Our little Isaac Adventure: Prep

I've got a love/hate relationship with hurricanes.  The storms are awful for me because I HATE lightening, (Have I mentioned that I was indirectly struck by lighting while in the bathtub?), J and the boy are first responders so I am left to fend for myself, and I do not enjoy sitting there in the dark waiting for the roof to come off or the water to rush in.  I do love the storms for their power and beauty.  They are gorgeous creatures who command respect.  Just look at that sunset!  Nothing prettier than the purple, lavender, pink, red and gold sky before a storm.

I've packed up my stuff, loaded it into the car.  I've picked up the stuff in my yard so that the fern doesn't fly through Miss J's bedroom window.  Most people are staying this time around.  Everyone is trusting the levees.  I hope they're right.  I'd stay except I'm the one who can work the generator so I must head north to Slidell.

Sis #2, our awesome neighbors: Miss. J & her son P and J. The sky was literally lavender although you can't tell in this pic.   In the back you can see the dirt pile that never ends.  

Hate evacuating and despite surprising Sis #2 with how little I'm taking with me, I am surprised over how much I did pack into my little car.  Heck what business do I have being attached to any material item I own when I choose to live where there wasn't a spot of dry land after Katrina?  I'm going to do some purging after this.  Some people horde, and cling to each and every little piece of paper claiming that it holds some memory.  I've learned that those little mementos can be a burden when you have to evacuate every three years.  I've also been left with very little in the memento department after Katrina anyways so that helps. ; )

My stuff packed and ready to roll.

Poor Sis #2 she's lived away from Southeast Louisiana for several years and she must think we're all nuts.  She called me yesterday asking what color I wanted to paint the back hall in Mom's new house.  I'm all like, "Have you been to a store today?!"  She's all like, "No, " and I hear her calmly chewing ice over the phone.  I'm telling her the area is running out of gas and there is a frenzy for water and canned food and she just sits there calmly chewing ice and I swear I can practically hear her thinking we are over reacting.  So imagine her surprise when today she learns that traffic is bumper to bumper and that the only gas available is the premium priced stuff.  She's not experienced the post Katrina frenzy over a storm.  There was no heading out to Kenner to return a rental car today.  She found another place in Chalmette and she wanted to kill when they let the guy ahead of her off on filling the tank because he couldn't get gas.  Don't blame her.

Gas frenzy.

Boarding up frenzy.

Tomorrow the storm will arrive and I'm not looking foreword to the experience.  Anyone who says riding out a cat 1-2 storm is nothing hasn't ridden one out in a while.  It's nerve wracking and when you listen to all the call in radio shows it makes your hair stand on end.  There you sit and there is always some nervous nelly, (Mom), who jumps at every THWACK and THUMP and asks, "WHAT'S THAT?  Someone go check."  Yeah, suuurre I'll run right out to determine which of the seventy broken limbs flying about hit the house.  (Alright so it turned out a tree broke in half and hit the roof, but still what was I supposed to do about it in the middle of a storm?)  I prefer to sit in terrified silence pretending I don't hear anything.  Kinda like MiMi...

Shhhhh I don't want to hear about tomorrow's car ride!  Isn't that the cutest widdle brown nose ever?

Weight Loss Wednesday: Oh Phoo!

Sis#2 has been fostering these two kittens since they were 2 weeks old.  I haven't got any pics so I figure who could resist kitten cuteness?

Well I haven't been here in a while.  For the past few weeks I've just been so tangled up I just didn't have room in my head to remember to do everything or even want to.  J is having a hard time right now, I'm helping mom to buy a house, I've had a birthday party, got really sick and have been to Houston for five days over the past two weeks.  So basically it's been Waffle House, fast food, birthday cake and then when I got sick, (like high fever, aches and chills sick), I threw it all up.  I said all of this to say, I've been at 141-142lbs for the past couple of weeks.  Ta dah!

