I’ve been knee deep in red tape this past week, following up or initiating a number of “official” responsibilities. While this was nothing like what I was faced with when I first moved here, it seems that so much needs to be dealt with all at one time: renewal of my titre de sejoure (my visa), renewal of my California Drivers License, checking my voter registration for the 4th time (can’t be too sure!) and renewal of my US passport. Yes, I’ve known all of this would have to be done this year, but I am a master procrastinator! It’s not only procrastination. There’s a lot to be done in a day here in Nérac. I have to walk the dog twice a day, I’ve been doing twice a week FaceBook Live cooking classes, it’s canning season and I’ve gone through a flat of eggplant (a LOT of eggplant) and several flats of tomatoes, plus the figs from my tree and those wonderful prune plums at the marché.. I’m working on a cookbook, I have a social life, and I like to take a nap most days. Not to mention the afghan I’m working on for Morgan’s graduation last June, binge-watching Killing Eve, and the occasional rosé on the terrace at the Taverne. I have pastry to eat and restaurants to try!

I’ve given some attention to each one of the must dos at some time this past year, but this week I realised I couldn’t let any of it drag on any longer. First up, the visa. I had sent the paperwork (the appropriate application form, bank statements, birth certificate, copy of my passport, a pledge not to take a job from a French person, Frank’s death certificate to prove I’m a widow, etc.) in last May, per the instructions issued by the Prefecture in Agen, but I didn’t get a receipt from the post office because the women (all of them!) at Le Poste were so lacking in customer service when I attempted to interact with them. A follow up email to the Prefecture told me that they would get to me when they got to me, and to just sit tight. Or something like that. Early last week, knowing that my extension was close to expiration, I sent another email stating that my expiration was looming and could they at least confirm that they had received my paper work. Immediately, an auto response hit my inbox saying they had recived my email and would be back to me within 15 days. (hmmm, days after my visa expires.)

I wasn’t panicked. All of my dealings at our local Prefecture have been great experiences, quite unlike tales I have heard from people who went through the process in Paris or Bordeaux. In the past, when I was late filing for my annual visa because I was in California, caring for a sick relative, their response was “Family comes first!”. So, I figured, I hoped, I should be ok.

The latest on the visa: yesterday I received an email asking what date I had sent my paperwork to them. Within minutes of receipt, I responded to the email with the date. Now, a day and a half later, I’m still waiting to hear back from them. (Newest update! They can find no record of my submission so I have to resend the package! Now I know what I’m doing tomorrow!)

And, next, the driver’s license. Twice over the past few months I have tried to renew on line and each time received message that it could not be renewed online. This was a surprise since I’ve had no tickets or accidents in over 20 years, and I had been able to renew on line the past few renewals. It didn’t occur to me that it might have something to do with the fact that I had passed over into a new decade since my last renewal.

You might be wondering why I’m trying to renew a California license when I’m now living in France. This isn’t procrastination but, rather, full avoidance. In order to qualify for a french license i would have to 1) pass a written exam which I have heard horrific things about; and, 2) I would have to take a behind the wheel class (1500 euros) and then driving test, which, while it worries me less than the written test, still scares me a lot! Twelve US states have an agreement with France to exchange their states license for a French license without going through this process. California is not one of them. There is, or was the last time I checked, a bill that had been sitting in the California State Assembly for several years.

Yesterday I went on to the site to grab a number to call to explain the situation and found further reenforcement of the fact that I am aged. I guess grey hair and aching joints is not enough. Apparently, if you are over the age of 70, you must appear, in person, to renew your license. Keep this in mind the next time you drive in the area surrounding Laguna Woods or any other area with a high number of senior drivers. Those people have shown up every 5 years to prove they are still capable of driving.

The good news on the driver’s license is that they recently (since the last time I checked the site) extended an automatic 1 year extension to all drivers over the age of 70. So, also keep this in mind if you are going to be driving in an area with a lot of senior drivers. Cataracts can develop very quickly. But, I do have printed proof of my extended license in my purse now.

Also, good news. When I went onto the Registrar of Voters website I found that my first name was spelled incorrectly. That’s been changed to the correct spelling, and I have received two, not just one, postcards from the Registrar saying that my registration had been changed and I would be receiving my ballot by email, as requested. The second postcard prompted me to go back onto their site to verify that my registration was correct. It was. I await the ballot, which will be faxed back, filled out and signed, tout de suite!

And, the passport. Up until the last month or so, if you needed to renew your passport abroad you also had to show up at the nearest US Consulate office to renew in person. My nearest would have been either Paris or Marseilles. Normally, this would have been the perfect opportunity for an overnight in Paris. Never a bad thing, except in times of a global pandemic. However, within the past month or so, there has been a modification of this policy and it is now possible to mail a form, along with your old passport, a new photo, and a receipt proving you have paid the $110 fee online, to the Consulate. Yay! No need for a 3 hour trip on the train, wearing a mask. Boo! No lingering in the Jardin de Luxembourg or leisurely walk along the Seine before a fabulous dinner somewhere near the Eiffel Tower. The form is filled out and printed, and I’ll get my picture taken at the Intermarché tomorrow. There is a photobooth at most supermarkets here in France for just this reason. You have to attach a current picture, in triplicate, for almost every official filing from identification card to health card.

This last weekend I had dinner with friends, a simple 5 courses, prepared by our host, on a terrace overlooking a lock on the Baïse river. Then, the next day, off to the Chateau Xaintrailles, whose history includes one owner who was a companion of Jeanne d’Arc (Joan’s french name!). A simple life. I love it.