Point Made

I had a long conversation with my landlord the other day. He was showing the house we rented from him to prospective renters. We are leaving in the middle of March for our return to Wisconsin. Our mission is complete here. There is a Democrat in the State House. It's time to get one in the Governor's mansion in Madison . (This my story, and I will stick to it.) He told me a story about how after Katrina struck New Orleans, his son had a tough time handling the loss of his friends and the family home. His friends didn't die. This young middle schooler merely lost track of them, as they scattered all over the area. This happened naturally as their families made decisions on how they would deal with the loss of their homes, neighborhoods, and schools. The young man experienced two middle schools and three high schools as his parents bounced around the Northshore trying to resettle. I suppose one could say that while this experience isn't anything you would wish on any...

It's come to my attention that while there is a noticeable absence of snow in SE Louisiana, there is an abundance of fog. It's all about the moderate temperatures and the onshore wind from the Gulf of Mexico. This morning the temperature is in the mid-fifties, and the matching dew point is fueling a moderate fog that will take a couple of hours to burn off and give us a sunny day. Having this short experience here might be an anomaly, but it appears to be a common experience. I'm making that judgment from the reaction of the weather people down here; they are not reporting this with that golly gee whiz was getting a lot of fog presentation.  Let me see, fog versus snow? Fog wins because you don't have to shovel it. Back to Provincial Environs. It's looking like the Jordello's (Jordan/Costello) will be relocating to Appleton. We are working with a landlord for a lease. Why Appleton? It's not that Maria has a job, although things are looking good. No, rath...

I was emailing my Granddaughter this morning. In a previous email, I had been extolling the experience and history of Mardi Gras. I mentioned that people go kinda crazy. She replied she might like to visit Mardi Gras someday. Her reservations reflected a concern for her safety amid the celebrated antic's of Mardi Gras attendees. I assured her that while it might sound somewhat threatening, she should experience it. I cautioned her that while I might be grousing about being stuck out here on the Northshore and all of its baggage, the City of New Orleans is different. Specifically, I said that you can find someone or a group of people with whom you can be comfortable in almost any major city. I know it's a cliche, but Cities are nothing but a collection of villages. Reflecting on that, I realize that while we, as a society, find ways of segregating ourselves, we habitat with like thinking people. From out and out ethnic ghettos to parish dominant neighborhoods, we have used o...

Oh Yeah! It's Mardi Gras time in SE Louisiana.  If you think that Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) is a one-day or possibly a weekend event, think again.  The celebration runs for almost two weeks.  While centered in the French Quater / Downtown of New Orleans, Mardi Gras extends its tentacles of celebratory madness to the Northshore of Lake Ponchartrain and down to Holma with stops in between. Mainly, these celebrations are parades of floats dignitaries and marching bands sponsored by Clubs or Krewes , as they are called here. These Krewes are launching Parades daily. Often two or three of these are happening in New Orleans while there are parades on the Northshore in one or two communities. My guess is, barring the ownership of a helicopter and significant planning, no one could attend the entire slate of parades. Many of the Krewes select Royalty. King, Queens, Captains, and Lieutenants reign over their parade and the subsequent Ball for one year. Th...

Gordon, for those of you that aren't aware, is the little Gecko lizard that shares my deck with me. Pride and  Prejudice Got to love people that speak their mind. While receiving a physical therapy treatment, I was privileged to hear a conversation between a patient and a therapist concerning a shooting in New Orleans. Louisianians have the kind of relationship with New Orleans that Wisconsinites have with Milwaukee. They are cities the rest of the state loves to hate. Everything that's wrong with society today starts with people that live in the city. Not surprising, both cities are minority-majority cities, and much of the bad things that happen involve black and Hispanic city dwellers. Like the TV stations in Milwaukee, the local TV broadcasters in New Orleans like to feature news articles involving shootings, carjacking, and other crimes that occur in the city. Unfortunately, there is enough for daily consumption.  The market for TV stations in New Orleans is s...

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 sh...

I kissed me, fair mate, on the lips, hugged her and let her go. She's on her way back to the frozen tundra. Somewhere there is a job, a new home and access to family and old friends. She will summon me when she has all of this arranged I'm staying here in Louisiana. I'm holding down the home front, taking care of the dog and starting to pack. We waited until the last minute for the launch of this voyage. Hey! We could have won the lottery. It's winter here, only it ain't I mowed the lawn today. January 14, 2016. I've watered some of our potted plants and the trees keep raining the leaves and seeds down on us. This is the longest fall season I've ever experienced. I'm not totally immune yet. We did return to Wisconsin over the holiday. The gods would decide to hit the state with a monster storm the day we drove to Milwaukee. After that experience, I find it hard to thank those gods for anything. Life Cycles As many of you know I have not been the...