Lines

So after standing in long lines for FEMA and Red Cross and food stamps, and MRE's and water and ice, or blue tarps . . . to get into the grocery store, and at the only pharmacy open for months after Katrina - I'd never thought I'd be so happy to see a LONG line again.

But I am BEAMING!

Long lines at Cafe Maspero and Mother's . . . and super long lines at the Deutches Haus' Oktoberfest.

It's a glorious day in the French Quarter (Saturday school) ~ lots of people, noticeably more tourists.

To the LINE~! May the good ones be long and prosperous ;~)

I am Bug Lady

I read one of Hayden's bug books to my second grade students. It was clearly one of my more impressive science classes - LOL! I had two students volunteer to be my "Bug Buddies" (whatever it takes to get them enthusiastically on board after all, right?) ~ and then several others offered to bring in BUGS for show and tell from their homes . . . uh . . . please let Mrs. L bring in all the specimens, PLEASE? LOL LOL!

SO I suppose, by default, insects and bugs have become MY thing*, which is fine, anything for science after all! The second graders think its a HOOT that I like them (buggies ~ who knew? - LOL) and they love telling me about their personal bug experiences.

So one day last week -- they all brought me this dead MOTH they found on the playground, "Mrs. L? Mrs. L!!! We found THIS!"

Uh - yea -- it doesn't look to . . . uh . . . healthy . . . why don't y'all put it back?

"Mrs. L? It's DEAD! DUH!!!!!!! But we're going to have a FUNERAL for him!"

And they did - LOL LOL! A quite proper funeral for Mr. Moth!

Man I love this job!

* My thing: Owen remains very impressed that his first grade teacher had a thing for frogs. And MAN did she! She had frog earrings, frog pendants, frogs decorated the entire room! Adn when it was time for read-a-thon, they filled out the titles of the books they read on lily pads . . . they had been her tadpoles after all. So I decided that I needed a thing. Owen suggested that it be frogs, or butterflies. By default - it's all things buggy and insect. I like it - it works! And I bought some really terrific BUG stickers for their tests, that they all did rather well on. I DO love this job ;~)

Creature comforts

Yep - that's our 9 y/o Doberman, Otto, sleeping on an army cot with a camo-pillow and a nature-scene flanel blanket. I guess he's earned it! We just got a second female -- soooooooo . . . he's been hard at work . . . and he's an OLD man after all. He's quite well-traveled, having taken a 10-hour drive to Baton Rouge - and later finding things quite hospitable in South Carolina. We nearly lost him in Montgomery, where he escaped our Motel 6 room. So here he is, none the worse for the wear.

Sweet dreams, Otto!

Atta boy! You tell 'em!

Chris Rose

Wir machen spaß!