Backroad Rambler

She's A Nut

2011-11-26T12:39:00.001-06:00

It was the Friday after Thanksgving. LSU was playing some people were predicting that Arkansas would stage an upset. Naturally the residents and day participants alike had to watch the game. By five o'clock the game was in the third quarter. LSU was leading 21 to 17 when Mr. Bobs family came to pick him up. He complained bitterly that they were taking him away from the game. I told him that he would be home soon and then he could finish the game. All movement in the hall stopped and everyone within ear shot turned to stare at me. Who was this unfeeling, uncultured philistine in their midst and how had she come to be there? I felt compelled to explain so I said; "My comment just goes to show how much I care about football which is really not at all." Their shock and silence deepened then one of the nursed began to laugh and she explained to everyone at large, "She is a nut but she is a nice nut."

RW

You Think I Would Go Out There?!!

2011-10-22T22:14:00.000-05:00

My sister came to visit me yesterday on her vacation. She is staying for a long weekend. When I got up this morning I saw her drinking from a bottle of Coke. You went out and bought a coke last night? I was a little surprised since she arrived late and she doesn't know the area at all. "Are you kidding?" she asked. "I lay here last night listening to the sirens go by and then the helicopters flew over. Then more sirens went by. I kept waiting for the guys with the blazing guns to come bursting in. You couldn't pay me to go out there at night! You must be awfully bored when you come to visit me. It's an exciting day if a police car pulls into the parking lot of my apartment complex."

LOL, I never heard anything at all. I guess I have become used to the sounds of the city.

RW

2011-10-13T20:42:00.000-05:00

So, as I was leaving work today a friend walked out with me. She commented on what a rough day it had been and observed that she thought we both probably felt like we had been run over and dragged a block by a street car and how bad that would be and all. I observed that we would probably feel much better if we had been run over and dragged by a street car. She looked at me like I was crazy so I elaborated. If we had been run over we would be unconscious I said. She began to see the light, "and we would wake up in the hospital", she said. And we would have good drugs and people would feel sorry for us, I pointed out. Which no is doing now and we wouldn't have to come to work tomorrow, she said. We walked toward our cars; "The street cars run every 15 minutes." she joked. Then as we headed our separate ways, she said,"see you tomorrow." Tomorrow", I agreed.

RW

Happy Birthday to ME!!

2011-09-30T00:02:00.002-05:00

So today was my birthday and I had a lot of fun. I slept in late and started my morning with a leisurely espresso with lots of foam just the way I like it. Later I roused myself and drove on around to the seminary where I met with friends and had lunch. Later we played a rousing round of frisbee golf. Actually it was my first ever game of frisbee golf but I enjoyed it so much that now I think I will by some golfing discs for myself. It was fun and my knee got a good but gentle workout chasing around after that errant disc. I completed my day with a photo safari and a dinner of pancakes at IHOP. Fortunately for me that is not the end of my birthday. This weekend I get to go camping with my sister. I am looking forward to that a lot. I plan to play in the water, Ride my bike and take more pictures. For now I leave you with a song that has become a birthday tradition in my family. I hope you like it.

RW

Things That Go Bang in the Evening

2011-09-28T21:28:00.004-05:00

I had a major test to take tonight. I was really freaked out about it actually because the instructor gave us TWO hours to complete the test. I studied like crazy for that test because I figured the length of time given to take it must indicate how tough it was going to be. It had discussion, multiple choice and true/false. It was an online test.

I was deep in the middle of the test and I was rushing because there was a storm happening outside, I was afraid that I would lose my internet connection and fail the test, when thunder shook my apartment. I heard a horrendous crash from the kitchen. I tried to think what could have broken.The teapot I got from grandmother? Or perhaps it was the bread dipping dish I bought last year on vacation in Virginia. It hangs on my wall and I really love that dish because of it's unusual finish. I ran into the room to check it out. The light fixture had fallen from the ceiling and shattered. The floor was covered in glass shards both large and small. I left the mess to clean up after I finished the test.

It seems that I may have been over anxious about the test. I think I did alright although I suspect that the personal mission statement I submitted is not long enough and I may lose points there. Ironically, the other test I took this morning was only 30 minutes long. I had studied for it and it was open book. I was not worried. I should have been apparently. Oh Well. Tomorrow is another day.

RW

Raccoon Rescue Lady

2011-09-24T10:02:00.001-05:00

This morning, I discovered to my chagrin that I have a reputation in the neighborhood. I am the raccoon rescue lady. I was sound asleep in bed when an insistent pounding started at my front door. It took a while to wake up and by the time I got there, my visitor was gone. Just as well I thought but since I was up I might as well stay up. So I began watering my plants and making a pot of coffee, morning things. So when the knocking started again, I was able to open the door in fairly short order. A woman and her son were standing on my doorstep. "I heard that you are the raccoon rescue lady", she said. "A raccoon needs to be rescued. Lord, I am so scared to go near that raccoon!" And so saying they led me down the street to a nearby apartment building where there was indeed a raccoon trapped in the dumpster. They agreed to supply the chair since they didn't have a step stool and cautiously I lowered it down next to the raccoon. He climbed out and wandered away with an exhausted stagger after about 10 minutes. The boy was thrilled and his mother relieved that she would not have to hear about it anymore. He asked me why I helped them rescue the raccoon, so I explained to him that God cares about every part of his creation. That meant animals as well as people. If we trust God, He will be there to take care of us.

I am glad that I was able to help but I sure hope that I am not called upon to perform many more rescues!

Anger

2011-09-22T20:20:00.000-05:00

I am a roiling, seething, cauldron of anger today. I have been for the last week and it is directly attributable to my job. I am a driver at a retirement home and that alone is a fairly stressful job. My official title is driver/activities. That means that I get to drive the bus and the car and be on call whenever someone needs a ride anywhere or an errand done. It also means that I get to ride herd on the day care participants. When I was first hired, I was really excited. I planned all these really great activities but I soon realized that I could not do them because I never knew when I would be called out to drive and there was no one to take over for me if I left. So I pretty much settled for the path of least resistance in order to meet as many obligations as I could. I used to have this job all to myself and some days I hardly knew if I was coming or going. When I was driving, I wasn't taking care of my other responsibilities but since driving is my first job it is also my first priority. My job also includes being responsible for fueling, cleaning and maintaining the company vehicles. These duties often got pushed aside or put on a back burner till I could get to them. Then I got help. I was really pretty excited at first. I thought that now I would have time to really do my job correctly and when I am on campus I would be there to assist with day care participants. I was a little jealous that she was going to have the time to plan the fun activities that I never could but that was ok. Now reality has set in and I find that I have even less time than ever before. Now I have even less time than ever before to perform the duties related to driving because the activities department believes that with two personnel there is no reason we should not both be on campus at all times unless I actually have to take someone home or to the doctor. Now I am being told when to take care of my duties and what to do after I have done them by people who don't have a clue about what my duties actually are. I used to be able to eat alone and even study or read my Bible on my break and get my head on straight after tense or stressful mornings. Today, I walked into work and prepared to go straight out and fuel the bus but my helper informed me that I couldn't do that because she had to prepare the craft that I was going to help the people work on while she helped set up for the party. I stood there serving the people their breakfasts and wishing for some adult conversation that had some basis in reality when it hit me that I was the one who got up and dressed in a uniform so I could drive myself to this place. It was my own fault that I am here and so I have decided that something must change. I am not sure whether that means I will end up looking for a new job or what but I do know that change is going to happen. Tomorrow we are shorthanded again so that will not be the day to do anything but starting Monday, my first loyalty will be to the driving portion of my job. After that, I will do all that I reasonably can. We will see if that is enough. I don't really want to have to find another job. I have been happy here for the most part and the pay is good. The people are really funny when I am able to enjoy them.

RW

The Sofa Saga

2011-09-11T16:10:00.001-05:00

A while ago I was offered a leather sofa and love seat for my living room. My boss who was offering it to me had it stored in her garage and she needed the space. I already had a nice sofa and love seat but this set was much nicer than mine so I said that if she gave me some time I would sell my furniture and then I would have room for hers. She said alright, so I listed my furniture on craigslist and put the word out to my friends. I wasn't asking much because I wanted to sell the furniture quickly. Several people called about it and I sent pictures, we agreed on times to meet so that they could buy the furniture but they never showed up. Then one day my bosses daughter came to visit her and saw the furniture and liked it. She was moving and needed furniture so my boss let me know that she was giving it to her instead of me. I was disappointed but eventually concluded that that I was happy with my furniture before and I would still be happy.

A couple of months passed and then last week my boss stopped me as I was leaving work and said that her daughter had never picked up the furniture. She asked if I still wanted it and I said yes. The only problem was that she was going on vacation and wanted to move it before they left. Now I had even more of a dead line than before. This time I posted it on freecycle. I also put signs with pictures up by the mail boxes at my apartment and in a nearby laundromat. I gave my email address, and phone number. This time many people called but still no one came for the furniture. Friday night came and I had to have it out by Saturday. By this time I was feeling very frustrated and a little angry. The only thing I was asking was that the new owners move the furniture themselves. I didn't think that was too much to ask since they would be getting a nice living room set for free. I prayed about it and then decided that if it wasn't gone by the time my boss was ready to deliver her furniture then I would put mine out on the curb with a for sale sign. In my neighborhood, I figured it would be stolen in less than an hour.

I woke up late Saturday morning and decided that I would begin moving the furniture as soon as I had had a bracing gourd of maté. Just as I sat down with my maté and my bible, I received a text. The grammar in it was terrible and I spent a few minutes contemplating whether it was some kind of joke. Then I decided to treat it as an answer to prayer since I had just been praying about it and see what happened. The text turned out to be genuine and soon Karine, a young french immersion elementary teacher, was knocking on my door. She was totally blown away by my furniture and couldn't believe that I was giving it to her for nothing. I was warmed by her response and attitude. When I found out that she was alone except for her 10 year old daughter and her mother, I offered to help her load and move the furniture. We had good conversation when I got to her house. Her mother was a very nice woman who spoke no English. With Karine translating and teaching me new French words as she went along, we communicated very well. We agreed to keep in touch and she offered to speak French to me. I am going to have to work on my vocabulary! I am going to enjoy my new friend very much.

As I thought back over the whole event, I realized that my frustration and anger had been wasted. God knew that Karine would need my furniture and I believe that he orchestrated events so that it would be there when she arrived in the US. I am glad to have been a part of this small plan and I am also very happy with my new furniture.

Saints Game Day Party

2011-09-08T22:31:00.001-05:00

We had a Saints Game party at work today. Every one wore their black and gold to work today and all the residents were dressed up in their Saints tee shirts. During craft time the residents made their own megaphones to shout through and Saints medallions to wear so that they could properly root for their team tonight. That party was something else. Seniors were up dancing with each other and the staff to the blaring music. M.E. is a very proper woman. She wears a hat and gloves on all occasions and walks with a cane but she was out there dancing up a storm. When the dancing was done there was food to eat; fried chicken wings, cheese cubes with crackers, little sandwiches, three different kinds of cake, and punch to wash it all down with. A couple of family members came through and pronounced that we have too much fun at the home and decided that they needed to move in too. It's a good thing that the residents had such a good time at the party because I Know that they are completely disgusted with the way this game is going. If those Saints don't watch out, they will all find a new team to root for!

RW

Delicious Smoothies

2011-09-08T22:10:00.000-05:00

This summer I have made an art of dining on Smoothies. Not only are they cool and nutritious on hot summer evenings but they also create very little mess and they don't heat up the kitchens.

