GOOBER FOLK ART!!!

Get yours now! I got mine on December 22nd. You can guess what it was. I'll try to remember to snap a pic when it has been properly mounted. :)

Alright. As promised. GooberArt!! Yet another high school pal who remains in the town in which we grew up and graduated high school. Yet another high school pal who seems to be quite happy. I love it!! And this pal is doing what he was born to do, folks.

I could babble on (as I usually do) about the artist and his work. However, there are sites where you can get a MUCH better feel for the artist and the art. (I am still attaching a few pics to this to whet your appetites!)

Go to the Goober Folk Art myspace page for good music and a rolling review of the art. Be sure to scroll down to see the rolling review! It is worth the time, believe me!

Without further ado, let me introduce you to "Goober" and his folk art:












Hope you enjoyed our little artistic trip today!! See you next time!

OLD FRIENDS WHO REMAIN YOUNG!!

Howdy, all! I apologize for the lag in posts but things got a little busy.

I returned to Austin on December 23rd. The trip was less tedious than usual (it's a six hour drive, folks) due to having my spousal-unit with me. He had flown into the Lake Charles Regional Airport on Friday the 19th and helped get some things done around my aunt's house before we drove back to Austin together on the 23rd.

I simply vegged on Christmas Eve and Christmas. The Ron-Man made a marvelous venison Christmas chili for dinner along with some amazing "cowboy biscuits" from the new cookbook. It was wonderful... and peaceful.

Now then... back to the Louisiana scene. I will be returning to Louisiana on January 2nd at which time we will re-evaluate the need for my continued presence there. My aunt has recovered fully from the pneumonia/pleurisy issue but has been left in a weakened state requiring 24/7 assistance. There are three very wonderful ladies who are providing that assistance and I am grateful to all of them.


Okay. My "old" friends. I believe I committed to providing photos and reporting on the "catch-up" of high school pals approaching 38 years past graduation. We had a lovely lunch at Susan S.' home. Susan and Jo were kind enough to allow me to capture them on digital (guess we don't have film anymore, do we?) so I could share them with you all. That's Susan S. on the left and Jo on the right.

They both look FABulous (which I find highly irritating but will allow to pass since they are good friends) and we had a great time trying to catch up with a limited lunch time available to us. The best thing is that both seem very happy and very content with their lives. I like to hear that! I left with promises that we will get together again in January. I look very forward to that!

Oh.... and Susan S. has a couple of "babies" of her own who allowed me another "pet fix" since my fat cats remain in Austin while I travel.

That's all for this round. Stay tuned. There is information on "Goober Folk Art" coming soon!! You simply cannot miss this!! It's another high school buddy who has found his artistic niche in artwork that I really like. Maybe I'll be able to say "I knew him when..." some day?

Until the next time...

FABULOUS, DAHLING... JUST FABULOUS!

Okay. So I'm in the post office trying to get a package shipped out. I finish my business (after only waiting for one person ahead of me!) and am heading out the door when I hear "Mary Nell?"

My first thought was that all my mortal sins executed in this town during my first 18 years of life had finally caught up with me. I could only be glad the "Hanging Jail" was no longer being used to incarcerate.

I turned to see a FABULOUS looking young lady who looked exactly like a high-school buddy from (many!) years past. Yep. Sure was. Not only a voice from my past but an entire body... and a great one at that. Sigh.

After a few moments of mutual admiration, I handed off my cell phone number to be used to schedule a lunch along with yet another pal from my previous life who remains here. I got a call a day or so later from that second pal. We got together for a couple of hours last Saturday at her house. She, too, looks FABULOUS! Sigh.

Alright. You will hear more about these ladies after tomorrow's lunch. I have photos of one and plan to get a few more tomorrow. The fact they both look FABULOUS is not what this blog is about (although they do) but I'm hoping the title drew you in. :)

Here is the story. One of these young ladies (Susan S.) and I literally grew up together. I have pictures (black & white!) of her and her younger sister at my childhood birthday parties!! Oh yes. From kindergarten forward until that final Senior Prom, we were together. The other young lady (Jo) moved here with her family later. It may have been around the time we started high school. Don't quote me. At any rate, she fit right in and we all became fast friends.

