Oak Communications

Tee Mamou Mardi Gras

2012-02-03T09:31:00.001-08:00

Here are some photos that I took at the 2011 Tee Mamou Mardi Gras. It was a cold, rainy, colorful and fun day.

Washington DC photo album

2012-01-05T12:31:00.000-08:00

Washington DC Metro

The photos of quotes were taken at the National Gallery of Art.

Letter to the Editor

2012-01-05T10:27:00.000-08:00

In sorting through my father's office, I found this Letter to the Editor. I don't know if Dad ever sent it. I think it illustrates his humor, his sense of justice and his writing abilities.

Cleaning Out My Father's Office

2012-01-04T11:37:00.000-08:00

One of the surprising items that I found when cleaning out my father's office was his transcript from the University of Alabama where he attended from 1935 - 1939. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture.

In one of my last conversations with Dad, he said that he started in the College of Engineering, but switched when he learned that the graduates were working with picks and shovels on the new construction of buildings on campus. The graduates in Agriculture were working for the government in the Department of Agriculture and that appealed to him more.

When I showed Dad's transcript to each of my siblings, we all had the same reaction, "Wow." It turns out Dad was not the greatest student. Unfortunately, the transcript was printed on 8.5" x 11" instead of 8.5" x 14" paper and so the grades for his final two semesters were cut off. The copy is fading and difficult to read, but what I can see is that my father earned a lot of "C"s, some "B"s and a few "D"s and "A"s. I am not sure why these grades surprised my siblings and me. I guess with the importance that my father placed on education, we expected him to have received better grades.

I can also see that he graduated in seven semesters plus two correspondence courses, so he was taking a lot of credits each semester. I am pretty sure he was also working when he was in school because he was poor and supported himself.

The grades that surprised me the most were his "C"s in Rhetoric and Composition. He took these classes his first two semesters so perhaps he was still getting used to college. He also received a "C" in Public Speaking. My Dad was great at telling jokes and stories and also a clever letter writer.

Cleaning out a parent's belongings is a physically and emotionally tough job. However, for me there were moments of discovery and fascination, such as finding Dad's transcript.

Reading Andrei Codrescu

2011-11-22T11:09:00.001-08:00

At the Historic New Orleans Collection on Sunday I bought a copy of New Orleans, Mon Amour: Twenty Years of Writings from the City by Andrei Codrescu. I bought the book with the idea of giving it away but decided I needed to read it first to make sure it was an appropriate gift.

I have never read Andrei Codrescu's work but have heard him read aloud on NPR and have been seduced by his words and his accent. Now after having read the first 50 pages of this book, I want to meet him.

Codrescu writes about New Orleans and Louisiana from an outsider's perspective. I find myself having deja vu moments as I read his expressive words. A chapter entitled, "Guns," begins "I took a pacifist, vegetarian friend of mine to this big sporting goods store down here. ... The store in question is wallpapered with pistols." I laughed when I read this recalling my horror as I went to Academy sporting goods store for the first time. I encountered the hunting section of the store and felt a bullet in my gut. I had to make an abrupt u-turn to the safety of the yoga aisle, albeit all 2 feet of it.

"While the legislature is talking about a 20 percent across-the-board cut in education spending-and this in a state that already has the most bankrupt education system in the country-the governor talks gambling as the cure to all evils." This he wrote sometime between 1985-1990. It seems that he could have written it today.

I went to New Orleans last weekend for the Fringe Festival. What better city to attend a fringe festival than in New Orleans. The plays and performance art pieces took place in the Marigny neighborhood. My friends and I chose three plays to see on Saturday night. We endured the first two pieces. Actually one friend left the first play half-way through and crossed the street to have a glass of wine. The evening was redeemed by the piece, My Mind Is Like An Open Meadow performed by Erin Leddy. Through taped interviews with her grandmother, singing, movement, soundscapes, and music she told a story of memory, of relationships and the passing of time.

Leddy's piece fit so well with a film that I saw two nights before in Lafayette at the Southern Screen Film Festival. The film, For Memories Sake, directed by Ashley Maynor, also documents the relationship between grandmother and granddaughter and their shared experiences with art. In the later piece, they share an interest in photography and film. Maynor explores the question of what led her grandmother to take a dozen photos every day of her adult life. We learn that photography was her voice and her way to express herself though she may not have been able to express that in words.

The film, the play, and Codrescu's book each fill me with awe, ideas and reflections on my own life.

The Music Box in New Orleans

2011-10-25T09:33:00.000-07:00

On Friday we headed to New Orleans to check out Prospect.2 - a contemporary art happening throughout New Orleans. The photo above is from a talk and demonstration presented by New Orleans Airlift of the The Music Box: A Shantytown Sound Laboratory.

Swoon, a Brooklyn-based internationally recognized artist, is working with New Orleans and other artists from around the country to create a sound laboratory within shacks constructed from a home that collapsed on the property in the Bywater neighborhood on Piety Street.

One shack features a gamelan type instrument, another holds a rocking chair that creates sound. One instrument makes sound from the heartbeat of the person who enters the shack. Another structure makes music from the footsteps of the visitor on the creaky floorboards.

Visitors are invited to walk through the shantytown and check out the structures and the musical instruments created by the innovative sound artists. Swoon's paper cutouts that are pasted on both outer and inner walls are detailed and evoke Halloween images. Her model for the future building that will be built on this property is seen in the back of the lot.

The shantytown will be up for three months and then it will be taken down as their permit only allows this to be a temporary project. The hope is to build a permanent musical building on the site using Swoon's model as the basis for the structure.

On Saturday night we headed back to the project for a concert of the musical houses. It was an art happening. Across from the property, a boombox blared hip hop music from the porch of a neighbor's home. We were directed around the corner by a costumed greeter to enter The Music Box through an alleyway in the back. We stood in line with young, creatives. As we entered the dark alley lined with luminaria, we were told to use our "inside voices". To our right, in the building next door, came music of a different sort. It seemed that there was a santeria ceremony going on with Afro-Caribbean drumming and singing.

We entered the site and took our places on bleachers. More and more people came to take in the happening and stood and sat wherever they could find a place. The performance was conducted by Quintron, who built one of the instruments that is like a weather station that picks up sounds from the wind, rain, and light. He held up signs to direct the musicians who were playing the instruments in each of the shacks. It was a mesmerizing performance.

Other collaborative performances will be taking place in the site over the next few months. Check it out!

Alumni Magazines

2011-10-19T13:12:00.000-07:00

Have I changed or have Alumni Magazines? I am finding that I love to read the alumni magazines that come in the mail now. I must admit that I used to ignore them.

In the Fall 2011 issue of UC Davis Magazine I read about the construction of the "largest planned zero net energy community in the U.S" on the UC Davis campus. It is on 200 acres and will house about 4,500 people, including students, faculty and staff. It will include recreation and study facilities and will be sustainably designed.

I also learned that UC Davis researchers are working on other sustainable projects including growing vanilla in Madagascar and hen housing in the US.

I love reading about the research being done on campus and the innovative ideas that are developing.

My husband went to MIT as an undergraduate so we receive their alumni magazine and their magazine called technology review. They always have fascinating articles about the research of the faculty and students. It is a way to keep in touch with new ideas and developments on college campuses. Reading these magazines are the next best thing to going back to school.

Mitch Reed is my Teacher!

2011-10-17T07:51:00.000-07:00

McCauley, Reed & Vidrine at Louisiana Folk Roots Atelier Stage

It wasn't until I saw Mitch Reed, fiddler extraordinaire, perform last week at Fiddlers on the Bayo u and then again on Saturday at Festivals Acadiens et Creoles in an intimate performance with McCauley, Reed & Vidrine that I realized that I am actually taking a fiddle class with this world-class musician. How awesome is that!

I am not sure why it took me so long to appreciate the fact that here in Louisiana, a beginning student can actually take classes or private lessons, and play in informal jam sessions with the most amazing musicians. And, to top it off, Mitch is a wonderful storyteller.

Mitch isn't the only fiddle teacher in this area. I could take lessons from David Greely, Al Berard, Henry Hample, Brazos Huval, Gina Forsyth and many other fine musicians.

What does it take?

2011-10-03T08:33:00.000-07:00

This weekend I printed out the next draft of my book. It took what seemed like a long time to print from my computer. Then I took the pages to Office Depot to make a few copies to send to people who have agreed to read it and give me comments. It felt like I stood at the copier a long time. I was surprised at how much the copies cost.

Then I went to the post office to mail the copies. I was also surprised at the cost to mail the manuscripts.

Then it really hit me. This is for real! This is a book I am making copies of and mailing out.

What will they think of this work that I have spent the past two years writing and editing?

We shall see...

Time Passing

2011-09-24T07:15:00.000-07:00

Each Saturday or Sunday morning, I refill my husband's and my plastic vitamin containers.

As I was doing so this morning, I thought, "could it have been a week ago already that I did this?" It really didn't seem like a week had passed.

Opportunity for Practice

2011-09-04T10:17:00.000-07:00

At a recent meditation retreat, the visiting teacher, Flint Sparks, asked us to consider "Why would you turn a perfectly good practice opportunity into an ordinary experience?"

