Wishful thinking: where is the sun?

Some loose thoughts this gray, gloomy, not-yet-Spring morning:

On sunshine:  Sun?  What is that?  It's been cloudy and damp as long as I can remember.  I need sun. I'm tired of gloomy, gray days.  So there.

On writing:  Blogging has been rather slow here as I've been involved in research and in writing on book two. Plus, it's been gray and gloomy and there has not much I felt like blogging about. I'm so over politics these days -- I doubt I'll ever return to full time political blogging. I'm super excited about my new book project, however, and am looking forward to sharing it with you, but not quite yet. Patience.

On reading: I've been reading a lot of research material for the new book, but I also have to have my pleasure reading. I am currently reading The Sound of Building Coffins by Louis Maistros, which Steve picked up at the Louisiana Book Festival last fall.  It's a stunning book and I can't recommend it enough, especially if you're from NOLA or Louisiana. I'll post a full review when I've finished but man, it's a truly beautiful book. Check it out.

On school:  Another reason for slow blogging. This semester has been a challenging one and I'm only halfway through the semester. I take seriously my responsibility to teach my students and prepare them for those end of the year tests, even when those students don't always fully realize the importance of those tests. Most days I feel like I've had rocks thrown at me all day and I'm exhausted,  sometimes in tears, but this is part of it. And it's why I love my job: we will all get there together and we will be successful. It's a challenge every single day, but one so very much worth taking.

On thank-you notes:  I received the loveliest thank-you note yesterday from the Association for the Preservation of Historic Natchitoches (APHN), thanking me for speaking at their banquet last month, when in truth, I'm the one thanking them. I love sharing the Cane River Bohemia story with groups and I'm so grateful that they like my book. Thank you notes are too often an overlooked touch, I think. My mama drilled me about writing them when I was young and I still do it. There is something special about the fact that someone took the time to hand write a note, put a stamp on it, and mail it. My APHN note is on lovely creme colored stationery with the APHN monogram and the handwriting is beautiful cursive writing with a personal, lovely message. I will keep it forever and plan to put it in my Cane River Bohemia scrapbook that I'm going to start on this summer.

On the calendar:  With the approach of spring there are some exciting events coming up. I'm headed to Baton Rouge in a couple of weeks to talk about Cane River Bohemia with the members of the Baton Rouge Country Club Book Club.  In April I will be speaking with the North Louisiana Historical Association at their annual banquet in Natchitoches. I'm very excited about both of these invitations! The Baton Rouge event gives me an opportunity to head back down south and I could not be more excited about that. We're going to head over to New Iberia, St. Martinville, and Arnaudville and hit some of our favorite spots.  Also in April is the Books Along the Teche Literary Festival and while I am only going as a book lover and not an author, I can't wait to get back to New Iberia and see friends, listen to Cajun music, and take part in the joie de vivre that is so much a part of that area. I need the break.

On baseball:  Bring it.  I'm ready. And leave the damn pitch clock in spring training - quit messing with the game!

On crawfish: I need some. I don't want to pay $7.00 a pound for them. I must wait.

Since it appears the sun will not come out today I'm going to settle in and get some work done today. I hope the sun is shining where you are and that you have warm, bright days.

Later.

Tropical storm Gordon

Last night as I was watching LSU’s trouncing of the Miami Hurricanes on television, I received a text message from a friend which included a screenshot of the new tropical storm in the Gulf, Gordon, with the question “Am I the only one who can feel a faster heartbeat and creeping anxiety over a pic like this?”

It’s an ongoing group text thread with some friends and every one of us knew exactly what she meant. I’d been watching that cone of probability all day long as it centered this storm right over New Orleans.

It’s only a tropical storm, it’s not a hurricane, and it’s probably not that big of a deal, but this is what living in Louisiana is like, especially after Katrina which was much in the news the past week with the thirteenth anniversary of that devastating storm.

Add to that last year's flooding along the south Louisiana coast with Harvey and, well, we can be forgiven if we look at tropical storm warnings a little differently than normal.

The New York Times has a story today about Hurricane Harvey and about how many poor neighborhoods in Houston are “slow to recover” :

A survey last month showed that 27 percent of Hispanic Texans whose homes were badly damaged reported that those homes remained unsafe to live in, compared to 20 percent of blacks and 11 percent of whites. There were similar disparities with income: 50 percent of lower-income respondents said they weren’t getting the help they needed, compared to 32 percent of those with higher incomes, according to the survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Episcopal Health Foundation. 

