I came home from work today, weak and ready to hit the sack after an exhausting battle with the stomach flu over the weekend, tired but alive.

Then I heard fire trucks. . . .at first just listened, but it was too close.

I walked out to the end of the drive and I saw the NOFD “hook up” on the corner hydrant, so grabbed the camera suspecting it was a vacant building I’d seen on the NCDC agenda months ago.

I was wrong. It was an occupied “titanic” building, the type with the concrete lower structure, traditional high ceilings, windows, etc on 2nd level which was on fire.

By the time I arrived the residents were safe outside, Drucella and her partner. . . Drucella said she was napping and awoke to smoke and ran out, yelling to the neighbors to call 911.

They said it took over 11 mins to hear the trucks which are at about 6 mins away at Banks and S. Jeff Davis. But it does take time to suit up.

The crazy thing is, the house itself was not ever on fire, the television was not plugged in, the heat coming in the window or just the ambient heat caused it to catch fire!

Thus, there is no structural damage to the house and no one was hurt but the electric is out.

I went back to take a look after the fire truck left and the Red Cross had been by to see if there was anything I could do. Drucella invited me in for an inspection. Thankfully, there is very little damage, mostly some water. I offered any assistance, rides, water, bathroom, boxes, phone calls, but they were ok.

Thanks to the NOFD and neighbors’ fast response, the residents and the structure are ok. The Red Cross is putting them up at a hotel for the next 3 days. Since all these structures sit so close together, whew, close call for us all. Glad they are ok.

Whew and Bravo!
Now that the big party is over, we are left with the brown dead remnants of our garden, the result of what was also record-breaking and most damaging freezes on the South Shore in years.

Last weekend for me was one of all ‘undoing’.
I changed the sheets from flannel to cotton, I washed the car, took down Mardi Gras decorations, and also did some removal of the ever prevalent and gamma-ray defiant Sticky Weed in the backyard at Rocheblave. Only a couple items besides sticky week are brown. We’ve all been gradually cutting back the major damage done to our gardens/courtyards this year, waiting to see what rebounds. I actually have a good number things giving me hope already.

Yet to push things along I created one modest pot of verbena and petunias this past weekend for Rocheblave but the porch looks depressingly desolate.

The midwest and northeast continue to get snow, stuck in the Groundhog’s Grip. But here in the Deep South, the Tulip trees are blooming Uptpown. Further cues of the advent of spring here in New Orleans include one fly and a real mosquito bite and I saw one ant this week. I also had an ant nightmare . . . termite swarms are not far behind.

Along with the marginal reemerging spring pestilence, I am anxiously waiting to see green sprouts emerging day-to-day as we patiently take our licks thru Lent and Easter and await the time change to longer and more active days.

As it’s been getting warmer, I am waiting to see if my frozen butterfly bush and fried heather will be resurrected while also calculating the amount of money it will take to get the garden back to its prior fluffiness. In the meantime, I am watering brown stubs with good vibes.

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Today, I had to park over by McAllister’s. But inside the store it was a huge Who-Dat Party! They had the Saint’s Who Dat song on the overhead and people were Who Dattin each other up and down the aisles.

By the time I got to the checkout, a designated number of staff had been cued via the overhead announcement that “whoever is ready to participate is to go to the front”. Of course, customers were welcome too.

On cue a second line paraded through the store with umbrellas and singing along with the Who Dat song.

I don’t even like football but this grocery store second line exhibited the bravado of the “joie de vivre” and “bonhemie” of our everyday citizens and the devotion to our culture of celebrating life. We all put down our things and applauded!

Of course, there is always cobb. There was a tiny old black woman behind me in line said, “Thank god some of y’all are still working.” She was complaining that she worked in the school system and that kids shouldn’t be out of school tomorrow . . and I agreed, after all, what else will they do? And many parents have child care arrangements which would be an issue.

For me, today’s fanatic exhibit promoting the Saints at the supermarket was a new exentsion of our already notorious culture stretching toward a third dimension of the cartesian coordinate plane of cultural bravado in New Orleans after I’d thought I had seen it all . . .