My smoothy recipe is very flexible and lends itself to most any fruit I have on hand. Take about half a cup of plain Greek yogurt and a half cup milk and place them both in a blender. Add a tablespoon of milled flax, for the vitamin B and omega 3s. Throw in a banana (I prefer to use a frozen sliced banana and most of the fruit I use is frozen.) The banana give your smoothy a thicker, creamier texture and adds a natural sweetness to the drink. Next throw in any fruit combination that sounds tasty to you. I like to use summer fruits and melons. Occasionally I create a fruit free smoothy with cocoa powder, peanut butter and of course the frozen banana. One problem I had was deciding what to do with the left over smoothy when I have made too much for one meal. My solution was to by Popsicle molds. Once the popsicles are frozen they make a tasty snack anytime of the day!

RW

Lost and Found

2011-08-28T14:20:00.002-05:00

I have been shopping for a new church home for most of the summer. Not too long ago, I visited a yet another church. I arrived in time for Sunday School but didn't know which class to attend. The greeters at the front directed me to a class but qualified there choice by saying that there were several other single adult and women's Bible study groups if I didn't like this one. I responded by saying "Thank you, I am sure this will be fine." Then I arrived at the designated door and saw that the sign on the door - Lost and Found. That raised a fair number of questions in my mind about the class. One of the class members wandered up, introduced herself, and asked if I wanted to come in but I wanted more information before committing myself.

"Is this the name of your class?" Yes it is, she said. I asked, "Why is it called lost and found?" "Well," she said, "That is just the name of our class." "But why is it called that?" I wanted to know. "Is it a seeker class or a class for new members? What does lost and found mean?" Now my new acquaintance assumed a very serious although slightly patronizing expression. "Well, she explained, Lost is when you don't know Jesus and found is when you meet Jesus and are saved. Are you saved?" "Yes," I replied. "Then why don't you know what lost and found means?" she asked me. At this point I began to wonder if perhaps this room was the equivalent of the lost and found in my old church. There was a box in the church offices where lost odds and ends came to rest. It was filled with Bibles, baseball caps, shirts and sun glasses. Usually the items were scuffed and scratched and no one really wanted them anyway. Was this class the human Christian equivalent? Or perhaps it was the room for misfit Christians like Christmas Island for misfit toys. If I went in would I meet the abominable snowman? It might be worth it if I did. I always kind of liked the abominable. I did not share my thoughts with my new acquaintance. I just said that I thought I would go look for another class much to her relief. I think she thought I asked altogether too many questions.

RW

The Public Service Finger

2011-08-03T20:59:00.002-05:00

This is a picture of my current maté gourd. Maté for those of you who don't know is a very strong green tea native to South America. Maté is traditionally consumed from a gourd. The leaves are placed into the gourd and water is poured through them. A slotted straw or bombilla is inserted into the leaves. The straw filters out the leaves as the tea is consumed. Hot water is continually added to the gourd until the leaves become too weak to provide good flavor. At that point the gourd is emptied and more leaves are added. I am very fond of maté and can drink it anytime although I enjoy it best on a weekend mornings when I have nothing better to do than sip from my gourd and meditate through the steam. Unfortunately that is a rather rare occurrence and I most often carry my maté with me as I am heading out the door to work. My maté gourd is a good one but it is small which is what makes it the perfect size for my commute to work each morning. It holds just enough maté to last all the way to work but not so much that I find it necessary to carry it inside to finish the gourd. Some people are a little unsure of my maté. They tell me that it looks slightly illegal. While they accept that I would not bring an illegal substance to work, I find that at times it generates much more conversation and questions than I feel like dealing with.

This morning was a good morning. I was driving to work rocking out to the music on my radio and sipping my maté as I drove. There was no hurry and traffic was moving smoothly so I got into my lane and just flowed along with it. Suddenly, a huge horn sound just behind my bumper from the other lane. After a moment of near panic, I realized that I was not being run down by a run away semi. The fire truck behind and beside me was honking apparently at me. As I tried to understand what it was that they wanted, it pulled along beside me and the fireman in the passenger seat leaned out the window and shot me the finger! I was beyond shocked; I was filled with anger and righteous indignation. He wasn't even a cute fireman, just a homely balding guy in a boring blue shirt although why that mattered I can't really say. I would catch up to that truck and get it's number and then I was going to report them for their unprofessional and unseemly behavior. I caught up and passed them as I got the number. At the next red light I pulled out my phone to make the call. Just as the phone began to right, the light changed and the truck caught up to me and again honked and gave me the finger. The phone was still ringing. I took a couple of very angry sips of my maté and looked down to see if I needed more water and suddenly I understood. They thought I was doing drugs and driving my car. The miserable homely bald guy was expressing his outrage at my reprehensible behavior by giving me a public service finger. I laughed all the way the work.

RW

SAN FERMIN IN NUEVA ORLEANS

2011-07-10T21:20:00.005-05:00

SAN FERMIN IN NUEVA ORLEANS or The Running of the Bulls is a uniquely wacky festival that pay homage to The Running of the Bulls Festival of Pamplona, Spain. The most notable difference between the bull run of Spain and that of New Orleans is that the bulls are members of The Big Easy Rollergirls as well as some other select rollerderby teams from across the Nation. This year's event ran from July 7 - July 10. I wandered through the after party Saturday morning on my way to the farmers market. I had planned to be there in time to witness the run itself but when the time came I could not talk myself out of my comfortable bed. Look here for further information about this unusual local festival.

RW

Memorial Day Weekend 2011 day one

2011-05-28T22:08:00.002-05:00

Today I slept late and woke with a pounding headache so I took the morning slow and easy, not even getting out of bed before 8am. That counts as an incredibly luxurious sleep in for me. After I was awake and had had my first gourd of maté I got busy experimenting with a blueberry waffle recipe that I have been altering in my mind for a while now. I cannot eat eggs and can no long use my favorite recipe that I found many years ago in "The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American." The secret to the recipe was to whip the egg whites into a meringue and gently fold them into the batter. I think that I am on the path at last to reproducing that recipe minus the egg whits. Of course the cooking meant that I needed to do some cleaning afterward. And I played. I found a new reason to love my nook. The instruction manual for my new camera has very small print and the booklet itself is quite small, making it awkward to read. The diagrams are also hard to decipher. Then the other day it occurred to me that I could probably find it online and that I would be able to make the print as large as I desired. I found it today and realized that since it is in pdf format, I could place it on my nook making it very convenient to read. Happy Me! I watched some of my favorite shows online and I went shopping. I was looking for some lighter more comfortable pants to wear to work. I didn't find them but I did come away with some new hiking sandals, and a pretty t-shirt. I visited a camera shop in search of a new camera bag and I did find one but not there. I had a lot of plans for my day yesterday and I didn't do any of them but I did get a lot done and I had a good time.

RW

Missions of Mercy

2011-05-22T21:05:00.003-05:00

This weekend I drove to the Mississippi Gulf coast region and along with a group of like minded individuals painted a local soup kitchen that serves homeless people. The work was hard but it felt good to stretch my muscles and know that what I was doing was going to directly benefit the people of that community. While I was there I also got the privilege of helping to serve the meal. The clients had to eat picnic style at tables set up in the parking lot because we were painting the dining room. The sun was hot but the food was good and they all seemed to enjoy it. Later we sat at the tables and ate our sandwiches and sodas. We finished the project by late afternoon. I was hot, sweaty and paint speckled when we were finished but I was glad I came.

This afternoon I drove back home. When I got here I heard a loud chirring from the direction of the dumpster so after I unloaded my car I went to investigate. It turned out that a very small raccoon, hardly more than a pup, had fallen into the dumpster or more likely had jumped in to get at the scraps in the trash and was unable to get out. My presence frightened it out of the few wits it had left and it tunneled it's way beneath the trash in the corner in an attempt to hide. I could not stand the thought of it dying in there of heat, thirst and starvation so I began to try to devise a plan of rescue. First I place my broom in and leaned it in the corner hoping that the raccoon would climb it and escape. That was not a success but fortunately I remembered my step stool. It is very short but I was able to place it so that the top was only two feet below the top of the dumpster. I stood back and waited. In very short order I saw two claws grasp the edge as the raccoon made good his escape. Now he is sitting in the tree by the dumpster calling for his mother. I am confident that the family will soon be reunited and all will be well in their furry little lives for one more night. Two very different missions but they were both incredibly rewarding!

RW

Dinner at the Cowbell

2011-04-17T09:52:00.008-05:00

I was driving home along River Road last night from Audubon Park when I saw Boogie and Wish have dinner in front of the Cowbell while their owners ate at the outdoor table. I have seen many horses along the levee but this was unusual even for New Orleans so I stopped to eat, converse and take pictures. It was my first visit to the self-proclaimed, locally world famous Cowbell. I spoke a while with Boogie's owner who told me tales of surviving in New Orleans after Katrina with Boogie as her only source of transportation. She still rides him many places but she can no longer take him down Canal to go shopping and leave him tied to a handy light post like she did back then.

I quickly realized that contrary to it's name and appearance, I was under dressed for the occasion in the t-shirt and capris that I had worn to go birding that afternoon. The diners were a mixed lot ranging from college students, tourists and middle age couples out for a Saturday night date. The wait staff were friendly and wore an eclectic mix of aprons. The restraunt was crowded and all the single or double tables were taken. My waitress seated me at a long bench with a group of college students who were pleasant but preoccupied with some serious beer tasting. They had brought 4 six packs of locally produced beers and were critiquing each one. A business woman was seated at the bar drinking a red wine with her bar-b-qued rib eye steak while a couple behind me seemed to be celebrating with a bottle of champagne.

The menu was small but featured soups, salads hamburgers and steaks. I chose the special of the day; a brie with granny smith apple slices and ham, grilled cheese sandwich with a cup of cream of tomato with basil soup. The food when it arrived was delicious. I will definitely be returning to the Cowbell in the future. If you are ever at the corner of Oak and River Road, I recommend you stop for lunch or dinner. I can't guarantee that Boogie or Wish will be there though.

RW

April Fool

2011-04-01T19:47:00.007-05:00

This is too funny. I am surprised that I never heard of this prank before but I got a good laugh out of it today both because of the prank itself and the reaction it got at the time and the reaction today from the residents during our history of April Fools day segment of News Currents. This originally appeared on British tv as an April Fools joke. I wonder if the gmail motion prank will be as successful as this one?

RW

Severe Weather

2011-03-29T19:27:00.004-05:00

I started a new exercise program this month. Basically it just involves using my wii more regularly and walking a lot more. I detest walking without a purpose so I have started parking my car 6 to 8 blocks away from my job site and walking to and from work each day. While this plan is very practical and works well; it gave me quite a bit of anxiety when I was first considering it. The main thing was I was just leaving my truck somewhere that I wasn't. What if something happened to it? What if is was stolen? I finally came to the realization that anything that happened to it there could happen at work too and I still would not be able to prevent it. So I began my experiment.

I quickly learned that I would have to change my lifestyle. I used to bring quite a few things to work each day: my lunch, a book or two to read at lunch, my coffee, my purse, my camera (in case I saw something photo worthy), and sometimes my computer. I have pared this down to just my coffee, my camera (sometimes), and my purse. I also discovered that I needed to pay closer attention to the weather each day.