And while Louisiana escaped the brunt of Hurricane Harvey, areas along the coast received up to twenty-two inches of rain which just added insult to injury after the devastating 2016 Louisiana floods.  In August 2016 much of south Louisiana received devastating rain totals as a slow-moving storm drenched the state and left many homes uninhabitable.

 So, yes. Whenever we see those weather graphics with those cones of probability slamming right into our fragile coast, we get a little nervous.

It doesn’t stop us in our tracks, though. We are used to this. It comes with the territory (literally!) and the flooding and storms are part of our routine. We prepare, we wait, we watch, and sometimes the predictions are wrong. Sometimes they are right.

But I do believe that Katrina changed things for us. I’m in northwest Louisiana and so Katrina as a weather event didn’t affect me very much, but Katrina as a human drama certainly did. I’ll never ever forget the haunted eyes of those refugee children in my classrooms.

With this little storm, Gordon, who is making its way over the coast this week and later across the northwest corner of the state, what I worry about most is south Louisiana and our very fragile coastline and vanishing wetlands. I wonder why we have no better answers to protect them and I worry about places like Isle de Jean Charles, for example, that are already so endangered. What must those people be thinking as they look at the weather forecast this week?

In the meantime, we celebrate our LSU Tigers' performance last night, and I think I will go start a pot of gumbo and hope that the storm moves quickly through.

Via The Blaze:

We've been watching the tornado coverage today: Mr. SIGIS is from Iowa and has lots of friends and family there.

An aggregation of coverage:

From the Des Moines Register, here's a photo gallery of damage and cleanup in Des Moines.

The damage in Creston, Iowa was pretty serious.  Here is the Des Moines Register gallery of Creston damage.

The Creston News Advertiser reports that the sirens never had a chance to go off:

The sirens never went off.
“We didn’t receive any warning,” said Creston Police Chief Paul Ver Meer. “The first call came in that the hospital’s been hit when the tornado was on the ground.”

Fox News has been showing 24/7 wall to wall coverage of Hurricane Irene.  Is this a little excessive?  Yes, hurricanes are serious business; but, it seems to me that all this over-coverage just freaks people out.  Is that the point?  Freak people out so they pay attention and "get the hell off the beach"?  Maybe.

The media doesn't really need imminent threat of landfall to go berserk over a hurricane, either.  Around here, at least, once a tropical depression spins off the coast of Africa they are all over it, scaring the crap out of anyone who might potentially be in the path of any of a dozen possible tracks.  It's the Katrina Syndrome.  These frenzied reports, especially as the storm/depression/hurricane gets closer to (any) landmass, often include shots of the flooded streets of New Orleans. 

It's as if every time there is a storm now, we're all expecting to end up on our roofs or in the attic waiting for a rescue chopper.  (Don't forget to put an axe in your attic!)

Never mind that what got New Orleans was the failure of the poorly constructed levees and that the city is a bowl under sea level.  A good thunderstorm could have done almost the same thing.

The media whips people up into such a frenzy that they all run down to Home Depot for generators and WalMart for all the bottled water they can find.  Target sells out of batteries in two hours.  Why is this necessary?  Why don't people prepare ahead of the season?  Plan ahead and get your batteries, flashlights and bottled water a long time before that storm even develops.  If nothing ever happens, hey, at least you were ready.

In 1954 E.B. White published an essay entitled "The Eye of Edna" about a hurricane that threatened his Maine home.  It's a beautifully written anecdotal piece about how the media whips everyone into a frenzy (and this was well before 24/7 cable coverage!).    He says, "I heard about Edna during the morning of Friday, September 10th, some thirty-six hours before Edna arrived, and my reaction was normal.  I simply buttoned up the joint and sat down to wait." 

They they turned on the radio, where hundreds of miles away the news reports became increasingly frantic.  He says, "It became evident to me after a few fast rounds with the radio that the broadcasters had opened up on Edna awfully far in advance, before she had come out of her corner, and were spending themselves at a reckless rate." 

What would White think about today's coverage? 

Eventually he takes refuge from "the storm" on the radio by going outside where things are quite calm and normal.    By the time the storm finally got to his place, it had passed by the broadcasters who had by then gone on to normal programming. 

Not to make light of hurricanes.  As I said, they're serious and the tornadoes they spawn and the flooding they cause are nothing to scoff at.  But how many shots do we need of some reporter getting bandied about in the wind on a beach with pounding surf behind him?   How many times in 30 minutes do I need to see the satellite loop?  This guy in on television right now is talking about "high wind gusts" and "metal debris," as if we don't know to expect this sort of thing with a hurricane.

All in all, I think 24/7 coverage is too much.  Calm, responsible reporting on the hour or half hour is fine.  Keep us informed.  But don't whip us into a frenzy.