Back up with me, if you will, to my and Susan's tours-of-duty at Camp Fern in Marshall, Texas. I was a Second Generation camper as my aunt (with whom I am staying now) had attended there. Susan S. and I went there and were in the same cabin. We met a terrific fellow camper in our cabin named Susan F. She was from Tampico, Mexico, and was just a hoot!! Her brother sent her a big package of rubber "bugs" which we snuck into our counselor's bunk sending our counselor, who was TERRIFIED of bugs, screaming out the cabin door up the hill into one of the "green houses" which were outhouses... real ones... when she crawled between the sheets and found little creepy crawlies there with her. Their lack of life was not noted nor would it have been important to her.

Moving forward... many years later... Susan S. and I had signed up to bunk together for our first semester at Miller Dorm at LSU (Louisiana State University for the uninformed) in Baton Rouge. Jo had scored the dorm room next door. As we unloaded our stuff and got together to go explore, Susan and I asked Jo if her roommate (who was to be assigned) had arrived yet. She indicated she had arrived but had not been met yet. We asked what her name was (you always put your name on EVERYthing when leaving for college... kind of like Camp Fern!) and Jo replied "It's Susan F." Susan S. and I just looked at each other and said "It can't be!" when we heard the same name as our co-bug-conspirator from the many years before at camp.

When Susan F. finally showed, it was, indeed, our Camp Fern pal and bug buddy!!! Who would have ever thought it? What were the odds? We spent a terrific first semester getting re-acquainted with our pal.

Lesson? You never know who might show up at what point in your life. Always be prepared and open to the fun. As I look forward to tomorrow's lunch, I have tons of old memories flooding back and anticipate a raucous and interesting time. And THAT, my blog buddies, is truly FABULOUS, DAHLING... JUST FABULOUS!!

Until next round...

CHRISTMAS... AND JUST FUN... IN THE PARK

Ah, blog-reading pals. You are in for a little treat. The local park (West Park named after the West family which was prominent here in years past) has begun to be decorated with festive lights, blow-up thingies, and all things Christmas. While the night brings the most impressive appearance (with the lights and all), I wanted you to see just a snippet of the Christmas that awaits!!

Only in Louisiana does Santa go fishing in a johnboat with an elf that catches a bigger fish!! :)

There are other fun things in the park. There is a very cool area where young'uns can climb on some sculpture items representing various things (arches in Utah, giant heads on Easter Island...).

And, actually, there are some parts of the park that are just plain pretty (is that an oxymoron?).

So, there are places of beauty wherever you may travel. Sometimes they show up unexpectedly. Always be ready!

"HAPPY TALES"

Hello, again! Welcome back.

I have a Shelter update for you. When I introduced you to Yodabelle and Pokey in a prior blog, I was also aware of another little friend, Foxy. There was no mention of Foxy nor was there a photo. Let me tell you why. (Susan L., if you read this and need to correct me or add anything, please comment!)

Foxy is a 3-legged black Pomeranian. Foxy was a Shelter dog about 2 years ago but was adopted out. Happy ending, right? Well... not quite. When my aunt's neighbor, Susan (who you will recall is a major Shelter volunteer), and her friend visited a veterinarian's office, the friend noticed a sign indicating a black 3-legged Pomeranian had been found.

What are the odds, folks? Just how many 3-legged black Pomeranians do you think there might be wandering around southwest Louisiana? Exactly. The friend recalled having been part of adopting out a 3-legged black Pomeranian in the past and asked to see the dog. Yep. You got it! It was Foxy. No tags. No information. No notices anywhere indicating the owners had lost a dog and were looking for it. Just a sweet little Pom found after having spent too much time outside on its own.