Each moment of my life is an opportunity for practice - the practice of mindfulness or being fully alive and present in each moment. Whether I feel worried about about the tree I saw fall over in a neighbor's yard, feel peaceful petting my cat, concerned about the state of the world, or sad from the comments of a friend, I can be present for what I experience in my mind and body.

By being present I can hold up a mirror to examine what my feelings, my body and my mind might be offering me. What can I learn from this experience?

Labor Day Weekend in Louisiana

2011-09-02T12:17:00.000-07:00

Today is the start of the Labor Day weekend. In Louisiana, we are anticipating heavy rain and winds. The Governor has declared a state of emergency and many parishes, including mine, are experiencing tropical storm warnings. So far only sprinkles. However, the Zydeco Festival outside of Opelousas has been cancelled for Saturday, as has Downtown Alive in Lafayette tonight.

I continue to be surprised by events and traditions in Louisiana. Today in the newspaper, The Advertiser, I learned that one of the ways that folks here celebrate the Labor Day weekend is with the Louisiana Second Amendment Weekend Sales Tax Holiday. The second amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the Bill of Rights that protects the rights of the people to keep and bear arms.

So, it appears that instead of going to a parade to celebrate worker's rights, folks here drive on down to their local sporting goods or hunting store to buy guns, rifles, ammunition, and hunting accessories and pay no state or local sales taxes.

Antoine's Restaurant: A Peak into New Orleans History

2011-09-01T08:13:00.000-07:00

On a recent trip to New Orleans, I dined at Antoine's, a restaurant in the French Quarter dating back to 1840. We sat in the dining room one enters first from the street, with its white walls and gold-colored chandeliers and mirrored walls. I felt like I should be wearing a hoop skirt. It was at Antoine's that "Oysters Rockefeller" were developed.

As it was a hot, mid-week summer evening, the dining room was not very busy. Our waiter, Chuck, asked if we would like a tour of the restaurant at the conclusion of our meal. Our group of four enthusiastically said yes and we even asked if we could visit the kitchen. He said, yes, at the end of the tour.

From the street, one has no idea of the size of Antoine's. It has 14 dining rooms of different sizes and styles on two floors. There is an amazing amount of history documented on the walls of these dining rooms. The Rex Room's walls are lined with photos of the Kings and Queens of this Mardi Gras krewe throughout the years.

Other dining rooms include photos of famous people who have dined at the restaurant - including politicians, movie stars and Pope John Paul II. I wish I could have spent more time in each room as the walls revealed a slice of New Orleans history. Many "old" New Orleans families have dined at the restaurant over the years reserving their favorite private dining room. Some now hold family reunions reserving a dining room a year in advance.

The Japanese Room, with its hand-painted walls and ceilings and exquisite light fixtures was first developed at the turn of the century. Its doors closed in December 1941 with the bombing of Pearl Harbor and didn't reopen until 1984.

The Mystery Room got its name during Prohibition when it was forbidden to sell alcohol. Some would enter the secret room through the ladies washroom and exit with a cup full of alcohol. When asked what was in their cup, they would say, "It's a mystery to me."

While on our tour, Chuck took us to the new bar and pointed out the current owner, a member of the Alciatore-Guste original family. Then he led us back to the front dining room. One member of our group reminded him that we would like to see the kitchen. I think he was hoping that we would forget. He led us back to the kitchen and introduced us to the chef and other kitchen staff, who were on a break watching the Saints game on a TV mounted overhead. They graciously said hello and thanked us for coming to Antoine's.

As we left, Chuck handed us his business card and suggested we ask for one of his table's the next time we visit Antoine's.

Nova Scotia Travels

2011-08-02T07:35:00.000-07:00

Church at Grand-Pre National Historic Site

Unlike in Newfoundland where we stayed in one place for the entire week, in Nova Scotia we rented a car and drove two - five hours each day exploring the island and staying in a different place each night.

We visited quite a few historical sites, read many informational placards (of which there seem to be a lot), did some hiking, visited with friends, stayed in some lovely bed and breakfasts, heard some great music, and enjoyed the beautiful landscapes and cool weather.

Much of the interior of Nova Scotia is wooded. Along the coastline, land has been cleared for farming. The green rolling hills are dotted with old wood-framed white houses and red barns. It is so picturesque as are the fishing villages. I will only hit the highlights here.

Our first stop was Grand-Pre National Historic Site where we read the displays about the deportation of the Acadians and walked the grounds of this beautifully groomed site. Many of those deported ended up in Louisiana. Wherever we traveled in Nova Scotia, people were pleased to know that we came from Lafayette, Louisiana because of the connection between these two areas. More than 6000 Acadians were deported from Nova Scotia by the British Crown.

Port Royal was another national historic site that we toured. The Habitation is a reconstruction of a small French compound from the early 1600's. I got a sense of how the settlers lived and how they were helped by Mi'kmaq.

Port-Royal National Historic Site

Next stop was a visit to new friends who live along the French Shore. We had met them in April at the Dewey Balfa Cajun Creole Heritage Week in Louisiana. They gave us a wonderful welcome to their homes and community. They invited friends for a potluck dinner of traditional Nova Scotian fare including rapure, fricot soup, and clams that had been dug earlier that day. Dinner on the porch was followed by a music jam. The next day we all piled into one car and visited two churches and St. Anne's University, where many young people from Louisiana (among other places) go each summer for a five-week French language immersion program.

Our amazing hosts near Church Point, Nova Scotia

Next we headed to Lunenburg where we learned about the fishing heritage while visiting the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic and watching the restoration of the Bluenose II, a wooden schooner for which Nova Scotians are very proud. "She represents excellence in ship design, shipbuilding and seamanship." Lunenburg is a UNESCO designated world heritage site due to the layout of the settlement and historic homes and churches that still stand. We enjoyed walking the hills and taking a look at these homes and churches.

St. John's Anglican Church, Lunenburg

View leaving Lunenburg

In Cape Breton, we stopped in Judique at the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre where we were treated to a performance by Kinnon and Betty Beaton while we ate our lunch. We also toured their interactive exhibit room which was fun.

Kinnon and Betty Beaton perform

We stayed in a lovely bed and breakfast, Inn at Glendyer, outside of Mabou owned by a woman originally from California. This was our day filled with music. We had a delicious dinner at the Glenora Inn & Distillery where we sat at the bar so that we could enjoy the traditional Celtic music provided by another fiddle and piano player who traded instruments half way through the night.

Then we were off to the West Mabou Square Dance that started at 10 pm and continued to 2 am, though we did not stay that late. Held at the West Mabou Sports Club Hall, it is a family dance held each Saturday night year round. People of all ages danced sets to the jigs and reels played by the awesome fiddle player and pianist. And did they play - fast, lively, and with a strong even beat so that the dancers were kept happy.

We would have liked to stay longer in Mabou, but next on our itinerary was to drive the stunning Cabot Trail with a stop in Chetticamp to buy more CD's, to hike a bit and take in the stunning views.

View from Cabot Trail in Cape Breton

After a cloudy and rainy morning, the sun came out

Hiking path on Skyline Trail. Some people saw moose, but we didn't

Our last historic site visit was to Highland Village, where the Nova Scotian Gaelic roots from Scotland are traced. Settlers from highlands and island of Scotland arrived in Nova Scotia in the 18th and early 19th centuries.

Church at Highland Village

Newfoundland Reflections 3 - Cultural Riches

2011-08-01T10:01:00.000-07:00

Ennis in performance

Inuit throat singers

The summertime is filled with festivals in Newfoundland. While we were in St. John's we attended the Grand Finale of Festival 500, an international choral festival celebrating the power of song. It was held in the Mile One stadium downtown and the singing of the children and adult choirs filled the stadium joyfully.

The SOUNDShift Festival was put together in conjunction with the International Council for Traditional Music conference (ICTM). We attended several of the concerts and heard music not only of Newfoundland but also of immigrants to Canada from Cuba, Ireland, Spain, Hong Kong, Norway and more. My favorite musical experiences took place at the opening reception held at The Rooms (see below). I particularly enjoyed Ennis and the two Inuit throat singers, Jennie Williams and Tama Fost.

Also while we were in town was the 10th annual Wreck House International Jazz & Blues Festival. We did not have a chance to take that in. We did get to George Street, which is lined with bars and clubs and offers lots of live music. We heard a fun all male folkish group that sang in harmony. We met one of the members as we were walking down the street after dinner and followed him to the pub.

At the reception at The Rooms we couldn't see the view because it was foggy and then dark. So, later in the week, when it was clear, I hiked up the hill to check it out. The view is spectacular from there and the exhibits quite fascinating as well. I was particularly moved by a photo exhibit by Richard Harrington who made several trips to the Arctic in the 1940's and 50's and photographed the nomadic Inuit. In one incredible series of photographs, he documented the work of Inuit sculptor Charlie Sivuarapik. They had some of the sculptures of Sivuarapik on display. With his primitive tools and in the bitter cold, he made the most beautiful carvings in stone.

