A Night on the River

Afternoon showers brought a beautiful evening.
Cooler weather and a gentle breeze brought us out of the house. With the Mississippi river in our back yard we decided to enjoy it. We went down the road to a park in Kenner. It has a pier that ends at the water's edge.

Cricket watched as two men fished below on the banks of the river.

It seemed as if the ships stopped to watch the sunset too.



"I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and for you,
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world …
Yes, I think to myself, what a wonderful world."
--Louis Armstrong

21 Days Away

Life is about changes nothing ever stays the same.

21 days away and the anniversary of hurricane Katrina is fast approaching.
Plans are being made for a memorial for those who survived the storm. I am not going to participate.
Turning 50 last year on August 29th was a milestone in my life. I remember sitting in my Mom's livingroom with my eyes glued to the T.V. watching the destruction of a city I called home. This past year I have had a hard time just finding something or a reason for wanting to be in New Orleans.

milestone (n.) An important event, as in a person's career, the history of a nation, or the advancement of knowledge in a field; a turning point.

So this year I am heading to San Antonio to celebrate my 51st birthday. I am going to enjoy time with my daughter and granddaughters. I am going to celebrate life.

Around The World and Back Again

How long does it take to travel around the world and back again?
44 hours, 26 minutes, 2860 miles and 25 days. Plus I had to factor in the time spent at the rest areas where Cricket explored the land of a thousand dogs and my extra stops at McDonalds for coffee. I left New Orleans on June 15.
My first destinations was San Antonio, Texas.
I arrived a few days before a planned birthday party for my oldest granddaughter Hannah. Where did the time go? Hannah is now 10 years old. The birthday theme was dragons.
There were goodie bags stamped with a dragon and filled with Chinese hand-cuffs, fortune cookies and a chinese coin. The cake of course was a dragon cake. Evangaline my 7 year old granddaughter asked me to teach her how to bead. I was so inpressed. She caught right on and finished a strap for a necklace to give to her sister for her birthday. Next she asked me to thread a needle for her. She was on a mission to make someone else a surprise. "Look Grandma I made a Cricket a collar" We spent two of our days at San Pedro Park. It was amazing. The water was just right and the pool was the size of a city block. It is the second oldest park in the USA.
Those 11 days flew by. My next stop was Plano Texas to visit with Deb and Steve, who moved there after hurrican Katriana. We spent a day shopping at Sam Moons and went to the Marble Slab for ice cream.
I left the next day and headed to Michigan. My granddaughter Jocelyn was scheduled for surgery July 6th. She was born with CCAM. A congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation in her lung. It is a cystic piece of abnormal lung tissue that does not work like normal lung tissue. The surgery was sucessful and she will have a healthy normal life.
I am back home in the steam pit of the south, melting in the New Orleans heat.

25th Wedding Anniversay

On May 20th we traveled to Michigan for a special event. My sister Rosanne and her husband Geary celebrated their 25th wedding anniversay. Enjoy the pictures!



The night before we went to the church and set up for the reception.



Rosanne, Susie, Mom and Kayla. I dodged the camera being the one taking the picture!



My nephew Aman flew in from Grand Junction, Colorado. It was so good to see him. Our last vist together was over a year ago.



My children and grandbabies. It seems funny to call your grown kids children.
Eric, Amiee, Jocelyn, Ray
Allison aka Allicat, Joshua and Jen.



The picture show would not be complete without a picture of Cricket. Cricket enjoyed watching TV with my Mom on his vacation. It was a great visit.

Shoes Fit For A Cruise

I wish I could say all these shoes were going me with on the cruise. I couldn't think of a better way to take your beads to the high seas than decked out with beaded shoes and flip-flops. Watch on board for someone to have these on their feet
I don't think I can get away with wearing my boots under my dress on our formal night of dining!


I found my dress on QVC. You all know how much I dislike shopping.
Point, click and speed order the dress was here in less than a week.
My firend Crystal sent me a gorgeous floating necklace to wear. It is a perfect match for the dress. Maybe next year
she will be able to go with us on the cruise along with her beautiful beaded creations.

I plan on going all out before the cruise. We have a date with our favorite hairdresser in Gilmer. I see a manicure and pedicure in my future just before leave. Four more weeks. I am ready to take my beads to high seas.

It's a Girl!

