Update! Some things that I meant to include in the last post, but forgot in my haste to get it put up.
Fr. Deo called while the girls were out. He’s back in Rome after a short trip to Germany to visit his cousin Noeline and her husband. He’s on break from his studies and is enjoying the time. He also wished everyone a Happy New Year.
Hippo Birdy (belated) to Mags. Wish we could have spent it with you, but it was fun singing “Happy Birthday to You” while at dinner last night. This is a good time to wish Uncle Bill a Happy Birthday, too! We’re looking forward to seeing you in July!!!
Everyone leaves tomorrow. So sad to think about it. How will I drink coffee or tea? My granddaughter has been putting the sweetner and creamer in my coffee and/or tea. Soon I’ll have to start doing it for myself again.
OK. Now I’m off to the movie listing! TTFN!
January 1, 2006
Plop, Plop. Fizz, Fizz.
It’s a great start to a New Year!! Excerpts: As I was coming back in from walking Maynard, “Would you mind taking him out for a few more minutes? She (granddaughter) just vomited all over the floor right behind the door” and (from said granddaughter) “Here Maynard, lick my barf, lick my barf!! Look, he’s doing it!” Yeah, it’s gonna be a wizbang of a New Year, I can tell!
Now she’s dancing around the room, playing fetch with Maynard and watching Grandma hold “Evil Greenbird”.
Our daughter arrived late Friday night from New Orleans. Yesterday we got up and went out for breakfast at Brother Juniper’s. Since there was a 15 – 20 minute wait, which was more than likely ½ hour to 40 minutes, we went instead to Blue Plate Café, where we enjoyed a pleasant breakfast after waiting for only 10 minutes to be seated.
After breakfast we went SHOPPING!!! Mother and daughter were in their element. Memphis has a huge two-story mall where we spent about 3 hours. The three girls went in one direction, and my grandson and I went the other.
Oh, we also went to the Navy base and showed everyone where Linda and I work. We stopped at the exchange and commissary then drove back to Memphis, taking a leisurely route on country roads back to the mall. It was cool, sunny and very pretty.
After shopping we came home and got ready for dinner. Dinner was at Wang’s. When our grandson told his mom we were going to Wang’s for dinner she was less than enthused. She’s not a big fan of chicken wings, and thought he was saying “wings” with a Southern accent.
Wang’s was excellent. Our waiter (who departs for Atlanta on Tuesday) surprised us with not one, but two extra glasses of plum wine with dinner!! It’s a good thing the restaurant is just around the corner from the hotel. The food was, as usual, wonderful and everyone was stuffed to the max. Then he brought us fried ice cream and two orders of fried bananas. All in all a really nice dinner experience.
The drawback to the plum wine was that we were all too tired to stay up to usher in the New Year. I have to assume that my other children took care of that for us. We managed to hang in until 10:30, but that was it. I was awake at 12:04 when #3 son called to wish us a Happy New Year. Does that count? I didn’t think so.
Today we went to Brother Juniper’s for breakfast and were seated with no waiting. Everything was delicious and we all had a good time. Then it was back to the hotel via a circuitous route to see a bit more of the city. Then the ladies went out to… SHOP! Who would have guessed? Grandson and I stayed in the room where I took a well deserved nap while he entertained himself on his PSP.
So, how’s that for a New Year’s weekend? No booze (except for the plum wine with dinner (), no fireworks, but, as Linda observed, “the weekend’s not over yet.” We’re planning on a nice Mexican dinner (marguerita’s here we come!!) and perhaps a movie. I guess I need to go check the movie listings.
I hope everyone’s New Year observation was happy, healthy and uneventful and my wish for everyone is that the New Year bring you all that you desire, more than you deserve, and love in infinite quantity!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Now she’s dancing around the room, playing fetch with Maynard and watching Grandma hold “Evil Greenbird”.
Our daughter arrived late Friday night from New Orleans. Yesterday we got up and went out for breakfast at Brother Juniper’s. Since there was a 15 – 20 minute wait, which was more than likely ½ hour to 40 minutes, we went instead to Blue Plate Café, where we enjoyed a pleasant breakfast after waiting for only 10 minutes to be seated.
After breakfast we went SHOPPING!!! Mother and daughter were in their element. Memphis has a huge two-story mall where we spent about 3 hours. The three girls went in one direction, and my grandson and I went the other.
Oh, we also went to the Navy base and showed everyone where Linda and I work. We stopped at the exchange and commissary then drove back to Memphis, taking a leisurely route on country roads back to the mall. It was cool, sunny and very pretty.
After shopping we came home and got ready for dinner. Dinner was at Wang’s. When our grandson told his mom we were going to Wang’s for dinner she was less than enthused. She’s not a big fan of chicken wings, and thought he was saying “wings” with a Southern accent.
Wang’s was excellent. Our waiter (who departs for Atlanta on Tuesday) surprised us with not one, but two extra glasses of plum wine with dinner!! It’s a good thing the restaurant is just around the corner from the hotel. The food was, as usual, wonderful and everyone was stuffed to the max. Then he brought us fried ice cream and two orders of fried bananas. All in all a really nice dinner experience.
The drawback to the plum wine was that we were all too tired to stay up to usher in the New Year. I have to assume that my other children took care of that for us. We managed to hang in until 10:30, but that was it. I was awake at 12:04 when #3 son called to wish us a Happy New Year. Does that count? I didn’t think so.