When walking to The Rooms, I was a bit lost and happened to walk by a Provincial Historic Park, the Commissariat House on King’s Bridge Road. This is one of the oldest buildings in the province which has been restored to the style of the 1830’s. The historical exhibits in each room showed what life was like at that time.
What I enjoyed most was the exhibit in the stable building entitled, Words Matter(ed).The panels described the use of written and spoken words during the 1830's in editorials in the newspapers, gatherings in pubs, and in petitions. "In a world where everyone had their place in the pecking order - and was expected to stick to it - petitions were very public challenges to authority." What was written then seems very tame and respectful by today's standards.
It was fun to unexpectedly come upon this thought provoking exhibit.
I am so pleased to have had the opportunity to learn a bit about Newfoundland and experience some of its beauty, culture and people and to sample some of its seafood.

Newfoundland Reflections 2 - Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve

2011-08-01T07:47:00.000-07:00

On the Saturday of our week in St. John's, Newfoundland, the organizers of the ICTM conference arranged for excursions so that we could see more of Newfoundland than the town and Memorial University. We chose the trip to Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve. Cape St. Mary's Ecological

Reserve is the nesting area for Northern gannet, common murre, black-legged kittiwake and more wildlife. As we climbed onto the bus for the 2.5 hour drive from St. John's to the southwestern tip of the Avalon Peninsula it was cold, rainy and windy. This had been the typical weather pattern so far for us in Newfoundland. During the bus trip, our guide shared stories, history, and even sang a few traditional songs of the area. I learned that Newfoundland averages 63" of rain a year and that it is pronounced with the accent on "land." Labrador, the other part of the province is also pronounced with the accent on the last syllable.

As we walked out to Bird Rock, where the birds nest, the fog lifted enough for us to be able to see them flying above and sitting on rock ledges. It was a spectacular sight. I took lots of photos.

On the highest rocks the gannett’s nested. They are the largest birds with a wingspan of approximately 70 inches. Next down the rock were the kittiwake – a type of gull. Then lower down the rocks are the murre. The murre swim underwater with their wings. They are better swimmers than flyers. Also on this level were a few razorbills.

The gannets fly to the gulf in Florida for the winter. Fortunately, they did not seem to have been affected by the oil spill last year. There are just as many that came back this year to nest as always, if not more. What is different this year is that the murre’s young have all been eaten by eagles. This is very unusual. The eagles will swoop in and scare the murre away and take the eggs or young.They don't know why this is happening this particular year.

Fishing has always been a big part of the livelihood and culture of Newfoundland. In the 1500's European explorers came to the area and were overwhelmed by the great fishing opportunities. They returned seasonally to fish. Cod were the primary catch which were then dried and salted to bring back to Europe. Newfoundland became a colony of England in the 1600's. Please refer to other sources for a complete history of Newfoundland.

Fast forward to 1949 when Newfoundland and Labrador became a province of Canada. Between 1954 - 1975, the Canadian government sponsored a controversial resettlement program. The government believed that in order to provide services, they needed to concentrate people in larger communities. They forced the resettlement of the fisherman, who had lived in small villages accessible only by boat. This led to a lot of resentment and the end of a way of life for many of the fisherman.

In the 1960's, two billion tons of cod were harvested in Newfoundland and then the fish were gone. It appears they had been over fished. In 1992, the Canadian government instituted a moratorium on cod fishing.This has had a huge effect on the local economy and fishing way of life.

At the conference reception held at The Rooms, we heard Ennis (Maureen and Karen Ennis and their back up band) sing a song about the resettlement and our bus guide also sang this same song that expressed so beautifully the feelings surrounding the resettlement process.

Newfoundland Reflections 1

2011-07-31T08:42:00.000-07:00

This photo was taken from The Rooms, a wonderful museum in St. John's, Newfoundland.

In mid July I spent a week in St. John's, Newfoundland, a place that previously I had no knowledge of. I accompanied my husband who attended the 41st World Conference of the International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM).

While he attended the conference during the day, my plan was to write in the mornings and explore the city in the afternoons. Our hotel, The Battery, was located halfway up Signal Hill. In order to eat breakfast and lunch (at least a more appetizing meal than was offered at the hotel), I needed to walk down the hill into town. Once there, I wasn't too keen on walking back up the hill to our room to write. So, in the mornings I left the room with the laptop on my back which I lugged around all day on my explorations or I brought a book, map, and notepad instead.

It turns out there are lots of wonderful cafes and restaurants downtown and steep prices to match the steep hills too. I loved walking the hills as it was great exercise and also a welcome change from flat Lafayette, Louisiana. I also enjoyed the windy, chilly, foggy, rainy weather. According to Fodor's Guidebook, St John's "holds the distinctions of being the foggiest, snowiest, wettest, windiest and cloudiest of all major Canadian cities."

I imagined that the people who live in Newfoundland must be a hearty lot due to the extreme weather conditions in which they live. Many of the homes that I walked past didn't look like they were very well insulated. Many were painted in bright colors. One theory that we heard about why they are painted colorfully is that because it is so gray there, the homes brighten up otherwise dreary days. Even many of the mailboxes are colorful.

In the Battery area of town, the small homes on the very narrow street face the narrow bay as well as all the extreme weather that must pound them much of the year. As we followed the walking "trail" that leads visitors through this area bundled up in our jackets, the locals were sitting outside on their beach chairs enjoying the summer sun, even though it wasn't very hot.

I didn't end up writing much on my book. I did take some notes for future use. But what I did do was reread a book that I had started many years ago. It was wonderful to read it again and understand it in a whole new way. I read Dropping Ashes on the Buddha: The Teachings of Zen Master Seung Sahn, compiled and edited by Stephen Mitchell.

In addition to reading and eating, I explored this hilly city. At the top of Signal Hill is Cabot Tower which was built in 1897 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the explorer John Cabot's landing in Newfoundland. In the tower is an exhibit about Guglielmo Marconi's experiments and descriptions of the first transatlantic wire transmission that he conducted near this site. The exhibit allowed me to understand the excitement of that historic moment. The views of the Atlantic Ocean and St. John's harbor from the hill and tower were spectacular too.
(Newfoundland journal to be continued.)

Communicating Condolences

2011-07-04T09:19:00.000-07:00

What to say when someone tells you about a loss?

Wouldn't it be great to know what to say when a friend tells you that she has cancer or when another friend's mother dies or upon news of any number of other difficult life experiences?

Lately, I have heard news of this sort from several people and have felt at a loss for words. I am all about communication, my company is called "Oak Communications" and yet this is challenging for me.

What I am coming to believe that the best thing for me to do is be a good listener and also to express my compassion and emotion for the person.

"I don't know what to say."
"I can't imagine how you feel."
"What do you want to tell me?"
"Oh"

Let the person know that I am available to be present to listen and to be a comfort. I can do this by frequent emails, phone messages and/or cards all sent with no expectation that they will call or email me back.

If I am in the vicinity of the person suffering, it seems that helping in more tangible ways is what may be called for: making food and delivering it, washing dishes, doing laundry, mowing the lawn, asking if the person wants to go for a walk, babysitting, etc.

In a recent article in The New York Times by Bruce Feiler entitled, 'You Look Great' and Other Lies, offers what not to say and what to say. Please read the full article for the explanations on each of the following don'ts and do's.

Don't Say:

What can I do to help?
My thoughts and prayers are with you
Did you try that mango colonic I recommended?
Everything will be o.k.
How are we today?
You look great

Instead say:

Don't write me back
I should be going now
Would you like some gossip?
I love you

What suggestions do you have? What is helpful to you when you are grieving or in pain?

Cajun and Creole Summer Camp For Kids

2011-07-03T08:52:00.000-07:00

My nephew from California came to Lafayette, Louisiana in June to visit and attend Cajun and Creole Summer Camp for Kids. It is sponsored by Louisiana Folk Roots and held at the Acadiana Center for the Arts.

At first Jordan was a bit skeptical about camp. I took him to the AcA the first day and watched him enter the building a bit hesitantly. As we signed in, he met a boy who soon became one of his new friends.

Upstairs, in the room where the large group sessions were held, he stood at the back and took it all in. He heard kids already jamming together. I said goodbye and told him I'd be back to pick him up.

That afternoon I asked about his first day. He said it was okay but that he likes to learn by reading music, not learning by ear. I asked him to give it a chance. Just like reading music, it takes time to learn to do something new.

Sure enough, by the end of the week, he had learned three tunes by ear. He made many friends and even got his picture taken with Grammy award winner, Chubby Carrier.

At the end of camp, as we were about to leave the building, he set his fiddle case on the floor and opened it. He took out his fiddle and played solo his new tunes. To his surprise and pleasure, a few people put some money in his case. I don't think he would have had the courage to do that at the beginning of the week.

Myrtle trees in Bloom

2011-07-03T08:26:00.000-07:00

The myrtle trees started to bloom in my neighborhood a couple of weeks ago. This is our neighbor's tree which I can see from my office. In fact most of the trees that shade our back yard originate in neighbor's yards.

Wisteria is growing from one yard into the tree from another yard. I love the blooms of wisteria but the roots and vines are taking over the tree and our back yard. They are prehistoric in the way that they burrow under the lawn and grow to be as much as 6 inches in diameter.

Anniversaries and Getting Stuff Accomplished

2011-06-05T12:07:00.000-07:00

In five days, we will have lived in Lafayette, Louisiana for one year. In anticipation of the anniversary, I have been on a campaign, with the help of my husband, to accomplish some of the home tasks that we haven't gotten to since we moved here.