This morning I checked the weather and saw that rain and thunder storms were predicted for tomorrow morning ahead of a front that is supposed to come through. I checked the radar online and decided that it was safe to walk to work and so I did, leaving my umbrella safely locked in my truck. By mid afternoon the prediction was for the storms to begin by this evening. They are supposed to be severe with the possibility of hail. The clouds built all afternoon and I began to regret my decision this morning. By the time I dropped off my last client lightening and thunder were rumbling in the distance. I still had to drive back into the CBD and drop off the company car before I could get to my truck and head home. I counted the time between the lightening flashes and the peals of thunder as I walked along. At 8 blocks it was 4 miles away, at 4 it was 2 miles away, and by the time I had reached my truck it was raining in earnest.

The drive home is never fast and tonight it was very slow indeed. By the time I reached my neighborhood the water was already as deep as it was 2 weeks ago during the big rain. I was really worried I wasn't going to be able to reach home. I lost power steering again and the belts were squealing like a dieing pig but I made it. I refer to storm the that happened a few weeks ago as the big storm and my coworkers are amused because in truth it wasn't really all that big a storm, the water was just deep. I have driven through deeper water in the past as well but in this case, the sight of all those large suvs drowned in the road that scared me; well that and the canal in the middle of the road that was over flowing it's banks. Once when I was a paper carrier, I drove my geo metro through a small stream that ran over the top of a dam. I knew that if I didn't deliver the papers, I would have to come out again in the morning after the stream had returned to it's banks. I couldn't see much more than the fact that the water had already covered the low water crossing and that it was still rising. I couldn't tell how deep it was or exactly where the road was when I went in. Going was alright but when I made the return crossing the force of the water picked up my car and began to shove it toward the edge of the dam. I could feel the wheels spinning in the gravel along the bottom as the car slowly moved toward the lip of the dam. Water began pouring in under the driver side door as the water piled up against that side of the car. Finally, just as I was giving up hope, God answered my prayers and the tires caught on something giving me enough momentum to reach the bank. I got back on the road and sat there shaking for quite a while. I realize now that God saved me from so many things back then; I think he mostly saved me from myself. Tomorrow if it is still raining and the water is deep, I am just going to be late to work. I am not going to have another adventure to tell!

RW

Eating Mulberries

2011-03-26T16:26:00.003-05:00

One of my best summer memories is of eating mulberries. There was a mulberry tree in the yard one of the houses where lived when I was in grade school. I can't remember now who first told me what kind of tree it was or that the fruit was good to eat. Perhaps it is just one of those things that a child knows. In any case I remember that my brothers and I would climb up into the branches of the tree and plan adventures while we ate mulberries. Sometimes I climbed the tree alone. I always climbed as high as I could because the best and the sweetest fruit is always at the top of the tree. Then I sat on the branch I had chosen while leaning back against the trunk of the tree. I remember the fresh, sweet, and tart flavor of the fruit as it burst in my mouth and the sway of the branches as the tree moved in the breeze. I was mesmerized by the sound of the wind and the play of the light and green shadows dancing against my skin. When I came down my hands and face were always stained with the black juice of the berry. At the end of the day my brothers and I jumped down from the tree when we saw our father's car turn into the driveway. The first thing he said when he saw us was "I told you not to eat those berries, you'll get worms! Mulberries are for birds, not people." I guess we never really believed him because we kept eating the berries.

There is a mulberry tree growing outside my apartment. The pavement of the parking lot is covered with the pulp of smashed berries. It is a different variety than the one from my childhood and at first that kept me from identifying it correctly. The fruit is a greenish white in color indicating that it is an Asian mulberry instead of a black mulberry but the fruit is just as sweet as I remember. The branches are too high for me to reach easily and too thin to support my adult weight. I can only reach the berries hanging from the lowest boughs. I horrified my neighbors today by carrying my step ladder out so that I could reach more berries. They warned me that I would get worms if I ate those berries and they are now convinced that I am crazy. It was worth it though; they were delicious!

RW

Jake the Snake

2011-03-17T18:36:00.002-05:00

Jake the Snake visited FOTH Retirement Home today. He came with his two people (Jake is a puppet) to help them and the residents of FOTH celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Jake had a lot to tell the residents about the venerable St Patrick, who, if one believes Jake wasn't so venerable after all. Jake said that he had had personal acquaintance with good ol Paddy back in the day and he never drove out the snakes. Why if he drove out the snakes then why did Jake come from Ireland and have an Irish accent? Why are his relatives alive and well in Ireland? Why he has vacation plans to go see his family just next month, don't you know? Further more, Patrick wasn't even a saint and he wasn't captured from his home in England and held as a slave all those years. He had actually been in JAIL, don't you know. After letting us all in on the true nature of St. Patrick, Jake did concede that it was fun to go to the parades and any reason is a good reason to have a parade so no harm is done by all those horrible nasty lies perpetuated in the name of that rascal Patrick.

Once the history lesson was over Jake proceeded to do some magic tricks and tell a few jokes for his audience. Since he had no arms and the rest of us don't speak snake, his lady was happy to translate for him and help with the tricks. His lady was wearing a very form fitting tee shirt and white shorts. Under the shorts she had on a pair of green and white striped tights. She carried a TWO white umbrellas that were decorated with green and white boas (perhaps to help Jake feel more at home?) Jake's man looked like a clown with a green bowler hat. Finally Jake the Snake and his people left and everyone was able to relax and have some tea and dessert.

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

RW

Big Storm Today

2011-03-09T08:53:00.002-06:00

We had a big storm in my area today. The wind was so strong that it blew the rain in under my front door and knocked over all my house plants. I did not realize how strong and violent the storm had been till I opened my front door and found my plants strewn in front of it. I heard a strange sound and realized that it was traffic trying to navigate the flooded road. I waited as long as I could and tried to get to work myself. I got out of my street and thought that probably the worst was over till I got down into the CBD. I was prepared to walk the rest of the way into work after that. I was wrong though. I never reached Causeway. I reached an intersection near a local school where eight vehicles had flooded and been abandoned in the road. I managed to get around those but when I looked ahead and realized that the water was only getting deeper I turned around. By the time I reached home the belts in my truck were wet and I had no power steering and no brakes. That was pretty scary. Now I am waiting for the belts to dry out and the water to subside before I try again.

RW

Recliner Withdrawal

2011-01-15T21:35:00.004-06:00

Until today I had a quite disreputable recliner. The fabric on the chair was a faded and stained. One of the arm covers was missing. The springs were sprung and if I sat in it too long, it gave me a back ache. In short it was not comfortable but it was where I started and ended most of my days. I loved to have my quiet time there each morning with my Bible and my cup of coffee. The close of each day often found me there again with a glass of diet coke, a book and a blanket to snuggle with. It was comforting.

I got rid of it because I got a new couch and blue chair looked even sadder sitting there next to it. I considered covering it but I knew it's time had come and gone a long time ago. I kept it because it reminded of the time after Katrina and of all the friends and strangers who helped me then by giving a place to stay and clothes to wear. Later they gave me household items to get me started when I got a place of my own again.

I have always been this way. As a child I held on to things long past their usefulness. I once had a red sweater that a friend gave me. We moved but it still reminded me of her and I wore it almost every day. When holes wore into it, I did my best to patch them and sew them up. The seam came unraveled and still I kept on wearing it. My mother threw it away probably a hundred times but I would find and rescue it. My mother finally won that battle but she did not cure me of holding on to things.

When the guys came yesterday, I asked them to throw the chair in the dumpster because I knew that if they didn't I would probably end up dragging it back inside at the end of the day. Even now I would probably go get it if I could and that is truly terrible. Lord only knows what kind of horrible germs that dumpster harbors! I know that soon I will find just the right recliner for me and my living room. In the meantime, I am learning to hold onto good memories while releasing the worn out reminders.

I really love my new furniture by the way.

RW

New Year

2011-01-01T15:06:00.002-06:00

I don't think I really did much last year. It seemed to me that I spent the majority of my time keeping just trying to balance my work and school life. As a result, I had very little personal life that seemed worthy of blogging. My camera didn't get out much and neither did I. In spite of this, I did accomplish a few things. I passed a particular class that I had had to repeat. I was ill near the end of the class and despite having completed most of the work, I despaired of actually finishing. I stuck it out however and earned a B. I did not finish the paper till 7am of the day it was due. I worked on it all night, laid down for and hour and went to lunch, and then turned it in on my lunch break. I was so happy and relieved when I read that I had passed! I had convinced myself that the final paper was horrible and that I could never pass. I still have not had the courage to go back and read the final product of all my labors

I went to Longue vue Gardens with my sis. That was a lot of fun and a much needed break. I went on a trip with some of the residents from work. That is a blog in itself so I will save it for later. So even though the year seemed uneventful and not very blog-able a lot did occur. I am looking forward to the new year with great expectation.

RW

Have Your Duck and Eat it Too

2010-10-08T12:25:00.003-05:00

Yesterday at work management appreciated the dietary department by taking them out to eat at Zea's. Happily for me, I was also invited since I am the bus driver. We were permitted to order whatever we wanted. As a general rule, I am an adventurous eater unless I am being particularly diet or budget conscious at the moment. Yesterday I considered a grilled chicken salad (diet conscious), the Thai ribs (they are delicious and I have had them before), and finally the Twice cooked duck (which I have never had.) As a matter of fact, I had never eaten duck before so the choice was obvious. I needed to try the duck. The atmosphere of the restaurant is pleasant and the company was boisterous. When I wasn't listening to my lunch companions, I was listening to the table next to us. They were a family of undertakers discussing business and a recent family reunion. Apparently one of the family had passed and they had some pretty definite opinions concerning Uncle Joe's final remains. I found the mixture of shop and family talk quite funny.

In the course of time, the duck arrived. It was crispy and juicy. The was a lightly sweet and fiery hot sauce served with it that really enhanced the flavor of the duck. It was not at all oily, gamy or greasy as I had been led to believe that duck would be. As a matter of fact, the pesto chicken with penne pasta that I would have been eating at work that day was much more oily. Today I reheated the other half of the duck for lunch and it was a bit dry but still delicious.

When I returned to work, my boss asked me to come to her office. After she had covered what she wanted to talk to me about, she asked me what I had ordered. I was unprepared for the level of horror she expressed when I told her. "You order DUCK? And you ATE it. Wasn't it HORRIBLE and GAMY? How COULD you?" This is the woman who goes to the wild game dinner at her church every year. I wonder what she eats. When I asked her what was served last year, she told me that they had had bear, goat, buffalo and nutria (I personally thought that eating nutria was pretty disgusting.) So I said that it hadn't been gamy but that gamy wasn't always a bad thing. I had tried deer, rattlesnake, rabbit, and armadillo before and enjoyed them(not as a constant diet mind.) My poor boss just about fainted. "ARMADILLO! You at armadillo? Oh, Oh. That is just disgusting! How did they get the shell off? Uhh! I have lost my appetite for the rest of the day. You can go now." I don't think that she is going to ask what I had for lunch anymore.

RW

Happy Birthday Bethany!

2010-10-06T09:15:00.001-05:00

Longue Vue House and Gardens - A Day Trip 1

2010-10-05T07:30:00.003-05:00

Last week I visited Longue Vue House and Gardens with my sis. We made a day of it, taking pictures and stopping for lunch afterward. Even though the day began with rain, it soon cleared and we had a wonderful time exploring the grounds. Many things impressed me about the home and gardens. One of those things was the fact that the huge oaks that lined the drive leading up to the house had at one time been wired to train the branches to arch over the drive and frame the house. This amazed me. I have seen small trees shaped using this method and I have played around with bonsai but I never would have suspected that such techniques would have been applied to these majestic oaks.