Today we went to Brother Juniper’s for breakfast and were seated with no waiting. Everything was delicious and we all had a good time. Then it was back to the hotel via a circuitous route to see a bit more of the city. Then the ladies went out to… SHOP! Who would have guessed? Grandson and I stayed in the room where I took a well deserved nap while he entertained himself on his PSP.
So, how’s that for a New Year’s weekend? No booze (except for the plum wine with dinner (), no fireworks, but, as Linda observed, “the weekend’s not over yet.” We’re planning on a nice Mexican dinner (marguerita’s here we come!!) and perhaps a movie. I guess I need to go check the movie listings.
I hope everyone’s New Year observation was happy, healthy and uneventful and my wish for everyone is that the New Year bring you all that you desire, more than you deserve, and love in infinite quantity!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
December 30, 2005
NEW ORLEANS - WOMB OR TOMB???
A friend forwarded to me a copy of a letter that addresses the rebuilding of New Orleans much more eloquently than I ever could. I post it with the author’s permission.
December 28, 2005
New Orleans - Womb or Tomb?
A watery tomb or the warm waters of the womb? Welcome to the mystery of New Orleans.
How will this mystery be solved? Some say the old grand dame is dead or dying. Some say she is being reborn. Could it be that both events are happening at the same time?
Many arguments are being made about why New Orleans matters - attempts to justify the billions that it will take to rebuild our levees and our lives.
As a New Orleans native, I've made these arguments myself to well-meaning people that questioned me in my place of displacement. Like so many, I argue that we must rebuild because we are a port city . . . because of the oil and gas industry. But the truth is that the port could operate without an entire City around it, and so could the oil industry.
As a matter of fact, the country could relocate the film industry if Los Angeles was shaken off her foundations, and we could do without most major United States cities should calamity befall them.
So the arguments we make to the rest of the country based on the usefulness of New Orleans are missing an important ingredient.
Maybe we should rebuild New Orleans simply because we love her. She is home to hundreds of thousands of hard-working American citizens. She has a history and she has a future if her levees are properly rebuilt. We should be there for New Orleans because we are called to care for one another in the tough times. That's reason enough, isn't it?
But the utilitarian mindset - that someone is valued only to the extent that they are useful to someone else - is not limited to Katrina politics. It pervades the mindset of those who see human lives themselves as valuable only if they are useful - those who seek to use human embryos as spare parts for embryonic stem cell research, those who seek to use fetal parts from aborted babies, those who seek to euthanize the disabled because they are of no use to anyone.
And if we can apply the utilitarian mindset to human lives so easily, it's no wonder that we do the same to a beloved American city like New Orleans.
Though we natives often personify New Orleans, I realize that the geographic location is not a person, nor is a place entitled to be treated only as an ends not a means as we should treat all human beings. But New Orleans is properly personified because she is a community of people whose lives have been intertwined for generations. New Orleans is distinctive because her people live life to the full - we live to eat, instead of eating to live; we work hard and play hard; we cry with our neighbors' during losses, and we dance at jazz funerals. We live a culture of life.
Maybe New Orleans is better viewed as the womb itself - and her citizens are like vulnerable unborn children who need the protection of state of the art levees. We've taken a hit that has humbled us all. So when we ask for national help, we do not demand it from a sense of haughty pride. We are simply asking for help from those who we hope love us enough to help us protect ourselves and our families.
As an attorney who advocates for the sanctity of every human life, this author is inspired by Mother Teresa's reminder that our main purpose in this life is to learn how to love and be loved.
I think I knew how to love pretty well, but it took Katrina to teach so many of us to learn how to be loved by those who took us into their homes and their schools expecting nothing in return.
My family witnessed extraordinary selfless love in Phoenix, Arizona.
One gentlemen gave us the use of his car for two months, two schools took us in with waived tuition, families rallied to bring us meals at the home of my law partner who took us in where we lived with 10 people under one roof. The school families even sent us gas cards at a time when gas was over three dollars a gallon! That's love, and my family and I learned the great virtue of humility by finding ourselves suddenly on the receiving end. We were of no use to these generous people. They helped us simply out of love and concern.
We're back home now experiencing the surreal in-between of an expectant mother of a high-risk pregnancy. New Orleans experienced a watery tomb, but now she awaits rebirth in an expectant womb. Let's choose life for the new New Orleans. Just because we love her.
Dorinda C. Bordlee is Executive Director of the Bioethics Defense Fund, a public interest law firm that advocates for human rights from beginning to end. She can be contacted at dbordlee@BDFund.org.
December 28, 2005
New Orleans - Womb or Tomb?
Dorinda C. Bordlee, Esq.
Bioethics Defense Fund
bdfund.org
A watery tomb or the warm waters of the womb? Welcome to the mystery of New Orleans.
How will this mystery be solved? Some say the old grand dame is dead or dying. Some say she is being reborn. Could it be that both events are happening at the same time?
Many arguments are being made about why New Orleans matters - attempts to justify the billions that it will take to rebuild our levees and our lives.
As a New Orleans native, I've made these arguments myself to well-meaning people that questioned me in my place of displacement. Like so many, I argue that we must rebuild because we are a port city . . . because of the oil and gas industry. But the truth is that the port could operate without an entire City around it, and so could the oil industry.
