Point Made

We may have been the only house on the block or maybe even in Louisiana to turn off our air conditioning and open our windows this week, but we did. For two comfortable nights with only a ceiling fan and our stick fan rotating in the bedroom, we slept with the windows open. We fell asleep to the night sounds of the Louisiana bayou country singing to us. Yes, the days go hot. However, the cool front that dipped down from up north (thank you) lowered the daytime temperatures and the humidity to a tolerable level. I learned something this week. See to me being able to ride my moped year-round also entailed mowing lawn as a component. Seems that is not true, My neighbor John pointed out to me that sometime in November we will mow the lawn for the last time in 2015 and not have to resume until May of 2016. Mock Jury Maria and I served on a mock jury this week. It might be a testimony to the justice system that the two combatants in this dispute, after almost eight years, preferred to sub...

The difference between Wisconsin and Louisiana is we don't get that cool Canadian high-pressure system sneaking in between the slightly muggy days. That cooler, crisp, dry morning in August is the tap on the shoulder that tells you Fall is coming without invitation, and it expects to be welcome. It's that first time you can't find a golf ball because it rolled into a pile of fresh fallen leaves. It's the sudden drop in temperature when you ride or walk to the lakefront. No, none of that has happened here, and I don't expect it will. Maybe in November. Speaking of golf. People that know me  (and you all do)  know of my love for a good story. I love books, film, and theater. Any venue that delivers a good story. I don't need the performance to make me laugh. I'm old enough and wise enough to know that the swinging pendulum of joy to sorrow and back again is a need that ranks somewhere high in the order of importance in the Hierarchy of Need near where love ...

This will be one of those "be careful what you wish for" moments, but we do need rain here. However, let me you in on a perverse benefit of having a lawn consisting of St Augustine grass. Seems this stuff can live off of the moisture in the air and the dew in the morning. Rain or no rain, it grows and therefore must be cut weekly. We made our first trip OSL (Other Side of the Lake). I booked tickets at the Theaters at Canal Place to see Ricki and the Flash . But before we were slightly disappointed in the movie, we ventured into the Garden District. Spared from major damage in Katrina, this is a neighborhood of diverse, wonderful, and historic dwellings. So you took pictures, Jeff?  You would have to have remembered your camera to do that. NO PHONE IMAGES ON THIS BLOG! We'll catch up on this in a future post. The Garden District is an area of some of the more expensive and desirable homes in New Orleans. The anchor here is proximity to downtown, the universities (Tu...

Report From Points South Of Lake Woebegon Published 8/04/15 Wednesday 8/4/2015 Sunny, Hot and Humid Do you know that feeling you get when you step into a cool lake on a hot summer's day? Your body reacts as it senses a major attack on the status quo. Its system clinches as your bloodstream speeds up its job of circulating not only nourishment but controlling your body temperature. Imagine that feeling, only in reverse. Every morning, I open the patio door to let Lucy, my dog, out for her morning stroll. The heat and humidity roll through the door opening like a wave on a beach. Later, I will take my breakfast and my second cup of coffee out the same door. I read while I consume my cereal, toast, or whatever... Inside of a few minutes, I've acclimated to the heat and humidity, to the point I don't even notice it. Note: I'm not in the sun. Our deck has an awning. I'm not exerting myself. If I mow the lawn, I will sweat like a hog. But I am getting used to it. It i...

Last Week I Made Bread Published 8/3/15 It doesn't sound like much, but I was just beginning to make some decent bread when the move interrupted all of that. So actually needing to knead some dough was a real-life situation. The report on the first loaf of simple white was B+. It should have been a little lighter in its texture. The taste was a little on the sweet side. However, it passed the toast test. Weather It continues to be hot. Since the month is over, we can report, we lived through the second hottest July in the New Orleans records. The temperature reached at least 91 degrees each and every day. As I mentioned in my last blog, I'm looking forward to August, typically the hottest month of the year. Registered Voter I now know my government representatives and election day draws near. No more Jindal.  He is off trying to become President. Unlike Walker, Bobby is term-limited and can not run for Governor again. If you think Walker's record will be tough to run on...