One of the spots I liked best in the garden was a small brick reading nook I found by a lily pond. Inside I found a weathered wood bench and bookcase. Above the bench was a wood carving of Puss n Boots dueling with a wolf. Sitting on the bench and looking out through the window and doors provided me a view with a view of a wild and beautiful place where anything might happen. Even an encounter with the infamous Puss n Boots would have been believable. I was unable to get the text and pictures to work together so I have included them in the next entry. I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoyed taking them. If you ever have a chance to check out Longue Vue House and Gardens, it will be well worth your time.

RW

Longue Vue House and Gardens - A Day Trip

2010-10-04T22:09:00.005-05:00

"This is Your Life" by Switchfoot

2010-06-16T22:20:00.002-05:00

I really like this one. Awesome lyrics.

RW

Selfish Desires

2010-05-30T13:12:00.002-05:00

Memorial Day weekend and I have to work. It is my own fault. One of the residents asked me quite a long time ago if I would drive him to his granddaughter's wedding. I usually am very careful to guard my weekends so I make it a rule not to volunteer to work on those days. This was a special occasion however so I agreed to do it. He said that he would let me know the details. Time passed and I forgot about it. Then two weeks ago, he gave me the details and I saw that I had agreed to do this on Memorial Day weekend. I almost backed out then because I had been looking forward to having those three days off. Now it is Sunday afternoon and I will be driving him in just a few hours. A torrential downpour is happening outside complete with thunder and lightning. The thunder is so loud that my building is shaking. It must be really bad upstairs because my neighbor is pacing around. He works at night and must not be able to sleep because of the storm. Added to this, a killer migraine struck me this morning in church. It was bad enough that I left early. I feel better now but I know my reflexes are not what they should be for driving in bad weather. All I want to do is lie in my recliner and do nothing till I feel better. Selfishly I wish that Mr. B would cancel his ride to the wedding this afternoon.

RW

Going the Opposite Way

2010-05-19T21:53:00.003-05:00

Living in the same town
For all these years
Doing the same old things
Hanging with the same crowd
And it’s starting to get crippling
You’ve never felt in place
And you tell yourself it’s all okay
But something’s different today
You want to run the opposite way

And it seems like you’re locked in a cage
And you need to find a way of escape
When everyone is setting the pace
It’s okay to run the opposite way

The first stanza expresses my feelings of late perfectly. I have tried to put it in words to friends and only succeeded in worrying them. Half of them think I need an intervention now. The song of course is about spiritual matters but this crisis of mine is partly spiritual in nature. I simply feel very strongly that life is not worth living if I am fated or doomed to keep going the same way I have been since Katrina. It seems that I am always trying to patch things up and hold them together while simultaneously being plagued by the most unbelievable disasters and I am tired of it. A lot of my problems have stemmed from the fact that I have gradually given up doing many of the things I love. I can't really say why I did it but I know one thing; it is time to either live or die. Owning a motorcycle has been a dream of mine since high school so today I went motorcycle helmet shopping. It was wonderful. Soon I will be riding a bike of my own.

The song is by Leeland and you can find it on his album by the same name.

The Father sent His Son down
The light of men
The cross He bore was crippling
Rejected in His own town
They couldn’t see the sun shining
He knelt in the garden and prayed
Father, let this cup pass from me
It’s not Your will for me to stay
Your will for me is the opposite way

And it seemed like He was locked in a cage
And He couldn’t find away of escape
But through the cross He conquered the grave
My Jesus ran the opposite way

Oh, and through the cross He conquered the grave
Oh, He ran the opposite way
Yeah, through the cross He conquered the grave
So you could run the opposite way

RW

It Was a Dark and Stormy Night

2010-03-13T13:58:00.003-06:00

It was dark and stormy anyway. I had just gotten off work and for once I actually had my umbrella with me. I wondered if that was a good thing as I wrestled with it against the wind through the security gate and out to my truck. My truck was parked half a block beyond the gate and I was soaked to the skin by the time I reached it in spite of the umbrella.
As I entered my truck white lightning traced across the black sky. Thunder quickly followed. The temperatures had been dropping all day and now I noticed that my windows were completely fogged over. After I had cleared them I cautiously eased out into traffic. In spite of the storm and slow moving traffic I made good progress. I was passing a car dealership and no more than three blocks from home when a something like the sound of wet laundry blowing and snapping in the wind caused me to glance up through my windshield. One of the lines of flags had come loose from the pole closest to the road. The line snapped down and clung to my windshield while the end whipped up under my truck and disappeared. I felt it catch underneath even as I was looking for a way to pull off the road. There was no way to stop safely and so I kept on going. Behind me I heard and felt a series of pops and the sound of breaking cords. The next moment; my truck was towing a long streamer of flags behind it as I drove toward home. Lightening continued to streak across the sky and I thought about Benjamin Franklin. I wondered if I was going to personally rediscover electricity. My flags were causing me a great deal of anxiety as they alternately soared skyward and then swooped down to lash the vehicles around me. I was certain that I was breaking a dozen laws and that the entire New Orleans police force was going to descend on me any moment. Suddenly the flags broke free and flew off into the night. I wondered where they would come to rest but I didn't really care. I was safe and they were gone. The rest of the evening passed very pleasantly as I watched the storm play itself out while I drank a cup of hot cocoa.

RW

Just Plain Funny

2010-03-10T12:12:00.003-06:00

I was talking to one of the doctors here at work today and he was telling me about his grandfather. He never actually got to know his grandfather because he died long before my friend was born. He was fortunate because his family had a deep love for his grandfather and passed down the stories and gave him a sense of heritage. The man must have been truly remarkable. My friend was telling me that he used to see his grandfather's picture hanging in the business that he helped start. He stopped to study it often. Over the years the demographics of the neighborhood where the business was located changed. One day my friend was in the area and he stopped by to see if that picture was still hanging on the wall. Imagine his surprise when he saw that his grandfather was several shades darker than he had ever been in real life! My friend just laughed and said, "anything to make a buck I guess."

RW

Christmas Eve Rainbow

2009-12-25T21:41:00.003-06:00

Last night I was not in the best of moods. As a matter of fact I was really angry about several ongoing situations in my life, none of which I am able to do anything about right now. I was also angry because it was Christmas eve and the rain was coming down in buckets. I was planning to drive to South Mississippi to visit my family and from the weather report, I knew that I would be traveling along with the storm. I was tired and I considered postponing my trip till this morning but in the end I decided not to. I went home to get my suitcase and when I came out the rain had stopped. Looking off to the West I could see the tattered edges of the storm clouds breaking apart. As I watched a pale, watery golden sunbeam shone into my eyes. As I turned my car east black rain clouds laced with lightening loomed. Then I remembered my days as a rainbow hunter. I was a fledgling amateur photography with a love of rainbows. After reading an article in Popular Photography, I set out to capture one of those breath taking calendar rainbows. I caught many rainbows but never the grand one I was seeking. Glancing south I saw the rainbow. It was three rainbows really, two pale ones on either side of an absolutely awesome and breath taking rainbow. The colors were so intense and pure they took my breath away. Once I had seen it I hated to tear my eyes from it to attend to my driving but I watched furtively as I drove expecting it to disappear any moment. I was amazed at the color saturation and the way the colors seemed to wash over everything. The colors were so vibrant that they seemed to have actual weight. I tracked the arc of the rainbow until it vanished in a pastel splash that seemed to churn and froth in the distant city streets. The rainbow finally faded as I crossed the Pearl River but by then I has a smile in my heart and I was looking forward to the weekend.

RW

The Last 4 Months

2009-12-19T13:16:00.002-06:00

I haven't been around at all lately, something that has been pointed out to me by my family. I have been busy but not writing about it. Indeed, my life and thoughts lately haven't really lent themselves to writing. I have been evaluating my life and my world view. I have made several changes. One change was my job. As wonderful as that change was and still is, it has required a lot of adjustment. I now take only night classes at school to accommodate the job. I am in the process of moving to an apartment of my own. I simply do not enjoy dorm life. It was ok as long as I had a number of friends living there but most of them have married, moved out or moved on. Life in the dorm is now one restriction after another. I don't do well with arbitrary rules so I would be moving even if I were still eligible to remain in the dorm. The main thing that bothered me in the dorm was the sheer number of people pressing in on me every day, rubbing up into my space. I found myself withdrawing more and more into myself in order to maintain my sanity. With the prospect of freedom I am once again able to write and take photographs.

RW

On The Job Front

2009-08-15T00:00:00.003-05:00

The main all consuming event of my summer has been my job search. Really the search had been going on for over a year and my emotional reserves were wearing thin. My financial situation has been really tenuous for a long time. Every week I faced a new crisis and they were all related to my lack of gainful employment. Each time God provided for me in really wonderful ways, sometimes through friends, sometimes by providing me with temporary small jobs and once he provided by sending a check in the mail. Each new answer to prayer increased my confidence in my God but my main prayer was always that he send me a job that would meet my needs and be right for me.

Many times I thought that I had found my new job. On at least three separate occasions employers actually told me that I was hired and that I could start as soon the background check passed. Each time I was so confident I was so relieved that I stopped looking and waited for the phone to ring. Unfortunately it never did. The prospective employer would always tell me that the home office had not approved me, or that their supervisor had decided to extend the job posting. I began to feel distinctly paranoid. I wondered if I would ever be hired and even though I was certain there was nothing amiss in my background, I ran a background check on myself. I began to feel quite depressed and withdrew from my blog. It seemed that there was nothing to write about. I was totally consumed with finding a job and yet I did not want to right about it. It seemed that each week I would find a job that would be perfect for me and I would pray to get it. All my energy would go into that but I did not want to write about it because I didn't have it yet. I figured that it would be bloggable if I did get it but otherwise it was just nothing. I felt like waves tossed by the storm, raging and filling the world with sound and destruction.

Then over a month ago I applied for a driving/ assistant activity director position at a local retirement home and I wanted it badly. But two weeks after I turned in my resume, I had still not heard anything from them. That is when my friends began praying. I had given up hope but they had not. That same week I received a call and set up an interview for the position. The day of the interview I was so nervous and tense that I had the worst migraine that I have had in a very long time. I almost did not keep the interview because it meant that I would have to drive across the city while experiencing dizziness and double vision. In the end though it was the knowledge that so many people were praying for me that kept me going. I couldn't not go.

The interview seemed to go well and I was very encouraged but at the end of it the HR lady in charge of hiring told me that she would finish the interviews that week and the she would be out on vacation the week after but she would begin her call backs the following week. Three and a half weeks later, I had heard nothing at all and again I gave up on it. My friends hadn't though and they kept praying. I was amazed and excited to have a second interview. Again I didn't feel well but wasn't as sick as before. I was told that I would know the answer by then end of the interview. By the time it was over, I found out that I was one of two people being considered for the job but no decision had been reached yet. Again I left without a job.

Finally today I went back for the third interview. I was so nervous I wasn't able to eat all day long. I was relieved when 3 arrived and I could leave for the interview. In the end, it was over rather quickly. I met the director of the facility and he interviewed me, then after a pause he said that he was offering me the job. It was what I had prayed for and hoped for and almost dared believe would happen but was afraid to. The paperwork took longer than anything else and I really have more to do but when 5 o'clock rolled around we agreed I could finish it next week when I come in for my first day.

It is so amazing, I HAVE A JOB!!! I cannot express what this means to me.

RW

Happenings of Summer

2009-08-11T12:45:00.003-05:00

This summer has been a very busy one which accounts for my absence here lately. The main focus of my summer has been to find a new job. The one at U-Haul slowly and painfully faded into nothingness until finally one day I went to work and discovered that there were complaints about the amount of work I was doing. That night I wrote my resignation and the next day I turned it in. It was an incredibly freeing moment even though I no longer had any source of income whatsoever. From that time on all my efforts have been directed at finding a job that will allow me to pay my bills. These efforts are the fibers of the fabric that compose my summer.