As a matter of fact, the country could relocate the film industry if Los Angeles was shaken off her foundations, and we could do without most major United States cities should calamity befall them.
So the arguments we make to the rest of the country based on the usefulness of New Orleans are missing an important ingredient.
Maybe we should rebuild New Orleans simply because we love her. She is home to hundreds of thousands of hard-working American citizens. She has a history and she has a future if her levees are properly rebuilt. We should be there for New Orleans because we are called to care for one another in the tough times. That's reason enough, isn't it?
But the utilitarian mindset - that someone is valued only to the extent that they are useful to someone else - is not limited to Katrina politics. It pervades the mindset of those who see human lives themselves as valuable only if they are useful - those who seek to use human embryos as spare parts for embryonic stem cell research, those who seek to use fetal parts from aborted babies, those who seek to euthanize the disabled because they are of no use to anyone.
And if we can apply the utilitarian mindset to human lives so easily, it's no wonder that we do the same to a beloved American city like New Orleans.
Though we natives often personify New Orleans, I realize that the geographic location is not a person, nor is a place entitled to be treated only as an ends not a means as we should treat all human beings. But New Orleans is properly personified because she is a community of people whose lives have been intertwined for generations. New Orleans is distinctive because her people live life to the full - we live to eat, instead of eating to live; we work hard and play hard; we cry with our neighbors' during losses, and we dance at jazz funerals. We live a culture of life.
Maybe New Orleans is better viewed as the womb itself - and her citizens are like vulnerable unborn children who need the protection of state of the art levees. We've taken a hit that has humbled us all. So when we ask for national help, we do not demand it from a sense of haughty pride. We are simply asking for help from those who we hope love us enough to help us protect ourselves and our families.
As an attorney who advocates for the sanctity of every human life, this author is inspired by Mother Teresa's reminder that our main purpose in this life is to learn how to love and be loved.
I think I knew how to love pretty well, but it took Katrina to teach so many of us to learn how to be loved by those who took us into their homes and their schools expecting nothing in return.
My family witnessed extraordinary selfless love in Phoenix, Arizona.
One gentlemen gave us the use of his car for two months, two schools took us in with waived tuition, families rallied to bring us meals at the home of my law partner who took us in where we lived with 10 people under one roof. The school families even sent us gas cards at a time when gas was over three dollars a gallon! That's love, and my family and I learned the great virtue of humility by finding ourselves suddenly on the receiving end. We were of no use to these generous people. They helped us simply out of love and concern.
We're back home now experiencing the surreal in-between of an expectant mother of a high-risk pregnancy. New Orleans experienced a watery tomb, but now she awaits rebirth in an expectant womb. Let's choose life for the new New Orleans. Just because we love her.
Dorinda C. Bordlee is Executive Director of the Bioethics Defense Fund, a public interest law firm that advocates for human rights from beginning to end. She can be contacted at dbordlee@BDFund.org.
December 29, 2005
One Time, When I Was At Band Camp...
It’s Thursday, my first day back at work this week and already I’m sick of being here. Everyone (almost) is on holiday vacation and the place is pretty empty and quiet. I wish I were still in New Orleans with the rest of the family.
We arrived at our hotel at 8 PM last night, greeted by the sight of several buses in the parking lot. Another was in the back, and another arrived while we were unpacking our car. All were full of high school kids and chaperones, band geeks (self described by two young ladies riding up and down the elevators this morning) here for the Liberty Bowl. That ought to make the next couple of days pretty interesting. I guess we’ll be using the stairs a lot!
Although considerably cooler than in New Orleans, it wasn’t a chaps morning this morning. It was about 40 degrees, and actually pretty pleasant. There’s about a 15 degree difference between Memphis and New Orleans.
Thinking back on our recent visit, images of blue roofs and boarded up business establishments come to mind. It’s amazing how many businesses on the West Bank are still closed and may not reopen, although damage was, in many cases, negligible. Apparently many of the West Bank businesses’ employees lived in flood ravaged areas and are now living elsewhere, leaving the business community without a good personnel base. Driving down Manhattan Blvd was a strange mixture of new construction and closed businesses.
On our way out of the city we stopped at a MacDonald’s for lunch. While waiting in line for over 30 minutes, I observed that many of the people in line were Hispanic and apparently didn’t speak English. This should present an interesting cultural phenomenon. It appears that many migrant workers have come to Louisiana to capitalize on all the construction that is going on, and many of these workers are Hispanic who speak little or no English.
The local restaurants that have bilingual employees are probably few and far between, creating a sticky cultural gap. Perhaps some of these fast food restaurants that are offering higher salaries and bonuses to get workers should target bilingual people as potential employees, and give bonuses to them for having additional qualifications. Just a thought.
I saw a bumper sticker this morning that said, of all things, “Hang up and drive!”. Now, why didn’t I think of that? I could’ve made a fortune manufacturing HUAD bumper stickers. Then I could have branched out into HUAD magnetic car ribbons, and then to HUAD rubber wrist bands! I was probably too busy talking on my cell phone to think of it. Oh, well. Another missed opportunity.