Exercise:  We all know I'm aiming to do the Run With the Bulls this weekend, and yet I've done nothing to prepare.  Well that is if you don't count the one day running up steps for water slides at Schlitterbahn, and the day we rented an inflatable water slide for Sis #3 & my forty-something birthday party, (yeah, we realized the day after we may be just a tad bit old for this kind of stuff).

Water: I'm trying to catch up, (I'm still dehydrated from being sick), and am doing about four glasses a day because any more than that and I feel nauseous again.

Food:  Mostly hot & sour soup this week.

Confession:  I had waaayyy too much cake.

Congratulations:  I got sick.  (It's was saved me from a horrible scale reading)

Weight loss: None really. Oh Pooh!

Current Weight: 141.5

Dream Weight:

Weight Loss Wednesday: Yogurt Blech.

So I didn't force myself to drink water until Saturday.  I live dehydrated; it's something left over from my teaching days.  I also forced myself to do my little ten minute workout.  As for food changes, well they weren't too positive.  I tried yogurt which didn't do too well because it was yucky.  Apparently it was yucky because it was past it's due date.  I'm gonna stick with cereal and oatmeal thank you.

Exercise:     one 10min. aerobic exercise
                    shoveled many loads of dirt
                    unloaded several bags of top soil

Water:  Still not drinking a glass a day.

Food:  J was off for the week so it wasn't that great.  I did divide my Mexican dinner in half, and then  purchased a dozen Gambino's petit fours.  Oh New Orleans bakeries how I love thee.

Weight Loss:  One pound.  (probably from the combo of bad yogurt and stomach flu but I'll take what I
 can get)

Pet of the Week:  Zoey!

Zoey wouldn't keep her eyes open.  She's very timid; we think she was abused pretty badly by her previous owners.  It's been four years since we adopted her, but she still cringes when you get too close.

Weight Loss Wednesday: Excuses & Kitty Pic

     Well my first documented week has been a dud.  In my defense I've had a couple of bombs dropped, a family friend died, I've gotten the stomach flu and because it was J's birthday this past week, I've had a nice sized Randazzo's King Cake calling my name all week.

   Okay so here's what I've done to help myself along in my goal:

1.  I choose to do a 10 min. workout once this week.
2.  I forced myself to drink a glass of water for four of the past six days.
3.  I divided my steak and baked potato dinner in half instead of scarfing down the whole thing.
4.  I only ate eight raw oysters on .25 cent oyster night instead of the full dozen.  (I'm not sure that raw
     oysters have a whole lot of calories, but in my defense they weren't fried, or charbroiled)

Weight lost:   None, (Okay really?!  I mean I had the stomach flu for pity's sake!  Grrrr.), on the other hand I didn't gain any weight either.

  Sigh.  Baby steps.

Squeaky Mimi- Ain't she one good lookin' girl?

The Battles of New Orleans

     Our first battle was actually a reenactment.  January 8th was the anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans, and so I went to see my pirate buddies fire cannons for the kids.  Yes, I have befriended pirates and participated in pirate activities, which if I shared, you would hate me in the morning, so instead of stories of my misdeeds, I'll share pics.

Andrew Jackson reviews his troops.

Native Americans, Freemen of color, Cajuns, Creoles, outlaws, pirates, etc. all banded together to boot the Brits out. 

This is the Malus-Beauregard house, built in 1830.  I just love the old oaks; they bring me back to the days when Dad would sit us on a low limb and bounce us.  Nothing better than having an old oak to play on.

     The second battle, In case you didn't know, was with the Detroit, Lions.  Man, they had us worried at first.  Somehow we went from two people watching the game to six.  I am soooo glad I got extra pizza and a king cake.  We celebrated the win by setting off a sparkly thing left over from New Years and the neighbors came out screaming, "WHO DAT!"  Makes my heart swell for all the black and gold love we have for our boys.

King cakes are a carnival tradition and are usually purple, green and gold,
 but for today, only a Saints themed king cake will do.