We have a healthy baby girl! Jocelyn Cassidy Bowden was born today at 10:11 am. Weighing in at 7.12 lbs and 18 1/2 inches in length. Grandbaby number six is just as exciting as the first. I breathed a sigh of relieve and thanked God as I know my Ray and Jennifer did for our healthy baby girl. Jocelyn is a testiment to answered prayers. Shortly into the pregency the first ultra-sound showed four tumors on Jocelyn's lung. She was monitored once a month by ultra-sound and plans were made for her to be delivered at a hospital equipped to handle the delicate situation. We were all worried but put our faith and trust in God and prayed for a healthy baby. During the last month of Jennifer's prengency the tumors began to shrink. The last ultra-sound showed 3 of 4 tumors gone.

I believe in God's promises.
I delcared God's promise of healing for Joceylyn.
God hears the prayers of Mothers.

Lord,
Bless baby Jocelyn. Keep her safe, protect and guide her in this new life.
Amen

Puppy Tales

A Girl and Her Dog


This weekend I was told my puppy Cricket was my mid-life crisis baby. I suffer separation anxiety more than Cricket dones when we are apart. He travels with me when I go to Texas to visit Marcie. He has taken two vactions to Michigan.

Cricket has a girlfriend named Bailey.


Bailey is my sister Rosanne's girl. Now do those two make a pair or what? All dressed up in their Christmas scarfs. Looking like they are behaving. They sound like a herd of horses running through my Mom's house chasing each other around.

When Bailey has had enough she will scream at Cricket to leave her alone. Cricket is such a puppy he doesn't realize when he has pushed the envelope. I am so bad when I brought Cricket home I told my kids (who are grown up)I can't wait for you to met your new brother. He is one spoiled puppy and I love him to pieces.

Happy New Year 2006

Many parts of the U.S. celebrate the new year by consuming black-eyed peas. These legumes are typically accompanied by either hog jowls or ham. Black-eyed peas and other legumes have been considered good luck in many cultures. The hog, and thus its meat, is considered lucky because it symbolizes prosperity. Cabbage is another "good luck" vegetable that is consumed on New Year's Day. Cabbage leaves are also considered a sign of prosperity, being representative of paper currency. In some regions, rice is a lucky food that is eaten on New Year's Day.

This year I followed tradition and ate a New Years Day dinner with my friends.
We had black eyed pea with ham, cabbage in red sauce, pork roast and rice. This year I was brave and tried a little bit of everything. I made no New Years Resolutions other than to take each day as it comes.
Happy New Year to all.

It's a Pink Day

Ta DA it is a Pink kind of day. While I sat in my jammies this morning drinking my first cup of coffee there was a knock on the door. It was the mailman with a package. A surprise in the mail. I was excited. I looked at the label and it was from my friend Sharon. So much tape how do I open the box without ripping it to shreds? I found the little tab that said pull here. I slowly pulled the tab across the box and what should my wondering eyes appear? A wonderful pink flamingo pen. Thank you Sharon. At the Gilmer Get Away Judith gifted me with a beautiful pink scarf knitted with rabbit fur and pink gloves. My hands and neck will be nice and toasty in Michigan during the holidays. They go so well with my black jacket. Thank you Judith. Mel sent a long a pink flamingo dust pan and broom to sweep up my spilt beads. Thank you Mel. Last but not least Jackie gifted me with a strand of pink flamingo lights. I love them and they are going on palm tree in the living. Thank you Jackie. The skies are a wintery gray today but in my little corner of the world it is a very pink day.

Happy Birthday Dad

In Momory of my Dad.
Anthony Richard Virgo.
Dec 16th 1929- Feb 06 1999

Happy Birthday Dad. I miss you.

Love always and forever your daughter.

Let's Play the Blame Game

Let's play the blame game is going on in Washington D.C. this week.
Blanco, Nagin Testify At Hurricane Katrina Congressional Hearings.
To me the facts are simple. New Orleans survived Hurricane Katrina.
New Orleans did not survive the day after when the levees broke.
I look around and I don't see where much has changed. People are still homeless.
Fema is sitting on thousands of trailers that should in use. It broke my heart on the evening news tonight when they showed a woman who was waiting for a Fema trailer as she made a bed in the back seat of her car outside of her flood damaged home. It is not just New Orleans that is still stuck in a time warp of destruction, it is the entire Gulf Coast. Restaurants are still serving from hurricane menus. Groceries store still have empty spots on the shelves. Businesses are still closed. Traffic is a nightmare with people commuting back and forth to and from work. (thank you for being here to help in our rebuilding)
The last thing that bugs me about all of this...is the talk and planning of Mardi Gras 2006.
Heck ya let's have a party. "hey Mister toss me some beads". Show the world New Orleans still knows how to have a good time. NOT. Let's show the world we love our city. Bring them here when the city is better prepared. Oh I forgot while they are here they could take a tour of the devasted areas. The city is offering guided bus tours for $35.00 a person. $3.oo dollars goes to the rebuilding and rest goes to the city. What are they thinking?!!
The surprise for the day was the cable and internet bill that came in the mail. You are being billed for 3 months of service. Due on Christmas eve.
I am getting off my soap box for the night.
God help this city and those of us who are left here to live.