It seems that if I happen to be in New Orleans next Wednesday, January 4th, between 0730 and 1600 (that’s 7:30am and 4pm, or for all you ex-marines out there, the big hand is on… oh, never mind) I will be allowed back into our building to retrieve any personal items that may have been left behind before the storm. Gee, I wonder if anyone would mind if I took Tuesday off to drive back to NOLA, went to the work site to retrieve stuff on Wednesday, and then took Thursday off to drive back to Memphis. Sounds like a “ROAD TRIP!!!” to me.
I’m off to justify my existence to Uncle Sam. Take care and God bless. Happy New Year.
We arrived at our hotel at 8 PM last night, greeted by the sight of several buses in the parking lot. Another was in the back, and another arrived while we were unpacking our car. All were full of high school kids and chaperones, band geeks (self described by two young ladies riding up and down the elevators this morning) here for the Liberty Bowl. That ought to make the next couple of days pretty interesting. I guess we’ll be using the stairs a lot!Although considerably cooler than in New Orleans, it wasn’t a chaps morning this morning. It was about 40 degrees, and actually pretty pleasant. There’s about a 15 degree difference between Memphis and New Orleans.
Thinking back on our recent visit, images of blue roofs and boarded up business establishments come to mind. It’s amazing how many businesses on the West Bank are still closed and may not reopen, although damage was, in many cases, negligible. Apparently many of the West Bank businesses’ employees lived in flood ravaged areas and are now living elsewhere, leaving the business community without a good personnel base. Driving down Manhattan Blvd was a strange mixture of new construction and closed businesses.
On our way out of the city we stopped at a MacDonald’s for lunch. While waiting in line for over 30 minutes, I observed that many of the people in line were Hispanic and apparently didn’t speak English. This should present an interesting cultural phenomenon. It appears that many migrant workers have come to Louisiana to capitalize on all the construction that is going on, and many of these workers are Hispanic who speak little or no English.
The local restaurants that have bilingual employees are probably few and far between, creating a sticky cultural gap. Perhaps some of these fast food restaurants that are offering higher salaries and bonuses to get workers should target bilingual people as potential employees, and give bonuses to them for having additional qualifications. Just a thought.
I saw a bumper sticker this morning that said, of all things, “Hang up and drive!”. Now, why didn’t I think of that? I could’ve made a fortune manufacturing HUAD bumper stickers. Then I could have branched out into HUAD magnetic car ribbons, and then to HUAD rubber wrist bands! I was probably too busy talking on my cell phone to think of it. Oh, well. Another missed opportunity.It seems that if I happen to be in New Orleans next Wednesday, January 4th, between 0730 and 1600 (that’s 7:30am and 4pm, or for all you ex-marines out there, the big hand is on… oh, never mind) I will be allowed back into our building to retrieve any personal items that may have been left behind before the storm. Gee, I wonder if anyone would mind if I took Tuesday off to drive back to NOLA, went to the work site to retrieve stuff on Wednesday, and then took Thursday off to drive back to Memphis. Sounds like a “ROAD TRIP!!!” to me.
I’m off to justify my existence to Uncle Sam. Take care and God bless. Happy New Year.
December 27, 2005
Tasting New Orleans Once Again!
We finally got to experience New Orleans today. We went to New Orleans Food and Spirits for lunch, and waited for a table. Then we had crawfish and corn soup (deeee-li-shus!!), Linda had gumbo as well, my son-in-law and I had the "Big Easy Steak Burger" (definitely in the top 5 best hamburgers in the city, pre-Katina even) and Linda had a shrimp po-boy with way too much mayo. She needed a shovel to remove it, and ended up not eating the bread anyway.
After lunch we went to Best Buy, and drove around the parking lot for awhile looking for a place to park. Then we went inside and looked for stuff that was sold out. At least I was able to get some screen cleaner and a holder for my cell phone.
Tonight we're at our daughter's house. Son-in-law made the best guacamole ever, refried black beans, homemade salsa and ground meat filling for tacos, tostadas, and burritos. I am so stuffed!! His culinary skills are awesome!
H2 made it to Houston along with H1 and his wife. For the uninitiated, #1 son is H1, and #2 son is H2 (#2 son spends so much time with brother and his wife that we started joking about her having 2 husbands, hence h1 and h2). H2 reported heavy traffic with several accidents along the way, so it took them awhile to get there. I hope the trip to Memphis tomorrow is trouble free.
We're bringing our grandson with us tomorrow. I hope he enjoys the trip and will have a good time. I guess as long as he has his PSP with him (Play Station Personal) he will be entertained.
We return to Memphis with wonderful memories of a very happy holiday! Everyone, I think, had a good time. We have much to be thankful for, not the least of which is family. It is truly heartwarming to see all the kids getting along so well. And this year we have the added pleasure of sharing Christmas with # 3 son's fiancé .
It is surprising to see how much Algiers is still full of trash and debris, yet Magazine Street has been cleaned up and spruced up and stores and restaurants are open for business. It seems like the city is not as focused on helping it's citizens back on their feet as it is bringing back businesses.
As we look forward to the new year, we keep you all in our prayers. May you receive the blessings of God in abundance, and share His love with everyone you meet in the following year.
After lunch we went to Best Buy, and drove around the parking lot for awhile looking for a place to park. Then we went inside and looked for stuff that was sold out. At least I was able to get some screen cleaner and a holder for my cell phone.