So... the Shelter ladies took charge, took Foxy back under their respective wings, and submitted Foxy to another vet for a checkup including a heartworm check. When I met Foxy, the heartworm check was not yet done and Susan had a concern that the results would be positive, signaling a potential demise for the little Pom. This was the sweetest little dog but I just didn't have the heart to photograph her until we knew the heartworm test results. I didn't want to post her for you all to enjoy then have to tell you of a sad ending. I waited two days to hear from Susan with the results.

Foxy was pronounced healthy and heartworm-free! Fabulous!! She also was very quickly placed via a Pomeranian rescue organization and was to be transported to her new home shortly thereafter. When Susan called me with the good news, I asked her to let me get a photo of Foxy before she left the state. Susan called me the other night to tell me Foxy was to head out the next morning so we met quickly in the carport for a photo op! Do you see why I didn't want you to fall in love then get bad news?



So... "Happy Tales" to all of you until we meet again.

YOUR WAIT IS OVER!!!!

The digital camera download issue was resolved today thanks to my lovely spousal-unit who was able to provide a "long-distance" resolution. Thank you, Ron-Man!!

Okay. Without further ado, I want to provide you with some of the photos from "Miracle on Washington" which I attended on Saturday, December 6th.

Please pay attention to the first four items on the menu as well as the two items on the right. I'm not kidding. This is what was posted in the window of the little concession stand on wheels. Really. No... I did not try any of these items. I can only go so far for you, my friends.

The "Combo on a stick" contains Alligator, Frog, and Shrimp. Yummmmmmmmm! Dessert? Fried Twinkies or Fried Oreos... or heck!! Why not have both?!?!?!?

No festival is complete without a Magic Show and there was one provided for all lookers. It took place in front of one of the old railcars that has been salvaged and set up as a static display near the old rail station (which is now the Beauregard Museum).

Remember... this was "Miracle on Washington!" It was a Christmas festival! How could it have been complete without Santa? With sunglasses?

Remember the Gumbo cook-off? My whole reason for going? The event to which I truly looked forward? Remember? Soul of the South and all that? Here is the one (yes... the ONE!) entrant who was kind enough to pose with the signage for me and even gave me a taste although it was early! At least he was guaranteed two prizes... first place in his category (he did a nice chicken and sausage gumbo) and the People's Choice award (who else would one vote for?).

Finally, while I am NOT a photographer by ANY stretch of the imagination, I do occasionally try to catch a shot that I think about before shooting. As I was heading back to my Texas-plated vehicle, I saw the opportunity to catch the horse & buggy, the Beauregard Parish Courthouse (the white-domed building), and the old "Hanging Jail" (you can just see the Gothic top tower above the buggy-driver's head) in one fell swoop. Could not pass that up.

So, my readers... this was the fabulously stimulating 20 minutes I spent on Saturday here in southwest Louisiana. Please do not be envious. We cannot all experience such great things. I will share as many with you as I can.

Until the next round...

DAILY NEWS? HARDLY!!

Alrighty. First of all, I DID attend "Miracle on Washington" today and took some photos I think you might enjoy. Unfortunately, I am photo-download-challenged right now due to my FlashCard being 128 mb and the software only recognizing up to 32 mb. Sigh. I have potential resolution coming on Monday and hope to get the pics and the details to you then. Stay tuned!

Now then. Today, I thought I would be smart and check out the local rag's web site in order to get more detail on the timing of the parade (it was held at 10:00 a.m.) as well as other festivities related to the "Miracle on Washington" event. Let me tell you what I found online.

"News" tab - The most recent story was dated 11/28/2008 and was about Black Friday (which was 11/28/2008)! Hardly significant on Saturday, 12/06/2008, eh?

"Sports" tab - Dated 12/02/2008, we found that the DeRidder Dragons won something.

"Lifestyle" tab - Dated 12/03/2008, the first story was about paintballing... but not locally, apparently.

"Entertainment" tab - This was the most current date of 12/05/2008 and provided some information about what Timothy Hutton is doing these days. Do I care? Ask me.

"Opinion" tab - This went back to 11/17/2008 (oldest date) and provided absolutely zero. I did note that the Guestbook could be accessed from this page but it showed a date of 6/18/2008 at 6:14 a.m. CDT. Huh?

