Point Made

The Speed on the Road to Life is Getting Faster by Jeff Jordan It's still scorching here in Mandeville. In fact, we haven't had one day where the temperature hasn't reached the mid-nineties. It's tough to wrap my mind around that even though we live on the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain, it's usually warmer here than it is on the south shore. Whatever happened to the Milwaukee phrase, "It's always cooler by the Lake."? (Hey Niki! should that last question mark go inside the quotes?) I've moved along on several fronts. I have a new doctor. I will be enrolled in a new health plan. A health plan means there is a gym in my future. I took my first "just for the hell of it" ride on my moped. We are definitely getting to the 90% moved-in stage. I can report Maria got the flag pole mounted. I have a barber, but given that Memi is one of our friends down here, that wasn't a tough goal to reach I need to bake some bread. I'm prob...

Never Put Cabbage in the Soup By Jeff Jordan   If you ask my wife, she will tell you I don’t like vegetables.  I maintain that I am simply “fussy” about my vegetable consumption.  Like the elder George Bush, I don’t like broccoli, and actually, that in itself that is not entirely true:  broccoli is one of those vegetables that should not, under any circumstances, be cooked.  Steamed corn, green beans, and peas in their pods are marvelous, and I will eat them by the pound, even ⎯ and I can hear the howls of denial ⎯ if they are not drenched in oil or butter.  Sautéed vegetables such as onions, peppers, asparagus, and even zucchini are some of my favorites.   I do like raw broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage.  Yes, take those little florets of broccoli or cauliflower and drop them on a leafy salad as a crunchy replacement for nuts, swish them through a dip for hand food, mix them with other veggies in an oil- or mayo-based dressing for a ...

We are renting a nice home in a cul de sac development called Tanglewood. The homes in this neighborhood are all ranch-style homes built on slabs. Based on the design and the development of mature landscaping, my wife tells me it was more than likely started in the 1980s. Some of them are rentals like ours, but the neighbors right around us are long-term owners, so there is a balance. Note the garage space. In this area, it is not unusual to see garage spaces used as additional living spaces. In our case, the driveway serves as off-street parking for guests and us. (It could hold four cars). The 18' x 18' space that would be the garage is Maria's long-sought-after studio/emergency guest room. We have two bedrooms, and my office can be set up to use as a guest room.  The additional feature that makes this space so useful is a side entrance. This means business guests do not have to negotiate the private living space to enter. Here are some before and afters to ...

Geography : Like Milwaukee, this area (Mandeville, Covington, Madisonville, and Abita Springs) is built on the marshlands of rivers and streams. I don't know the history of the settling of this area. I need the Louisiana equivalent of John Gurda. If I can't find him, maybe there are multiple sources to make up for the lack of such a community asset. Located as we are on the Northern shore of Lake Ponchartrain, there are rivers, streams, and wetlands in plentiful supply. While a healthy natural habitat for all kinds of animals, birds, and insects, humans suffer from an overly abundant presence of bugs and critters. Mosquitos are not our friends. A Slice of Daily Life We have been to Lowes so much I swear one of the greeters called us by name the other day. Sadly we are not through with this kind of activity. today, we are in search of a lot of stuff but mostly outdoor equipment, garden accessories, and plants I told the story about Maria scoring a Toro mower, Homelite we...

The cockroach, the wasp, and a couple of mosquitos have paid the ultimate price for their attempt to invade our new abode. I'm sure they will be missed by their families and friends, but the message is clear, "Do not mess with Miss Maria." We are awaiting an autopsy report on the roach. The question is, did the aerosol spray kill him, or did he drown in the excessive amount used to try and kill him? Watch this space for the official report. (I'm learning that addressing a lady, it is best to proceed her first name with Miss, regardless of her marital status.) It seemed like we haven't moved for a moment on the afternoon of July 4, 2015. I am standing on the deck of our new abode in Mandeville, LA: cooking Beer Brats, lusting after potato salad, tomato, cucumber, and onion marinated in olive oil /  balsamic vinegar and my cold NA Beer. No, it's true. I was definitely not on the second-floor porch of 1039 Highland, where I might have been having we not moved...

We arrived in Madison at 9:20 pm on the evening of June 26th. For the thirteen hours before that, Kyle, Bill, Anthony, Maria and I were loading a 27 ft U Haul truck with all of our possessions. The curb in the alley next to the house was suitably decorated with some of our cast offs. We were a ripe pair when we got to Ryan and Kim's house.  But all we wanted, no needed, was a hot shower and clean clothing. Maria actually threw her clothing in the garbage. Sadly when we arrived, the kids were in bed already. The next morning we did our best to make it up to the them because we missed Brogan's T Ball game and One on One time with Tate. At 10:00am when we were climbing in the van for the trip to Sikeston MO. we had mixed feelings. Did we spend enough time with the grandkids and how much time we had lost by not getting on the road earlier? Sikeston Mo., just south of St Louis, is the agreed half way point between our departure from Madison and our destination Mandeville, LA. ...