While the actual tasks themselves are not inherently pleasing, it feels good to have done them and be able to cross them off my list. I keep thinking that now that these are done, I can focus on the bigger projects - like working on my book.

Some of the tasks that we have accomplished:
- taking the cable tv wires off the outside of our house and out of the walls on the inside
- attaching the newer LusFiber wires to the outside of the house so that they don't hang on the ground
- hanging family photos and other pictures
- planting the palms that I bought 6 months ago into the pots that I bought 5 months ago
- unpacking the last few boxes (Mark's main project in his office)
- filling the holes in the walls with spackle
- buying a new mesh stopper for the shower to collect hair but not prevent water from draining (this was a major annoyance. Took me a year to figure this out)
- placing a fan in the bathroom and near my closet to help control moisture and keep me cool after showering (there is an air conditioning vent in the bathroom, but the closet gets so hot in the summertime I would immediately start sweating upon exiting the shower)
- going through the stacks of New Yorkers and other magazines and cutting out the articles I still want to read and recycling the others
- buying desk chairs and moving some furniture around
- cleaning the small lamp shades that cover the bulbs in some light fixtures

These are just some of the projects that we have been working on. They were not big nor time consuming, and yet now I feel so good about having accomplished them.

Now to get writing!

Aging in America

2011-05-24T08:56:00.000-07:00

I recently attended the Aging in America Conference in San Francisco. Besides co-facilitating a Writing Down Dementia workshop for 20 eager participants, I attended a couple of noteworthy presentations.

Gail Sheehy, author of Passages in Caregiving, in addition to many other books, uses the path of the labyrinth as a metaphor for care giving. The labyrinth is one continuous path. You cannot see where you are going or what is ahead and there are lots of twists and turns. The center may be a place of knowing; you may find out whether your loved one will come back or whether the path leads to death. It may be a place of knowing about your own renewal.

Sheehy cared for her husband who had cancer for 17 years. She is now an advocate for caregivers and an inspiring speaker.

This Is Your Brain on Improv was a fun, interactive presentation that illustrated activities that contribute to a healthy brain. The presenters led the audience in improvisational theater and movement exercises and then described how these activities contribute to a healthy brain, such as challenge, novelty, and benign stress.

Reflections of Robert Reich

2011-05-24T08:35:00.000-07:00

The University of California at Berkeley publication, The Graduate,Spring 2011, included an article entitled, "Big Man on Campus: Robert Reich at Berkeley." I enjoy hearing periodic audio essays by Reich on National Public Radio. So, I enjoyed reading about him in this magazine.

I was especially struck by a few quotes and the fact that he is 4'10 1/2" tall. Clearly he has made up for his height in his dynamic personality and presence.

His Graduate Student Assistant's nominated him for the Graduate Division's Faculty Award for Outstanding Mentorship. Reich taught his GSI's that "Leaders must surround themselves with 'truth-tellers-people unafraid to make inconvenient or unpopular observations-thereby assisting leaders in identifying how they can continually improve."

"What students are picking up from you as teachers, beyond what is in the course, is as important, if not more important, than the substance of what you are teaching. The most obvious example of this is your enthusiasm about the subject matter, but also your excitement about doing the job you are doing," says Reich.

Wise words for leaders and teachers alike.

It's Green

2011-04-06T10:44:00.000-07:00

A couple of week's ago, when I sat on my front porch and looked out at my yard, I saw profusions of pink, red, and white flowers gracing the bushes and trees. Now, most of the flowers are gone and the trees and bushes have leafed out. It is Green!

The Small Things

2011-04-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

As I sit at my desk, I enjoy looking out the window. I am watching a bee that must be 1 inch in length and ¾ of an inch wide fly from one small blue flower to the next in the hanging plant outside of my office window.

On Wednesday morning, my friend who I enjoy walking with each Monday morning dropped off a deep purple iris which she had cut from her garden. We had been awaiting the blooms of the iris plants eagerly and she knew I would enjoy a stem from her garden.

I stayed overnight with a friend in New Orleans this week and she showed me a pair of black pants that no longer fit her and asked if I would like them. I tried them on and they fit perfectly. Then she remembered a black sweater that she wanted me to try too. Instantly, I had a new outfit which I have already worn twice this week.

I stopped at a small grocery on Julia Street in New Orleans to buy a sandwich and apple before heading home. The woman didn’t charge me for the apple. She said something like, “I’ll give it to you because I am not sure what kind it is.” That made me smile.

These small gestures of thoughtfulness give me so much pleasure. As does observing the bee or a tree in bloom in my yard, or hearing a lively song on the radio. Or seeing my cat in a still life near the flowers that I picked from my yard.

A Place Called Home

2011-03-22T18:04:00.000-07:00

This may come as a surprise to folks born and raised in Acadiana, but when I told my friends and family on the West Coast that my husband had accepted a job in Lafayette, Louisiana, they didn’t quite know what to say to me. They were happy for Mark but for me they wondered: What would it be like to live in the South? Where is Lafayette anyway? Won’t you miss the San Francisco Bay Area?

I was asking these questions too.

I was born and grew up in Santa Barbara, California, one of the most beautiful places in the world, yet I have no desire to move back there. Why is it then that the people I meet who grew up in Acadiana desire to stay here or move back home?

I posed this question to several people who did venture away for a period of time and have found their way back home.

Allison Bergeron and Rachel DeCuir both wanted to move away for college. Bergeron attended Springhill College in Mobile, Alabama and DeCuir attended Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. “For the first time in my life I was not around people from Louisiana,” states DeCuir. “I realized how different Lafayette is from the rest of the United States. Surprisingly, I learned in one of my college classes that most people are not Catholic.” Bergeron also noted this, “I never realized that there aren’t 15 Catholic churches in a half mile radius.” Bergeron also discovered that, “there was no place to get gumbo or poor boys in Mobile.” These became symbols of home for her.

They described how people didn’t understand certain colloquialisms, like the word “cher”. “In Alabama, people looked at me like I had two heads,” shared Bergeron. DeCuir explains, “There is something in the way of life here that makes sense to me. We do what we can with what we have and enjoy life.” “When I was away, I often felt I had to explain myself,” says DeCuir. For both, the French culture is important and they missed it when they were away.

After college, DeCuir lived in a small village in Thailand teaching English as a Fulbright Scholar. “I learned how much some things mean to me.” She missed dancing, for example, something she had taken for granted. When she completed her teaching contract she had a month left on her visa. “I needed to come home. I didn’t know what was going on with the oil spill and that was really hard. In Thailand, no one understood where I was from.”

Herman Fuselier —writer and radio host, and community relations manager at Barnes & Noble Booksellers — left his home in Opelousas in 1993. As a sports reporter at the time, he always wanted to cover a major college team. He jumped at the opportunity to work for The Tuscaloosa News and cover the University of Alabama football and basketball teams. He got to travel all over the country with the teams and enjoyed seeing new places. However he had an ache, a homesickness that never went away.

“At first I came back every two weeks, then less frequently,” Fuselier recalls. “I missed the food, family and music.” I took the music for granted. It was just always on the radio at home. In Alabama there was no zydeco on the radio. “

It was while living in Alabama that Fuselier started to play the accordion. The same was true for Lisa Bourque, contemporary architectural and residential designer, who moved to Los Angeles after completing a degree in architecture from the UL Lafayette. Both missed the music and so took up instruments once they left Louisiana.

“It was a way to connect back with the culture and fill the hole, the absence,” says Bourque, who found Los Angeles “exciting, scary, and fascinating.”

“Los Angeles was full of people not from there,” she says. “Anyone I met could tell me about other parts of the country I hadn’t been to. I got to know a broad range of people and could live vicariously through them.”

At the ten-year mark she and her husband decided they either needed to commit to staying in Los Angeles, which meant going to work for larger architectural firms where they would make higher salaries, or move back to Acadiana. They never considered living anywhere else.

“I missed the joie du vivre lifestyle of Louisiana,” Bourque admits. “ We work hard Monday to Friday and play hard Saturday and Sunday. Life is meant to be lived and enjoyed. We have our ups and downs; in Louisiana someone will help you out in the down times and help you celebrate in the up times.”

“There is no place like home,” says chef Maureen Little. She spent seventeen years in New Orleans, going to culinary arts school (and architecture school) and working as a chef, and another four years in Midland, North Carolina. When she returned to Lawtell, Louisiana in 2005 she felt she could exhale. “I’m home. I know everything is going to be okay.”

When asked about the main differences between Lawtell and Midland, Little said, “food, people, family and music.” “I couldn’t get Kelly’s sausages.” So while it has been challenging to start her catering business again from scratch, she asks herself, “what’s best for my family, me and my company (virtualbistrocatering.com)?” She repeats to me again, “Really truly there is no place like home.”

She admits, as do Bourque and Fuselier, that she could most likely make more money in a larger market. But as Fuselier says, “You can’t put a price on home. I’m home now. I don’t want to go anywhere else. I was born here and I plan to die here.”