"State" tab - a 12/04/2008 article about a deadly auto accident in Baton Rouge, I believe?

"Obituaries" tab - Apparently no one has died since 11/27/2008. Good news, I say!!!

Oh... and when I tried to pull up the "Guestbook" (yes, the one showing a date of 6/18/2008), I got a spinning wheel indicating "Loading Commenting Interface..." which apparently continued spinning for at least 2 hours. (I left it spinning, entertained a guest with my aunt, ate lunch, then checked back... still spinning.)

So... while I did provide a link to this little rag for those of you who might be interested, I would suggest that perhaps you check my blog for the more recent news. :)

Thanks for playing!! Drive through, please?

A REAL THUNDERSTORM!

For those of you familiar with Austin, Texas weather, you know it has been VERY hot and VERY dry and VERY much in drought condition for a VERY long time. (We are more than 13 inches behind in annual rainfall for 2008.) The few (and far between) rains we have had have been pitiful, at best, without any real fanfare.

Needless to say, I had forgotten how much "fun" (and I use that term loosely!) a real thunderstorm could be during its onslaught. My reminder came late last night.

As I crawled between the sheets, having spent a busy day doing fabulously interesting things (if yet another Wal-Mart run qualifies as such), I heard the pitter-patter of gentle raindrops on the roof. Shortly after settling in, I witnessed a rather significant FLASH of lightning, followed immediately by a horrendous CLAP of thunder! Upon confirming we still had electricity (light on!) and that I still had my heart in my chest (it had been in my throat briefly!), I slipped a bit further into the sheets and fortified myself for what I expected to come. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the following lightning flashes were followed by MUCH farther off thunder which actually rolled... really rolled... for long periods of time. It was almost a pleasant sound. We received a nice drenching rain with the "fireworks" off in the distance to the north. It was actually very lovely and the gentle rain had returned as I drifted off to sleep.

When I headed out on my morning walk at 7:00 a.m. today, the clouds remained but the precipitation had ended. The only clue about how much rain had actually fallen was that the pine straw and pine cones that are usually in the curbs along the street were now out of the curbed area and into the street several inches. To those who are not initiates of Louisiana rainfall and curbs, this happens when the rainfall is sufficient to create little rivers in the curbs. The pine straw and pine cones are heavy and will actually "float" out into the street as far as the water pushes out into the street. When the little rivers subside, the pine debris remains at where the edge of the water had been. No rain gauges required here!!! Just count the inches from the curb to the pine debris!! :)

Okay... it's not really QUITE like that... but there is some validity to what I have told you.

Until the next fascinating ramble...

"MIRACLE ON WASHINGTON"

Heidy-Ho!! I'm back in southwest Louisiana. This time I am armed with my trusty digital camera and actively seeking photo-worthy items/events!! Be ready!!

The first potential photo-worthy event could be the upcoming "Miracle on Washington" Christmas Festival on December 6th. The first thing you might want to know is that "Washington" refers to Washington Avenue which runs parallel to the railroad tracks and comprises the "downtown" (both blocks) of DeRidder. The second thing you might ask is what "Miracle" is being heralded. I don't know. That provides me with a reason to go. The biggest thing about this particular festival is that it includes the 4th Annual Gumbo Cook-off!!! Oh yes, my friends. Gumbo. The soul of the South. Louisiana's Chili. And I'm there for it.

You need to know there will be three gumbo categories; wild game (don't know if that will include roadkill... more later), seafood (if it lives in water, it counts), and non-seafood (if it ain't wild game or seafood, what would it be doing in gumbo... unless it's chicken & sausage?). Now the COOL thing about this is that festival attendees may vote for their favorite gumbo. Will I be casting a ballot? Oh, you BETCHA'!!! Yummy. Cannot wait. Watch for the full report (maybe with pictures?) next week.

Stay tuned. There is a whole "Christmas in the Park" to be reported on later although I missed the actual Festival which took place last Saturday, November 29th. I assure you there are a plethora of lighted items to photograph, however, so do not lose hope.