The niece and our celebratory rocket sparkly thingie.

My son and the appropriate celebratory rocket lighting device.  No he doesn't smoke, but we always carry a lighter because they do come in handy.

Then there is the LSU battle tonight.  I've got E. P. Mike, the LSU cat prepped and ready to go.

E. P. Mike the LSU cat.  Get it?  She's gold!  We're looking haughty and confident this morning.  
It's so important to have a confidant and haughty feeling good luck cat. 

So far we've won every battle, lets keep our fingers crossed.  I'm looking for a good Mardi Gras costume idea out of all these wins!

How to Break up a Cat Fight

Mom's hand.

Actually this post is more or less how not to break up a cat fight so that in the future you know how to break one up.  See that hand?  That is an example of what happens when you incorrectly break up a cat fight.  Okay, I have to admit that the hand is that of my mother and she got that petting her darling Abby, Evil Queen of the Underworld, but my hand looks about halfway to this right now.  I took a pic and then couldn't find the thingie  that allows me to load it onto the computer.  I have a fever, (99.6), and whacked my hand on the drawer looking for the camera thingie which sent my stomach into a spiral and left me whimpering. I gave up on hunting up the thingie, as a result, you get Mom's hand and are asked to use your imagination.

I am a natural born drama queen so everyone takes my suffering with a grain of salt in my household.  When I came into the house, whining and drama full on, J took one look and asked, "Why would you stick your hand in the middle of a cat fight?"  Men can be so moronic at these times.  I'm not looking for common sense; I'm looking for the poor baby treatment.  I'm looking for the, "Oh you noble woman who spared Greyfur from an epic butt kicking," treatment.  Of course I didn't get it, then again I never do, but I keep trying.

So here I am on day two, (and three), using peroxide to open the wounds and drain the pus and two fingered typing and now...  Now, that I am all red, green and pouffy, now I am getting sympathy.  Well it's about time.  So all I can say on how to break up a cat fight:  Use a garden hose, or a broom, just not your hand.

Happy Who Dat Season!

     It's that time of year where our lives change and everything revolves around the New Orleans Saints' schedule; our first game is upon us.  While the rest of the country is decorating their homes for fall, the New Orleans metro area is pulling out the black and gold.  Wreaths, flags, and signs  in black and gold are seen all over town and tomorrow is black and gold day at just about every other school.  It's a new season and the chant "Two Dat" has returned and so the preparations begin...

    Tomorrow will be the usual game day wardrobe black and gold undies, jeans, lucky tee, gold sparkle shoes, and I realize I'm going to have a fashion crisis.  The lucky tee.  It has Reggie Bush on there and I'm not sure how that is going to affect the mojo.  I feel slightly panicky knowing that the lucky shirt's mojo has run dry.  Don't ask me how I know, I just do.  I need a new lucky shirt, but nothing has hit me yet.  Again, I don't know how I know what is lucky, I just do.  If we lose I'm going to feel horrible.

Gumbo The Saints Cat

     I feel better about the other game deciding factor; Gumbo the Saints Cat, (please note that Saints Cats are always black and gold).  Gumbo is the second Saints Cat.  The original Saints Cat was Mimi, and we lost her this year, but she put in nineteen good years before she headed over the rainbow bridge.  Gumbo seems to be in a good enough mood although she didn't get her nap time with her dad today.  That could be a negative factor.  I'll try to offset that with extra cat treats.  

     To recap, lucky mojo for shirt not good, but Saints Cat is under control.  This means that this is going to be a close game and who wins is uncertain.  I just hope that Friday isn't going to be a black Friday, (eek).  Lets all hope for a Happy Who Dat Season!  Who Dat!

Kitten Rescue

     Saturday after we buried my FIL's ashes we rescued a kitten from being mushed on a rural two lane highway in Mississippi.   He, (at least I think it's a he), was very weak and lithargic the first day and a half, but after a few meals he seems to be on his way to becoming an active normal kitten, crying ,playing, and knocking over the water dish and throwing kitty litter everywhere.