We had a record high of 109 today and everywhere you go people are fussing about the heat.  In truth, a lot of people are just staying home, inside, and still until this broiling weather breaks.  Grass is long dead and small trees and shrubs are not far behind.   Lakes in Texas are drying up altogether!

So what can you do?  Not much, but one Dallas blog offers the Drought Drunk Game:

How to play Drought Drunk
Here's the general concept:

At any point in your day, if you hear people talking about the weather, you drink. You hear someone say, "Ugh! I'm soooo sweaty!" Drink.

More suggestions:

"It's 106! When's it gonna rain???" Drink twice.
(Once for the current temperature update, once for the bitching about lack of rain.)

Lawn or plant updates.
"I just can't water enough." Drink.

The rest is here.

I'd suggest trying this game with water, though.  It'll keep you from getting heatstroke and if you try it with alcohol you'd be over the legal limit in no time at all.

(H/T:  Carolyn)

Seriously?  This is not even "heat index" crap, people.  Ugh.

Must be August in Shreveport.  Time to go back to school (in one week.)

How's the temperature where YOU are?

Update:  Daughter in Texas emails to report that their forcast kicks our forcast's ass:

This is an AP video about the earthquake this morning in Japan:



The images coming across the news this morning are incredible.  It's difficult, sometimes, to fathom the power of nature.

Another video:



Incredible.

It's a snow day in Shreveport!  I dared fate and got into the car to go take a few pictures.  Here's the duck pond on East Kings Highway:



The ducks seemed to be enjoying it:



There weren't too many folks out:



So I went over to Centenary College to see what was happening over there:


Pretty quiet.  I walked over to the band shell; it's always neat looking when it snows:



But, all in all, it was pretty quiet there, too.


There weren't any die hards out at Querbes Golf Course, either:




There were lots of folks out driving around.  Everyone looked to be driving pretty carefully.  I stopped by McDonalds for the Teenager and into the grocery store for me and headed home.  I filled the bird feeder and the birds are swarming around it!

One thing about the snow...my Lab absolutely loves it.  I can hardly get him to come inside!



Now I'm going to make a cup of hazelnut coffee and settle in with my book.  Stay warm!

Yeah, so I was outside doing yard work Saturday because it was 79% and sunny.  I popped open a Noble Pils and prematurely celebrated the imminent arrival of spring.

Bam!

We're warming up to 33 degrees today.  Wind chill is zero.  ZERO!

This southern girl can't take much of this.  Bah!

The Jackson Clarion Ledger has extensive tornado coverage today of the killer tornado that struck Mississippi Saturday and nearly obliterated Yazoo county. 

The death toll stands at ten.  Three of those are children.  Some thirty people have been hospitalized or treated for injuries.  Homes and businesses are wiped out.  Meteorologist Daniel Lamb estimates that the winds were over 100 mph.

What always inspires me about these things is the bonding of a community when something like this happens and the "we will start over" attitude that so many have.  The Clarion Ledger is filled with these stories this morning.

One of those stories is of Jean Oswalt, mother of Houston Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt, who sought safety in a closet with her small dog and a pillow.  When they came out, her house was destroyed.  The first thing she saw was her husband's Bible.  She has not, however, been able to find her engagement ring.

There are volunteer numbers set up if you live in the area and can help.  Go here for options to volunteer or help.  Or go here to give to the Red Cross.

Previous Post:  Tornado in Yazoo County, Mississippi

Our weather guys were predicting possible tornadoes for us here in Shreveport early this morning but they misjudged the storms.  The bad storms went just east of us and wiped out most of Yazoo County, Mississippi.

Governor Haley Barbour held a press conference a couple of hours ago and said the damage reminds him of Hurricane Katrina.  The Clarion Ledger has a photo gallery here and their complete coverage is here.  Yazoo City is Barbour's home town.

So far ten people are reported dead and at least 21 injured have been transferred to Jackson hospitals.  Barbour says they know of people still trapped in cars and houses that they just haven't been able to get to yet and parts of Yazoo City and the county are still inaccessible.

Video is here.

Reportedly, the tornado was nearly a mile wide.

Prayers go out to the people of Mississippi.  If you'd like to donate to the Red Cross you can go here.

I asked faithful reader Trish to send me pictures of her Nebraska snow. WOW! Did she send pictures! This Louisiana girl has never seen so much snow! Just beautiful!


Thanks for sharing, Trish!

Steve's family sends snow snapshots; the first two are in south central Iowa and the last one is Clear Lake. Now THAT'S some snow! In Clear Lake, they're running out of places to put the stuff; the snow blowers can't blow it over the drifts.




