Dangermond.org

When one tugs at a single thing in nature;
he finds it attached to the rest of the world.
– John Muir

A colleague recently told me to embrace those people around me into my process or suffer. I spoke to a new person who said, “Slow down, I have time.” A dear old friend just advised me to bring others into the fold this morning.

Obviously, I move too fast and that tends to leave people either clamoring to keep up or peeling off in my wake.

Big NOTE to self – take other people’s rhythm into consideration and stop approaching everything you do with such urgency.

You have time enough, Rachel.

Yesterday, a good friend of ours came over to cut Tin’s hair. I have been taking him to this really cool salon in the French Quarter but honestly nobody there wears their hair natural – its all about buzz cuts for boys and relaxers for the ladies, so I called the one person I knew who could deliver on the afro buzz – Darrin Butler to the rescue! Not only does he sport the best fro around but he is an artist and his eye is impeccable.

Tin’s hair looks fantastic! And look how handsome they both look:

Darrin said he felt like he was looking in the mirror of when he was a toddler and I’m sure Tin must have felt like Darrin was some view to his future. We did have to pacify Tin during the entire cutting session, by cueing up the Louis Armstrong DVD to hold his attention for the labor intensive fro shaping that took place.

Today is my neighbor across the bayou’s 95th birthday, I wondered as I was posting this how many memories she has that are small but extraordinary like this one over her many years. I hope my son lives to be 95 himself, hell since I’m such an old mother I hope I live to be 95 so that I can see Tin turn 45 (and perhaps see my grandchildren), but for now I’m just going to soak up every memory we can all possibly make together for the time allotted.

So you have heard me lament about the dearth of plays here in New Orleans, I mean we have drama but not up on stage hardly ever. When I heard the Brennan’s were wanting to take over part of Le Petit and put a restaurant in this beloved space, my spirits just sank so low I could have spit.

Yesterday, there was a rally at the Columns Hotel to save Le Petit from becoming yet another restaurant in a city that really doesn’t need another restaurant – we need a decent theater and it inspired me. I should have been at the rally but alas I had work pressing down on me from all directions. But hip hip hooray for those who did attend and who have Le Petit and our best interest at heart and are doing something about it. Bravo Bravo Bravo.

Yay!

I’ve been feeling like a snowball lately rolling down a big glacierous mountain and that is not just a comment on my weight. Honestly, I’m feeling a little more svelte than usual having given up the gin and tonics. No I’m speaking about emerging from this cocoon that I had found myself in, this cloister where I was not able to grow one iota – I was about to be a dead moth trapped in it. But something happened, I walked across the Magnolia Bridge and saw divers looking at the corrosion and that led me to get involved with the bridge project, and then the bridge project awakened a grander vision and well it’s been a snowball in summer, mind you, but a snowball nonetheless.

I have come to a fork in the road dear readers and I clearly see the path to follow.

Tin has been an utter joy the past week, sweet, charming and full of good spirits. Quite an instant presto change-o from where we were just a mere week ago when I thought I was going to have to take the poison pill to get me out of his misery.

But toddlers are pretty transparent – if he doesn’t want to do something he will bite, kick, hit, and scream. Other adults I’ve known are not so obvious, when they don’t want to do something you want them to do they’ll lie, obfuscate, turn the tables on you, use passive aggressive techniques, disappear.

Honestly, toddlers have more sophistication than adults.

We had a good monsoon yesterday, New Orleans style rain, the kind where the sky crackles and a gut pouring of rain comes down in sheets all of a sudden. Love it. Love the rain in New Orleans – it’s one of a kind. The city has been in such a sorry state without it recently – the grass is drying up along the bayou, the Queen Palms in my yard were looking a little peaked, and my roses that I tried to kill earlier as I was spraying for rust have gotten no respite. So this morning when I walked through City Park I noticed the disappearing ferns were bright green, the plants along the banks of Bayou Metairie were standing at attention, and all in all the park was rejoicing to have been bathed in fresh rainwater.

It’s raining, it’s pouring – listen to this beautiful Turkish rendition of Jose Feliciano’s Listen to the Falling Rain.

The other night my friend was sitting at dinner with her great niece who was giggling about the name of our cable company, Cox, obviously confusing it with cocks. Poor Cox, it is no laughing matter. I received my USAA member magazine that lists ways to save money instantly and the tops on the list is cutting the cable cord. Since around here we watch like a nanosecond of regular TV and the rest is on DVD or online, the revulsion I have of paying Cox anything is mounting. I called up the other day to have them come get my DVR and they reduced my bill by 25% for two years. Um, does that tell you something?

Why pay $100 plus for Cox Cable when you can get creative and great shows for FREE – that’s right FREE. Take these two web only programs – they are innovative, entertaining and nice and compact and oh, did I mention they are FREE?

The Louise Log

Perks

Downton Abbey