One of the most memorable jobs I applied for this summer was driver for Frosty Treats ice cream. I wasn't thrilled about the actual job but at that point it would have been money and I needed some. The application itself was quite simple, one of the most simple that I have filled out since high school. About a week later, FT called me in for an interview. That went well and we agreed that I would come in for orientation the next day at 10am.

When I arrived the next day, Mercel, the orientation director, was not ready for me; so I waited in the drivers lounge where I made a little friend. His name was Tory and he was three years old. He was full of life and curiosity and told me about the things that are of interest to little boys his age. He talked about his mother who drove an ice cream truck and about his memaw who cared for him in the afternoons. He told me about the spider that his mother killed and reenacted the story in dramatic detail, showing me the palm of his hand to indicate how big that spider was. He told me about his big brother who got to play baseball but that he wasn't big enough yet. I could tell he was proud of his brother. Then he showed me his bo bo. We talked about that for a while and then he asked me about my bo bo. I had injured my finger and I was wearing a finger splint. I explained that I had hurt it but the doctor fixed it and it was better now. He was satisfied with that but now I was the focus of his attention. He looked at my hands and wanted to know all about the various scars. He pointed to each one and asked where I got it. My answers were mundane. That was a cut, or a burn. My cat scratched me there. Then he looked at my arms and asked me about the mosquito bites. He shared with me that a mosquito had bit his memaw and she had squashed it dead. Had I squashed the one that bit me? Then he looked up into my face and asked me with great concern, "What happened to you face?"

Umm. I didn't know what to say to that. As far as know, there is nothing distinctive about my face. Thankfully, at this point Mercel made an appearance and I was able to begin orientation.

RW

I Wish You Enough

2009-08-04T22:43:00.001-05:00

"I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright. I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more. I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive. I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger. I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting. I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess. I wish enough "Hello's" to get you through the final "Good-bye."

I received this blessing in an email today. It is not new; I have received the same email many times before. There is also a rather sad story that goes with it but tonight the story really isn’t the point. As I read these words I thought about my summer. You have probably noticed that I seem to have abandoned my little corner of cyberspace. I have been silent for so long. The truth is I have been experiencing enough and that is not always an easy thing. I have been to the top of the mountain and in the depths of depression. At the same time, these very struggles have given me a greater appreciation of life and an even deeper certainty that I am where I am meant to be at this time in my life. I am more determined than ever to be faithful to the call that brought me here and to stick it out till I graduate.

I began the summer by leaving the job in civ that I loved because my boss didn’t have enough work for me. That was a tremendous disappointment especially since I was certain that I would not be able to come back to it when the new semester rolled around. I knew that I would have to take a job and any job I took would almost certainly prevent me from being available during the hours needed. I was fortunate to have another job even though I truly hated it. Then that job cut me down to 10 hours a week and finally because of a difficult situation there, I turned in my resignation. Now, amazingly enough, I am back at civ again and am still looking for work. Rent will be due soon. The deadline to register for classes is a little over a week away. And I can honestly say that I have no idea how God is going to work it all out. Yet, I can say that I have had a blessed summer. I have had the chance to discover New Orleans in a way that I probably would not have had otherwise, I have discovered the wonderful people and friendships that God has placed in my life and I have had many adventures along the way. There’s nothing like adventure to keep your attitude bright and your spirit alive. So tonight I wish you enough.

RW

Writing Papers (A Rant)

2009-05-12T16:33:00.004-05:00

Update:
The vitriolic outburst was a great help. After I was done; I was able to focus and the words flowed. My paper was finished in the wee hours of the morning. There were still some issues with it but I was confident enough to shut my computer down and sleep the sleep of the just. Around 11 am this morning, I was ironing out some of the formatting wrinkles when my screen turned a milky white and the computer shut down. When I got it up again the paper was gone. I was able to pull up part of the rough draft that I turned in many weeks ago. I spent the rest of the day working from my notes trying to reconstruct the paper. I turned in what I had at the stroke of 5pm. I have a bad feeling about this, lol. I should be maniacally depressed and perhaps I will be tomorrow. Right now, I am just glad to turn my attention to other things.

RW

I write a lot of papers here at seminary and because I like to write so much you might think that would not be a problem for me. You would be wrong though. I hate writing these kinds of papers.

I them because the subject matter is chosen for me. There is no approved subject that has not already been researched into the dust of the carpet at the library. The search criteria are so set that I am convinced that the electronic highway has permanent groves worn into the millions of connections that make up the world wide web.

I hate it because the professors have already made up their minds about what you should write and how to write it. They read your work according to that lens. What you were saying does not even enter into it only what they think you might have been saying or what you should have been saying. They are not above changing verbs and their tenses in order to make them reflect what they think. Then they criticize your logic for putting that thought in the paper at that point.

The overall effect is like being nibbled to death by a rabid turabian duck trained in the deadly are of Turabian Kwon Do at IRS school. I cannot even express the rebellion I feel deep within my very being at the knowledge that I must submit myself to this capricious and pointless torture. I resent the fact that I must conclude something from this pointless exercise in futility because I know that whatever I conclude, it will almost certainly be wrong. Most people blame Kate Turabian but I blame the professors who set the requirements for the rediculous paper. AAARRGH!!

I should be finishing my paper for Research and Writing now. It is vitally important that I do so as a matter of fact since my entire grade for this course depends on this one paper. This paper hanging over my head, like the sword of Damocles, launched today's rant. I used to believe that the hard part of writing papers would be pretty much over once I had mastered the vagaries of formatting a paper to Turabian standards using microsoft word. I was wrong. There are a thousand and one variables waiting for the unwary writer in Turabian. If format does not kill you then writing style, word choice, and logic will. I have no confidence in my ability to do this at all.

RW

What to Do with the Bone

2009-04-15T23:05:00.000-05:00

After the Easter meal on Sunday, I was blessed with a wonderful ham bone. I knew immediately that I would use it to make ham bone soup. The recipe I used is down below. I went ahead and washed and boiled the beans last night but I didn't have time to actually cook the soup until today. As soon as I brought out my crock pot and ingredients the other women in the dorm began to ask what I was cooking. Each time I replied, "ham bone soup", I was met with expressions of bewilderment and doubt. What was this strange thing? One of the most positive women said, "You are always making the most interesting sounding, home-made recipes." Then she gave me a big grin and quickly left the room. After the soup was on to cook, I went in to talk to a friend. I asked her if ham bone soup was weird. She deliberated on how to tell me this without hurting my feelings and then just jumped on in. She said, "Yes, but my grandmother used to make it." LOL

I did notice though that several people asked to taste it though and a few even asked me for my recipe. I guess I am not quite a weird yet.

RW

Elisa's Awesome Ham Bone Soup

2009-04-15T22:59:00.004-05:00

1 package of a dried soup bean mix
one ham bone
3 to 4 C water or broth
1 c. sliced carrots
1 c. sliced celery
1 small onion chopped
1 16 oz. can of whole kernel corn
1 16 oz. can of seasoned stewed tomatoes
2 c. cooked macaroni
basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary
salt and pepper

1.Wash and sort the dried beans. Then place them in a pan and cover them with water. Bring them to a boil and let them boil for 2 min. Remove from heat and allow to soak for one hour. Remove the liquid and pour the beans into a crock pot.

2. Add the ham bone, water or broth, onion, celery and carrots. Add the herbs according to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 hours or until the beans are tender.

3. Add the stewed tomatoes, corn, and macaroni.

4. Salt and pepper to taste.

5. Cook until heated through and enjoy

A pan of cornbread fresh from the oven is the only addition you need for an excellent hearty meal.

RW

Happy Birthday Bob

2009-04-11T22:24:00.003-05:00

Today's song is for my brother Bob. He is my oldest brother and although I (sort of) remember the day he came home from the hospital, it seems that he has always been around. Now he is far away in another country but I am still thinking of him.

Happy Birthday Bob from Elisa
PS. Bethany wishes you happy birthday too.

RW

Yeah, Ummm, Well, I was just waiting for someone to bring that up.

2009-04-06T16:54:00.003-05:00

I hear this stammered phrase a lot in seminary. Usually it comes up when the topic turns to sex and sexual practices. The amount of circumnavigation around the subject constantly amazes me. Sometimes I wonder how something created to be so beautiful can be a subject of such intense discomfort. Mostly I end up laughing.

Today in intro to Ethics we discussed money, sex and power. It seems to me when we discuss sins, what we really end up discussing behaviors and not character. So in the Baptist church today, it seems like the love of money is ok. In my parents day the horrible behaviors that would send you to hell were smoking, drinking and dancing. Today I would say the hot button behaviors would be sexual activity, abortion and homosexuality. I guess in the end it is easier to talk about behaviors than sins because we can always point to some other behavior that is much worse than ours. That way we don't have to deal with actual sins or our need to change. Our behaviors are important because they are an indication of where we stand spiritually but to focus on them exclusively is to reduce glory of the gospel to mere score keeping. I am not much into score keeping religion. I guess that is why the people I truly admire are the ones who live with integrity. Their behaviors are indicators of the beliefs and their beliefs dictate their behaviors. They don't create what they believe, their beliefs create what they are becoming. That is truly beautiful.

RW

Some Days are Better Than Others

2009-02-27T23:07:00.003-06:00

My mother imparted this bit of wisdom to me in my youth. I went to work at U-Haul and after that I left for Biloxi. I got as far as Slidell when one of the belts on my truck broke. I heard a squeal and a loud racket, causing me to ease off the gas peddle. After a second of coasting, all seemed well; so I again applied the gas. I could tell that something was not right but I tried to coax it down the road, vainly hoping that it was nothing serious. A quick glance in the rear view mirror dispelled that notion however as I saw clouds of smoke trailing behind me. I pulled over a popped the hood and discovered the remains of the belt tangled in the fan with yet another belt dangling from another pulley down below.

After taking a moment to regroup I began making phone calls. I called a friend to let her know I wouldn't be coming today and my sister who was planning to meet me. I after that I called a friend for help. Very soon help was on the way in the form of her father, a wonderful man who is also knowledgeable in all manner of car related troubles. He arrived quickly because he was already in the area but he was wearing what he called his sissy clothes; meaning that he could not crawl under the truck and do the work himself. But with his help, I was able to remove the belts in short order. Soon we were on the way to a nearby auto parts store where I bought the appropriate parts and a small set of inexpensive socket wrenches. In next to no time we were back at my truck, racing to finish the job before night fell.

I quickly wriggled up under my truck and reached out for the tools that B placed in my hands. A stick was gouging me in the back but I ignored the discomfort and kept on working. Following his directions, I began to loosen bolts. The work was hard because I didn't really know what I was doing and B was pointing to bolts from above while I was working from below. At the last we discovered that the set of socket wrenches lacked one size and I could go no further. I wriggled out from beneath my truck in defeat, somehow managing to skin my nose on the engine as I emerged. The annoying stick followed me all the way out. When I was finally free, I just sat on the ground with my back against the tire, considering my options. I had just become aware that the stick was now gouging me in the seat when B walked around the front of the truck and said, "Is that a dead animal? Yes, That's a rib. Hey, did you know you are sitting on a dead animal?" I stared at him for a moment in shock and disbelief and then frantically rolled off to the side, kicking an ant bed on my way by. I tried to scramble to my feet and that's when my knee locked up. This kind of stuff only happens in the movies you know.

