Monday, October 31, 2011

Goodnight Midnight


We had to put down our 8 year old cat this morning unexpectedly. He was our quiet cat, kept to himself a lot. But last night he seemed out of sorts, confused. We brought him to the vets today and they discovered masses covering both kidneys. The vet said cats have a tendancy to hide things till the bottom drops out. We have wonderful memories of this sweet cat and thank God that we had the years with him. Rest in peace, my gentle giant.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Sunshine and Antiques

This weekend was the perfect time for outdoor activities. The sun was shining, the skies were blue and there was a steady breeze. With so much going on around us, we decided to stay close to home. We had breakfast at Sunrise on Second Street and then wandered over to Slidell's Antique District to check out their biannual street fair.

We like this fair for people watching, finding unique Christmas gifts and eating good food. There are many one-of-a-kind items for sale and you can't beat the prices. Here are some of the things that caught my eye.



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I didn't buy anything above, but I DID manage to grab some neat stuff. Next weekend we're off to the Picayune Street Fair

Friday, October 28, 2011

Veterans and OWS

If online reaction is any indication, it’s not a stretch to think Olsen’s injury could be the start of something very big. We have a lot of military combat veterans in this country who haven’t been treated very well since they left the service. No job prospects. Inadequate medical coverage. If they take their anger offline and into the streets, the OWS movement will become an extremely potent, and WELL TRAINED force.

Taken from this article about the reaction of Marines to Scott Olsens' injury after taking a tear gas canister to the head. As fellow protesters tried to assist him, police lobbed a flash grenade into their midst–right next to Olsen’s already fractured skull.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Butterflies and Bayous

We were pleasantly surprised when we finally decided on what to do on Saturday...



we went to Camp Salmen Nature Park to see what updates have been done since our last visit in February. Originally a Boy Scout camp from the 40's to the 70's, Camp Salmen has an interesting history in the Bayou Liberty area.

(click on pictures for larger versions)



When we visited in February we were unaware that the Park would be undergoing a metamorphosis of huge proportions. We truely enjoyed one of the first upgrades of the Park: the butterfly garden. The entire park will be changing under the direction of Edward Blake, director of The Crosby Arboretum in Picayune, Mississippi. If you like interpretive journeys trail system to observe a park’s biological diversity you'll like both Camp Salmen and Crosby Arboretum. But I digress.



The butteryfly garden at the Park contains all native wildflowers. The blanket of purples, golds and reds attract scores of butterflies. During our visit we enjoyed the sights of butterflies and bees enjoying a cool, sunny Saturday morning. Check it out:

















There were several butterflies with these markings.


Can you see the tiny butterfly in this picture?



There are boardwalks that bring you closer to the Bayou and trails that roam throughout the deep woods. It's difficult to take a bad picture there.











I must say that early autumn in Southeast Louisiana - while not as beautiful as the northern states - is one of the prettiest around.



After leaving the park we headed for the Slidell Trailhead of the Tammany Trace and hubby caught two butterflies attempting to mate.








According to him, the female butterfly must've had a headache, because she didn't want anything to do with him.
Guess humans aren't the only ones who have problems "connecting". Good to know.

Have a good week, y'all.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Occupy Design

Article from The Daily Good

Occupy Design: Visual Tools for the 99 Percent


Last weekend, San Francisco, New York, and Washington, D.C. hosted spontaneous "Hackathons" to brainstorm how to use various platforms to help Occupy Wall Street. One of the ideas hatched was Occupy Design, a new website that gives a "visual language" to protesters across the country. Jake Levitas, a designer from San Francisco who's heading up the project, says it's a chance to fight back at media who characterize the movement as directionless.

"These are people who have valid concerns grounded in reality and grounded in data that can be communicated visually," Levitas says. "If we get these signs on CNN instead of the ones that say 'Screw capitalism' on a piece of cardboard," viewers don't see a generic grievance but "exactly how people are being screwed and by how much. It’s a lot harder to argue with statistics than it is with talking points."

The site provides big-think infographics that illustrate data on the wealth gap, symbols for overarching concepts like "justice" and "community," and practical signs to use on the ground like "toilet" and "landfill." Levitas says it's a chance for designers and techies to contribute to the movement, even if they can't make it to a protest.

"There’s all this untapped potential for people who are extremely talented," he says. "It's essentially a way to connect occupiers and designers. Everyone has a different role in this movement."

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Voting this Saturday? Here are some resources

Curious about all the stuff the ballot this Saturday? Here are some resources.

There are several amendments on the ballot which will require you to do some homework to make an intelligent decision.




Here are some websites that explain the ballots in plain english:

The Bureau of Government Research
The Bureau of Governmental Research is a private, nonprofit, independent research organization dedicated to informed public policy making and the effective use of public resources for the improvement of government in the New Orleans metropolitan area.

They have created a comprehensive report that details - in everyday English - each of constitutional amendments on the ballot. This is the place to go to make a wise decision on the amendments.


SOS.LOUISIANA DOT GOV
The Louisiana Secretary of State

Here you can find sample ballots by Parish

Vote Smart dot org.
By typing in your zip code on the top of the page, you will
be presented with all the information you need in making decisions in
this election. It doesn't include the amendments, but is chock full of
information about the candidates and incumbents.

CABL dot org
The Council for a Better Louisiana

In depth information of both the candidates and the amendments.

LA-PAR dot org
Louisiana Public Affairs Research Council

For a pdf guide to the constitutional amendments (my favorite of these sites) click here

Vote LA dot org
By putting in your address at this website
you will be given a sample ballot to familiarize yourself with the candidates and amendments. This site doesn't explain the amendments, though.


Proposed Amendments

1. Funding TOPS and Sustaining Cigarette Tax Revenue
2. Reducing the Financial Liability of State Retirement Systems
3. Protecting the Patient’s Compensation Fund
4. Managing the Budget Stabilization “Rainy Day” Fund
5. Updating the Census Change in a New Orleans Tax Sales Law

So there you go. Vote informed.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

A Change in Plans

This week's post was supposed to cover the Crescent City Blues and BBQ festival which we were excited about attending.

Unfortunately, the little criminal below decided to derail my husband from descending the stairs on Friday night, forcing us to spend Saturday morning in the ER instead of heading to Lafayette Square in New Orleans.



Lucky for Beignet, the use of those blue eyes and cat charm has kept her from being evicted from our home.

So instead of wonderful pictures of Tab Benoit or Kenny Wayne Shepherd all I have are pix of our beloved Deuce (McAllister) still trying to figure out what 'retrieve' means.

I apologize ahead of time for the fact that I recently did a post on Deuce a few weeks ago. But I spent the day in a dang E.R. and didn't have anything else to post about at this late date. Besides, the pictures are great and he's a pretty dog. (just kidding in case you didn't know).

We're proud of Deuce and can't get enough of him and he can't get enough of our stuff. Heck, this morning he stole the medicated pain patches and aspercream I pulled out of the cabinet to help hubby and spread them all over the back yard after chewing them up.

So here are a few of the 500 pix I took of Deuce in his first class of retrieving yesterday (Oct 14th) in the Bogue Falaya River in Covington, Louisiana.








I love his concentration in this pic















Check out the water droplets at the end of his tail in this picture











Hopefully I will put together something for next week's post that doesn't involve our pets.....or not! Have a good week, y'all

Monday Morning Smile