We’re at the top of a historical crescendo, an orchestral city-wide, high-five we’ve been riding for weeks which reached a new pinnacle today for me while making groceries. Makes me wonder what the final outcome will bring!

There is no way we will be at all disappointed, we have finished strong, in our elected officials, our Saints . .. we simply cannot lose.

If anyone has a photo of Winn-Dixie Second lines, please post a link! I didn’t have my camera. My bad!

Tonight, we are all anxiously awaiting the release of poll results on nola.com, making some people (esp. bloggers) impatient.

I called the T-P, accurate polling reports are pending election results for a number of high profile positions including: Mayor, City Council-At-Large posts in a C,E, A and B, as well as Sherriff and Clerk of Criminal Court and our new holistic Tax Assesor.

Bruce Eggler and staff are hard at work organizing returns and they will get it to us as soon as they can in a definitive and accurate result!

Last year it was unseasonably warm, I was wearing the standard wife-beater on Xmas day and raking up leaves over there at Rocheblave. . but today at Rocheblave, the pipes were frozen.

The Good And The Bad:
Fortunately, no pipes were broke. However, there was a toilet full of morning poops/toilet paper for which there was insufficient water pressure for flushing. We braced ourselves for the fact that it was going to have to be manually cleared.

I keep a 5-gallon drum of emergency water at the condo, so I retrieved it so we could use it to fill the tank and flush the terlet. However, the pressure was weak, so Nick and Josh and I went one courageous step further and emptied the terlet of all hardware; poop and paper first using the cat litter scooper. . . dumping it into a garbage bag with some kitty litter in it, and keeping a bucket of bleach and some water for the scooper, we successfully emptied the terlet.

Then, we used the huge jug of water to the tank to the fill line. We got a full flush and took our bag o’kitty litter/people-poop out to the trash. It was rather humiliating but we were thrilled when it flushed fine. We eventually got our water back and refilled the 5-gallon emergency jug and the sink with soapy water, just in case.

The water seems to be running without out trouble this morning after dripping all faucets last night. They dodged a bullet of any burst pipes, luckily and are able to flush freely today.

This cold is really enough to make us all coccooning and cranky. The yard looks like nuclear winter and we can’t stand to set sight on it . . . .so we just keep our jackets on and watch movies, grateful for electricity and heat!

Rather than posting gross pictures of our personal plumbing hell, which would surely have been very popular . . . I have, instead, included some of the troopers at Warren Easton, one of our best local high school bands, who deserve extra applause for continuing their practices in prep for what is shaping up to be a brutally cold Mardi Gras!

For my part, Kermit’s signature sound has become such a cheerful and soothing part of my psyche over the years that a couple toots and his vocals trigger the ‘get up’ in me no matter where I’m at or what I am doing. My arm instinctively goes up to those around me in a big “c’mon, let’s go”.

Watch Kermit on You Tube

We have been blessed but this year, lets hope we been extra good . . . so my poem selection this year is a song. “A Saints Christmas” from Kermit Ruffins album HAVE A CRAZY COOL CHRISTMAS, from Basin Street Records.

I saw Santa Clause swingin’
swingin’ in the Treme, Jack –
I got a big wish for Santa
And it’s not a new Cadillac.

It’s better than Grandma’s cookin’
It’s better than hot beignets,
It’s better than a lot o’ money,
Much bigger than the Mardi Gras Day!

I don’t need no champagne or caviar
Don’t need no ice-cold brew
I don’t need no big ole BBQ Pit
Wait a minute, that’s NOT true!

I just had a rap with Santa
And we took us a little stroll,
And all I want for Christmas . . .
Is the Saints in the Superbowl !

I saw Santa Clause swingin’
Swingin’ in the Superdome
C’mon and do the bits and boogie,
Let’s rip their butts and go home!

It’s Christmas in New Orleans,
The Saints is on the road,
And all we want for Christmas,
Is the Saints in the Superbowl !

