The Great Fly Inquisition!

Today was another lazy down around the house. Just some housework and a quick stop at the store was all that was on our agenda.
But during the day, it's nice to have the windows propped open to allow the fresh country air to filter through... the only problem... the flies. Les mouches! None of the houses here have screens on their windows. We asked Justine's family about this the other night, and they just shrugged. They, being in the city, don't really have a fly problem. But we do.
All day long you're able to see at least two flies zooming around the living area. My theory is that they are drawn her because of the restaurant directly across the street. There's also a smell drifting around occasionally of horses or cows. It's possible that a nearby corn field uses a manure fertilizer. But, for whatever reason, the little pests are never far away.
This afternoon, it was simply too much! I closed the windows and stalked the living room with one of the small couch pillows. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that I have inherited my mothers brilliant fly killing expertise. Today, I think the score was

Mom : 6        Me : 2. 

Very sad. I'll have to find a good technique!
My mom had a few moments of down time to go fly hunting. At first, she was just using a pot-holder...then she realized how gross it was to be killing flies with a kitchen utensil. So she grabbed the manual for our washing machine/dryer, rolled it up and went on the hunt.
At one point she smacked the wall not three inches from my head, not only missing the fly, but scaring the ba-jeepers out of me. Then she saw one dozing on the floor and was on the prowl.
Like a lioness kills food for her cubs, this fly wasn't getting away, no sir! She crept up behind it...and BAM! "Got it." 5 seconds later she'd killed a second. Merrily scooping him up and saying "and your brother too!" I have to applaud her skills.

Before our little fly killing spree, I went wandering around our village for the first time (other than just walking to the bus stop and the grocery store). I wandered into the center, past our tiny Cathedral. Enjoying the beautiful flowers everywhere and the quaint, Alsacian style homes.

Our local Mairie, town hall, with gorgeous flowers spilling from every windowsill, and framing the entrance.

the Artisan Boulangerie, bakery, down the corner from us. Closed at the moment because the woman that runs it was taking her lunch.

La poste, the post office

Our local église (church), or Cathedral, if you like. I am able to see the steeple from my bedroom window.

Our only rond-point, roundabout. These are the equivalent of intersections (major intersections) in America. So basically our town is so small it has only one major intersection!

One of the more "run-down" houses. Basically, all the houses are about the same age...just well kept. This one just shows the age of the town.