I just received a phone call from one of my subcontractors on the LaLa who asked “Rachel, do you still want a baby?” and I said, “Yes, why?” – and he proceeded to give me the back story of a baby who is on the way who needs a mom.
Know this, I am blessed.
Relationship nirvana is loving who you are when you are with someone – when you don’t like who you are or who you become around someone then distance is probably the best strategy because sometimes it doesn’t matter why the call and response is stuck in second gear – it matters more than you pull off the road and detour to avoid the head-on collision.
At 6:30 standing in Lafayette Square three rows away from the stage I was enchanted by the rhythmic soulful music coming from the stage as Tommy Malone and the subdudes played to the packed Wednesday crowd. I saw my old neighbor Dara – who had lost her house in Broadmore – standing beside me – and one of my neighbors Mike standing behind me – and we were all dancing, and smiling, and grooving to the music, and I asked both of them what on earth is everyone else in the world doing right now?
This morning Arlene and I walked along the bayou and across the Magnolia bridge just as the dawn was breaking and its rosy fingers were gracing the horizon. There is a new planet that was discovered called Libra that looks to be in a system similar to the Earth’s. Imagine that my self-contained world here in the LaLa, on Moss Street, in Bayou St. John, in New Orleans, in Louisiana, in the Gulf South, in the United States, in the Americas, in the World, on planet Earth, in the Solar System, is just a spec of what’s out there.
Went through City Park and the moss was so fat on the trees that it looked curious and the swans looked at such ease as they glided across the still lagoon but I could almost see a little bit of ripple from their fast and furious webbed feet.
The Bean and I popped back out onto the bayou and ran into TL and then the Bayou Stone Fox and then were home again.
Imagine that there is another planet out there with a woman walking her dog who has lived through some heady times and she passes men who are connected to her life and she enters a home that began as a dream – a fantasy – then a concept – designed with love – built with sheer determination and no know how – and imagine how happy she is and how she will live a long life that overflows with friendship and love right here on this tiny spec of a bayou – a universe filled with boundless joy that there is no system large enough to hold it.
My horoscope today:
Taurus – Clearly a boss or someone you look up to doesn’t understand how you process things. You might not be able to explain where you are coming from either. Do yourself a favor – don’t worry. Tonight: Think of your home as your castle.
I graduated from therapy today and so no more E wisdom to spread around.
George came by to look at the soil and see what he needs to make this hard packed inpenetrable ground grow something – we walked a few houses down to look at the orchid tree in the back yard of one of my neighbors and on this particular day, the warm wind was blowing, the sun was bright but not blazing, and it was about 83 degrees and he said to me, “This is a great neighborhood!” – and I said, the best in New Orleans and perhaps in the world.
I asked N to bring Renny to walk with Arlene for her birthday around the bayou. She’s doing great – even though a little pokey since the weather is warming up and the air is thickening up. Happy Birthday to the dog who is a friend to all – Arlene the Bean. Best dog in the world.
M came by this afternoon to talk about what needs to be finished around here – he stayed for a beer and then another and before you know it we were having dinner together at La Vita and trying to fill in the blanks of what the last 30 years might have been like – and in the end it’s surprisingly familiar how two people live their lives. F was giddy over him because the other day I mentioned how this guy doing work at my house is kind of hot and she whispered in my ear things that made me blush.
Well, of course, in our dinner conversation we didn’t fill in all the details, but I kind of like the way he winks at me when he says something I should understand and more importantly I definitely like the way that he is Tarzan, which makes me, default Jane – and that my friend, is sometimes very nice.
P & R came in and acted like they didn’t want to join us but I insisted they sit next to us and we caught up with them about how they are still in the FEMA trailer till August 29th (that dreaded anniversary) and how they are having a crawfish boil both Sundays of the fest. P was describing R when he was a little boy – how he had these gorgeous locks of hair and because his aunts always called him “lindo” (Spanish for pretty) he thought that was his last name and when people asked his name he would say R Lindo. How cute is that?
We headed to Jazzy’s for delicious roast beef poboys and then to Bacchanal to enjoy the gorgeous weather and hear 007. G had taken J on the misery tour since I was at the hospital with mom. The misery tour was part misery and part inspirational because their feedback was that the 9th Ward is looking good while the bad part is that Lakeview is not looking anything.
Support the 9th Ward and treat yourself to a fabulous poboy – Jazzy’s is on Port and N Derbigny right off of Franklin.
Then go to Bacchanal and pass yourself a good time.
We ended up taking someone home who had biked there from Fountainbleau – he tickled me in the backseat till I screamed like a bird of prey and almost caused G to run off the road. What goes on?