Soar-Dream-France

Caring for ALL!

It should be no secret by now that I am an animal lover. I do not appreciate being disparaged by others for making decisions about my own life based on the well-being of Dali and Sam. Frankly, Dali is why I am stateside now. It has turned out to be a good decision for many many more reasons than Dali and work, but I can't and won't deny what brought us here. I refuse to apologize for my choices and decisions.

So when this card arrived on Elizabeth from the WIldlife Rescue Center of Missouri the other day, I smiled from ear to ear. It might seem like a silly thing to many other people, but I was ecstatic. Our baby bat that Dali, Sam and I found in the basement during our first week here, survived the night under a Christmas Candy tin and recovered enough to be set free. I can almost hear his little wings pla-pla-ing through the air...so distinct from those of a bird! Special thanks to the Wildlife Rescue Center of Missouri for their help and support. You can learn more about them at www.mowildlife.org.

The back side of the card read:

Horsie Happiness

Back at the St.Louis Galleria for some more sisterly bonding and commiseration, Kat and I were roaming at Anthopologie once more. The window display was finished, but we found our artist working away on inside inspirations under a hanging display of collars. I stopped to chat and let her know how much we enjoyed her work.

 

The collars were so interesting and creatively displayed. Can you guess what's next? Christmas chains made out of cuffs! We were blown away, but the biggest blown away was yet to come!

Entering this Anthropologie store, you find a life-size, white work horse standing guard at the checkout who appears to be made out of paper maché. Kat and I had already spent some time with him...realistic, life-like, festive and in the spirit of the season. We weren't the only ones. I lost count of how many customers and passersby stopped to take pictures of their children beside this guy. Almost in unison, Kat and I wondered together if "our" artist had made him too?

Well, here I go: "Excuse me. I'm sorry to bother you again, but did you make the horse too?"

She broke into a huge smile and nodded: "We were supposed to make animals for Christmas and I'm a horsie girl, so I made a horse!" Kat and I oohed and aahed all over ourselves. We thanked her for all of her beautiful and creative work, but especially for being a "horsie girl"!

Walking on My Friend

I knew it was only a matter of time before Dorian popped up somewhere in New Orleans! All the while I've been in France, I've been reading and hearing about the 610 Stompers. There he was on the left admonishing us to "Strut Safely" by using the crosswalks, just as Eric and I were entering City Park the other morning.

I'd thought that the 610 in 610 Stompers referred to Interstate 610 that carries you around New Orleans, but while in town I learned that the 610 is also the section at the Superdome (oops...Mercedes Benz Dome) where you can find the guys during the New Orleans Saints football games.

I'm sure I'm going to learn more and get to see the 610 Stompers in action with all the upcoming events happening in New Orleans during the New Year. Lots to look forward to-I can't wait!

Family Fun in Ferguson

The Christmas Market and Parade in Ferguson turned into a family affair over the weekend. It's rare to get everyone who is home to join in and at least try to have some fun, but we did.

Tents, trains, Christmas Carols, Mrs. Claus, sweet and savory treats, children in Santa hats everywhere and my favorite...the petting zoo where you could feed the critters too. I felt like I was almost home, till I saw the leashes attached to everyone. There's just something about little goat lips nibbling seed out of the palm of your hand. I giggled like a 5 year old. In the spirit of that age, Mom reminded me that my Crackerbarrel Cape was dragging on the ground and going to get dirty. But, I didn't really care.

We barely managed to stay for the start of the parade. Kat had promised me Shriners on those funny little cars and I was determined to see them and get a few shots. As much fun as they were, they moved so fast that all you could see was a blur of light in the photos. You'd never know it, but yes...that is a Shriner!

In spite of ourselves, it was memorable: we giggled; we photographed and were photographed; we petted; we fed; we donated; we shopped; we nibbled, and yes...we had fun. What a nice way to continue to ease in to the holiday season!

Photos Below: Mom, Kat and Adrianne; Mom, Mrs. Claus, a new friend and me; my favorite shot of the evening; Tom B. and Tom M.; and Mom making a donation to our service men.

Black Friday Highway

On the road for 6am on Black Friday...too many tardy shoppers were clogging up 610 where I entered and then they all zoomed off at Causeway. They must have been late getting to Lakeside or some other shopping center.

Once I was on Interstate 55 heading north, I could enjoy the solitude of the road, a pink to lavender sunrise over Lake Ponchartrain through wisps of Spanish Moss, and many rest stop pastoral scenes along the way.

