrified by what I saw inside of the NRA.”
-Old Navy said that it will pay store employees for eight hours who serve as poll workers for the 2020 election. The company said employees “will also be eligible for compensation from their local jurisdiction.”
-Have you considered signing up to be a poll worker? It’s too risky this year for senior citizens.
-Wait. Is this for real? There are “friends of cops” cards that get you special treatment if you’re pulled over?
-Do you prefer city living, suburb living, or rural living?
-Trump’s popularity slips in latest Military Times poll — more troops say they’ll vote for Biden. (And this poll was before the Atlantic story was published!)
-I’m on my second tub of Cerave SA for rough and bumpy skin. I know I promised to report back to tell you if it was helping my KP, and yes, I’ve found that it’s really improving things.
Here are some tweets I saved for you:
-Sometimes it feels like we have no comprehension of the death toll.
-I’m curious how a Mcconnell supporter would justify this.
-In case you need to hear this.
–Four times more deadly! That is shockingly horrible. I’ve read about this many times, and it shocks me every time.
-This video is so powerful.
-You know it’s the right thing to do.
-If you want to feel really angry read an article about civil forfeiture.
-Don’t you dare say: Well if they hadn’t resisted, if they had complied, they wouldn’t have been shot.
–Don’t believe they hype. The protests aren’t riots.
-The ones with the guns are domestic terrorists.
I hope you have a wonderful Labor Day weekend. I’ll meet you back here next week. I miss you already.
kisses,
Gabrielle
This week of posts was epic.
Your youngest is starting school in STYLE. Flora June looks great! I love her outfit ❤️
I love the name you settled on for the house!! <3
Where are Flora June’s shoes from ? So classy !
From Zarakids (we picked them up last week on clearance — I think they must have been from last winter’s collection).
The last sentence of the Atlantic article is unbelievable; the french radio did an interesting review of the topic.
Bonne rentrée à toute la famille en France. School is such a relief (I used to dream about homeschooling, but not anymore).
That Lincoln Project video … wow. I wish everyone in the US was required to watch that.
Hey,
Are you going to post a What to Wear to School Euro post this year? Thanks!
We shot some photos last weekend. I’ll try to post next week.
This article from the Atlantic is also worth your time. Enraging and also very much par for the course for this administration.
p.s. On a lighter note, thanks, Gabrielle, for retweeting this thread. I laughed all the way through it. That man is a DELIGHT. :)
Oh my goodness wasn’t that a DELIGHT?!
Just curious,
Is Olive returning to the US for college or is she able to spend more time in France with you??
Thanks!
Where do you get the time to follow all the important things, then give it to us in an, all put together blog that I can sit on the beach and read, contemplate, and send on to those who need it. You’re Fabulous! Thank you!
Gabby, a great list as always. Re: women over 40 tweet, I was thinking this exact thing about your anniversary carousel. As you’ve gotten older you look so much more confident and stylish and sure of yourself and it really suits you. I hope this comes across as kind and not weird, hahaha. I really admire you and the way you use your platform and looking at those pictures made me realize that there’s no reason I can’t follow in your footsteps as I get older.
The “friend of police” card is absolutely true- my husband’s cousin is NYPD and she was given a handful of cards to share with family and friends. Totally strange. Orwellian, almost, when you think about it.
Re: Friends of Cop card – they are real, I had one. A very good friend was a cop, retired now for 5 years. He gave a card (metal card, not paper) to my husband and I as a sign of our strong friendship, as he had previously only given the card to his immediate family members. I had it in my car for years, and I don’t know if I would have the audacity to use if if the time ever arose. I was never tested.
I worked my first election in August as a “chief inspector.” If you, like me, have always dreamed of being a detective in a campy British crime drama, you should sign up to be a poll worker too. No crimes to solve, but at least you get the same title. 😉
Seriously though, working the polls was a wonderful experience. It was a long day, but I was honored to help folks exercise their right to vote. It also taught me that there is such a need to help people get to the polls. I encourage everyone to bring a friend or neighbor along with them to vote. Looking forward to seeing everyone in November!
In New Jersey the police card is called a PBA card. Police Brotherhood Association. My BIL is a retired officer and he gave these out to family members. (I never got one). Whenever I saw someone speeding on the highway there I always wondered if they had PBA cards and felt emboldened.
The B in PBA is for Benevolent not Brotherhood.
Wonderfully curated post! I’m especially grateful for the Twitter section you’ve been doing as I’m not an active twitter user. The friends of cops article is so good because of how it highlights the problem of police discretion.