Best to all. I look forward to being your eyes and ears here in southwest Louisiana for this festive season.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN...

Hello, all!! I hope you all had a lovely holiday, ate plenty of whatever makes you happy, and have survived to ramp up to do it all again in a month!

I arrived back in Texas on November 20th to greet my in-laws who were visiting. Those of you who know the spousal-unit will be happy to hear he had done a WONDERFUL job of cleaning up and even had a roast in the crock pot for dinner that night. I love that he always reminds me of why I keep him! What a guy!!

So, tomorrow (December 1st) I head back to Louisiana for another fun-filled adventure or two. The plan is to remain there until December 23rd at which time I will head back to Texas again. I'm sure there will be blog-worthy events occurring, especially at this festive time of year. I have promised myself to remember to take my camera so I can record and share some of the more notable photographic moments.

Thanks for reading. Stay tuned as December promises a blogfest!!

BRIGHT MOMENT AT BROOKSHIRE BROTHERS

I will be returning to Texas tomorrow (Thursday the 20th) to reacquaint myself with my spousal-unit, pay some bills, and listen to the cats tell me how angry they are that I left them there without training someone to cater to their every whim while I was gone. This also means there may be a lull in blogs until I return on Monday, December 1st.

However, before I leave, I want to report on something GOOD that has occurred to me here. (Well, there are probably more things but my shopping experiences have been less-than-optimal.)

I went to the local Brookshire Brothers grocery store. (There is one on either side of town.) On a size basis, I would say you could put about four of one of them into one of the newer large HEB stores. Needless to say, selections are somewhat limited. They do, however, compete with the Wal-Mart grocery area by providing MUCH easier access as well as carrying a few items the Wal-Mart does not carry. I pop into the one on "our" side of town about once a week for a quick purchase.

Okay. Scene is set. So, I am wandering through the produce section (it's not that big, folks!) in search of fresh cranberries as my aunt wanted fresh cranberry sauce with today's lunch. I have cruised the aisle twice, checking again just in case I missed them. I do not see them. I do spot a very young female who is placing apples in place for sale. I note she is on a cell phone while doing so. She has on the signature green t-shirt and a name tag. Perhaps this is a very important call so I stand at a reasonable distance from her... close enough to make it clear I am waiting to ask her a question... far enough to only barely overhear her conversation (which was relative to her plans for later that evening and thus, in my world, not a very important call!). I am looking toward her. She continues to pick up two apples at a time, turn and place them on the bin, then repeat the process... all without ever looking at me even though I am in her direct line of vision. Uh-huh. I do feel the blood pressure beginning to rise and decide I will leave without cranberries.

About this time, a very young man shoves one of the stocking carts through the double swinging doors in the produce area. I catch his attention and advise I have a question but "the young lady in the produce area is apparently too busy on her cell phone to acknowledge me." (Yes... I am perturbed and the first available set of ears is going to know this.) He is very nice and asks me what I am seeking. I ask him where the fresh cranberries are to which he replies "We have canned cranberry sauce but we rarely get fresh cranberries here." Okay. I wanted to scream "It's Thanksgiving next week!!! When do you think you should get them?!?!?!?" but I don't. He is only the messenger and I try never to shoot them. Sigh.

I make my way forward to check out with the five items I have in my little cart. I am nearly done when the very young man comes RUNNING to the front of the store with a bag of fresh cranberries in his hand! He spots me, brings them to me, and says "Gosh. I'm sorry. I forgot it's nearly Thanksgiving!" Okay. This young man has completely redeemed himself and I gratefully acknowledge his efforts in asking about them, finding them, then tracking me down to make sure I get them. I could have been out of the store by then but he was going to try.

Note to self: Just when it seems as though there is no longer such a thing as true Customer Service, one little incident can prove that to be wrong. There are still a few folks left out there, some even young (!), who actually care about what they do AND how their customers are treated. Thank you, young man.

Until things change...

THE BIRDS!!!