Related:
Spring in Louisiana, Winter in Iowa (Feb. 20, 2010)
More Iowa Snow Pictures (Jan. 7, 2010)
Snow (Jan. 4, 2010)

Steve's sister writes from Iowa that they are expecting another 6 to 12 inches of snow today. This was the view from her window before the snow started today. This is what she looked outside and saw, and then thought, "Hey! I think we can get to the store today!"

I think it's beautiful but I know they are sick of it.

For my part, I dutifully mulched and bagged as many leaves as I could. I mowed (weeds mostly), edged, and fired up the blower. I replaced all the burned out light bulbs outside. I pruned a gardenia bush that didn't fare so well over winter.

The daffodils are showing color - they'll be blooming in a few days. My hydrangeas have tiny green leaves poking from the stems. Spring is coming!

Take heart, Sheryl! It will get to Iowa soon!

Shreveport in the snow:

The bayou along East Kings Highway was deserted this morning; usually the park is filled with kids but I guess they all stayed home this morning!


However, some intrepid souls had been out and built a couple of snow people. These are at the bayou which is also along the parade route, thus the beads. The snowman is holding a note with the names of their creators and the note proclaims them to be "Who Dat Snowmen." Their smiles are made from beer bottle caps.


The ducks aren't too happy with the snow, I don't think. None of them were in the water.


At Norton Art Gallery the scene was peaceful and majestic. There were a few neighborhood kids out playing in the open, snowy areas and a few small snowmen here and there, but mostly it was hushed and beautiful with only the sound of the streams and the snow crashing from the trees overhead.


This cat wasn't bothered by the cold as he stood keeping watch over the grounds at Norton.



Needless to say, Querbes golf course was deserted this morning, too. I'm sure some die hards would have been out there if the course had been open, though.


At Centenary College, the band shell was adorned in snow. The campus was pretty quiet. I walked around a little and saw a few students moving from one building to another; there were three girls playing by the band shell, one making snow angels on a hill. Other than that it was all very quiet.

Things are starting to melt now. There will be some snow still around through the day, especially in the shady areas. It's time for this to clear on out though because we have a parade tomorrow!

More photos here.

And we finally got snow here in Shreveport. This is no DC blizzard or Shenandoah Valley wonderland, but it's nice anyway.

I took the dogs out early and it was still trickling down a little; it had been heavier through the night. I ended up with about 4 or 5 inches here. My Boston Terrier was kind of afraid to go out in it; she's old and doesn't take change well. She eventually got brave when she saw the Lab go. He bounded out into the slush with the innocence of a puppy, ran circles in it, tossed snow up with his nose, and then tried to dig to see what was under it.

We're going up to 40 today so this won't last long. They closed schools today and I'm staying in until time to go check on mom this afternoon.

Snow day!

We have snow in NW Louisiana. It started coming down about 7 a.m. today where I was (earlier in other areas) and it snowed steadily up until 2:00. At school we carried on as usual and watched it out the windows as we worked. Nothing was sticking because we've been just above freezing all day.

After a break for two or three hours, it's now snowing again and they're predicting 4 to 6 inches. Who knows, really. Schools are already closed for tomorrow in anticipation of dicey driving conditions.

It's kind of funny after watching people in DC all week, and in New York, to see people here going absolutely nuts over this. By 10 a.m. tomorrow it'll all be gone and the temperatures above freezing, but folks are swamping the grocery stores and every meteorologist on every television station is standing by the side of some road somewhere giving "updates on the conditions there."

It's kind of fun, and snow brings out the kid in us all, for a little while anyway. But seriously. I don't think we have to build igloos just yet.

Heck, I don't even have a good snow picture to post for you. It's all melting! Maybe later.

SWAC Girl has lovely, lovely pictures of the snow in Virginia today. Go here to look.

Again today there was no heat in my classroom. By "no heat" what I actually mean is that it was 44 degrees when I got there and I topped out at 65 today. Friday I topped out at 61. The kids are freezing, I'm freezing...I came home Friday and it seemed like I never actually warmed up all weekend no matter what I did, how high I turned up the heat or how many layers I put on.

I am sooooooooooooooo not a winter person. I can't tell you how much I'd like to be sunning in 90 degree weather right now, drinking a beer by the pool, sweating, Jimmy Buffet tunes playing in the background. I hate winter.

I would love to blog about Sarah Palin's FOX deal; I'd also like to give a virtual internet head smack to Mark McGwire. (Nobody is surprised by that revelation, are they?)

I'd like to write about a lot of things, but I'm frozen.

If I can manage to thaw out, I'll get back to you.