The Power is On

Right after checking the Entergy website and seeing that there were 166K outages reported in Jefferson parish, our neighbor called to say that we never lost power on our street! No major limb damage, and our home is fine.

I'm waiting to hear about the rest of the area, and want to know how other friends did. Please let us know what things are like in your neck of the woods, if you know.

Thanks-

Surrogate Pets

Our neighbors have no kids.

We have no dogs.

Betwixt the two, we're a nuclear family.

I'm grateful she has the warm fuzzy cuteness that we get to enjoy. Then walk away from.

I'm sure she feels the same way about our brood.

Introducing Cutter:

The kids love him, and seek him out for hugs and kisses everyday.

Thanks for sharing, Carol!

The unintended consequences of crime

Last night when passing out our flyers, Georgia and I were surprised to run into two women...mirrors of ourselves, walking door-to-door, handing out different flyers. It turns out our fellow neighbors had felt similarly inspired to fight against this thief, who coincidentally has pilfered at least 10 homes in 9 days. Their flyer was promoting a new Yahoo group for our neighborhood, and calling for support for the Night OUt Against Crime in August. I felt our cause bolstered by their presence, and we quickly agreed to join forces. I came away thinking about the power of community, and of women. Didn't I tell ya I lived in a great neighborhood? It's certainly worth fighting for.

In any case, our party is gathering steam. One of those ladies went to rep. Elton Lagasse's office today, and came away with information and support. And today, on channel 4, Kevin and I, and another neighbor, will be interviewed about the problem. Let's hope I did OK.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me

We've been robbed. Again.

Yes, less dramatic than my husband being carjacked at gunpoint in front of our home at 9:30 on a Tuesday morning.

More lucrative than when our car's spare change was pilfered from the ashtray on a Saturday.

Just as disgusting is this newest violation. My bike hitched to the kiddie bike wagon. GONE. Our edger. GONE. Kevin's miter saw. GONE.

If this keeps up, soon we too will be GONE.

What has happened to my neighborhood?

House fire takes three

We awoke this morning to the news that there had been a fire one block over. The corner of Oak and Coolidge Street. I thought of the two houses that it could be. I didn't know either of them. But in our tight-knit community, that kind of reality hits hard.

I got up and looked online for a story or picture. The image I found was of a brown house, inhabitants still unnamed. As I looked at the photo, my heart sank. This looked like the front of a former high school classmate...a new friend since they'd moved in the neighborhood. Motherhood and civic activism had connected us. It couldn't be that she and her family were the ones (they weren't).

I walked down the street. I ran into another neighbor who told me that the family had been old friends of theirs. How could I explain the twisted feeling of relief upon learning that it wasn't my friend? I just excused myself and walked there myself.

Seeing the charred and hollowed house was hard. This was certainly was one of the block's prettiest, with a well-tended garden, pond with goldfish...Later today, we learned that our neighbor's new palm trees were planted by the father yesterday.

They left behind a 13 year-old son. I couldn't help but think how he must be feeling. I would certainly rather go up in flames.

The front of the house is now a make-shift shrine. Despite the flowers I had chosen to bring, the TV crews are keeping me home. I can't do that again, I feel.

May they rest in peace. And may he find comfort in their memories, and the love they shared with him.

Bella's First Birthday

Happy Birthday, Bella! It's a joy watching you grow.