Alfred Hitchcock did a wonderful job, terrifying us with the most commonplace things. "The Birds" was a slow, steady, increasingly uncomfortable ride to sheer fear! I remember watching it as a kid and wondering what would happen if all the birds in town got together? Yikes!!!

While Hitchcock was indeed a master, it turns out the birds can be even more sinister than he imagined. I say this based on my torment by these same creatures although there is no attacking or pecking involved. It is the early morning that causes such dread in my heart.

My alarm is set for 6:00 a.m. Monday through Friday. This allows me time to stretch before beginning my walk about 7:00 a.m. I would like to hear my alarm go off... but that is apparently not going to happen. Even more so, I would like to SLEEP IN on Saturday and Sunday, the days of rest around here. None of this is to be.

There are substantial foundation plantings around the house I am in. Most of them are quite old and have grown to very large proportions, offering up the best possible bird habitat. If you think the birds ignore these due to their proximity to the house, you are wrong. The little feathered pals just LOVE these shrubs. I am a bird-lover... most of the time... and would likely enjoy viewing the little darlings from my windows if it weren't for one small problem. THEY CRANK UP ABOUT 5:30 a.m. AND CONTINUE UNTIL THE SUN IS SUFFICIENTLY UP TO MAKE THEM HAPPY!!! If you think I am just being cranky and should enjoy the lovely soft peeps from God's little winged critters, you need to understand the ones outside my window sound like a cross between a pterodactyl screeching and a lion roaring!!! This is not a gentle awakening, friends. This is a "jump-out-of-bed-yanking-the-sheets-with-you-and-smacking-your-toes-on-the-nightstand" kinda' sound. There is no need for smoke detectors in this house. As long as the smoke arrives just before dawn, it is guaranteed at least two bedrooms will have very awake guests!

I look forward to a return to Texas where the birds have enough consideration to wait until the sun is at least showing before beginning their daily serenades. It is indeed the little things.

Until it's time for another...

WHO IS IN THE KITCHEN?!?!?!?

Well now... those of you who know me well are very aware I am kitchen-challenged. I do a few things extremely well (family recipes including from-scratch sweet potato pie and from-scratch potato cake) and most other things with as little involvement as possible (where is that can-opener?). Thank Heaven for the Ron-Man, the spousal-unit with a propensity to grill anything and everything and his immunity to all weather environments!! Without him, I would be a lot thinner. (Hmmmmmmm? I hadn't thought about that before.)

So... finding myself in a "foreign" land with no yard work to be done and a need to be inside a good part of the day, it was looking a little grim. During the week, I get out and make my 45-minute walk (although I miss my Austin walking partner, Ginny!). I also make a few runs for essentials like banking, mail, and the ever-so-fabulous Wal-Mart adventure. But that is pretty much Monday through Friday.

My first weekend here was filled with some "rat-killing" like finding things, getting myself settled into a secondary bedroom, and figuring out how efficiently I could organize myself. I also met two of the new caregivers, finding one to be terrific and one to be sorely lacking in the skills we need here. (That was resolved quickly, however, so no worries!)

My second weekend here was a little less stressful in terms of organizing and monitoring. Things had become a bit less harried and we had settled in with caregivers who can provide appropriate assistance. It was more relaxed and we even had a little impromptu gathering of a couple of folks on Sunday evening that was rather festive with stories told and expanded upon!

Okay. It is the third weekend. There are no needs that require immediate attention. There are no projects requiring any real skill. I am at a loss. There are, however, a few remaining Fuji apples from the 12-pack I brought over from my Texas CostCo. What to do? What to do? AHA!!! Eureka!!! Baked apples! Why not? It can't be THAT hard, can it? To the internet for a recipe then to the kitchen for location of appropriate ingredients, utensils, and dishes. Baked apples all around for this afternoon's snack. (They actually were edible although my aunt and the Sunday caregiver chose to add Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla to theirs. Hmph!)

The saving grace... I will be heading back to Texas this coming Thursday the 20th so will not have a fourth weekend with time on my hands. In fact, I will probably look forward to returning to Louisiana in December where I don't see something that needs to be done everywhere I turn!!
Until the next...