Tonight we're at our daughter's house. Son-in-law made the best guacamole ever, refried black beans, homemade salsa and ground meat filling for tacos, tostadas, and burritos. I am so stuffed!! His culinary skills are awesome!
H2 made it to Houston along with H1 and his wife. For the uninitiated, #1 son is H1, and #2 son is H2 (#2 son spends so much time with brother and his wife that we started joking about her having 2 husbands, hence h1 and h2). H2 reported heavy traffic with several accidents along the way, so it took them awhile to get there. I hope the trip to Memphis tomorrow is trouble free.
We're bringing our grandson with us tomorrow. I hope he enjoys the trip and will have a good time. I guess as long as he has his PSP with him (Play Station Personal) he will be entertained.
We return to Memphis with wonderful memories of a very happy holiday! Everyone, I think, had a good time. We have much to be thankful for, not the least of which is family. It is truly heartwarming to see all the kids getting along so well. And this year we have the added pleasure of sharing Christmas with # 3 son's fiancé .
It is surprising to see how much Algiers is still full of trash and debris, yet Magazine Street has been cleaned up and spruced up and stores and restaurants are open for business. It seems like the city is not as focused on helping it's citizens back on their feet as it is bringing back businesses.
As we look forward to the new year, we keep you all in our prayers. May you receive the blessings of God in abundance, and share His love with everyone you meet in the following year.
December 26, 2005
Happy Feast of St. Stephen!! Tonight the diaconate community of the Archdiocese of New Orleans gathers at St. Stephen's Church for Mass. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone. This will be the first gathering since Katrina, so I'm hoping for a good turnout.
You know how sometimes you just need to pamper yourself? Well, I decided it was my time, so I took out the foot bath/massager that was given to us last Christmas. I've spent an entire year thinking about trying it out, and finally today I did.
Note to self: When the instructions say "bath oil" it does NOT mean liquid soap!! My second attempt proved a little more successful and a little less sudsy! Very nice experience. I think I'll be bringing it up to Memphis.
The kids headed back to Houston today, and H2 went with them. He's going to spend a week visiting. I hope they have a safe trip and a pleasant visit. I know #2 son really misses #1 son and daughter-in-law since they've moved. Then it's up to Memphis for him to pick up his bedroom suite. Hopefully we'll also have a nice visit.
This coming weekend we look forward to a visit from our daughter as she comes to Memphis to retrieve our grandson. We're going to try to pack about 2 weeks worth of shopping and dining into 2 days for her!! I know she's looking forward to a taste of a "normal" life.
Speaking of normal, it has once again been an interesting visit to NOLA. There are trailers everywhere, and signs of more to come. Where ever there seems to be a bit of space, plumbing is being laid to support a trailer community. Of course it's necessary if people are to return and start rebuilding their lives, but it sure is an eye opener to actually see it in progress. And there are still US Army and Nat'l Guard units encamped around the area as well.
Other reminders of the past several months remain. While visiting with our daughter we noticed a couple of boxes of MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) and Miller Brewing Co. bottled water. We probably should have had the MREs for Christmas dinner. Although I personally have not had any, I hear that they are actually pretty good, a far cry from the old "C-Rats" that I have eaten.
I guess we'll be catching up on the local news when we get back to Memphis. Although we've cancelled the newspaper 3 times since Katrina, it is delivered faithfully every day, so we're greated with a stack of them whenever we return home. I wish they had been that consistent in their delivery before the storm.
The telephone company isn't doing much better. After our phone line was cut to make way for electric company trucks, it has been disconnected ever since. This is since September 8th. Since then we've cancelled our landline service, but we're still getting our phone bills like clockwork.
Well, that's news from NOLA for now. Take care and God bless you. Happy New Year!!
You know how sometimes you just need to pamper yourself? Well, I decided it was my time, so I took out the foot bath/massager that was given to us last Christmas. I've spent an entire year thinking about trying it out, and finally today I did.
Note to self: When the instructions say "bath oil" it does NOT mean liquid soap!! My second attempt proved a little more successful and a little less sudsy! Very nice experience. I think I'll be bringing it up to Memphis.The kids headed back to Houston today, and H2 went with them. He's going to spend a week visiting. I hope they have a safe trip and a pleasant visit. I know #2 son really misses #1 son and daughter-in-law since they've moved. Then it's up to Memphis for him to pick up his bedroom suite. Hopefully we'll also have a nice visit.
This coming weekend we look forward to a visit from our daughter as she comes to Memphis to retrieve our grandson. We're going to try to pack about 2 weeks worth of shopping and dining into 2 days for her!! I know she's looking forward to a taste of a "normal" life.
Speaking of normal, it has once again been an interesting visit to NOLA. There are trailers everywhere, and signs of more to come. Where ever there seems to be a bit of space, plumbing is being laid to support a trailer community. Of course it's necessary if people are to return and start rebuilding their lives, but it sure is an eye opener to actually see it in progress. And there are still US Army and Nat'l Guard units encamped around the area as well.
Other reminders of the past several months remain. While visiting with our daughter we noticed a couple of boxes of MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) and Miller Brewing Co. bottled water. We probably should have had the MREs for Christmas dinner. Although I personally have not had any, I hear that they are actually pretty good, a far cry from the old "C-Rats" that I have eaten.