The Bug Man

Marcie, Kriss and I had just finished eating a wonderful Italian dinner at a local restaurant in Alexandria LA. The weather had turned chilly and we enjoyed the warm cozy atmosphere. We finished our diner and were sampling a wonderful white chocolate bread pudding for dessert. While waiting for our check there was a commotion at the table behind us in the corner. A young man slammed his hands on the table and said in very loud voice " Would sum one Paleaze come and get this cockroach off the floor so I can eat my dinner!!! The waiter came rushing to the table along with the owner of the restaurant. We could hear the conversation as the owner was appalled by this young man's behavior. We heard the owner tell the young man that if he had a problem he should have contacted the wait staff and not disrupted everyone's diner with his comments. The owner asked the young man to leave and go wait in the parking lot. Next thing we hear is the young man on the phone calling 911 and telling the dispatcher that the owner of the restaurant told him to met him in the parking lot and he threatened to kill him when he told him there was a cockroach on the floor. Prior to the young man making the scene I heard the girl sitting next him to say "Your not really going to do that are you"? The young man replied "why yes I am." As we all know when the southern weather takes a turn and gets cold the bugs look for a warm place to stay. The exterminator had been there the day before. This little guy had sneaked in through the cracks undetected. We decided to wait for the police to see if they wanted to hear our account of the tale as it unfolded. The young man was definitly out of line with his accusation towards the owner of the restaurant. The owner thanked us for sticking around as a witness. We would we go back there and eat again? You bet. The eggplant Parmesan was excellent. If it goes to court we will be called as witnesses. That young man really bugged us.

How you live your Life

How You Life Your Life

You tend to deprive yourself of things you crave, for your own good. You're laid back and chill, but sometimes you care too much about what others think. Your friends tend to be a as quirky as you are - which is saying a lot! You tend to dream big, but you worry that your dreams aren't attainable.

How Do You Live Your Life?

Retail Therapy

Just what is Retail Therapy?
The web definition is: Retail therapy is an unofficial term for purchases made by a person with the primary purpose being to improve the buyer's mood or disposition.

I never understood this concept for I am not a shopper. I do not like to grocery shop. Keep me away from the mall. School clothes...hand the kids the money and teach them to spend it well (what you buy will be what you wear to school this year) while you sit on the bench and watch. Well, ok I am bead shopper but that is a story for my other blog.

I am trying to figure out if the people living in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina are suffering from retail therapy or is it the fact if you don't buy it now someone else will? This questions weighs heavy on my mind after a trip to Wal-Mart this afternoon. I just wanted a printer cartridge!! I couldn't find a parking space. Where was my parking lot angel when I needed her? I ended up in the rear of the store by the Automotive department. As I slipped in the back door I thought this is going to be easy. NOT! As soon as I passed the tires I encountered the frantic shoppers. Those with shopping carts and those without shopping carts. Everyone looking for something and most times finding nothing. Yet, they were shopping. I made my way to back to electronics and found the aisle displaying the printer cartridges. I couldn't get near them. Stopping me were 3 shopping carts, an employee helping someone find a PDA and two other people looking for something. Through the crowded aisle I spotted the red and black box that held the item I so desired. Crazy thoughts ran through my head. Should I push my way through the crowd and grab the box before some else does? Should I shout EXCUSE ME I need to get something over there? Should I be like that crabby old man grumbling out loud about how ridiculous the situation is? No I waited and as I waited so did the red and black box. Was this trip to Wal-Mart necessary or part of retail therapy. It certianly did nothing for my disposition nor did it improve my mood.

Thank you Target for letting me do my christmas shopping online.

Ony The Eyes Know

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Those perfectly shaped eye brows have a price. I did not have a clue until last week. Who would have known the torture involved in shaping those lovely brows. My friend went first and I watch in amazement as Liza our hairdresser dipped a popcicle stick into a pot of hot wax. With a tooth pick she carefully apply the wax shaping it around the brow. This is truely an art on her part. She cut strips of special paper and placed it over the wax patting it down. With a twist of her wrist the paper was quickly removed. Next it was my turn. The hot wax was relaxing. This part wasn't too bad. I waited in anticipation of my newly shaped brows. RIPPPPPPP!!!!.... off comes the paper along with the hair that once was part of the eye brow. Did I mention the skin that came off too? The words that flew out of my mouth were not meant to be heard by children. For two days above my eye lids were swollen and red. This the price I paid to have those beautiful eye brows.