GIMME SHELTER...

This town has an animal shelter... but cannot take in dogs over about 35-40 pounds due to the restricted size of the cages. Even with this disadvantage, the shelter stays VERY busy working to rescue dogs and cats. They have a garage sale every other weekend (Fri/Sat) selling donated items and items "rescued" from other sales. On the interval weekends, they pile in the cleaned up, groomed, ready-to-be-adopted critters and drive them about an hour and a half to the nearest town with a PetSmart!! They typically have good success there adopting out the cuties.

Okay. Kind of interesting but why am I telling you this? Well, it's because of my aunt's next-door neighbor, Susan, whom I have met and who really is a great gal!! She is probably near my age, has grown children, lives alone, drives a big ol' Ram pickup as well as rides her very own motorcycle. She is VERY cool and has a wonderful, loving personality that makes her the ideal volunteer for the local shelter. She is retired but probably spends more time working at and for the shelter than most folks spend working at their paid job. She "owns" five small dogs and a large cat. She ALSO fosters some of the shelter critters while they are recovering from surgery, heart worm treatment... whatever. So there is a very happy household right next door and Susan will frequently call and ask if she can pop over bringing one of the critters. HECK YEAH!! I get my "pet fix" (since I had to leave my two big kitties in Austin) while my aunt gets to see some really cute critters without any responsibility for them.

Two of our recent visitors include "TinkerBelle" (who I insist on calling "YodaBelle" which you will understand when you see the pic) and "Pokey" (who was recovering from surgery and slated to be adopted out soon). So you can appreciate the fun we have when the visitors arrive, I thought you might want to see them.

This is YodaBell sitting in her "mom's" lap.

This is Pokey, living up to his name.

So, I hope you enjoy these guys. As more visitors appear, I will try to get photos of them and share them with you. So far, all stories have had happy endings... and that's what we're shooting for with all of them!!

AUNT BUBBA??? WHAT?!?!?!?!?

Now that you have an understanding of WHERE I am these days, let's talk about WHO I am here to check on.

An Aunt called "Bubba?" Yep. That's the deal. I know. I know. The funny thing about it is I thought "Bubba" was a girl nickname my whole life until I moved to Texas!! You can imagine my surprise (and silent chuckling) when I first heard a BOY referred to as "Bubba." My goodness. How embarrassing for him!!

So... how did this happen? How is it this very sweet, Southern-Belle, little lady got tagged with "Bubba?" Well, after my move to Texas and my discovery that my aunt's nickname was quite the oddity, I asked the question. Turns out my mother knew that "Bubba" was a boy nickname all along!!! She was five years old when my grandmother announced she was to have a little sibling. My mother was very excited and definitely had it in mind that she was going to have a little brother. She was VERY disappointed when my grandmother arrived home with a baby girl. My mother's solution to this disappointing turn-of-events? Call the new baby "Bubba"... with no regard toward the femininity of the little one. Well, as these things go... it stuck. Not only did my mother call her little sister "Bubba", even my grandmother and pretty much everyone in town called her "Bubba." The interesting thing about this is I can judge how long someone has known my aunt by whether they refer to her as "Bubba" (they grew up together) or by her real name, Frances (they met after my aunt graduated from college).

It has also made for some very interesting travels. It seems as though calling girls by boys' names was not terribly odd during that time. My aunt has a very good friend, Billie (who sometimes actually goes by her first and second name, Billie Rhea), and another friend, Jo (who goes by Jo but is actually named Jo Ella). A friend of mine from Austin and I went to Las Vegas to meet "Bubba and Billie" one week. I'm fairly certain someone overhearing us thought we were heading out to rendezvous with two men!! When I discussed going on a cruise with "Bubba and Jo", I'm pretty sure those who did not know me thought there was definitely something less-than-genteel about my choice of traveling partners. I stumbled more than once over calling my aunt "Frances" in front of others and sometimes let "Bubba" slip. I tried... but when you have called someone one name your whole life, it's hard to switch-hit!!

