Operation “Thank You”
Woke early to walk the Bean – yesterday was her birthday – she is now 11 years old and she is doing so much better than before when she was having episodes. Met up with L and the boys and we circled the bayou catching up on the past week. Then we saw K who said that her JF crawfish party is on hold because her house isn’t done and there are no crawfish. Apparently there is a shortage because of the drought and the salt water – I too was looking forward to a boil and was all ready for it. L and I left K and then the stone fox came running up on cue – such a lovely smile. Later S suggested a trip and fall, which made me howl.
Was looking through the fridge before going to the grocery and there sits the chocolate pudding and yogurt for W and in the freezer is the cinnamon toast and chicken nuggets – still can’t throw them out – vestiges of my heart. Last night N was saying how she missed W and wondered if we would ever see him. She too can’t throw out the little cups of chocolate ice cream that I left in her freezer for him. Sigh. One day the little man will be an adult and make his own decisions about friends.
L called and N wrote to tell me about the but-her-face on campus who was wearing a tee shirt that said “I’d fuck me” – N said she wore it without a touch of irony – totally game faced.
From last night till today my time has been consumed by “human error” – my credit card that got inadvertently cancelled and the new one never put into the system due to “human error” – the eyeglasses that were off in their script ever so slightly but enough to make me sick – and when I refused to let it go the woman finally measured the lenses and admitted “human error” – and so on and so on. The contractor won’t call me back. Some siding has gone up on LaLa and the plumber has been roughing in the addition but little else is happening there. I left two messages – both unanswered – asking to please call so we could debrief. Nada.
Went for a quickee run because I got caught up with work and couldn’t get out sooner but the weather had cooled so it was a good run, if not brief. Hurried back and knocked on H’s door and he said it was going to rain and I said come on and so he and I solo approached the garbage in the bayou. He said they had a banner day at the French Quarter Fest and that it was happiness all the way around drinking mojitos and enjoying every bit of it. He said Charmagne Neville was playing and that he and T know her, she played at their wedding, and they were up front and she sang “What a Wonderful World” and when she got to the part about friends shaking hands – and she reached down to shake T’s, tears flooded T’s face and Charmagne lost it – just balling. I was welping up as he told me.
We marched to the bayou with rubber gloves and one pathetic rake and were able to really make a dent in the Dumaine bridge where we pulled out six bags of trash, a big wool blanket and some branches. Everyone who walked, ran, drove by yelled thank you, I appreciate you doing that – and then it started to rain – K drove by and dropped off another rake, and at the end N rode up on her bike and brought cold beers – which were very needed by that time. We saw a turtle coming up from the algae and a dead fish and two mallards checked us out from a distance. H knew the name of the turtle which was something something elegans and I said there is nothing elegant about that turtle and he said wipe him off and he is beautiful – he’s camouflaged.
I took gumbo to L’s and we ate dinner and listen to some good music. He said he has been in a real good place lately – and I kind of know what he means. Life is short, but it’s so wide – and vast – and oh the people you’ll meet, the places you’ll go, and life you’ll live – it’s all up to you.