We want to go, go, go to the Superbowl
The biggest Christmas present ever,
C’mon Coach let’s go to the Superbowl
Who Dat Wearin That Black-N-Gold?!

And all we want for Christmas,
Is the Saints in the Superbowl !
C’mon Santa baby, before we get too old!

Horns!
I saw Santa Clause swingin’
Swingin’ in the Superdome
C’mon and do the bits and boogie,
Let’s rip their butts and go home!

It’s Christmas in New Orleans,
The Saints is on the road,
And all we want for Christmas,
Is the Saints in the Superbowl !

We want to go, go, go to the Superbowl
The biggest Christmas present ever,
C’mon Coach let’s go to the Superbowl
Who Dat Wearin That Black-N-Gold?!

I just had a rap with Santa,
And we took us a little stroll,
And all I want for Christmas . . .
Is the Saints in the Superbowl !

And Merry Christmas to Chef Who Dat !
Chef Who DAT!

Past Christmas Poems:
Christmas Eve Poem, 2008
Driving to Midnight Mass, Christmas Eve Poem, 2007
Ahoy To the World, 2006

Today was annual bath/grooming day for Ted, a persian I adopted from the humane society and a foster Mom when I was back in Washington D.C. He is my best bud for about seven years now, he’s just cool. But like most dudes, he tends to get some grooming issues going on under his butt about every 6 months, even though I brush him bi-daily. With Persians, you also have to wipe their eyes regularly because their sinuses are compacted. Ted is kinda high maintenance on both ends, but he’s very loving.

Dr. Amy understands the special issues regarding Persians over at the Magazine Street Animal Clinic.

The clinic recently expanded the double shotgun they occupy on Magazine St. near Harry’s Ace Hardware, to accomodate more examination rooms. They should get a reward for conservation for the alternative use of traditional historic space. They preserved the place and made it more functional without eliminating any of the special elements of the house, in particular wooden double doors and maintain original flooring.

Ted’s furballs eventually get too close to his skin for me to remove safely, so I took him in for his annual trim yesterday and a professional grooming.

One year ago, on the snow day I gave him is annual bath. So now, it’s solidified as his annual bath day. It was much worth it to take him in to the clinic this year, they did a much better job. They trimmed his nails and cleaned his ears.

Teddy doesn’t get dirty so much as just greezy. He only weighs 6.4 lbs but he screams really loud all the time. He only has an outside voice. But in the end, he likes to get all fluffed out and silky after the screaming and bitching, you can tell he feels better. Dr. Amy and I laugh, for such a small cat, he’s super loud.

However, since turning 40 I have had a number of more pressing dental issues. It seems that my bucks have reached their critical mass due to the pressures of being a first-year law student. Ima grinder. I have gone in an out of grinding over the years. But last year, my regular dentist, Dr. Sturm, at Audubon Dental identified about three possible root canals. My insurance with her as a specially chosen provider was limited to $1k a year. That covered only one root canal.

I was in so much pain at one point that I found that the much dreaded root canal was actually the best thing ever! Whew, that pain is hard to compare since it vascilllates between a 2-10 on the pain spectrum within the same day. I was scared the first time but was at a point where I would have blown the side of my head off to stop the pain.

Dr. Arch, my first endodondist did a good job of the first root canal in short order and life went on for a while. But after that procedure, I had used all of dental benefits. Other issues began to loom, I hoped could wait til the new year. That was not possible.

Then, Molar No. 30 started acting up in early September. It was hard to pinpoint the pain, if you’ve had it, you know what I mean, it’s like the whole side of your head is in a spasm.

Since I had already used all my dental benefits to fix the first one and had no more insurance, Molar No. 30 wasn’t in the math. It HAD to be done ASAP but I had no more insurance. Thank God, Aliya, one of the students told me to go see Dr. Schmidt at Riverbend Dental. I was in so much pain I was unable to function. Dr. Schmidt agreed to take me and let me pay half and half over the course of a month.

