TEACH YOU FOR MAKING FUN OF THE SAINTS

ARZACQ-ARRAZIGUET, FRANCE

Just when things seem to be going well except for the very excessive humidity, my shin problem starts up again. And it happens 3 km out of Pimbo (rhymes with Bimbo, appropriately enough).

The European walkers seem only to understand blisters and tendonitis, both of which they insist are caused by too little water and not using walking sticks. They are SURE I have blisters and am successfully hiding them. And of course, not treating them. When I try to explain shin splints and even mention the word tendon, they zone out and mutter, "Ah, tendon-nee-tis" and the very next word is "eau" (pronounced OH and means water). I am tempted to show everyone that my urine is not at all concentrated, thank you very much. And I will DIE before I get walking sticks. Only Anne Marie, also a runner, understands and she is out on the camino or chemin or somewhere. And if all that eau and all those walking sticks help so much, why do all of them have ampoules and tendon-ee-tis?

So I may be stuck in this one horse town for another day. C'est la chemin.

Oh, remember the Les Poulets. I found a free-range chicken postcard yesterday!!!!! The chickens are imagining themselves in their daydreams of being little French soldiers (sans helicopters, I hope) and call themselves Les Poulets de la Libertie. AND they are wearing little de Gaulle hats and have little moustaches. Truly a find. Today was poultry day. We saw canards and poulets aplenty. One batch of geese even tried to attack us but got stopped by the fence. Did you ever look into a goose's mouth and see its angrily throbbing tongue? Not a pretty sight. I don't mind so much now that they insert a funnel down their throats and stuff them with grain before they butcher them. Serves the nasty little critters right.

Well, will keep you updated.