     I didn't make the best first impression when I introduced myself to Kitten.  Essentially, I chased him down in a field next to a Family Dollar Store which was in the middle of nowhere.  When I finally caught him he greeted me with a most painful series of bites to which I responded with screaming and jumping about.  I bet the two women in the parking lot were having a hard time figuring that one out.  A woman dressed up in funeral attire and heels running about in a field and screaming like she had found a snake.  J wouldn't get out the car, he didn't want to look like he knew me.

     As with any neighboring state situation, there is a rivalry so if these women ever suspected Louisiana people were nuts, I confirmed it Saturday.  The best part of the ride was the odor.  Kitten smelled like he rolled around in something that had been dead for a week.  The two hour ride home in the 98 degree heat was spent with the windows cracked and the A/C on full blast, me nursing my bleeding hands and the memory of Grams having to receive shots in the stomach due to being bitten by a stray with rabies.

     The ride home was not a comfortable one what with the lectures on how most men wouldn't have pulled over, on diseases from stray animals, and a few grumbles about the smell coming from the back seat.  Anyways we made it home and so far I'm not foaming at the mouth and the swelling in my right index finger has gone down.  Kitten has found a forever home with my sister who will be moving back home next month so he'll be visiting with his Aunt Jude and Uncle J until then.  Kitten is winning J over, (he can't resist the tiny), and I am hoping he will win over one of the girls, (my cats), so that he finds a foster cat mom for companionship.  I'm gonna be sad when he has to go to his new home, but I know sis will take good care of him.

Nothing Like a Loud Meowie Cat

Three things to know before reading this post:  1. Taking cats to the vet is a physical activity that will wear you out.  2.  I have a loud cat named, Squeeky, that demands to be served a cup of warm water when I am in the bath. 3.  Mom brings her cats to me so that I can take them to the vet for her.

     "I'm just calling you to tell that if you get a phone call from First Alert or Acadian Ambulance, Mom is fine." I told my big sister last Saturday.  "What?!"she asked.  "Mom accidentally hit her alarm button when loading the cats in the car and drove off so when they called to check on her she didn't answer and so they called for an Ambulance."  "She's okay?"  "Yeah, she's great, but I'm not; that 'bout gave me a heart attack and I think the guy at First Alert thought I was drowning the cat."  Naturally I had to explain.

     When First Alert called I was in the bathroom running the water for a quick shower with Squeeky underneath my feet loudly demanding her cup of warm water.  Mom had just called ten minutes before to tell me that she had to chase the cat out from under the bed and needed a few moments to catch her breath and then would leave to meet me with the cats.  The conversation went like this...

    "Hello, is this Jude?"  "MEOW!  MEOW!"  "Yes this is she."  MEOW!  WEEOOWWW!  MEOW!  "This is First Alert, we want, "WEEEOOOWWW!" to inform you that, "MEOW!  MEOW!" your mother hit her emergency call button and we have gotten, "WOOWWW!" no response when we've tried to contact her; "WEEOOWW!  WEEOOWW!" we have called for an, "MEOW!  MEOW!" ambulance, "WEEEEEEOOOOWW," and they are on their way."  

Squeeky and her cup.  Seriously, it's her cup;
you don't think we want to share a cup with a cat do you?

         So I recall the panting and gasping when on the phone with Mom and begin to freak out thinking that Mom has had a heart attack.  I told the guy that I would call her cell and then call him back.  Mom answered the phone and was just fine.  I called First Alert back and had them cancel the ambulance; the whole time bathwater is running and the cat is yowling for everything she's worth.  I was so nervous I didn't think to shut off the water or to put the cat out.  I came out the bath, I met J in the hallway, "What on Earth are you and Squeeky doing in there?!"he demanded.  When I told him what had happened and that the stupid cat wouldn't shut up, he killed himself laughing saying that the operator must have thought I was trying to drown the cat.