We Meet Ginny S. And Cousins At Oak Alley

Oak Alley Plantation

On Tuesday of this week, I met Ginny S. and her cousins, Mary and Isabelle, at Oak Alley, pictured above, a beautiful plantation house on the Mississippi River not far from Thibodaux. The oak trees which create the alley going down to the River Road are estimated to be nearly 300 years old.

Ginny doesn't have a cell phone, and we had not discussed how we would recognize each other, but she had seen pictures of me online, so she came up to me first, and we went on from there. Ginny is No. 27 on my list of members of our blog world whom I now know face to face.

Mary, Isabelle, and Ginny grew up in Baton Rouge, and Ginny lived in New Orleans and Hammond, Louisiana, as an adult, so we had quite a bit in common. Grandpère was with me, the only man in a group of four women, but I think he likes that. He held his own.

Ginny S. does not have a blog, but many of you will recognize her handle from her comments around our little piece of the blogosphere. She mentioned at The Friends of Jake that she would be in the area, and I asked if perhaps we could meet for a meal, and - lo! - it worked out, and I got to meet the lovely Ginny and her two equally lovely cousins.

We went to lunch in the restaurant on the grounds first. The food was good. The conversation was excellent and always high-toned, which is as it should be with southern ladies. We laughed a lot, another very good thing. Although two of the four of us no longer live in the South, once a southern girl, always a southern girl, and try to keep us from letting the good times roll.



Here they be - the cousins - Isabelle, Ginny, and Mary.

After lunch, we toured the house, which is beautifully restored and furnished with pieces from the period when the house was completed in 1841. Sadly, only a couple of the original furnishings of the house remain.


Here be us - Mimi and Ginny.

After the house tour, we strolled around the grounds and spent more time talking and getting to know each other better at our leisure. I had not visited Oak Alley in years, and I was pleased to see what the owners have done since I was last there.

Grandpère took most of the pictures, so he is not included, but I managed to capture a rear view of him with Isabelle and Mary, as he waves his hands around as he talks, like a typical Cajun.



And now GP and I have three new friends. All in all, a lovely day, indeed!

UPDATE: One more picture with Isabelle to show the size of one of the oak trees.

A Fire Rainbow And The Northern Lights

THIS IS A FIRE RAINBOW - THE RAREST OF ALL NATURALLY OCCURRING ATMOSPHERIC PHENOMENA. THE PICTURE WAS CAPTURED RECENTLY ON THE IDAHO/WASHINGTON BORDER. THE EVENT LASTED ABOUT 1 HOUR.

CLOUDS HAVE TO BE CIRRUS, AT LEAST 20K FEET IN THE AIR, WITH JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF ICE CRYSTALS AND THE SUN HAS TO HIT THE CLOUDS AT PRECISELY 58 DEGREES.



THE NORTHERN LIGHTS

Since the Fire Rainbow is one of the rarest of naturally occurring atmospheric phenomena, I don't aspire ever to see it. However, for a quite some time, I have longed to see the Northern Lights. One day....

Thanks to Doug for the gorgeous pictures.

News From Roseann

From Pat-Arkansas:

Hello, Grandmere Mimi

This is Pat-Arkansas, a constant reader of your Wounded Bird blog, but not much one to leave comments. I know you have been keeping up with, and reporting, news on Roseann (thank you very much) so thought I would pass this on to you. You may share this, or not, as you choose. Roseann knows that I am writing to you.

This afternoon I visited Roseann at the hospital in Little Rock. I found her in good cheer (or putting on a really good front). She was so happy to tell me of your and Mad Priest's telephone calls. They did her a world of good and she is so grateful to have such wonderful and caring cyber-friends.

She has developed some additional medical problems (as though she needed anything else on her plate), but I'll let her tell that story should she choose to do so.

I hope to visit her again soon, either in hospital or at home.

Please continue to keep her in your prayers.