So he did the root canal for me and saved my life. However, I still had to come up with about $1,000 for the crown on that tooth which now had a big hole in it. I finally did get enough money, but it was too late. I had already cracked the remainder of my tooth in half. I knew it going in to the office today, I could feel it sagging out of its line with the other teeth. One too may Cheese Nips or a piece of pizza did it in. It was fragile.

As I suspected, Dr. Schmidt said we have to pull it and he gave me the credit for the root canal which is now a null issue and explained I could get a bridge or an implant. I chose the implant.

Pulling Molar No. 30 was sheer hell. And I knew it would be. That molar has done so much chewing for 40 years, it’s not as is if it was suddenly going to just take off without a severence package. . . no way.

The extraction was brutal. Piece by piece, Dr. Delaohussay dug and dug and then dig an x-ray and dug some more to get all of the tooth out. There was blood everwhere and I got a few stitches too. Yikes. I was as brave as I could be.

Don’t take your molars for granted. This was a somber day for me. Molar No. 30 had helped me enjoy a lot of slabs of spare ribs over the years as well as helped ground out a lot of stress and do my best in my roughest times without any credit on his part. But today, as he was brutally relieved from his duties, I felt the least that I could do was take his picture, show my appreciation and verbalize the pain I went through, the only reciprocity for the duty which Molar 30 has absorbed for me years throughout the roller-coaster of crisis of life.

I miss him today, as I fill his spot with gauze on the stitches which mark his place today. Eventually, we’ll put a crown to replace No. 30 on top of a fake buildup of bone in the gum. This fake buildup will take months and is the only option aside from a bridge, which relies on the strength of nearby teeth. Teeth which I don’t feel can take the extra pressure.

Poor Molar No. 30 was in such a state today, at his being declared done, he was not at all ready to give up. We might as well have dropped a grenade in his office to get him out of the way. But at Riverbend Dental, they deal with patients holistically and with dignity. They gave me a nice blanket. After all, fear makes the blood run cold. Dr. Schmidt admitted later that he didn’t let on about how awful this was going to be but I told him that I knew it was a big ass-brutal-bloody-mess. But, it had to be done and I totally trusted his staff.

After they numbed me, they kinda let me sit for a few minutes and suddenly I got all antsy and was like, ” let’s go!” I pestered a staff members to get on with what equates to bullet removal from the jaw. I wanted to just get it done. I had a brief breath of bravery I could not afford to waste.

It was rather horrible but we did well and laughed as pieces of my tooth wound up in the suction tube. Progress.

Dr. Schmidt has been working with students like myself who don’t have insurance to pay as they go to get massive dental work like mine done over the years with no community credit of this quiet contribution. I can tell you that without his compassion, many of us would have nowhere else to turn.

My regular endodontist refused to do the work in two installments, Dr. Arch, who’s also very good but just sent me on my way with some Vicodin and no other option beyond the $1100.00 bill right today. See ya later!

In these economic times, I had to find another solution to my debilitating pain. Thankfully, a fellow law student told me about Dr. Schmidt. He was more than willing to help me past my crisis.

I also appreciate his bedside manner, explaining yesterday, in fact, he admits had this same issue himself. The too late, but good intentioned crown. He’s just wonderful and his office is full of students from med/dental school which is actually really fun. It creates a feeling of mild chaos compared to some offices, but I support teaching people, period. I enjoy talking to the new students and enjoy being a part of their learning. . . . Today, I was the nutty lady who insisted on saving all the pieces of my pain and they were totally cool about it. It seemed liked I was the only one who seemed to notice all the blood!

2220-22 First Street There are less and less of these cottages throughout the city. They are becoming endangered.

The city of New Orleans has received CDBG funds to tear down more private properties. These were previously labeled Imminent Health Threat properties (IHT) and there were problems with due process constitutional issues regarding the notification of home owners of demolition. Today these properties are being labled as Public Nuisance Properties under Municipal Code 26-165 and section 28 and will be demolished through an allocation CDBG funds. Community Development Building Grants. The list, thus far, is posted on the city’s website.