So there you have it. There is always a reason for the things that may seem the most odd. Sometimes you just have to ask!

Until the next ramble...

PLANES, TRAINS... NOPE, JUST TRAINS!!

Okay. I am a lover of travel. I have actually been on a passenger train that was NOT Amtrak (one departing from this town when I was about 8 and my grandmother said she didn't think there would be passenger trains like that one in the future... she was right!). I have been on lots of planes, from a 2-passenger to a 747 jumbo jet. Obviously I have been in automobiles since I was licensed at the age of 15 (which seems insane now!). I love hearing the distant sound of a train whistle. I would park at the end of a runway all day to watch planes arrive and depart. I guess I'm a travel junkie.

Let's talk about trains. The town's first railroad was the Pittsburgh & Gulf in 1897 which was later renamed the Kansas City Southern (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeRidder,_Louisiana). If you want a peek at the original train station, check out the Beauregard Parish Museum which originally served travelers heading north or south on the rails. Yep, that's the place my grandmother took me to purchase our tickets to head north to Shreveport where we spent the night in a hotel and returned by train the next day! It was VERY exciting!!

So... why am I rambling on about this mode of travel? Because, dear friends... the tracks remain and are quite active. While Amtrak does not run on this particular rail line, there are freight trains running through town... ALL... DAY... AND... NIGHT... LONG!!!!! There are numerous crossings including the two one-way runs through town where traffic comes to a halt and backs up for a couple of blocks waiting for these 100+ car trains to clear the tracks. Remember the first paragraph? That "distant sound of a train whistle" I mentioned I loved? Well, with the heavy humidity that is standard here and with the house I am in at a slightly higher elevation than the tracks, the whistles sound as if they are in the BACK YARD instead of approximately 1.5 miles away!!! I have now become familiar with the individual whistles and their approximate times to run through town. There are a couple of engineers who apparently take a rather cruel and sadistic pleasure in hanging on that whistle for a VERY extended time as they run through the town at 2:00 or 3:00 A.M. Pity the folks who actually live across the street from the tracks.

At any rate... if any of you are railroad junkies, let me know. I will try to record the nearly constant whistles for you which, I assure you, will cure you of your addiction. Really. I say this with complete faith you will be cured.

Until the next fascinating blog...

YOU CAN'T GO HOME AGAIN!!

Well, that's what they say anyway. However, I find myself back in the small town in southwest Louisiana where I grew up, attended school from the first grade through high school graduation, and escaped shortly thereafter to the draw of the big city lights in Austin, Texas.

My aunt had a little setback with her health in September culminating with pneumonia and pleurisy in October. I felt like I needed to "project manage" the situation for a while to make certain she was receiving appropriate care. So... with the (almost too happy?) blessing of my spousal-unit, I set up a schedule to hang out in Louisiana about 20-21 days each month for a while until I am satisfied that my aunt is back on her feet. I arrived "back home" on Halloween. Perhaps that was a harbinger of the things to come?

It has been 11 days. I have been to the Super Wal-Mart three times so far. (This is the largest retail environment in the town!) I have listened to employees there yelling from one end of the aisle to the other and been snappily informed "We're not open!" by the deli lady who eventually warmed to me and advised they weren't open due to the "holes in the roof where they are putting in a sprinkler system." Oh. Okay. I'll come back (maybe... if I'm not too afraid!).

Just to give you a general idea, you can get from one far side of town to the other in 5 minutes (less if you catch the red light green!). The big industry here is a Boise Cascade paper mill... appropriately placed since the entire place is covered in giant pine trees. There are a few of the ubiquitous fast food outlets (McDonalds, Burger King, Sonic) and some family-owned restaurants that are worth a visit (The Catfish Hut is a rockin' place!).

Okay... that's the beginning of this blog. I don't know how long it will continue as I don't know how long my "commute" will continue. I'll keep you posted right here. So... sign up for the email feed if you want the news right away!! Or... just drop in when you feel like a chuckle. There is a lot I have to tell you about this place and what goes on in it. :)