Thanks,

Patricia/Pat - Arkansas

Update On Tigger, The Cat

When Tigger was at the vet's office a week or so ago, he was diagnosed with an ear infection, along with the polyp growing in his head that will eventually be the end of him. To everyone's surprise, he has made a remarkable recovery as the antibiotics worked to clear up the infection. He is now walking, only occasionally stumbling, and still eating well with hand-feeding and water through a syringe. The polyp presses on his throat, thus making it impossible for him to eat on his own, but he can swallow.

On the way home from school, I asked the kids if they thought that cats went to heaven. Both children said yes. I said, "I think that one day we will all be together with our pets again." My grandson said, "I know it!"

Thanks be to God.

UPDATE: Tigger with my granddaughter.

Florida Road Sign

UPDATE: Dear me! I forgot to give due credit to Doug. I can't let that happen again. I don't want to lose a good source of material.

Help Pass The Matthew Shepard Act

I just watched a really powerful online video that I think you should see. Judy Shepard talks about losing her son Matthew to anti-gay hate violence and her ten-year fight for a federal hate crimes law that would honor his memory.

The House just passed the bill and we need the Senate to act soon. The right wing is spreading absurd lies, claiming it would send pastors to jail for giving anti-gay sermons. We need to fight back with the truth, and we don't have much time.

Please watch the video, and write your senators.

Thank you.

Sent by a reader.

UPDATE: Here's a video of Rep. Virginia Foxx on the floor of the US House showing an example of the push-back by those in opposition to the bill.



Until just a few minutes ago, there were no comments to this post, and I hoped that you were writing to your senators, even though you were not commenting here. When Fr. Bob's comment came in, I was in the act of watching the Foxx video, which includes a correction to her statements by Media Matters.

If you have not sent your letter to your senators, I'm nagging you to do it right now.

A HAPPY ENDING - 1773 SERE STREET

Some of you may remember that a couple of years ago, a group of us headed to New Orleans to gut a ruined house. When portions of the levee along the London Avenue Canal collapsed in the aftermath of Katrina, many homes in the Gentilly area of New Orleans flooded. We called ourselves the First Draft Krewe, because ScoutPrime and Athenae at First Draft organized the group who went to work at 1773 Sere Street under the direction of ACORN, which has overseen the reconstruction of 3,500 houses in New Orleans.

Our job was to strip the house down to the bare bones, removing all the inside materials which were rotted, mildewed, and ruined. The house had been completely submerged by the floodwaters. Trust me: it's a shit job, but we wanted to do our small part to help the folks in New Orleans come back.

When we (they really, because I could not do the heavy lifting) got to the kitchen, it was in terrible shape. Cockroaches and termites abounded in huge numbers. Many of us believed the house would be demolished in the end, because of the sorry condition of the kitchen. So why were we doing the difficult and dirty task?

The folks next door, who were well on their way to restoring their house, were quite grateful to have the mess next to them cleaned up. That was reason enough, and you never know. You do the assigned task without too much thinking and questioning because the folks at ACORN, who know what they're about, send you there.

The picture above shows the First Draft Krewe along with our partners, a fine group of students from Elon University, at the end of our work day. As you see, the pile of trash removed from the house is taller and wider than our rather large group.

Now the hero of this post is blogger Sinfonian, who recently returned to 1773 Sere Street to check it out. Pictured below is the termite- and roach-infested kitchen as it looks today.


I could hardly believe what I saw in the picture. Check out the house today at Blast Off!, Sinfonian's blog, at the link above. His story of the return visit and the other pictures of the house are simply amazing. (Links no longer active, alas.)

Thank you, Sinfonian, for taking the trouble and telling us the story.  Hugs and kisses to you. What a beautiful, happy ending - for a change. It seems as if I've been hearing way too much bad news.

Here's my post on our work day.

H/T to ScoutPrime for alerting me to the story.

SENIOR DRESS CODE

Many of us over 50, WAY over 50, or on the way to 50 are quite confused about how we should present ourselves.

