Thanksgiving in New Orleans

Mom and Dad came down for Thanksgiving again this year. We made the usual: turkey, dressing, candied sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and homemade cranberry sauce. It was enough to have the leftovers for 2 more meals. The day after Thanksgiving, I took them to Cafe du Monde for beignets and cafe au laite and a stroll around the French Quarter. We hit the aquarium where they had penguins, otters, and a white alligator, in addition to huge fish, sharks, and stingrays. Then for lunch, we had a muffaletta while seated on a bench on the moonwalk. (The moonwalk is like a boardwalk that parallels the Mississippi River--it is not a moonwalk like you would see at a fair.)

Saturday was spent putting shelving in my closets and watching the OU/OSU football game. Unfortunately, the game proved a formidable distraction which interfered with the shelving job, so we also had to make a few trips to the local Home Depot for materials before it was finally completed. . . .

It was a good holiday and I look forward to doing it again over Christmas.

The Mighty Has Fallen

I don't consider myself a full-fledged tree-hugger, but I do have a certain appreciation for nature. I had this pine tree in my front yard that occupied a rather awkward position right in front of my house. The shade it provided prevented my grass from growing; the needles it shed littered my azalea bushes and made mulching useless; and it dropped pine cones all over the place. Not to mention the fact that if another strong hurricane came through, it was positioned to do serious damage to my house if it fell. Sadly, the tree had to go.







One day I was approached by a specialist whose keen eyes saw I might need that tree removed. The estimate he gave seemed fair, for a tree so large. I took a few weeks to think about it and decided to do it. I called yesterday and they made my appointment for this morning. Not much time to say goodbye to a tree that had so far survived a clearing for a major housing development (I wonder why they let the tree stand where it did in the first place) and a major hurricane.

So now it's noble trunk lies in my front yard, awaiting being chopped up and taken away. I thought it appropriate to gather a few needle and pine clusters to display as a memorial to so stately a tree.