Qui frappe à la porte? My first May 1st in France.

Flower-Petal Shortbread Recipe

Little did I know that a knock at my door on May 1st would result in one of my most precious memories of living in France. It was early in the day, before my elderly neighbor Jean-Jacques had opened his shutters. I couldn't imagine who it could be. After all, my husband and I were new to the village.

A child stood in my doorway with a fresh bundle of hand-picked Lily-of-the-Valley, or Muguets, neatly tied with a ribbon. The flowers filled my cottage with notes of lemony green, a scent unfamiliar and intoxicating.