Musings -- Autumn in Arkansas

This is what makes me miss Arkansas in the fall -- it was taken this morning by a friend in Little Rock, and posted on his Facebook page (what a fantastic invention, that Facebooky thing can be!). He took it from his deck overlooking the Arkansas River.

*heavy sigh*

Oh well -- I suppose I'll wax nostalgic about New Orleans in Carnival/Mardi Gras season whenever we move north.

**double heavy sigh**

I think I'll go decorate for Halloween and do other nice things for myself. Like ignoring the vacuum cleaner for yet one more day.

*Grin*

Art, Puppy Love, and Inexplicable Horror

My friend Dale is one of the nicest guys I know. He always has a smile on his face and proudly sports a tattoo of #3 for "Dale Senior;" family vacations regularly include a trip to Talledega. He and his interesting Uncle Iggy have done our heavy yard work for six years now -- he even kept up the yard while we were evacuated after Katrina.

That was a tough time for Dale -- those post-Katrina days. Not only was his home flooded (his young family lived in a FEMA travel trailer for over a year, but they still managed to add a precious baby girl to their two sons during that time!), his family's business -- a successful Nursery and Landscaping Service -- also flooded and had to start over from the ground up. To add to the misery, his younger cousin -- a strong, young soldier -- was killed in action in Iraq.

Thankfully, though they'll never get over the loss of his cousin, both the family home and the business have now fully recovered and are doing well. Dale has even added a hobby to his rather full schedule that came about as an offshoot of his late uncle's Bonsai-training business -- he has become an artist!

Yesterday morning when I took a check out to him for doing the yard, he said, "Wait a sec, I've got a present for you!" and he ran to his truck. Beaming and grinning from ear to ear, he proudly handed me this beautiful copper-wire sculpture of a hummingbird hovering near a hibiscus blossom -- just like the one in my back courtyard!

My smile and admiration of his piece pleased him, and he told me that he knew he had gotten good at the complex sculpture when his teenage son recognized the flower as a hibiscus and wasn't embarrassed by his dad's hobby any more! Ah -- the coveted approval of one's own!

I'm honored he chose to give me a piece of his work -- I think he could sell it! Now I can't wait to put it in a pot of mums on the front porch to show it off to the neighborhood, but I'll have to plant some mums first.

The non-artistic pic? Bouie had a close call yesterday when his rear leg got twisted up in the plastic mesh in the front yard. I mean seriously twisted -- I barely managed to cut the tight mesh off, and I was afraid he had hurt his hip or tendons! His poor puppy leg swelled badly, but we don't think he did any permanent damage. He didn't seem to mind the cold compress and baby aspirin too much, but he really ate up the extra attention he got from a concerned dad. See above.

So, on a day of surprises -- both good and bad -- life went on, for most of us.

For others, it was cut short, unexpectedly and treacherously in an upscale Dallas neighborhood.

R.I.P., Mary and Spud. Thanks for sending Bouie to us. And may God have mercy on your souls.

Happenings in NOLA

1. We welcomed a new addition to the Audubon Zoo three months ago and she made her debut last week to rave reviews!!

Menari is a pudgy, orange little orangutan baby -- one of only two born in the United States this year. We may have to go to Swampfest this year to check out all the doings at the zoo -- it seems that good things are happening there!

2. The first of three Honor Air flights took 88 Louisiana WWII vets to D.C. yesterday for a "thank you" tour. It rained on them, but their spirits weren't dampened! I had to miss the welcome home at the airport last night, but I'll be there on October 10th!

3. Geaux Saints, whoop up on the Bills!

Musings on a Humid Morning in New Orleans: Can Federalized Health Care Reform Work?

This is the interior of the window in our foyer. It is covered in a film of heavy condensation, and it looks like this pretty much every morning for 6 - 8 months a year. This is why we think about mildew a lot down here. And why we have such nice, moist skin!

I don't pay attention to the humidity too terribly much since we live with it every day, although I have learned strategically to plan shampoos for the least-frizzy time of day. Then, this morning, a friend who made a quick business trip to New Orleans from Sacramento, called to let me know that her plane leaves at 2:00 so she couldn't do the "windshield disaster tour" after all. (That's where I give my special guided tour through the City and areas that are still recovering from the Katrina floods in my sweet ride).

In a carefully-measured voice, she told me, "It's so -- um -- muggy here." I think that's trying-to-be-nice California-speak for, "Dang! You can barely breathe here unless you have gills, and don't even think about trying to get your hair to cooperate!" She also said that since she grew up in the Midwest, she previously thought she knew what "humid" means. I just giggled.

Then I welcomed her to Moogie's World.

The condensation is usually gone by noon-ish, and the humidity levels drop enough so that the uninitiated can venture outdoors without SCUBA gear. She'll miss the best part of the day for sightseeing, but she promised to come back so she can see the buildings from Brad Pitt's "Make It Right Project" in the lower Ninth Ward.

Her observations made me think, though. We live in a truly big country -- one in which the folks who dwell on the edges don't really comprehend how the folks live and play in the middle -- and vice versa. We're a confederation of distinctions; a Republic of varying wants, needs, and interests.

If styling one's hair differs so much from region to region, how can we expect any one-size-fits-all federal program to work nationwide? I'm thinking it can't, with any equitable outcome. Now what?

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

Still sleeping off an indelicate medical test -- back when I'm coherent (or have regained most of what passes for coherency in Moogie's World.)

Cheers. And leftovers for dinner.

Musing: An Autumn of the Southeast Louisiana Variety

Scenes like this don't show up so much in southeast Louisiana.

Fall is the day when the leaves fall off some of the trees into the street to clog up the storm drains, especially in New Orleans. The Live Oaks wait until new growth hits in the spring, then dump old leaves and stringy oak flowers all over the place (usually on a car).

Yesterday, our Autumn began with temperatures in the lower 90s, thunderboomers, soggy mail, and muddy pawprints in the kitchen.

But, a hint of giving the air conditioning a rest is floating through the night sky, and the promise of Fall music festivals is making the media rounds. What sweet sounds and glorious food are right around the corner, all to be enjoyed in three-quarter length sleeves! We may have to hit the next Saints Gameday Pre-party outside the Dome just to make it official.

Sailing, Sailing, Over the Bounding Sea!

A friend emailed this funny today along with the caption:

"If you have been thinking about a cruise to Alaska... this may be just
what you are looking for! All expenses are covered and the only
requirement is that you are at least 65. Contact your local Democratic
Representative or Social Security Office to sign up."

Maybe not so funny.

At least I'm not qualified -- yet!