I guess we'll be catching up on the local news when we get back to Memphis. Although we've cancelled the newspaper 3 times since Katrina, it is delivered faithfully every day, so we're greated with a stack of them whenever we return home. I wish they had been that consistent in their delivery before the storm.
The telephone company isn't doing much better. After our phone line was cut to make way for electric company trucks, it has been disconnected ever since. This is since September 8th. Since then we've cancelled our landline service, but we're still getting our phone bills like clockwork.
Well, that's news from NOLA for now. Take care and God bless you. Happy New Year!!
December 25, 2005
MIDNIGHT APPROACHES AND...
I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!! I hope the rest of this holiday season is a blessed one as we progress through the twelve days of Christmas to January 6th, the Feast of the Epiphany.
Our family Christmas was truly wonderful. All the kids went to Mass yesterday, most to 5PM and one to midnight. The church was decorated beautifully and the services were magnificent. What a glorious way to celebrate the coming of the Savior of the world!! Today we gathered together at our daughter and son-in-law's house for presents and dinner. Everyone was happy, healthy and well-fed. Our son-in-law is an amazing cook, and today was no exception! Our daughter-in-law was a wealth of entertaining information, helping to spice up the day's conversation. What a blast!
A special thank you to everyone for their thoughts and prayers throughout the past several months and through this Christmas season. We sincerely love you all and wish you all the best in the coming year. Take care and God bless you!! - Dean
Our family Christmas was truly wonderful. All the kids went to Mass yesterday, most to 5PM and one to midnight. The church was decorated beautifully and the services were magnificent. What a glorious way to celebrate the coming of the Savior of the world!! Today we gathered together at our daughter and son-in-law's house for presents and dinner. Everyone was happy, healthy and well-fed. Our son-in-law is an amazing cook, and today was no exception! Our daughter-in-law was a wealth of entertaining information, helping to spice up the day's conversation. What a blast!
A special thank you to everyone for their thoughts and prayers throughout the past several months and through this Christmas season. We sincerely love you all and wish you all the best in the coming year. Take care and God bless you!! - Dean
December 24, 2005
Jennifer Garner is HOT!!
I just want to say that Jennifer Garner is HOT! Of course, I say that in the most deaconly way possible… Anyway, the kids just gave me my belated birthday present from them: the first two seasons of Alias on DVD! Woo-hoo!! Who needs Kiefer Sutherland and “24” when you’ve got Jennifer Garner and “Alias”?
Today is Christmas Eve, 2005. Not to get on a rant again, BUT… it is NOT “Holiday Eve” people, so get with it! We wish you all the joys of the Christmas season. May your Christmas be a blessed one, with Our Lord in the center of the celebration. When you sit down for dinner with family and friends this Christmas, remember to give thanks to God for all that He has given you… life, health, family, friends… the things that really matter, not things that can be washed away in moments by the forces of nature.
All the kids are back together in New Orleans for Christmas. Now if I can just corral them all into going to church. That alone will bring joy to my heart.
Gotta go try to find food for Linda and I. Once again, Merry Christmas and, oh, while your at it, Happy New Year, too!
Today is Christmas Eve, 2005. Not to get on a rant again, BUT… it is NOT “Holiday Eve” people, so get with it! We wish you all the joys of the Christmas season. May your Christmas be a blessed one, with Our Lord in the center of the celebration. When you sit down for dinner with family and friends this Christmas, remember to give thanks to God for all that He has given you… life, health, family, friends… the things that really matter, not things that can be washed away in moments by the forces of nature.
All the kids are back together in New Orleans for Christmas. Now if I can just corral them all into going to church. That alone will bring joy to my heart.
Gotta go try to find food for Linda and I. Once again, Merry Christmas and, oh, while your at it, Happy New Year, too!
December 23, 2005
Way Down Yonder in New Orleans..
We're back in New Orleans! Yeah!! The drive was pleasant once we actually got on the road. The day started off by being awoken by Maynard at 4:20am because he needed to go out. So I got up, took him for a walk while Linda fixed his breakfast. When I got back to bed I was unable to go back to sleep, so I just lay there aggravated for what seemed like hours until I did drift off, only to first have the power go out just long enough to shut down my CPAP and wake me up gasping for air, then within 5 minutes the fire alarms went off. Linda called the front desk, who assured us that there was a fire and we needed to get out, so we grabbed the birds and the dog and went out to the parking lot to join the other guests there.
Several people had pets, so we stood with them and chatted. Turns out one family from Virginia was on their way to Texas. The wife is from Endicott, NY!! Small world! After about 1/2 hour of standing in the cold, we decided to load up the kids and pets and go to breakfast. I was in flip flops with no socks, and the other Mom was in her pj's. We had a nice time visiting with Olvy, Fran, Carmen and Elena. Carmen plays hockey and Elena is a gymnast. Very nice people. I hope our paths cross again sometime.
After breakfast we returned to the hotel, loaded up the car and hit the road. Our drive was nice and uneventful, but the folks heading North on I-55 had a heck of a time. It looked like a pickup pulling a mobile home had jacknifed on the highway. The trailer had turned around and was completely blocking both lanes of traffic as well as the shoulder. Cars were backed up in a dead stop, people were out standing in the neutral ground (median for those not from NOLA) and the highway had been shut down at the previous exit, about 5 or 6 miles further down the road, so traffic there was also backed up and stopped. Didn't look like anyone was hurt, thank God!
