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Jen loves to have visitors at her B&B farm property in Breaux Bridge, Bonne Terre. Bonne Terre in French means good soil. While I’m sure this is good earth, I can see that Jen dedicates lots of her time to making it good. There are signs of her everywhere, in the mown lawns, the growing vegetables, and the attractive, rustic sculptures. Even in the bathroom, she has selected special aromatic soaps and adorable decorations. I have to admit I’ve had trouble settling down to write. I’ve moved positions at least five times.
I asked Jen how many chickens she has. She had to do the math because she has a variety of breeds, but she came up with 71 (or was it 79?). Nevertheless, chickens are everywhere. They are a humorous, noisy lot that make me feel like I am out in the country at grandmother’s house.
I’ve been meaning to treat myself to a full day of writing all summer long. With only a few weeks left before school starts, I finally did it. I worry that I will fill this day with things other than writing. Jen told me, “It doesn’t matter if you write or not. The point is you gave yourself this space to be present.”
I’ll likely spend the next few hours reading blogs, walking the grounds, and having coffee with Jen, but whatever I do is bon travail on this bonne terre, good work on this good earth. And look at me! For what it’s worth, I got a blog post written.
I think this dragonfly wants to be in a poem!
Please hop over to Amanda’s post on Persistence and Pedagogy. She’s a stop on the Bayou Song blog tour, and I love what she did with her kiddos.
Reflections on the Teche 