Yes, my mother told me that some days are better than others but she never told me that there would be days like this.

Update
Yesterday afternoon we returned to my truck and B had on his work clothes. It was only a matter of moments to replace the belts. When we cranked it though; we discovered that the idler pulley was frozen so I had to buy a new one of those. Ultimately I was able to drive to town with just the one belt and no power steering. Later we bought the parts and finally my truck was functioning again. This weekend I have been very grateful to God for his provision and for friends.

RW

Nerden

2009-02-26T15:39:00.003-06:00

I have a confession to make; I spend way too much time online. One of the reasons is facebook. I got addicted to the role playing games there last year and though I have recovered somewhat; I am still on facebook a lot. I added a lot of people who were also RPG addicts for friends, you see. They come all age groups, countries, and walks of life. I enjoy learning about their thoughts and their lives.

Recently, I have been having a rather interesting conversation with a guy from Turkey. I didn't know that was where he was from originally. One day he just im'd me on facebook chat. I didn't understand a word of what he had written so I just said "Hello" and that is where it stood for over a week. Then, he im'd me again and this time he wrote "heloo", followed by "nerden." I was intrigued and tried to guess the language so I could find a page to translate it. None of my guesses were right but finally I found google that would take the text and tell you the language. I discovered that "nerden" means where. I replied and then typed the English word, "where?" And so our interesting one word conversational exchange has grown. I have to say that I am enjoying it very much. So, neredesin?

RW

Wisdom from Seminary

2009-02-26T00:58:00.003-06:00

Thou shalt not read blogs whilst dyeing thine hair!

The wonderful thing about life is that I keep learning new things all the time. Sometimes I learn new solutions for things I should have learned not to do many times over. Today I learned that if you should begin reading blogs while dyeing your hair and, if, after washing it out you discovered that the tips of your ears were a lovely shade of medium golden brown; then it is possible to remove the dye by using more left over dye like soap. Amazingly, it works. Usually, I can remove the dye from my skin wi with just a liberal application of conditioner. Oh Well, Have a great day!

RW

Not Going to the Parades Tomorrow

2009-02-23T23:33:00.005-06:00

Several years ago I wrote an entry for my old journal and styled myself as the Mardi Gras Grinch. I didn't hate Mardi Gras so much as I hated not being able to reach my house by any route at all while the parades were in swing. The only way in or out was to walk and so I was the grinchiest of grinches. That seems to have changed for this year at least. I find myself very curious about the New Orleans Mardi Gras tradition. There is a lot that is the same but even more that seems to be different here.

Tomorrow is fat Tuesday and I had hoped to catch at least one parade. I have even been invited to go with friends to several but work and homework call. I was sick this weekend so I did not get any homework done. That is also the reason I did not go into work today so if I don't go tomorrow my check won't even be worth looking at. I also have a test, a thesis sentence, outline, and bibliography due on Wednesday.

Furthermore, I have all my hermeneutics homework to finish. My Research and Writing professor jokingly advised us to bring our Turabian manual to study in between parades, but I know that is not an option. So I dutifully declined the invitation to the parade. I have to say that there is a lot of gnashing of teeth going on here tonight though! Grrrr.

RW

Meltdown in the Bridal Shop

2009-02-19T01:55:00.003-06:00

My friend Hannah is getting married. He proposed to her on Valentines. They originally were thinking January but now they both have pretty much made up their minds on July I think. Today was her birthday and she spent it in bridal shops with her mother and friends. I was in on it at the end of the day. The dress was chosen and her father came to see it and take care of the financial business of securing said dress. He was so cute sitting there in the shop, alternating between hyperventilation and tears. Actually, I started wondering if we might not need a defibrillator before it was all over.

He sat there surrounded by mirrored surfaces on every side, staring at the wedding tiaras and jewelry in front of him, as he waited for his daughter to appear in her wedding gown. He kept repeating; "This is so surreal, this is so surreal." And it was surreal and noisy. The was a large party on the side of us. There appeared to be women from every generation in the family complete with a babe in arms along with a perspiring and very pale looking father. The were loudly expounding the merits and faults of each dress presented to the bride to be. From there they moved on to foundation garments.

Then Hannah came out and we forgot about them. She was beautiful in her dress and I think her father began to feel better about things. After we looked at veils and so forth, he left to pay for the dress and we went to look at brides maid dresses. This was of some interest to me since I am going to be one of Hannah's brides maids. That is when I had my melt down. I was standing there in that shimmering sea of colors, ruffles, lace, and filmy size two dresses and I totally lost it. The melt down completely ambushed me. Up until that point it was all academic but now I was faced with the reality that I was going to have to wear one of these dresses. The problem is that I am not anywhere near thin. I mean I am not the kind of person who looks good in anything like that. What I would have looked good in looked frumpy and I absolutely refuse to look frumpy for her wedding! I realize that this is a totally self involved kind of thing but I really don't want to be the one that people say; "It would have been such a beautiful ceremony if there hadn't been that one atrocious brides maid." about. Actually I know that I do not need to worry because Hannah is an artist and she isn't going to stick anyone in a dress that looks bad. Still I have decided that I am going on a diet. I won't be thin but I can be better.

RW

Stop Sign Hermeneutics

2009-02-16T23:26:00.002-06:00

Suppose you're traveling to work and you see a stop sign. What do you do? That depends on how you exegete the stop sign.

1. A post modernist deconstructs the sign (knocks it over with his car), ending forever the tyranny of the north-south traffic over the east-west traffic.

2. Similarly, a Marxist refuses to stop because he sees the stop sign as an instrument of class conflict. He concludes that the bourgeois use the north-south road and obstruct the progress of the workers in the east-west road.

3. A fundamentalist, taking the text very literally, stops at the stop sign and waits for it to tell him to go.

4. A highly educated Catholic rolls through the intersection because he believes he cannot understand the stop sign apart from its interpretative community and tradition. In the absence of an interpretative community, he passes through in peace.

5. An average Christian doesn't bother to read the sign but he'll stop the car if the car in front of him does.

6. An educated evangelical preacher might look up 'STOP' in his lexicon of English and discover that it can mean:

(a) something which prevents motion, such as a plug for a drain;

(b) a location where a train or bus lets off passengers.

The main point of his sermon the following Sunday on this text is: when you see a stop sign, it is a place where the traffic is naturally clogged, so it is a good place to let off passengers from your car.

7. An Orthodox Jew does one of two things:
(a) take another route to work that doesn't have a stop sign so that he doesn't run the risk of disobeying the Law; or
(b) stop at the sign, say 'Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, king of the universe, who hast given us thy commandment to stop,' wait three seconds according to his watch, and then proceed.

Incidentally, the Talmud has the following comments on this passage:
Rabbi Meir says: 'He who does not stop shall not live long.'

R. Hillel says: 'Cursed is he who does not count to three before proceeding.'

R. Simon ben Yudah says: 'Why three? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, gave us the Law, the Prophets, and
the Writings.'

R. ben Isaac says: 'Because of the three patriarchs.'

R.Yehuda says: 'Why bless the Lord at a stop sign? Because it says, "Be still and know that I am God."'

8. A scholar from the Jesus Seminar concludes that the passage 'STOP' undoubtedly was never uttered by Jesus himself because being the progressive Jew that he was, he would never have wanted to stifle people's progress. Therefore 'STOP' must be a textual insertion belonging entirely to stage III of the gospel tradition, when the church was first confronted by traffic in its parking lot.

9. An Old Testament scholar points out that there are a number of stylistic differences between the first and second half of the expression 'STOP'. For example, 'ST' contains no enclosed areas and five line endings, whereas 'OP' contains two enclosed areas and only one line termination. He concludes that the author for the second part is different from the author of the first
part and probably lived hundreds of years later. Later scholars determine that the second half is itself actually written by two separate authors because of similar stylistic differences between the 'O' and the 'P'.

10. Because of the difficulties in interpretation, another OT scholar amends the text, changing the 'T' to 'H'. 'SHOP' is much easier to understand in context than 'STOP' because of the multiplicity of stores in the area. The textual corruption probably occurred because 'SHOP' is so similar to 'STOP' on the sign several streets back, that it is a natural mistake for a scribe
to make. Thus the sign should be interpreted to announce the existence of a shopping area. If this is true, it could indicate that both meanings are valid, thus making the thrust of the message 'STOP (AND) SHOP'.

11. A 'prophetic' preacher notices that the square root of the sum of the numeric representations of the letters S-T-O-P (sigma-tau-omicron-pi, in the Greek alphabet), multiplied by 40 (the number of testing), and divided by four (the number of the world: north, south, east, and west) equals 666. Therefore, he concludes that stop signs are the dreaded 'mark of the
beast', a harbinger of divine judgment upon the world, and must be avoided at all costs.

A professor shared this email with the class today and it gave me my laugh for the day. I hope it does the same for you.

RW

Out of Touch

2009-02-06T11:50:00.002-06:00

I recently lost my internet connection and haven't been able to keep up as I would like to. I am able to go to the library and the student center to connect but it is just not the same as being able to casually surf through my favorites before bed. Hopefully, I will be able to have personal internet again soon.

Today I am working at my civ job. I am monitoring a class called worship perspectives, not everyone's cup of tea I know but I am enjoying it immensely. I it giving me some ideas for my research paper topic which I have to turn in by Tuesday. Today is not my regular day to be working civ but my boss asked me on Wed. if I could work today. When I got here today, I discovered that he had forgotten that I was coming to work and he had mad other arrangements. I was really disappointed because I had changed my work schedule at my other job to be able to work today. I put on my saddest look and he relented. I probably won't get to work all day as I had planned though. Oh Well. At least I have been able to be here for the morning.

RW

Chinese Dancers

2009-01-26T10:03:00.003-06:00

I received this video this morning and found it very inspirational. As I watched it, I thought about all the hard times these two must have faced after the loss of their limbs and through out rehabilitation. It must have seemed like pure madness to the rest of the world for them to be dancing and yet they persevered. Now they offer hope to many people.

I took hope from watching them. It seems like madness for me to continue trying to stay here at seminary with only a part time job and no clear idea of how I am even going to pay my tuition or even my rent for next month. I know that God brought me here though and that he will provide a way for me to finish this task. I am just holding on.

I hope you find this video as beautiful and inspiring as I did.

RW

Stethescope

2009-01-22T10:03:00.000-06:00

A friend sent me this video this morning and I really enjoyed it. I hope you do to.

RW

Canoe and Kayak

2009-01-20T21:02:00.001-06:00

Classes start tomorrow and I am totally ready, got my books and everything. Now if I was being truly studious, I would already be starting on the reading that I know will be assigned tomorrow. I would just walk into class ready to totally blow those professors away. But instead, I am reading my latest issue of Kayak porn.

Yes, you read that right. I said kayak porn. How else can I describe this lust I feel as I look at the beautiful, svelte shapes and colors on the glossy pages? The wood strip kayaks are beyond beautiful. They are aesthetically appealing and cry out to my artistic side. Suddenly that is me pictured in the ad gently stroking across a placid lake with mountains reflected in the water before me, adventure calling my name. Then there are the fishing kayaks (I want one and I want a rod and reel!), the touring kayaks (I swear it really wouldn’t take me long to put together a pack and explain to my professors that I am going to be a couple of months late for class this semester), ocean going kayaks, and white water kayaks not to mention all the crossover kayaks! Oh the torture of it all!