We just got a Christmas card from our daughter's friend from High School. Every year they send a card with pictures of their two adorable little boys. This year was no different, except there was an adorable little girl in the middle! That comes as a complete surprise. We had no idea she was even pregnant!! Congrats to them, and Merry Christmas, too!
Once we arrived in NOLA, we dropped off the pets and met Mick and Bev at a restaurant to catch up. They looked great, as always, and we had a really nice dinner and conversation. Can't wait to see them again on Monday, the feast of St. Stephen, patron saint of deacons. Every year the deacons from the Archdiocese of New Orleans gather for Mass and social at St. Stephen's Catholic Church on Napolean Avenue, and thankfully this year will be no different! Despite Katrina the deacons will gather once again to celebrate as a community. God is GOOD.
Life is still obviously not back to normal here on the West(Best)bank of New Orleans. One thing I've noticed is there seems to be a kind of "frontier" mentality where people act as if the laws are more suggestions than anything else, and common courtesy, which was in short supply among drivers before the storm anyway, seems to be missing as well. Hopefully this will change as more people return home.
Update on Kenny and Ellie... They have chosen July 1, 2006 for their wedding, to be held at Holy Name of Mary Church. And, I just might be the person who performs the nuptuals portion of the Mass. How COOL is that???
The Houston portion of our family should be coming in tomorrow. We're really looking forward to getting the whole family together again, and it's especially wonderful at Christmas. Pray for a safe trip for them.
A wish I have this season for everyone is that we can share the gift of love that God has given us. There is no better time than now to decide to mend fences, renew old friendships, make new friends, and care for those around us, especially those who can't care for themselves. Some suggestions... pick up the phone and make that call that should have been made eons ago! Let people in your life know how much you love them, before it's too late and all that is left are regrets. Invite a friend or neighbor to join you this year at your Christmas services. Call or visit a homeless shelter or soup kitchen and ask how best you can contribute to the welfare of their clients this Christmas season. As we celebrate God's gift of love through the birth of His Son, let's share that gift with everyone we can! God's blessings be on all of you!! - Dean
Several people had pets, so we stood with them and chatted. Turns out one family from Virginia was on their way to Texas. The wife is from Endicott, NY!! Small world! After about 1/2 hour of standing in the cold, we decided to load up the kids and pets and go to breakfast. I was in flip flops with no socks, and the other Mom was in her pj's. We had a nice time visiting with Olvy, Fran, Carmen and Elena. Carmen plays hockey and Elena is a gymnast. Very nice people. I hope our paths cross again sometime.
After breakfast we returned to the hotel, loaded up the car and hit the road. Our drive was nice and uneventful, but the folks heading North on I-55 had a heck of a time. It looked like a pickup pulling a mobile home had jacknifed on the highway. The trailer had turned around and was completely blocking both lanes of traffic as well as the shoulder. Cars were backed up in a dead stop, people were out standing in the neutral ground (median for those not from NOLA) and the highway had been shut down at the previous exit, about 5 or 6 miles further down the road, so traffic there was also backed up and stopped. Didn't look like anyone was hurt, thank God!
We just got a Christmas card from our daughter's friend from High School. Every year they send a card with pictures of their two adorable little boys. This year was no different, except there was an adorable little girl in the middle! That comes as a complete surprise. We had no idea she was even pregnant!! Congrats to them, and Merry Christmas, too!
Once we arrived in NOLA, we dropped off the pets and met Mick and Bev at a restaurant to catch up. They looked great, as always, and we had a really nice dinner and conversation. Can't wait to see them again on Monday, the feast of St. Stephen, patron saint of deacons. Every year the deacons from the Archdiocese of New Orleans gather for Mass and social at St. Stephen's Catholic Church on Napolean Avenue, and thankfully this year will be no different! Despite Katrina the deacons will gather once again to celebrate as a community. God is GOOD.
Life is still obviously not back to normal here on the West(Best)bank of New Orleans. One thing I've noticed is there seems to be a kind of "frontier" mentality where people act as if the laws are more suggestions than anything else, and common courtesy, which was in short supply among drivers before the storm anyway, seems to be missing as well. Hopefully this will change as more people return home.
Update on Kenny and Ellie... They have chosen July 1, 2006 for their wedding, to be held at Holy Name of Mary Church. And, I just might be the person who performs the nuptuals portion of the Mass. How COOL is that???
The Houston portion of our family should be coming in tomorrow. We're really looking forward to getting the whole family together again, and it's especially wonderful at Christmas. Pray for a safe trip for them.
A wish I have this season for everyone is that we can share the gift of love that God has given us. There is no better time than now to decide to mend fences, renew old friendships, make new friends, and care for those around us, especially those who can't care for themselves. Some suggestions... pick up the phone and make that call that should have been made eons ago! Let people in your life know how much you love them, before it's too late and all that is left are regrets. Invite a friend or neighbor to join you this year at your Christmas services. Call or visit a homeless shelter or soup kitchen and ask how best you can contribute to the welfare of their clients this Christmas season. As we celebrate God's gift of love through the birth of His Son, let's share that gift with everyone we can! God's blessings be on all of you!! - Dean
December 20, 2005
More Memphis Motel Musings
OK, kiddos. Enough with the "56" jokes. I get it already. I'm older than dirt. Fine, deal with it!
