Columns

The Meatloaf That Keeps On Giving

The actual name of the MyRecipes dish was “French Onion Meatloaf ” but I figured with a title like that no one would be curious enough to read my column. Besides the onion haters would gag and not even think about giving something sounding like that a look. I think my title sounds a little more interesting and it’s actually pretty descriptive, too.

Let’s get shakin’ Well, we have now laid Mardi Gras and Carnival Season 2023 to rest. A lot of us are gearing up for lent! With Easter and Spring right here around the corner.

Gardens are being tilled, diets are being altered to remove/work off some of that winter weight and everyone’s ready for Spring and Summer.

My favorite time of year is the southern Spring (my allergies would disagree) but I live for the blooms, fresh planting, everything turning green again, and amazing vegetables and fruits beginning to sprout. No matter if you grow them yourselves or buy from friends, a roadside stand, or the market. There’s nothing like fresh vegetables.

Jazzing up Mardi Gras

Let’s get shakin’ Next to Mardi Gras one of the biggest festivals in the Big Easy is of course Jazz Fest. Personally, I’m not a fan of New Orleans Mardi Gras, it’s just too many people. Don’t get me wrong I love New Orleans! I even once owned and lived in the famous Octoroon Mansion on Royal St. next to the Cathedral (yes it was haunted.)

The history, the nightlife, and of course THE FOOD. Arguably some of the best food you can find. If there’s anything I love more than food (and of course a good stiff cocktail) it would be music. Well, Jazz Fest got ya covered. From Jazz to Blues, Country, to Pop, and top 40, they’ve got it all.

What a differ ence a century can make in our lives and particularly in the prices of things. In 1918 the U.S. was in WWI with many of its young men in battle with their lives on the line while combating the Germans; but there was another enemy taking thousands of lives. This enemy was very similar to today’s Chinese Virus. Known as the Spanish Flu, this virus killed thousands of people all over the world. An uncle in WWI told of carrying bodies of the dead soldiers and stacking them by state on the railroad platform in New Jersey to be put in boxcars to be shipped to their homes for burial. It is very interesting to compare the difference in the attitude of this present virus and the few deaths experienced so far in comparison to the thousands of deaths due to a similar flu in 1918.

The Big Chill

Just when I was beginning to think the poles had flipped and the Ark-La-Tex was now occupying England’s Latitude the sun popped out Friday. We are flipping back to the South. Man, what a miserable week of steady rain and temperatures right above freezing. Of course that was preferable over what our neighbors over in the Dallas area were getting. In fact, I was feeling pretty lucky because I’d just moved a big stack of firewood into the dry, had my fireplace crackling, a big pot of homemade vegetable soup on the stove, AND the thermostat set on a comfortable 64 degrees.

The power of positive mind thought processing is a detrimental part of one life for you become of that in which you think you should think of your self. Many days I have risen and had that negative thought of this world. By that I meawhen my eyes used to open my first thought was another day in the unfair ugly world until I understood that the world isn’t ugly. It’s your own perspective of it that makes it ugly because that’s what you have put in your though of mind by it already being that as you think of it it’s exactly what you received in return. Remembers whatever energy you release into universe is what you are anointed in return. If you put that same energy in awakening and seeing another beautiful day in this world you will see how different your day will be as we manifest negative results, one should always have a positive mind frame and the finger at others for the problems you may endure in life but there are always three fingers that are pointing back at you.

During and after the Civil War Louisianans were faced with many unbearable problems. Our northwest Louisiana area faced the hardship and cruelty inflicted by the Carpet Baggers (Northern troops and individuals sent after the war to enforce privileges for the Negros). But central and south Louisiana had tremendous problems with the Jayhawkers.

The Jayhawkers were a terrifying and widespread group of notorious mongrel men whose goal was to cause havoc in the area. It appeared to have originated in Winn Parish and spread eastward and southwards. Whatever their motivation they formed violent gangs to take advantage of the war’s chaos to rob, steal and murder.

“I swawneeeee”!!!! It finally stopped raining. I hope y’all remember that old saying...if you don’t; you missed the good old days!! As I write this its Friday Feb 3, the sun is out, and NO RAIN for the first day this week. And who cares what a rodent in Pennsylvania says about winter, this is Louisiana, we ain’t doin’ 6 more weeks of winter hahahaha!

We are still getting new residents each week, and some we have to let go. We are so saddened by Ms. Nancy Zawodnik passing. She was a sweetheart and very funny lady who liked to cut up. We will miss her and her little zesty personality.

Bird-Eating Spiders!

Bulletin … Bulletin … This just in – stop – Spiders eating birds in Mansfield LA – stop – Not kidding – stop Okay, okay I know nobody sends telegraph messages anymore but I’ll bet this frantic type of introduction got your attention? AND, I really did see one in the woods behind my house. Some of my readers may remember the column when Susan and I were hunting treasure on Walpurgis Night (April 30). We actually almost walked right into the web of a large grey spider that was head … make that Face – height! We didn’t find any treasure but did have a lot of fun on that cold spooky evening and were glad to get back to that big ole bonfire we had burning in the backyard.

The Great Career Adventure

So I did this (apparently) weird thing. When each of my kids turned fifteen, I took them on The Great Career Adventure. Okay, it’s a really big name for a way I created for my kids to narrow down their passions and skills into a career they would enjoy and make a living from.

When Nathan turned fifteen I told him to choose three jobs or skills he thought he might want to do when he grew up. He only chose one-a police officer. I made an appointment with the local police department for us to sit down and talk with a police officer. Nathan wrote down ten questions to ask and we were ready for the next step.