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My Dog Just Does Not Understand Me.

Lucy, our dog, is my all the time companion these days. Maria is trekking about the frozen tundra in search of employment. No doubt, she got the worst of this deal. Not only does she have to find a job, but she has to suffer the cloudy, cold, and snow-filled days of our homeland. (The day it was -22 in Wisconsin, it was 64 in Naw Oarlins.)

On the other hand, she has a lot of people for companions. Her companions can talk to her. They can discuss important things like the last episode of Downton Abby or the relative value of fashion winter boots and practical winter boots. They can turn to politics or humor to relieve tension. I'm looking at that last sentence. It might be a bit redundant.

I, on the other hand, have Lucy. Not surprising, the only things she is interested in communicating are her need to get outside to relieve herself, her need for attention, her desire for food, and her fear of thunderstorms. Limited as these occasions are obviously leaves a lot of time that she uses to sleep. While I envy her and actually tried to emulate her, I just can't sleep for twenty hours a day.

It happened again.
For some unknown reason, criminals in SE Lousiana turn themselves into authorities regularly. If this was unusual, it would be front-page news. But in the way of life in Louisiana,  this didn't appear at the top of the news cycle, and I think I know why. It's not really big news because it happens all of the time. The real question has to be, why do these alleged criminals turn themselves in?

This guy is accused of being part of a gang of stickup artists who moved their theater of operations from the street into some of the most trendy restaurants in the downtown area. Imagine you're dining with that special someone in a restaurant that has a surcharge for reservations and a menu that has no pricing. (If you have to know, you probably can't afford it.)

Think of the most expensive restaurant you can think of. Place yourself at a table with your spouse and some friends. As the waiter presents your multi-hundred dollar bottle of wine, four masked men walk in brandishing guns, order everyone down on the ground and proceed to gather up all of the patron's valuables. Shocking? Unbelievable? Yet this happened. last fall in New Orleans.

Three men were arrested early this week. Their pictures appeared in print and on television news reports. This is also something I don't remember seeing as much of in Wisconsin. The report also mentioned that the authorities were seeking a fourth person. This morning we got the news that that person had turned himself in.

The first question is, don't these guys realizing they have made the first step in a trip that may end up in Angola, one of the most notorious prisons in the US. Second, they are literally twenty miles to the Mississippi border. While getting involved with authorities in any southern state would not be pleasant, it seems to me the further you got from the cops that want you, the better your chances of staying free. But then, that's just me.

Okay, I'm going to admit it.
I'm into the latest rage. I'm coloring. Yeah, I bought a book of black o white representations of
The famous Impressionist Vincent Von Gogh. I purchased a selection of colored pencils. It is a strangely calming experience to be filling in between lines. I'm using some techniques I learned from my friends who paint. Building color by applying layers of different colors gives me a larger palate.

It is a return to my childhood? Given my age, I think that would be a long trip, and there would be a danger of getting lost. But I'll admit, it is childlike in its practice.

The End of this week's message from the Marshes of The Bayou Chinchuba. Close to Camp Jeff in Mandeville, Louisiana.









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