Bourque said, “I am absolutely here to stay.” Bergeron agreed, “Louisiana is home. The culture here is so special.” Bergeron trained as a teacher and has had some challenges in finding a permanent teaching job here. “For all its quirks and everything that is going against it – corrupt government, swamps, teaching challenges – it is still home and the way of life I grew up in. I know it and love it.” Bergeron continues, “I’m a Southern girl. It’s warm here and I don’t like cold weather. It would be weird to go somewhere with no humidity. I would have no idea how to function.”

For each of the people I interviewed, what makes life special in Acadiana and why they can’t imagine living anywhere else is some combination of the music, food, French culture and family.

Over the past eight months, I have also met people who have moved back out of some necessity — to take care of their aging parents, after losing a job, or when a marriage ended. They knew the cost of living would be lower here, or that family would assist with childcare. It has not always been easy. They have lived in places more open to individual differences and have had to readjust to life in Louisiana.

What is special about Acadiana for me personally is not family (as I am only here with my husband), but the friendly people who live here.

One Friday afternoon in December, we were taking a walk in our neighborhood and struck up a conversation with someone in front of her home. Even though we had just met her, she invited us to her holiday party that night. When we went out to breakfast at Edie’s Express, we told the owner that it was our first time eating there and asked him what he recommended. He took us back to the kitchen to show us the variety of biscuits and kolaches.

I am struck by the French, Cajun and Creole cultures and love learning about the traditions, the ways of life and musical heritages of this unique part of the country. There is always more to do and experience than we have time for.

I am constantly amazed by how many talented musicians live and perform here and the abundance of creativity of all kinds. Chef Little mentioned to me that she also writes and illustrates children’s books.

Everyone I interviewed called Louisiana home. Where is my home? I feel like my home is in Louisiana now. Will I live here the rest of my life? I have no idea.

Spring in the South

2011-03-19T13:28:00.001-07:00

For the past two weeks the weather has been glorious, perfect for taking walks in the neighborhood and working in the garden. I have mainly been in clean-up mode in the garden.

Today I visited two nurseries and bought tomato plants, basil, a hanging flowering pot for outside my office window, a lavender plant, begonias and dahlias. Tomorrow I plan to plant them.

We have one large live oak on our property and two that shade our home and yard from our neighbor's yard. They have been shedding leaves like crazy. Oak leaves are everywhere despite the fact that we have been cleaning them up.

What has been most amazing in the past week is how so many plants and bushes have flowered. There is a profusion of color in my yard and in the neighborhood. It is beautiful.

It is also st arting to get hot. Certainly not as hot and humid as it will get, but it is only mid-March. That is starting to scare me. I am hoping it will stay spring for at least a few more weeks (or months preferably).

Creativity and Mardi Gras

2011-03-18T09:30:00.000-07:00

I have a new theory about why people seem to be so creative in south Louisiana. I think it may have something to do with Mardi Gras.

For Mardi Gras, many people plan far in advance for the season. They plan the themes for their krewes. They design and make costumes and floats and sets for parties, or hire people to do these things for them. Mardi Gras includes music, visual arts, pageantry, costumes, dancing and acting.

This is true in New Orleans, with the Mardi Gras Indians as well as with the krewes and the parades. It is also true in the towns in Acadiana and in the countryside. The country mardi gras or courirs are quite different from the parades and krewes but also involve extensive creative talent and endeavor.

My thought is that because so many people in the community put so much time and energy into Mardi Gras each year, they are receiving training in creativity that the general public in other communities might not. This leads to an interest, a pursuit, and practice in creativity that is at a higher level than in other parts of the country. It also feeds on itself as other creative people are attracted to the area.

The photos are of the Tee Mamou Courir de Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras Parades Have Begun

2011-02-27T10:10:00.000-08:00

The first Mardi Gras parades took place in Lafayette, LA yesterday. In the afternoon was the Krewe des Chiens parade of dogs and their owners in costume. In the evening was the Krewe of Rio parade. At both, beads and other baubles were thrown, according to the newspaper.

However, I didn't go to either of these parades. I can't really tell you why, other than that I had other things I decided to do instead. I do plan to go to some of the Mardi Gras festivities next weekend.

There is no way that any one person could take in everything going on here in Lafayette and in the other small towns in the region. All have parades and then there are balls. We haven't been invited to any of the balls.

Writing for Pay

2011-02-27T09:57:00.000-08:00

I have written in some form in all of the jobs that I have had but have never had the title of Writer. Currently, I write a monthly e-newsletter for my Coaching and Consulting company, Oak Communications, and I write this blog. I am also writing a book.

This week I received my first check ever specifically for my writing. I wrote an article in ABiz Magazine (story on pages 10-11), entitled, Picture Perfect.

While the pay was not stellar, I totally enjoyed the process. I got to learn about a field that I didn't know much about: architectural renderering. And, I got to meet two fascinating people who work in the field. I also interviewed other architects in the area.

I interviewed the Dean of the College of the Arts at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Gordon Brooks, who is also an architect. Following our interview and a subsequent conversation he had with another local architect, he learned that the current students in the School of Architecture and Design are not learning to draw by hand as they used to. While they take classes in drawing their first year, most do not focus on drawing after that, choosing to use the computer instead. They both believe that this has an impact on their ability to really see a project.

So, my article may have an impact on the future pedagogy of architecture students.

Family

2011-02-22T12:47:00.000-08:00

I purchased a cookbook because I found the title funny, Who's Your Mama, Are You Catholic, and Can You Make a Roux? Little did I know at the time how important these questions are here in South Louisiana.

We attended a play at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette produced by the theater department. The short bios of the students in the program included where the student was from and the names of their parents. I have never seen the names of the parents listed in the programs at universities in California, Ohio, Iowa or Minnesota.

This is not the only place where I have seen parents listed. I think this points to how important family is here in Louisiana.

I have heard of several instances where parents will build an adjacent home on their property, or buy additional property nearby, where their adult children can live. This is not something that is as common in other parts of the country.

What contributes to these practices in Louisiana?

What's in a Name?

2011-02-22T12:37:00.000-08:00

I have noticed that in Louisiana it is uncommon for women to keep their own surname when they get married. This created a rather awkward and funny situation for my husband and I. Apparently someone involved in the search committee for my husband's job assumed that we were not married because we have different last names.

That prompted someone else to be the one "appointed" to ask me if we were married. I assured her that we were and we enjoyed laughing about this.

Not only do women not keep their own last name, but in the newspaper, once they are married, they even lose their first name. A Susan Savoy becomes Mrs. John Savoy in the wedding photo caption. Why does this bug me?

Someone told me that on the headstone in the cemetery, the engraving does not list the woman's name. I have got to go check that out for myself.

Cher, It's Cold Outside

2011-02-04T10:49:00.000-08:00

"Cher, It's Cold Outside: Acadiana shuts down as full-on Arctic blast hits." That was the headline in today's newspaper, The Daily Advertiser, in Lafayette, LA. Schools were closed yesterday and today due to cold, wet, icy weather.

Compared to many parts of the country, it hasn't been that cold. However, the damp cold here really seems to penetrate the bones and the marrow. It doesn't help that many homes are set up off the ground on piers to keep our homes from flooding. The cold air then enters the house through the floors as well as through the old windows.

I love how in the title of the article, they used the word, "cher" which means "dear". It is a term of endearment as well as a way to emphasize what is being said. I often hear it used in this French-speaking part of Louisiana.

Cajun Country Mardi Gras - First Impressions

2011-01-30T07:09:00.000-08:00

Prior to moving to Louisiana, I did not know that Mardi Gras festivities begin long before the actual day of Mardi Gras. I was aware that Mardi Gras parades and courir started several days prior.

The season kicked off on January 6, the 12th night after Christmas, Epiphany. This year, Mardi Gras lands on March 8. So far, what I have seen, from an outsiders/newcomers perspective, comes mainly from the local newspaper. Admittedly, a limited view.

Each week the newspaper features large colored photos of Krewe bal masque. A recent story was on the Krewe of Andalusia in the town of New Iberia. The theme of this year's ball was Carnivale de Brazil. The paper included nine colored photos (the photo included here is by Lee Ball Photography) of adults and children in elaborate colorful costumes and a list of the attendees, and their roles, such as His Royal Majesty, King Momo I and King of the Ball of Andalusia or Princesses of the royal couple.

This newspaper "article" and photos took up 90% of the cover of the Accent section of the January 27 newspaper, The Advertiser, which is Lafayette's daily. What the paper did not describe is the purpose of the ball. Is it purely a social event? A "coming out" party and if so for whom? A fundraiser? I have seen several similar spreads in the newspaper for different krewes and none of the stories provide me, the newcomer, with much information or enlightenment on these events.

I have heard from a few different Development and Executive Directors of non profit organizations that many community members spend a lot of money on their costumes and Mardi Gras events and then have little to no additional funds to contribute to these charitable organizations.

My first clue that Mardi Gras season had begun came from a newspaper photo of Lafayette City Parish President, Joey Durel, raising the Mardi Gras flag in front of the local government office building. See my photo of flag on this page.

