2013 Garden Weekend
15 Janvier 2014 Mercredi (Wednesday)
30 F, Sunny
9 mph WNW wind
The annual garden weekend is a little over a month away. Recent weather makes one pause, but no matter the conditions, work continues in the garden. Visit historic Fort de Chartres as a few habitants recreate the experiences of the colonists of the 18th century Illinois Country. We will prepare the kitchen garden for the late winter and early spring plantings. No matter the weather, as last year proved, it is fun to talk about gardening and seeds whether out in the garden or standing in comfort in the Guard room near the fire. 
Jardin Potager heirloom seed packet samples and seed starting information will be available to share with those who visit with us Saturday, 11 AM-3 PM, or Sunday, 11 AM-2 PM. Laissez le jardinage commence! Let the gardening begin. Or as our reader from the French Alps, Jerome, more correctly expressed-Attaquons les travaux du jardin! Let’s start the work to be carried out in the garden.
Hello my dear fellows from Fort de Chartres! I wish you a happy new year, even if it’s a bit late to do so… But nevermind, as we say in French “Mieux vaut tard que jamais !” – “Better late than never…”
Indeed, I’m so pleased that the French colonial heritage is at last being rediscovered in the US, especially in the Pays des Illinois, where the ties between us are so strong. In the same way, your true efforts of providing sentences in French are of special value and make me proud of our common heritage. Be sure it is fed by the strong, deep deep fundamental values of share, fraternity and solidarity that root the French culture and society.
However, if you allow me yo do so, I would like to bring small corrections to one of your French sentence. You wrote : “Laissez le jardinage commence!”, which is, I’m very sad to have to say it, not French, but not French at all… A better form (grammatically correct, but without a full understandable meaning) would have been: “Laissez le travail au jardin commencer” (“jardinage” is only used in order to name the hobby of gardening, not the fact of working in the garden itself ; “commencer” is the infinitive form of the verb you have conjugated with “commence” and this form is absolutely mandatory in this context). Within your context, the best translation could possibly be the following : “Attaquons les travaux du jardin !” – “Let’s start (with strength and passion, almost martial like the verb “attaquer” – to attack) the work to be carried out in the garden!”.
Beside this, I wish you all the good. May you be in the position to keep our French heritage in the Illinois country alive for quite a long time.
Jerome: What a wonderfully kind correction which I humbly accept. Merci. I have amended this phrase in the post and welcome your correction. My intention in using French words and phrases here and there is to connect and encourage readers to engage in the Illinois country’s amazing heritage. In doing so, I step out on the ledge of my own imperfect knowledge of the language and welcome such kind assistance to help me express and connect with this region’s rich past. Cordialement, Carol
@Carol: Be sure that I’ll be there from time to time in order to get some news from the Illinois Country and will allways be pleased then to read you!
Amicalement.