We're unsure about the kind of image we are projecting and whether or not we are correct as we try to conform to current fashion.

In spite of what you may have seen on the streets, the following combinations DO NOT go together and should be avoided:

1. A nose ring and bifocals

2.. Spiked hair and bald spots

3. A pierced tongue and dentures

4. Miniskirts and support hose

5. Ankle bracelets and corn pads

6. Speedo's and cellulite

7. A belly button ring and a gall bladder surgery scar

8. Unbuttoned disco shirts and a heart monitor

9. Midriff shirts and a midriff bulge

10. Pierced nipples that hang below the waist

11. Bikinis and liver spots.

12. Short shorts and varicose veins.

13. Inline skates and a walker..


And the ultimate 'Bad Taste' in fashion for the older folks....

14. Thongs and Depends.


Please keep these basic guidelines foremost in your mind when
you shop.

Don't blame me. Blame Ann and Doug, who sent slightly different versions.

Posted without the picture that Doug sent along. Sorry, Doug, I couldn't take it, and my readers should thank me for not inflicting it on them.

Roseann - "...It Does Not Look Good"

I'm so very sad about the latest news from Roseann. Pray for Roseann and Gary and call if you'd like. I'm sorry, but I can't say more either.

From Sue:

Mimi, here is the latest from Roseann. Sorry I can't write any more.

S.

From Roseann:

This is the latest and I'm sorry to say it does not look good. I think I told you that the blood cultures came back positive and I know I told you about the persistent nausea. The really scary thing is now I am wasting. I am losing muscle mass at an alarming rate.

Dr. K told me I can eat whatever I want. I told him I wouldn't get anywhere trying to eat hospital food so he said forget hospital food and eat what I like, when I want. Gary is going to have Whole Foods fix me some shrimp cocktail, filet with hollandaise sauce, and chocolate mousse for dinner. My goal will be to eat at least a third of that tonight.

I've been with people who were wasting from AIDS and it is not pretty. Please pray that we can get this under control. It seems like things were looking up but now, not so much.

My phone number here at the hospital is XXX-XXX-XXXX. I would like for anyone to call me even to just say hi. Anyone from OCICBW or Common Round. If I can't talk for some reason I'll be honest and ask for a call back later. Our phone number at home is XXX-XXX-XXXX if you want to call Gary.

I'm very, very lonely and depressed and so is Gary. At least he gets to go to work and see his friends there but truth be told, we both are at a point where we want to just sit and cry. The dogs have even given up on trying to get Gary to play hedgehog. (all toys are named hedgehog)

Sorry to be such a downer but that is just where we are right now.

Love, R

O God, the strength of the weak and the comfort of sufferers: Mercifully accept our prayers, and grant to your servant Roseann the help of your power, that her sickness may be turned into health, and our sorrow into joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Note: If you'd like to have the phone numbers, you may email me, and if I know who you are, I will send them to you. I will take great care in giving out the numbers, as will MadPriest, who also has the numbers.

UPDATE: After I pulled myself together, and inspired by MadPriest, who had already called Roseann, I called her, too. It was wonderful to hear her voice. Roseann has great courage and determination. She does not give up, and we must not give up either. She loves her doctor, which is a huge plus, as she and Gary are at one with him regarding the care that she is receiving. Thanks be to God.

Another Notch In The Barrel

Today, I'm going to meet Ginny S., whose name you may have seen in our part of the blogosphere. The count of real-life friends that I've made through blogs grows and grows. I'm looking forward to meeting Ginny, because we have both lived in New Orleans and in Hammond, Louisiana. The two of us loved New Orleans, but neither of us felt very much at home in Hammond.

Grandpère and I lived in Hammond for five years, and I had three babies while we lived there. Imagine! My children are all natives of Hammond. What were the folks in Hammond thinking with the babies coming thick and fast? We finally caught on that I didn't have to have babies that often. We were slow learners.