King cakes are another tradition of Mardi Gras. These colorful sweet treats can be purchased at the local Albertson's as well as at bakeries. They can even be ordered online and shipped around the country. Originally called 12th-night cakes, this tradition comes from Europe where the cakes were made on the 12th night after Christmas to mark the end of Advent. The cake was baked with a bean inside. The person who received the piece of cake with the bean was crowned the king or queen for the week and was then responsible for providing the next cake or hosting a party. This tradition has evolved into the king cake and now the bean is replaced with a plastic baby to represent Jesus. The photo of the King Cake comes from the blog and sweet story entitled King Me by Eve Kidd Crawford.

Another tradition for some is to decorate their homes for Mardi Gras. I've included a photo of a home in my neighborhood.

As the days and weeks progress, I'll share more impressions of Mardi Gras.

Perspective

2011-01-29T10:16:00.001-08:00

I spotted this image of pink cups in a chain link fence at a school near my home.

As I stepped back from the school fence to take a wider perspective, I could see how the cups were used in a most clever way. Now, I could see that they were arranged to write "Bully Free Zone."

Not only is this an example of a creative use of plastic cups and an ugly chain link fence, it is a reminder to me to look at life from a variety of perspectives. I just might see something new.

And what are these?

2011-01-20T12:49:00.000-08:00

The shot on the left was taken at the Blackpot Festival in Lafayette, LA in November. If I remember correctly, they are carving up a turtle to cook in a black pot.

There was a crew filming them for a cooking show. Yikes, I am not sure I wanted to see this but I did find myself watching for quite some time and taking photos. I believe that they made a gumbo with the turtle, but I did not choose to sample it.

The second photo is of a mushroom, I am guessing. I saw this on one of my neighborhood walks in the green median strip. It kind of looks like it could be a turtle shell. I never know what I will discover when I am out and about in Louisiana.

What is this?

2011-01-20T12:32:00.000-08:00

I went to Academy sporting goods store not long ago and saw this contraption outside. I stood looking at it trying to figure out what it is. Do you know?

After awhile, I stopped a man who was on his way into the store. I asked him if he knew what it was. He said yes, he had two of them at his camp. He said that they are deer feeders. He feeds his deer year-round. It keeps them healthy.

He explained that you can set the timer for the day and time that the feeder releases the food. It shoots out from the base in a circumference around the feeder.

I had not idea that such a contraption exists. I asked the man if this gave him an unfair advantage. He looked at me and instead of answering my question asked me a question. Where are you from?

I told him I was new to Louisiana and was not familiar with hunting. I thanked him for telling me what the contraption was.

I didn't mean to offend him, and yet I am having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of hunting.

I do want to experience a camp though. I will be shooting pictures rather than deer.

Reflections on Living in Louisiana, Part 2

2011-01-01T11:32:00.000-08:00

Listed below are some of the experiences and words that capture the past six months of living and learning in Louisiana.

Sam Broussard at Barnes and Noble Booksellers (live guitar playing, singing, and original lyrics extraordinaire)

Alligator at Avery Island (spotted on a cold day, much to our surprise)

Cedric Watson at the Blue Moon (one of many fine musicians we have heard live at this special music spot that is partially outdoors and surprisingly intimate)

Camps (many LA families have a second home, cottage or cabin near water about one hour away from their primary home where they go to relax, fish, hunt and party with family and friends)

Miss Sue (what people call me)

Yes maam (how people answer me)

Feufollet at the Medicine Show (we have heard Feufollet at many venues including the amazing Medicine Show that had an awesome line-up)

Planning the Medicine Show with the Comeauxtians (what an honor to be a part of this incredibly dedicated group of people who are keeping Dr Tommy Comeaux’s memory alive through creating an endowed chair in traditional music at the ULL campus and raising money for it through the Medicine Shows)

Petroleum Club and the Oil Center (I never would have imagined that I would be spending time at places with these names)

Hot and humid (I have never spent so much time indoors during the summer)

Music Voyager – Made in Louisiana at Acadiana Center for the Arts (an amazing concert at the beautiful new center for the arts in downtown Lafayette where we have spent a lot of time since we moved to Lafayette)

Cockroaches and green lizard’s inside the house (Sapphire, our cat, especially enjoys these new friends)

Frenchmen Street in New Orleans (we only just discovered this wonderful street to hear live New Orleans music)

Bird watching in the rice fields (I learned that the rice fields get turned into crawfish beds in the off season and that birds like to hang out there too)

Homemade chicken and sausage gumbo (I have learned to make a pretty good gumbo)

Blackpot Festival and Festivals Acadiens et Creoles (two of my favorite festivals)

Bluegrass music rehearsal in Len and Debbie’s living room (special!)

Poems by Darrell Bourque (Louisiana poet laureate sent me poems that he said I could use in my Writing Down Dementia workshops and he signed his new book for me.)

Vermillionville (great music in the hall, fascinating lectures and demonstrations by The Center for Cultural and Eco-Tourism at UL-Lafayette)

Thunder and lightning, pounding rain and flooded streets (this is why homes are built on stilts.)

Louisiana Folk Roots (Creole/Cajun music and culture camp for kids and adults)

Common names in Acadiana: Arceneaux, Benoit, Bernard, Boudreaux, Breaux, Broussard, Comeaux, Cormier, Doucet, Dugas, Duhon, Guidry, Hebert, Landry, Leblanc, Mouton, Prejean, Richard, Sonnier, Thibodeaux, Trahan (an incomplete and unscientific list of the most common surnames)

14-day work shifts (some of my coaching clients work 14 days on and 7 days off! )

Blooming camellias in December (color in the neighborhood even in the winter)

Reflections on Living in Louisiana, Part 1

2010-12-17T12:02:00.000-08:00

We have now lived in Lafayette, Louisiana for six months and one week (but who is keeping track?). I feel so privileged to be living in a place where music is so much a part of the culture. That is true here in Lafayette, in New Orleans, and also in Shreveport where the "Louisiana Hayride" was broadcast for many years. I love the musical variety from each of these areas.

Last Saturday night we went to the Acadiana Center for the Arts for a program entitled Music Voyager - Made in Louisiana which included live music and a screening of the new documentary film which will be shown on PBS stations. That film featured many of the musicians we heard performing live. It was an incredible evening of music.

We have heard some amazing music since we landed here. On Saturday, Mark and I looked at each other several times during the night, and mouthed the words, "wow!" Where does all of this incredible talent come from? On this night we heard Louis & Andre Michot (from the Lost Bayou Ramblers), Roddie Romero and Eric Adcock, and a drummer whose name I don't recall (Roddie Romero & The Hub City All-Stars), David Egan & Marc Broussard. At the beginning of the evening, they each played in pairs (or trio). After intermission and a serving of free delicious gumbo made and served up by Chef Patrick Mould, they showed the film (which I highly recommend), then all of the musicians came out on stage and played together. It was an incredible night.

Food, music, film and new friends. What's not to like?

Speaking of new friends. Mark and I just took a walk in our neighborhood to mail some letters. We extended the walk a bit to walk on Myrtle as it is a beautiful street with huge oak trees that grace the front yards of the homes. We saw a woman at the front of her home placing luminarias in the front yard. We exchanged hellos. She asked us if we lived in the neighborhood. We told her where we live and began a conversation. Before you know it, she invited us to their holiday party tonight! Now that is the kind of Southern hospitality that we have been experiencing here.

Speaking of food. Earlier this week we went to Vermilionville for the '"In Your Own Backyard" series for a cooking demonstration and talk about holiday foodways presented by the Center for Cultural and Eco-Tourism at UL Lafayette. Pat Mould demonstrated deep frying a turkey and Barry Ancelet talked about making gumbo. Then we got to sample their recipes. I learned that both Barry and Pat use store bought roux for their gumbos. They recommend Mrs. Eula Savoie's Old Fashioned Roux. Pat says he uses way more than the four tablespoons of roux that the recipe on the jar recommends. So, I went and bought some and will use it when I make gumbo for Christmas.

Did you know that the African word for okra is gumbo? I learned that on this evening. And originally, folks would cook okra down until it was brown and that was the base of the gumbo. But people most like to eat gumbo in the winter when it is cold. That is how they came up with the roux recipe to take the place of okra which doesn't grow in the winter.

I picked up the new 2011 schedule for the In Your Own Backyard series (Dedans votre cours d'en arriere) and it looks fabulous. I need to pencil these dates into my calendar.

Reflections on Living in Louisiana to be continued...

Negativity in the Workplace

2010-11-30T09:09:00.000-08:00

The topic of the November Acadiana Society for Human Resource Management meeting was “Negativity in the Workplace.” I am sorry to say that this meeting attracted the highest attendance of the year. What does that say about what is going on in the workplace?

In thinking about this topic for many years, I believe what can make the most difference in the workplace is clear communication and compassion.

Keep employees informed about what is going on with the company - from sharing the budget and finances on a monthly basis, to discussing and involving people in setting goals whether it be for their own job or for their department.

Listen to people. If someone is being negative in the workplace, it may be they are having a rough time in their personal life. Or, they may be having a disagreement with another employee or supervisor. Or they may be bored in their job. By listening and asking questions, you show the person that they matter. You find out the root of the problem rather than making assumptions. Then together you can come up with some ideas to turn the situation around.

You might be thinking that this takes too much time. Think about the amount of time consumed and lost productivity when there is negative energy in a department.