In reality, most of these demos have nothing to do with building communities at all. What IF we took that same money and invested it with homeowners to do necessary repairs? Why is that not an option? At the end of the day, we will end up with more vacant lots in the middle of the city which is becoming increasingly ‘jack-o-lantern’, even in the areas which are fully populated, like Central City at Baronne.

After seeing the effect of the FEMA demo phase over the last two years, I would call this the 12-ft weed, flat-tire and broken down car fund instead of the CDBG money, because that’s what the neighbors are gonna get. Demos without rebuilding plans with real money behind them are nothing but fields of weeds and dumping grounds for old tires and dead cars and are just dead zones in the middle of block and which destroy prominent corners. It’s not Community Building Grants. It is Community Hollowing Grants.

The definition of public nuisance in the Code is vague. Code Enforcement never has to prove the condition which characterizes a building a public nuisance. We find inconsistencies. We also find that the city often refers to four year old reports from Katrina . . . and there is never a follow-up with a current engineer’s report on any buildings. We’ll have to see what the City produces in our packets which I won’t get til later in the week. I refuse to accept stale reports from four years ago. You really have to follow-up to be sure. For many of these properties I have done it over the course of years.

Sunday I took a total break from everything to go out in the field again to get some photos of these newly classified, taxpayer funded public nuisance, properties. One question I will ask at our next meeting on Nov. 2nd, in City Hall Chambers, is whether the homeowners will be liened for the cost of city sponsored demolitions.

I noticed that there are properties on the list from people who had previously applied for demos, (see Washington Ave) and who were denied demolition permits and have simply held out on blighting the property further . . . and are now again, trying get the city to do the dirty work of destroying something that could be refurbished. The owners of these Washington Ave properties really wanted to build two-story structures, more dense, more money. . . destroying neighborhood fabric, but were denied.

It was great to be out in the field early on crisp fall morning, I forgot about how much I enjoy observing/documenting New Orleans architecture. I haven’t done any photo safaris lately because a) I am in school and work full-time and can’t do the uploading in a timely manner and thankfully, b) Karen at Squandered Heritage and Michelle’s team at the PRC usuallly have it covered. But, we just got a bigger agenda and I got on it early.

In no time at all, I took some 70 photos and then went to work labeling and uploading. It’s a lot of work, especially the labeling. You can’t leave it til the next day, there are so many houses so fast you have to be organized and systematic . . The Preservation Resource Center recently has picked up the work of preservation news in general in New Orleans with a really handsome new Blog Preservation in the Present. They’ve been covering the NCDC agendas online with results available right after the meeting! But our agendas just got bigger and that job’s gonna get harder! 41 properties are on our agenda this time. We had a lull but things are ramping up again.

I must say that I am very grateful to Councilwoman Stacy Head for appointing me to this position on the NCDC, because no matter how busy I am, I really do love it and this weekend I was refreshed because studying law is very humbling and makes you feel like you know nothing, but the NCDC work is something I love and know and am very passionate about.

Who needs to drive out East to a Nickelodeon theme park and spend a bunch of cash on rides and snacks when you can pile the kids on the rider and get ‘er done at the same time? The Pentacostal’s keep the grass cut on this empty lot religiously, which is a huge blessing for the neighborhood, but today I was in shock to see these two toddlers aboard. How could someone be so completely and reliably responsible and then do this? Plus, having now taken Torts and Products Liability, I have a new perspective beyond the basic lack of common sense of this decision. Jesus Murphy !

The manufacturer surely has warned against such antics as reckless use of the mower. But who reads directions/warnings? They don’t matter til your kid’s leg is catfood. Maybe they could design and elevated side-care version which doubles as kid work=entertainment. Cringe, it just makes me nervous . . . but it’s just another reason for looking forward to the St. Aug grass going dormant and for the end of regular lawnmowing, for the gradual advent toward shorter days and our own, subtle advent of fall . . . .