Annunciation | NOLA

I think I can safely proclaim summer has begun in New Orleans. It started, was it Thursday or Friday? Up to that point I could still drive around with the car windows down and we hadn't turned on the AC in our house yet. This weekend has been blazing hot and no cooling rains. Last summer, people were still in panic mode, especially with the first hurricane season since Katrina bearing down. This summer, people are fed up with the slow pace of recovery, corrupt politicians and insurance companies and quality of life issues. Trash, littering and recycling have been hot topics lately. Lots of ink spent covering these topics in the T-P. Chris Rose is back in fine form and sums up some people's feelings:

We may feel powerless in our battles with the faceless bureaucracies of the Corps of Engineers and FEMA and Allstate and the Road Homeless and the drive-by shooters and Bill Jefferson and everyone else who would screw us over, but when affronted by a potato chip let loosed in an uncivil fashion, then we feel like maybe that's a battle we can win. (read whole article)

I think you do have to be crazy to live here. Bill Jefferson... indicted... everyone asked "how did he get re-elected?" How indeed. The murder rate keeps growing and historically it increases with the heat. And there may be litter related shootings soon. June 1 the media was waving the "hurricane season has started" red flag, but it only lasted a few days. I think people didn't pay attention. We all know things don't get bad until August and we all had already made our disaster kits last summer.

On a positive note... Saturday Greg turns 40! Greg not one to make a big deal about his birthday, but the big 4-0 is cause for celebration. He's been making steady progress on the bedroom renovation (too hot to work outside). The cats are happy and healthy - I still haven't replaced my digital camera. My garden is growing out of control and it's a challenge to keep everything watered. For the past few months, Sunday was grill out night but not tonight. The grill will be lonely until October when the heat breaks.