Leaving Louisiana for Mississippi, this favorite Welcome Center waited. Getting older, I enjoy stopping more. It's no longer a race. I take a few photos, use the facilities, and sometimes even have a little lunch break outside of the moving vehicle.

 

Even though the trees were rich with color and prettier than usual, my heart seized regularly at the many dead animals beside the road...lots of deer, possums, skunks, and racoons, but for the first time I saw a large number of birds.

 

In Mississippi the birds of prey wisely flew high above the evergreens, but in the fields and plains of Arkansas there were many big beautiful birds who took off just above the cars and were forced to climb higher faster than they had planned. I watched one who lifted straight up above the car in front of me and did make it to safety. Although that could explain the many dead birds along the highway, I had to wonder if hunting season added to those numbers. Their size, beauty and power took my breath away.

My heart still hurts when I remember the number of fatalities I found on the Black Friday highway. If only seatbelts were an answer for them!

Christmas Creation Occupation

If you were to pass by 2617 Columbus Street in New Orleans, you would find my Christmas Creation hanging on a tension rod from my flag pole holder. Unable to find a pretty holiday flag on my shopping adventures, I went to work to make my own. I now love Dollar General stores. I discovered these too cute, felt gift bags for a dollar (5), a box of multi-colored bells for a dollar, a spool of sparkly snowman red ribbon for a dollar, and then the curtain tension rod for $3. So for just $10, I got a fun flag that can be dismantled and useful later on if I choose. Our seasonal magic is already stirring on Columbus Street, as we look forward to ringing in the New Year together for the first time since 2005-2006!

The Angels in the Garden

New Orleans gardens are special. It doesn't matter if you have grass or not, New Orleanians find ways to pot, hang, dig up bricks, use the fencing, walls and every other nook and cranny to put something pretty and interesting everywhere. Stew and Eric are New Orleans gardeners...maybe even more. With Columbus Street begging for New Orleans gardeners' touches, I am confident that I will have a garden planted with clippings and bulbs from my friends. I expect that between Stew, Eric and Gaynell...Columbus Street will be lush and blooming again in no time. Winter you say? Have no fear...my team of New Orleans gardeners are here who know how to bloom and be green through all seasons! This beautiful angel supervises on Dupre Street-I still have my Girl with the Goose fountain turned planter over on Columbus Street ready and waiting! I'm not sure that I aspire to be a New Orleans Gardener-but it's going to be fun to watch Columbus Street come alive again...and maybe the birth of another New Orleans Gardener in the process!

Thanksgiving Spinning

With Thanksgiving today and an early Friday morning departure for St. Louis, Wednesday was a day full of a very strange range of activities. I had a meeting on one of my courses in the morning, cooked my Thanksgiving delicacies in my own kitchen over on Columbus Street in the afternoon, and then came up with a Christmas creation to leave on Columbus Street to dude us up just a bit. The ranges and distances in my life are making my head spin.

Even with this spinning head and heart of mine, I have so much to be grateful for: today, I look forward to the Thanksgiving feast I'll share with Stew, Eric, Eric's Mom, and of course...Louie boy. (I've already had a sneak preview of Stew's cornbread dressing-magnifique!); tomorrw night I'll have arrived back in St. Louis to participate in a "sibling meeting" where all 4 of us and significant others will be together to assess all that is happening with Mom and Dad; I'll be hugging my Dal and Sam; it looks like I'll have lots of work; and, I have found heaven on earth.

Happy Happy Thanksgiving to ALL!

Among the Ancient Oaks

During the summer of 1976, my brother Jim and I headed to New Orleans in my '66 Blue Pontiac Bonneville. I was moving to New Orleans to go to school to get my Masters Degree at the Tulane School of Social Work.

This past weekend, I was back at Tulane to offer two days of workshops. But the bigger news and a full-circle for me, comes in January when I will be teaching a couple of courses at the Tulane School of Social Work during the spring semester. Thirty-five years later-here I am again...

...among the ancient oaks. It's a lovely place to be.

 

 

 

A Mardi Gras-ish Monday

Sharing a Monday morning walk to and from City Park with Eric yesterday, held a special side-trip through the Sculpture Garden. This guy (really guys) was a new one among many new sculptures. But then, there were the old reliables I love...Botero, Louise Bourgeois, and the huge Mardi Gras beads dangling from a tree among the Spanish Moss.