We went to our Chinese restaurant last night. We were planning to surprise our waiter with a small token of our appreciation, some New Orleans style gifts. We enjoyed a nice dinner, with him as our waiter. He managed to bring me a second glass of plum wine without my asking, and later brought one for Linda, also. Then, just as we suspected, he brought a large fried ice cream dessert. That is when we gave him his gift. He was very surprised, but seemed pleased. When we told him that we planned to bring our daughter and family in for dinner when they came to visit, he mentioned that he is leaving on January 2nd to move to Atlanta. We wished him well and assured him that we would miss him.
Looking back on the evening, what's up with that anyway? How come HE gets to leave Memphis before we do? Bummer!
Tonight was Corky's night. I ordered their BBQ pork and spaghetti 
plate. And guess what?!? It came with cole slaw!!! Yep, just like when I was growing up home in upstate NY. Linda never understands how cole slaw and spaghetti go together, but our waitress, who happened to be from Chi-town, said that she grew up with spaghetti and slaw, too! I have been VALIDATED! YES!!! (much pumping of hands here.)
I don't know if we're in desperate need of a sanity check or what. Every day I look at our car, then I look around the apartment at the bags and boxes that need to go back to NOLA with us. Then I mentally add in the luggage, pet supplies, Christmas dinner stuff we're purchasing here, then I look at the car again. It keeps getting smaller and smaller! And if that weren't crazy enough, tonight we bought a complete bedroom set. A queen size sleigh style bed, with dresser, chest, night table and mirror. Now we have to pick it up, store it, and finally get it back to NOLA for one of our sons. Let's see now, where was that sanity checker???
I've gotta tell you. Maynard is really a good dog! I've gotten pretty complacent lately, and I tend to take him out for his constitutional walks without putting him on the leash. Today as we were walking across the parking lot toward the grass, I realized that he had taken a quick turn and was headed off in a different direction. Looking over I saw someone else also walking his dog, but on a leash. I shouted, "Maynard!! No! Stop! Sit!" and by golly if he didn't stop and sit!
He sat there until I caught up and put on his leash. Then he got to "say hello" to Coco, the all white bulldog and something mix. Yep, he's a good dog.
Linda and I are really looking forward to next weekend. I'll be serving at the Saturday 5PM Christmas Vigil Mass, and also at the Midnight Mass, which is always beautiful. I'm hoping that all my children will join us at one or the other of services.
It will be great to be back at Holy Name of Mary parish, at least for a couple of days. I do miss everyone there. If you ever get to New Orleans, come on down to HNM for church. We'll be glad to have you.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!! - Dean
We went to our Chinese restaurant last night. We were planning to surprise our waiter with a small token of our appreciation, some New Orleans style gifts. We enjoyed a nice dinner, with him as our waiter. He managed to bring me a second glass of plum wine without my asking, and later brought one for Linda, also. Then, just as we suspected, he brought a large fried ice cream dessert. That is when we gave him his gift. He was very surprised, but seemed pleased. When we told him that we planned to bring our daughter and family in for dinner when they came to visit, he mentioned that he is leaving on January 2nd to move to Atlanta. We wished him well and assured him that we would miss him.
Looking back on the evening, what's up with that anyway? How come HE gets to leave Memphis before we do? Bummer!
Tonight was Corky's night. I ordered their BBQ pork and spaghetti 
plate. And guess what?!? It came with cole slaw!!! Yep, just like when I was growing up home in upstate NY. Linda never understands how cole slaw and spaghetti go together, but our waitress, who happened to be from Chi-town, said that she grew up with spaghetti and slaw, too! I have been VALIDATED! YES!!! (much pumping of hands here.)I don't know if we're in desperate need of a sanity check or what. Every day I look at our car, then I look around the apartment at the bags and boxes that need to go back to NOLA with us. Then I mentally add in the luggage, pet supplies, Christmas dinner stuff we're purchasing here, then I look at the car again. It keeps getting smaller and smaller! And if that weren't crazy enough, tonight we bought a complete bedroom set. A queen size sleigh style bed, with dresser, chest, night table and mirror. Now we have to pick it up, store it, and finally get it back to NOLA for one of our sons. Let's see now, where was that sanity checker???
I've gotta tell you. Maynard is really a good dog! I've gotten pretty complacent lately, and I tend to take him out for his constitutional walks without putting him on the leash. Today as we were walking across the parking lot toward the grass, I realized that he had taken a quick turn and was headed off in a different direction. Looking over I saw someone else also walking his dog, but on a leash. I shouted, "Maynard!! No! Stop! Sit!" and by golly if he didn't stop and sit!
He sat there until I caught up and put on his leash. Then he got to "say hello" to Coco, the all white bulldog and something mix. Yep, he's a good dog.
Linda and I are really looking forward to next weekend. I'll be serving at the Saturday 5PM Christmas Vigil Mass, and also at the Midnight Mass, which is always beautiful. I'm hoping that all my children will join us at one or the other of services.
It will be great to be back at Holy Name of Mary parish, at least for a couple of days. I do miss everyone there. If you ever get to New Orleans, come on down to HNM for church. We'll be glad to have you.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!! - Dean
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