Compassion goes a long way in the workplace too. If I genuinely believe that someone cares about me I am going to feel better about myself. In turn, I will show more compassion to others. Just as negative energy spreads so does compassion.

“If you want others to be happy,
practice compassion.
If you want to be happy,
practice compassion.”

His Holiness the Dalai Lama

These are just a few thoughts on how to turn around negativity in the workplace. Stay tuned for more.

Focus

2010-11-22T07:17:00.000-08:00

I am discovering that I am a person that does best when I focus my attention and energy on one thing at a time.

I recently interviewed Yvette Landry and wrote a story about her called, Playing with Passion. I enjoyed meeting and talking with Yvette and writing her story. Then a few days later, I found myself comparing myself with her and I got kinda down. She was able to learn several instruments at once and also was writing and composing songs on top of her full time job as a teacher. How did she do all of that at once?

Then I realized that her style is not mine, at least not at this stage of my life. It is not helpful for me to compare myself with her. Since I moved to Lafayette, I have felt that I should learn the Cajun fiddle. I have a fiddle and I have learned a few Irish tunes in the past. Here I am in the midst of all this great Cajun music with many fine teachers. Somehow since I have been here I have not felt compelled to go to jams or take lessons.

Then it dawned on me recently that my true passion right now, in addition to my coaching and consulting work, is writing. I have enjoyed writing about my new experiences in Louisiana in addition to working on my first book. So, I have decided to focus my creative talents on writing. I may pick up the fiddle now and then, but mainly I am going to write. I feel good to have made that decision. It feels liberating and now I suspect I will get even more writing done.

Gotreaux Family Farms

2010-11-03T08:58:00.000-07:00

They sell "just pure goodness" at the Gotreaux Family Farms. Here are some photos that I took at the farm on a recent visit in Scott, LA. Read a story about the Gotreauxs.

This photo shows the boxes that are ready to be distributed to the members of the CSA, Community Supported Agriculture. I pick up my box of fresh produce every Tuesday afternoon at their farm.

Members of the Gotreaux Family at the Tuesday market at their farm.

Tilapia "greenhouse"

I Think I Can

2010-10-27T12:59:00.000-07:00

Today I read the book, "The Little Engine That Could," to a kindergarten class in Scott, LA as part of Day of Literacy sponsored by United Way of Acadiana. It was fun to be in the classroom and to read to the children. Even as kindergartners, some of them expressed difficulty in having an "I think I can" approach to life.

I noticed that the teacher attempted to keep a tight hold on these young folks. It left me wondering about the balance between maintaining classroom management and allowing these children to express themselves. I have noticed that children in Louisiana are so well behaved and courteous. I also see an amazing amount of creativity amongst young adults. And, I see the high school drop out rates. What does this all mean?

In the mail recently, my husband received the magazine, Spectrum, from MIT, one of his alma maters. The title of the publication is Inventional Wisdom: A salute to MIT on its 150th year. In it, the magazine profiles some of the many talented people who have been a part of MIT's past 150 years. Here are quotes from a few of the people written about in the publication.

Professor Bob Langer - who is among the most prolific inventors in the world with nearly 800 patents issued and pending - says one secret of success is to think yes. "People often say, 'That can't be done,'" he says. "I've heard that many times - especially from grant reviewers. When I was young, it was discouraging, but now I just think it's ridiculous. Things may be difficult, but to say they can't be done...Boy, if history has shown us anything, it's that you can do almost anything."

Professor Hugh Herr, who at age 17 climbed Mount Washington and got caught in a blizzard, losing both legs to frostbite, now holds 30 patents for prosthetic leg inventions and is one of the world's greatest experts in the field...."I came to a realization just a few months after the accident, that the only limits are physical law and the boundaries of human imagination," he says. ...People, he says, tell him all the time that his ideas are crazy and that his work is impossible. He laughs. "I don't agree. If a concept is possible, it's only a matter of time before it comes to pass."

Barbara Liskov, who earned a Ph.D. from Stanford in 1968, is the first woman ever to earn a Ph.D. from a computer science department at a U.S. university...."Even though it was clear to me that this was not a thing girls were supposed to be doing, I just kept doing it anyway. When there's something worth doing, I've always been someone who'll do it, even if I'm discouraged."

Each of these individuals had an "I think I can" attitude and persevered, worked hard and have made significant contributions in their fields.

Travel Shots

2010-10-06T14:20:00.000-07:00

I love to travel - to see and experience new people, activities, places. Recently I spent a week in California and a weekend in New Orleans. Here are a few of the people and places I saw along the way that captured my attention.

This is Lee Charlton in his backyard playing his handmade garden xylophone. Lee collects and makes percussion instruments and his garden studio is filled with them.

On the way to New Orleans we stopped at Avery Island to meet Shane Bernard, the Historian and Curator for the McIlhenny Company. He gave us a tour of the archives. I would never have imagined all of the history and artifacts that are documented in this collection.

Sugar cane fields shot from the window of our car.

Classic New Orleans French Quarter architecture.

On the side street across from the Monrose Row Bed & Breakfast in New Orleans is this home that figures prominently in the TV series, Treme. I haven't yet seen the series, but I hear that it is good. They weren't filming during our stay. I highly recommend this wonderful B&B.

Robot art at a gallery on Magazine Street.

On the way back from New Orleans, we drove along the River Road and stopped for a tour of Laura Plantation. It was a beautiful Fall day and perfect for spending time at this Creole mansion, in the gardens, and in the outbuildings and slave quarters.

Silent Meditation Retreat

2010-10-06T12:51:00.000-07:00

What makes a silent meditation retreat silent? Is it the absence of sound or noise? What kind of noise?

Recently, during a one day silent meditation retreat, a helicopter approached and hovered over a field across the street creating noise and stirring up the air, as helicopters do. Police blocked off the road and a fire truck stood by. The helicopter was moving three gigantic air conditioning units from the back of a tractor trailer that was parked in the field across from our meditation center to a building nearby.

We could hear the sound of the helicopter inside the meditation room and even more so during walking meditation outside. It was loud and carried on for quite some time.

And yet, there is always noise at a silent retreat - a car driving by, people talking as they walk outside the room, birds chirping. And what about the breathing, coughing, fidgeting, air conditioner coming on and the occasional tears of someone in the room.

And then there are the voices, the conversations in my own head. These too are part of a silent meditation retreat. At a silent meditation retreat, we may refrain from talking out loud to one another, yet there is lots of sound.

Talking too fast

2010-10-06T12:48:00.000-07:00

"That woman talks too fast for Cajuns to understand her."

This was said by a man in the seat in front of me in response to the flight attendant's announcement over the loud speaker prior to our flight from Houston to Lafayette.

For the record, I didn't understand her either and I am not a Cajun.

Wonder and Worry

2010-09-30T08:02:00.000-07:00

Like a child, I ask myself, how does this work? This metal bird in the sky that shakes and rattles, rises from the earth, transports me 2000 miles and settles me and 250 others back to the ground.

And what about this magic key that locks and unlocks this other metal transport vehicle? How does the key know that this is my trunk?

My phone alerts me that I can now check into my flight. A click and my boarding pass appears on my cell phone. The next day at the airport I needn't do anything except show my phone to the TSA agent and swipe it at the gate.

What a strange and wondrous world we now live in. I don't pretend to understand how it all works. I also wonder how we will continue to make it work into the future.

Our education system is in disarray. Funding for schools and universities is declining at rapid rates. How is it possible that we are allowing this to happen? We used to have one of the best systems of education in the world and that is no longer the case. I am worried about the education of our young people.

Okra

2010-09-14T18:07:00.000-07:00

Today I drove to the countryside of Scott, LA to the Gotreaux Family Farm. I bought okra and frozen farm raised tilapia. I also ordered three chickens. The chickens should be ready to be harvested in a few weeks.

My mom loved okra. I think that was probably one of the few parts of growing up in the south that she carried with her to California. She rarely talked about her upbringing in Arkansas and Oklahoma. She didn't have a southern accent and was just not the picture of a southern belle.

I have never cooked okra except for tonight. I cut the very fresh and firm okra up in small pieces and chopped a yellow onion. Then I sauteed them together with a bit of olive oil and Johnson's Seasoning from Boucaniere.

Mark and I both thought the okra was delicious. They weren't slimy and had a delicate flavor. I imagine that they were picked today. How fresh is that!

The Big Uneasy

2010-08-31T08:10:00.000-07:00

Want to learn why 80% of New Orleans flooded in 2005 when far worse hurricanes had hit the city in the past and not caused anywhere near as much damage? I highly recommend that you try to see Harry Shearer's documentary film, The Big Uneasy.

However, it may not be so easy to find it. The film played in select theater's last night. Keep your eyes open for it as it is eye-opening and scary.

You will come away with a whole new understanding of the Army Corps of Engineers. For Shearer, and the experts interviewed in the film, Katrina, and the flooding that followed the hurricane, was an unnatural disaster.

Five Years After Hurricane Katrina

2010-08-30T13:20:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to be in New Orleans last week in the days prior to the five year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent floods from the breach in the levees. On a bus tour sponsored by NORA (New Orleans Redevelopment Authority) and as a part of the LANO (Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations) Conference, I witnessed several of the rebuilding projects.