My own kayak is a small blue sit on top model made by pelican. It is not sexy but it is mine and it does have some very fine points. For one thing it has proven to be nearly indestructible to this very balance challenged individual. What it lacks in speed is made up for by its easy maneuverability. And last but not least, it is light enough that I can load it up myself when I am in the mood for a day out on the water.

I have learned two things from my reading and paddling experience. The first is that size does matter. The longer more gracefully shaped kayaks tend to go faster with less stress. Secondly, although I have never actually owned a sit in kayak, I think it is more fun on top. So grab a paddle and come join me when the weather warms up.

RW

Welcome Fair

2009-01-16T18:13:00.003-06:00

Every semester here on campus we have a kind of get to know you welcome fair for all the new students on campus. It is generally a lot of fun. Different business from the community set up booths and various campus organizations also have tables set up. A large number of area churches are also represented. Almost everyone has some food or snacks to draw potential visitors.

I enjoy these things for two reasons. The first, most practically, is the free food. Last night I munched on pizza, jumbalaya, muffalata, king cake, and cheese cake. It was quite nice and didn't cost a thing. Later I went out to Café Dumonde with friends and had a large cup of hot chocolate and indulged in a little people watching.

Which brings me to the other reason I enjoy these things. I like to people watch and dip into various conversations as they go by. Last night I was hanging out with music directors and choir directors. They fell to discussing the Easter programs they were planning. Most were planning simple programs but one is planning to go all out. It is going to be the most ambitious program he has yet attempted. The comment about that was, "That's all very fine if you have the horses to pull it." "Oh, I have the horse's. This is going to be good." And so the conversation continued. Meanwhile I wandered off laughing to myself. I wonder what the good upstanding choir ladies of the church would think about being called work horses.

RW

A Good Day

2009-01-12T22:41:00.002-06:00

My day was a little unusual today. I have been sick the last couple of days but I began to feel better yesterday afternoon. So much so, that I decided to accept a movie invitation with friends last night. I arrived early so we went shopping before the movie and of course we had to stop for a bite to eat. We went to see "Bedtime Storys". It was cute and funny. By the time the movie was over though, I was more than exhausted so I quickly accepted an invitation to stay the night rather than drive home. This morning I was awakened by a determined and demented blue jay repeatedly flying into the window. She would fly at the window and peck at it all the way down until she came to rest on the air conditioning unit. After a moments rest she repeated the process. When I first heard the pecking I thought that I must have overslept and my host had come to knock on my door. I called, "come in" as I snuggled down into the bed against the cold. No one came in and in a few minutes the knocking started again. Again I called, "come in" and again no one came. The third time it happened I finally opened my eyes and realized that the sun was not even up yet. I staggered out of bed and confronted this bird. She didn't like the looks of me and flew a short distance away. I gently explained that she should leave, there were cats in the house and it was too early for any decent living being to be up. She didn't believe me and I finally fell asleep again in spite of the pecking at the window. Later when I went downstairs, I spied her giving me the evil eye from the seat of the tractor parked on the side of the house.

I soon finished eating a quick bite of toast provided by my host and was on the road again. Today was my first day at my new job! I am working in the CIV dept. here on campus now. I am really pumped about it too! Today was on the job training. I learned how to turn on and set up all the equipment and how to handle the cameras while class was in session. It was awesome. Not only do I get this cool job where I get to sit in on these amazing classes but I get paid for it too! I think that this job will more than make up for the other job which is less than mentally stimulating. All in all, it was a really good day.

RW

Spring in January

2009-01-09T15:08:00.000-06:00

The weather has really been beautiful here in the south these last few days. It was so beautiful yesterday that I threw my cares to the wind and loaded my kayak in my truck. A friend and I headed across Lake Pontchartrain to Mandeville and explored the bayous together. It was a wonderful afternoon. I didn't actually see the turtle pictured above yesterday. I took that picture several months ago but I did see turtles and an alligator or two. The next time I go I plan to bring my camera with me so that I can catch some of the sights at the marinas and along the banks. I have not ever been around marinas much and certainly not from the water side. I found the smells, sights, and sounds fascinating. The people are a treat to be around as well. They are friendly and seem to have an adventurous outlook on life.

The one sour note in the whole day was when we paddled around a bend and came upon a flock of dead ducks floating in the water. Feathers were everywhere and it was pretty grisly. I counted at least 15 ducks in the water and a few out of the water as well. It looked like some nitwit just got out there with his gun and started shooting. I really hated that. It was sad to see such a waste of life and beauty.

I know that this is only a pleasant interlude; we still have February to go and that is usually the coldest month here. Today was a quiet and restful time and I am glad my friend talked me into going. I wish all of you could have been there too.

RW

Condominiumumums!

2009-01-06T21:53:00.000-06:00

I work at a storage rental company. Specifically I am the custodian for the said storage units. I have been working there for a short time now and I have seen a lot of stuff that people store. Mostly though, I see the things they leave behind after they leave. It is my job to clean out the units so that it will be clean for the next customer who comes along. Some of the stuff is funny, some of it is interesting, and occassionally the things I find are just nasty but all of it tells me something about the people that rented the unit.

Usually cleaning up the unit isn't all that hard. It's just a matter of sweeping it out and slapping a lock on the door with the date that I cleaned and inspected it. Occasionally though, I come across a really big job and then I try to bribe some of the guys to help me out by letting them pick though and keep anything they find interesting. I found a unit like that a while back and Ray helped me clean it out. For his trouble he was able to bring home an old air conditioning unit that he said he could fix and a nice pair of dress shoes for his wife. They looked like they had never been worn and he said they were just her size. Ray considerately asked me if I wanted them first but I declined. They were not my size, style, or color. One of them also had a dead mouse in it. I think Ray was a little surprised when I observed that it probably wouldn't be a good idea to tell his wife about the mouse but after some thought he agreed that maybe it would be better if she didn't know.

This week I found another unit and I went looking for Ray. I came with me to inspect the unit and right away he discovered a large shoe box filled with condoms. He pounced on it immediately with a joyful cry, "condominiumumums"! I started to tell him that a condominium was a place where you live or it might be an investment but what he had in his hands wasn't condominiums. Then I realized that for him this one area of his life was where he lived and that these were an investment to him. So instead I said that it probably wouldn't be a good idea to use them since they had been stored in a non climate controlled unit and had probably been weakened by the temperature extremes if they had been there very long. He just took the box and said these are enough to last me a year and happily left with his treasure. It took me most of two days to clean that unit. Next time I see a box of condominiumumumus, I will save them until after the work is done!

RW

I Can Feel the New Year Coming!

2009-01-01T22:26:00.000-06:00

And what a good feeling it is. I woke up this morning with plans. I haven’t done that for a very long time. For a long time I was just merely existing. But existing takes money and money means a job. Jobs weren’t all that easy to find but finally I got one at Wal-Mart. I was far from happy but at least it was a steady paycheck. The change began in a small way with my decision to come to seminary but only in a small way because seminary meant finding more money for tuition, books and transportation. God had laid it on my heart to come here though and so I did. At first I was almost swamped and I went from existing to treading water which is not a step in the right direction. It was pretty harrowing as a matter of fact. Then through a set of circumstances I made the decision to create an imitation stained glass window for my parents 50th wedding anniversary. That in itself was a huge stress. As I worked on it though; I realized that I had done virtually nothing creative since hurricane Katrina struck three years ago. Designing the pattern was difficult and overwhelming. The window did not go as I planned it. But finally it was finished. I think that is when it happened. That is when I finally began to be able to plan and feel that I could create again. I wasn’t able to give it to my parents on their anniversary because it wasn’t finished so I presented it to them for Christmas instead. That is it in the photo at the top of this entry. A lot of things are still very far from right in my life right now but I just can’t help but believe that it is going to be a very good year.

Snow Day

2008-12-12T23:59:00.001-06:00

I woke to a morning filled with blessings and beauty yesterday. It was the day after my last final. Perhaps I should have been out looking for a job that would actually pay the bills but I had given myself permission to sleep in and so it was really quite late when I was wakened by a delighted squeal outside my window. I lazily rolled over and looked out to see a snow covered scene. Snow fights were happening, snow people were being born at a staggering rate, and I was missing it! I quickly donned my warmest clothing and grabbed my camera and I was out the door. I spent the next two hours walking and talking and taking pictures. I was introduced to many snow people. The two tiny ones are Calvin and Hobbs. The rather plain fellow was named Forrest due to his somewhat furry lichen covered arms. Forrest met a cruel fate. He was standing there in his little field minding his own business when suddenly a troop of preschoolers came out. At first is was all nice and friendly; they stood around him to have there pictures taken. The next moment the children were using his head for fuel for their snowball fight. (Life is indeed cruel.)

I spent my day happily taking the pictures, later I argued with my computer, camera and photo editing program trying to convince them that they really did want to play together so I could post my pictures. I finished my day by baking a wonderful loaf of sourdough bread. It was warm and comforting and good. It was a good day.

RW

My New Toy

2008-10-04T21:13:00.000-05:00

I have a new toy called a trikke and it has become my passion. Where bicycling used to fire up my imagination and there was nothing like a good morning ride to set the perfect tone for the day; I now find my thoughts turning to the trikke. I started trikking after I injured my knee again about a month ago. When it began to recover, I looked around for something to do that would strengthen the knee muscles and joint without causing more pain and injury. The trikke seemed to offer the perfect low impact solution. Now I find that my knee is stronger than it has been in a long time and I am having fun. I don't have any pics of my trikke but I did find this video on youtube. Actually there are are a lot of videos there about trikkes, what they are, how to ride them, and about people who own them. Check it out.

RW

A Bit of History

2008-08-27T17:47:00.002-05:00

Recently, Bethany informed me that she had found the perfect gift for me for my birthday. What she actually said was that she had found the perfect dorm gift. I couldn't even imagine what the perfect gift might be so after a few token attempts to trick her into revealing what it might be, I moved on. Occasionally I wondered about the "perfect dorm gift"but I was never any closer to figuring out what it might be. Then this past weekend she informed me that it had arrived. It was so perfect that she and the rest of my family couldn't wait for my birthday to give it to me; so could I please come over and celebrate my birthday a month early? I never have any problem celebrating so off I went.

We had a marvelous birthday party and then Bethany produced the present. By this time I was totally eaten up with curiosity but when I opened it; I knew she was right. They had found the perfect gift.

I found my owl just before my first semester of college. I remember the exact moment I saw him and fell in love with him. I loved the way he sat there on the shelf winking at me. I had quite a debate with myself over whether I should spend the money. I did of course and not long after that we went off to college. He slept on my bed at night and we had many conversations. We became very attached and he traveled with me everywhere over the years. More than a few people looked on in amusement when they saw owl emerge from the stuffy confines of my suitcase. Over the course of time he became rather bedraggled and thread bare but he still had his place on my bed each night.

That's where he was the night Katrina hit. I ran around the room grabbing things and piling them on the bed in preparation to leave the house. In the end, I ended up leaving most of them, including owl, because I couldn't get back in the house. I never saw him again. I looked;I had some idea of removing his stuffing, washing him and putting new stuffing back in but I never did find him. I never tried to replace him either; how could I?

Then I opened my gift and there he was! Bethany had the idea of searching for him on ebay. I am so glad she did. His colors are a little different but that's alright. Tonight, he is sitting on my bed here in my room. It feels a little bit like coming home. That's his picture over there on the right.

RW

Fisherman's Castle, aka Irish Bayou Castle

2008-05-29T23:02:00.003-05:00

One thing I did this semester was to go visit the castle. I had been driving past it for years on my way to New Orleans. I noticed after Katrina that it seemed to sit a little crooked on it's foundation. For the first time it occurred to me that someone might tear it down before I had really seen it or found out what it was all about. So one afternoon, following a rather disappointing day in the academic arena, I took out for parts unknown. Those part ended up being Fisherman's Castle.

I didn't exactly know where I was going but followed the road and ended up in a little fishing community called Irish Bayou. They are very close knit and look out for one another since Katrina. So when I cruised by the castle and then came back and parked, people took notice. I was unsure if anyone was at home. It didn't look like it and I wanted to ask permission before I took any pictures. Finally I got out and approached the front door. As I walked across the yard, I noticed a woman approaching. She was pushing a baby carriage and her dogs were with her. She had her cell phone at the ready. She turned out to be the neighborhood watch. Once I had introduced myself and she found out why I was there she was very friendly. It turns out that the castle has been burgled several times since Katrina. She told me the history of it and walked with me as I took my pictures. As I walked she informed me that the castle has been written up many times and many people have blogged it. So after my visit I was able to double check my facts.

The castle was built in 1981 by Simon Villemarette. He originally planned for it to be a secondary tourist attraction for the 1984 World fair in New Orleans. The castle is far from the center of town however and the plans to get tour buses and boats to stop by fell through. Since then it has had several owners. It is now owned by a couple from Virginia who plan to make it into a bed and breakfast eventually.

The castle suffered some damage during Katrina and sits a little crookedly on it's foundation as a result. It was the only building that did survive in Irish Bayou. My new friend pointed out the foundations sitting next to the castle and then she pointed out a house sitting in the bayou. She told me that the water just picked it up and dropped it down there. According to her, there are still magazines and a coffee cup on the table by the sofa should I care to go look. I didn't although she would have willingly taken me out in her boat. I didn't take her up on her offer.

I don't know about you but I think that this looks like a pretty cool place to live.

RW

Hello Again

2008-05-13T09:07:00.000-05:00

How long it has been since I posted to this blog! I originally created it because I needed a place where I could write that was not generally known. At that time I had been hurt by some real life "friends" who had read my blog and said some pretty mean things to me. For a long time I did feel good about sharing my life and thoughts in my other journal so I moved here. Eventually though things became more normal again and I began to come here less frequently. I found that I really was not able to keep up two journals. It took too much time and energy. My last entries here concerned my adventures through Katrina. I was a little sad to see that they were gone when I came back this week. The Mississippi has begun to recover quite nicely. Here is a picture I took down by the beach on Hwy 90. Many of the old oaks along the beach died as a result of the hurricane. They were a huge part of the Mississippi heritage and many people were heartbroken about the need to have them removed. Then a local chainsaw artist offered to create sculptures with an ocean theme from them where they had grown. It is fascinating to watch him as he worked with the lifeless trunks. They took on life that I could hardly believe beneath his skilled touch. Now at these sculptures dot the median of the Hwy. They are called a garden although that is not really a good description in my opinion. A garden is a quiet meditative place where one can admire beauty and think. It is difficult to achieve that reflective state of mind here as you dodge the traffic. Still they are beautiful and they add a distinctive touch of grace to the beach.

RW

Grateful for Friends

2008-04-04T22:16:00.000-05:00

It has now been about a month since I wrote here. I have been present on js although most of the time I have remained anonymous. The last time I wrote I talked about the demise of my faithful truck. The best plan I had at the time was to sell the truck for what I could and use the money for a down payment on something else. Even then I had no idea how I would afford the payments and I honestly didn't know what I was going to do. I was never without transportation though thanks to friends and family. Some of the men at my church were helping me get the word out about my desire to sell the truck. I gave permission for them to tow it to a location where it could be looked at. One of them said that he wanted to make sure that nothing else was wrong with it before we sold it so I gave permission for them to do that. Then I didn't hear anything for about three weeks. One day my friend James called me up and told me that they were ready to tell me what all was wrong with my truck. He offered to take me over so that we could discuss our plans after we found out the news and I accepted. I was very nervous and began thinking about all the things that I had worried about on my trips to and from New Orleans. I was afraid that there was too much wrong with it and I would not be able to sell it. When we reached the shop, Tommy came out and asked me what the truck had been doing when I had the trouble and I began to tell him. He cut me short and handed me the keys and asked me to try it and see if it would do it for me now because; he said, he couldn't find anything wrong with it now. As it turned out, he and all the men in the mens ministry from my church as well as many other benefactors who I don't know, all got together and fixed my truck. They put in another engine, fixed the clutch and the brakes, and put on new tires. James said that while Tommy was at it he just tightened everything that needed it. Now it runs beautifully, as well or better than it did when I bought it.

After I started it and they told me what they had done; I didn't know what to do or say. I walked around it 3 or 4 times and they just stood there watching. Finally it occurred to me that that they might think I was looking for something wrong with it, so I just thanked them and go in and drove away. I had no idea where I was driving to. I was just at a loss. I called my mother and told her and she cried the tears that I could not seem to be able to. I was simply amazed. Even today, two weeks later, I open my door in the morning and look out and say, "There's my truck!" It is an amazing thing to think that so many people went to so much effort, trouble and expense for me.

RW

A Homework Break

2008-03-05T20:18:00.002-06:00

A friend of mine recently told me that she could always tell when things are fine with me because she gets email from me but when I go silent then she knows to start praying. I realized that the same is true of my presence here as well. It is true that all is not exactly well. My faithful truck, Shadowfax, died last week. He threw a rod and now I either have to replace the engine or get another vehicle. Both options are beyond me financially at the moment. Believe it or not, door ninjas are not paid all that well. Today though; I thought I would share a funny story with you. This happened recently at work.

Frank's job is to water the plants and he has been at WM since before I started. He wears a huge hearing aide; it is about as obvious as you can get. I noticed that people usually have to repeat themselves several times when they speak to him. If you speak to him from behind, he will not hear you at all. Whenever our boss speaks to him he ends up shouting to make his orders known to Frank. The other day he was at the other end of the patio with Kay. I wanted to take a break so I went up to ask her if she would watch the door while I was gone. I mentioned that I was planning to get a sausage biscuit while I was gone. As I turned to go Frank commented that he wished that he had one of those. I realized then that I had been speaking in a normal tone of voice and that he had heard me just fine. I turned back and questioned him about that. "You don't talk loud enough to make my hearing aide turn off." he said. LOL

RW

It Was an Ooo, Ahh Moment

2008-02-07T15:07:00.000-06:00

About two weeks ago I went out to eat with friends. We were celebrating the beginning of a new semester. It was a good evening and we each chose a new dish to try. We talked and laughed a lot. While we were waiting for our food to arrive the waitress brought our drinks. I and one of my friends had ordered hot tea to drink. When the tea cups arrived we were given a selection of teas to choose from. I started out with a nice Earl Grey. It is one of my favorite teas. As I unwrapped my tea bag I noticed that it was rather unusual. It was round and had two strings running up to a rectanglar paper. The strings were two short making the bag awkward. The whole contraption kept falling into my cup. I looked over and sure enough my friend was having troubles of her own. We commented on the unusual bag but the conversation quickly swirled away to other topics. I continued to study my sodden tea bag and then I looked that the unopened tea bags. I started reading them and was enlightened. Look, I exclaimed and began to demonstrate how to lengthen the string. Next I showed my friends how the paper would tear in the middle which allowed me to pull on the strings of the tea bag. When I did that, the tea bag squeezed itself. No mess or fuss like there usually is. As I did I said that I had read the directions on the tea bag. At this point someone asked, "Who reads the directions on a tea bag?" It was a valid question; who does read the directions on a tea bag? They are so familiar that one hardly ever gives them a second thought. You just use them. Everyone at the table began to ooh and awww over this really remarkable thing. It was totally hillarious. There we were, grown women oohing over a tea bag in the middle of a resturant. We got a really good laugh out of it and enjoyed several good cups of tea. Later though I thought about that question. Life is a lot like a tea bag sometimes. It is so familiar and simple that we just do it. Then we read the directions and the common place simple thing turns out to be really amazing and life also works better. I think that perhaps we would all be better off if we took the time to read the directions on our "tea bags" more often.

RW

Moving

2007-10-02T20:14:00.000-05:00

Well as some of you know; I have finally been able to rent a mobile home here in the trailer park where I live. Goodbye FEMA trailer! I hope to be totally out and into my new home by Friday. It's not that I have so much stuff as I have so little time what with school and work. Trying to squeeze a move into all this is making me a little crazy!

It wouldn't be moving though if everything went smoothly. I called on Friday and arranged for the water to be turned on in my new house (which is next door to my FEMA trailer) on Monday. I specified that the water to the FEMA trailer should be left on until Thursday. I know that FEMA is just going to crush the poor little thing as soon as they get thier hands on it but I just can't return it without cleaning it. Last night I had an event to attend and so as soon as I got off work I came home showered, dressed and madeup. Then I was off to enjoy a fun filled evening of laughter. When I returned I liberally smeared my face with makeup remover and; yes, you guessed it, my water had been turned off while I was away. I had to quickly get decently attired and then run squinting across the yards, hoping all the way that the water was on in the new trailer. It was and it is kind of funny now but at the time it was not!

RW

I Fainted For This Shirt

2006-04-07T20:59:00.000-05:00

This incident happened many years ago now when I was a freshman in college. It came to my mind the other day when I was explaining to Bethany the two reasons why I don't give blood.

On this particular day I was on campus in the Bearkat (what a name!) cafeteria. There was a blood drive being held on the second floor and I had nothing to do. I was waiting to meet and eat lunch with a friend but I had almost an hour to kill. I didn't have anything to study and my next class was in two hours. I had never given blood so I watched the long line winding up the steps with some curiosity. It was moving fairly quickly. People would go up and in a little while they came down looking a little pale but (and this was a big but) they also had this really cool red t-shirt. The logo proclaimed I TAPPA VEIN. It was very greek looking and I was quite taken by it. I am at a loss to explain this since I never had the slightest interest in joining a sorority; still I wanted that shirt. I decided I had the time since the line was moving so well and I joined in. I was off to get my t-shirt.

It didn't take anytime at all to reach the top of the steps where I was greeted by a nurse who took all my information. In due time, I found myself on a table with a strap tied tightly around my arm. This is when I discovered that I have small veins. Finally, however, the needle was in and my blood was coming out. I was given a rubber ball and told to squeeze it. At first all went well and the bag was filling nicely. After a while though it stopped filling or else it was filling very slowly. The nurse kept coming by and saying, “squeeze the ball, squeeze the ball”. I was and did keep squeezing the ball. At last it was over and I was quite relieved since I could see that I was going to be late for lunch. I was given a cookie and some juice and told to sit on the table while I ate it. I ate it very quickly and asked if I could go. The attendant asked if I felt alright. “Yes, I lied, I feel fine”. I was off the table, grabbed my backpack, and headed for the door. As I walked through the door I knew something was wrong. My stomach was queasy and I felt hot and sweaty. The line was still there except that it was longer. I looked toward the stairs and knew I would never be able to press through the crowd and make it down them without being sick. I headed for the only unoccupied chair and sat down. The next thing I knew, a nurse was slapping my face and asking if I was alright. I asked what happened. “You fainted, the nurse told me, but you were only out for a moment.” How strange. The hallway was empty and there was no more line snaking down the stairs. Only a few anxious looking donors were left lying on the tables with an army of nurses and attendants standing around. From the way they were all looking at me, I decided that it would probably be a good idea to leave.
I was late to lunch and to class that day but when anyone asked about my shirt I would tell them, “Hey, I fainted for this shirt”.

RW