It was heartening to see homes that have been newly built or renovated in several different neighborhoods. Much work has been done to rebuild New Orleans. In some areas, I saw no outward evidence of the devastation of five years ago.

And, there appears to be much work still to be done. We saw homes that were boarded up, schools that had not yet been renovated, empty lots where there had been homes. The population of New Orleans is at about 78% of its pre-storm level.

During the weekend, I watched several documentaries on Louisiana Public Broadcasting that showed the devastation and the amazing resilience of the people of New Orleans. One program in particular that stood out for me was a film entitled, Surviving the Storm, which showed the efforts of the medical personnel at Ochsner Hospital in New Orleans before, during and after the hurricane. The dedication, skill and humanity that the staff and medical personnel exhibited in the most trying of circumstances was inspiring. I was truly awed by their work.

I am also awed by the people in New Orleans who have worked so hard to rebuild the city, their homes, their organizations and their personal lives. Many have experienced so much loss, stress, and heartbreak. Yet, they have found the resilience to carry on and move forward. I take inspiration from you.

Lazy, Hungry, Sick

2010-08-30T10:07:00.000-07:00

Lazy, hungry and sick are not a great combination.

I recently had a cold so decided to open a can of soup for lunch. Instead of heating the soup in a pot, I poured some of the can in a bowl and placed it in the microwave.

Being hungry (and lazy), I didn't take the time to cover the bowl prior to heating it up. You guessed it... soup all over the inside of the microwave. So much for taking a short cut.

Lesson learned: cover your soup in the microwave. Most often it pays to take the extra step to do something right the first time. It will make my life easier later.

Football and Louisiana

2010-08-18T07:44:00.000-07:00

You know that football is big in a state when the Football 2010 section of the newspaper is thicker than the entire rest of the newspaper combined, including adds and the Classified section.

Bird Watching in South Louisiana

2010-08-02T07:51:00.000-07:00

As we drove from the countryside to Dupuy’s Oyster Shop in Abbeyville, where we had dinner, we counted up thirteen species of birds. As it was my first birding trip, I wasn’t able to contribute much to the identification list, but I was equally impressed by the variety and number of birds.

The birds that most caught my attention were wood storks, tall and majestic; roseate spoonbills, with a beak that looks like a long spoon and a beautiful rosy color; elegant egrets and exotic ibises; and black-necked stilts, whose “knees” head backward and made me laugh.

We left Lafayette about 6:30 pm and headed 30 minutes southwest, passing the towns of Rayne, Leroy and Maurice. We traveled off the main road and onto farm roads. We were in search of flooded rice fields where birds would want to hang out. We watched the sky to locate birds in flight headed for a field. Just when we started to get discouraged, we spotted a flooded field, and there were lots of birds there feeding together. It was a peaceful sight.

Our friends let us use their strong binoculars and sighting scope which made the experience much more fun and enlightening than using our small binoculars. As we stood and watched, we were able to spot more and more different species. A slight breeze slightly helped to counteract the 98 degree heat. We were lucky that the bugs and mosquitoes didn’t seem to be out.

Rice farmers plant their crops between mid March and mid April. They harvest the main crop in July or August. They then may flood the area again and plant a second crop which is harvested in October. Some farmers are on a three crop rotation with soybeans alternating with crawfish. With the crawfish rotation, the farmer many not be able to plant a second rice crop. The rice field needs to be flooded in October for the crawfish harvest to begin in January which goes until about June. Because these fields are flooded for much of the year, they are perfect for attract migrating birds.

In fact, the federal government is giving grants to farmers who don’t normally flood their fields so that they will start to flood fields that are fallow. This is in order to attract migrating birds so that they won’t head further south to the gulf where they might be affected by the oil spill.

Who knew that a bird watching trip would also be a lesson in agriculture?

More Louisiana Musings

2010-07-31T08:38:00.000-07:00

I am finally getting used to being told, "yes ma'am". Never having lived in the South, this is new to me. What I haven't learned to do, is to use the phrase myself. I am hoping that people do not think I am rude.

People also address each other as "Miss Sue" or "Mr Mark". I have started to use that form of address. Louisianans seem to use "miss" even for married and older women.

In The Advocate Newspaper on July 19, 2010, there was an article entitled, "A history of statewide oil production." It was very informative. The article included some of the terms used in the oil fields, such as:

accident - To complete a task that is considered impossible. For example, the pipeline called the Big Inch is said to have been "accidented" across the mountains.

bird dog - A geolgist; someone who can "sniff out" oil.

biscuit cutter - A clumsy derrickman who drops pipe and so leaves biscuit-like marks on the derrick floor.

Johnny Newcome - Nickname for a newcomer to oilfield work.

Here is a link to a funny video, entitled, Cajun OnStar. Contact me if you don't understand some of the words being spoken.

Tropical Storm Bonnie

2010-07-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

Mark received a call on Thursday night from the Director of the School of Music at ULL asking him if he was aware of Bonnie's approach. Knowing that we have not yet experienced tropical storms nor hurricanes, he wanted to make sure that we were prepared. He suggested that we stock up on food and water, which we did.

Tropical Storm Bonnie fizzled before it reached Louisiana (and the offshore oil rigs). That is a good thing. Having lived in earthquake territory, we are aware of the need to prepare. Our former neighborhood coordinator in Oakland, CA held emergency preparedness drills, made sure we prepared to-go bags and developed a plan. Now we need to do the same thing here.

I have found the following useful websites as well as the Hurricane Handbook produced by Lafayette Utilities System: Ready America and Get a Game Plan.

This morning's Advocate says that in the past 10 years there have been on average five named storms to hit this region during hurricane season, which runs until the end of November. Usually they don't arrive prior to August 10. This year we have had two already.

Now I better get prepared for the next storm.

Natchitoches Folk Festival

2010-07-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

I attended the 31st Annual Natchitoches Folk Festival on the Northwestern State University Campus yesterday. According to Ned Sublette, in his book The Year Before the Flood: A Story of New Orleans, Natchitoches is pronounced, Nackatish. I am having a bit of trouble remembering that pronunciation.

Natchitoches is about a 2.5 hour drive northwest of Lafayette. We arrived there in time for the last few contestants in the Louisiana State Fiddle Championships. Unfortunately, we missed the young players. However, we heard lots of other great music and what they called, "narrative sessions."

I especially enjoyed Brandon Moreau avec La Bande Pain Perdu. Brandon Moreau was just one of several great singers/musicians we heard. I also enjoyed the blues musician, Hardrick Rivers and the Rivers Revue Band.

Last weekend we met Blake and Cheryl Castille in the town of Grand Coteau. We were looking forward to hearing Blake perform (guitar) at the festival alongside his father, Hadley Castille and Sarah Jayde Williams (Hadley's granddaughter whom he helped raise and teach Cajun fiddling and singing). Wow, what a great band. I love the sound of the twin fiddling. Hadley is quite the character and tells some fun stories about learning Cajun music from his uncle, growing up on a cotton farm, and more. "Cajun songs have a lot of sadness in them, but we don't play them sad."

We did our share of eating at the festival: jambalaya for lunch and gumbo for dinner. Mark bought himself a Pernicky Srdce (Gingerbread Heart) cookie from the Czech food booth. Then he read the written material that was in the plastic bag with the cookie and went back and bought one for me. "Gingerbread hears are a tradition of Czechoslavakia. They are sold at every or event or celebration. Should a boy have a date with his girlfriend and attend without buying a Pernicky for her, the probabilities of it being the last date are high unless he has a good explanation."

Prior to leaving I bought some yummy sugar-coated almonds for the drive home. No wonder I am worried about gaining weight!

I noticed that there were lots of couples enjoying dancing and they were mostly in the 55 - 85 year-old age range. I saw very few young couples dancing. That has been true in other places we have gone to hear music and dance. The exception would be the Blue Moon Saloon in Lafayette. It certainly makes me wonder what is going to happen to this music in the future. There are younger people playing the music but where are the dancers?

Louisiana Facts and Observations

2010-07-08T12:56:00.000-07:00

KRVS - is the local public radio station and it is awesome. You can listen to it live streaming.

Drug Emporium - who would have imagined that this would be a great place to buy health food items. They have the largest selection of organic breakfast cereals I have ever seen.

Sportsman's Paradise - that is what it says on the Louisiana auto license plate. Before moving here, I had no idea that Louisiana is a sportsman's paradise. I am still learning what sports are popular, but I believe that fishing is probably at the top of the list. That is just one of the reasons why the oil spill is so tragic.

Camps - These are like summer homes. Many people here have a "camp" about 30 minutes from their home where they go to relax, fish, and get away from things. I am looking forward to experiencing a camp.

State Cuisine - Gumbo. My impression is that men can cook in LA and take pride in it. Everyone seems to have their favorite gumbo recipe and tricks for making the roux.

State Musical Instrument - Cajun accordion. We have been out to hear live Cajun and zydeco music quite a bit since we arrived here. It is always challenging to decide where to go to hear music as there is so much going on.

Red's is the name of the largest health and racquet club that I have ever experienced. It includes 185,000 square feet of facilities. And, people use it!

Louisiana Journal

2010-07-01T07:58:00.000-07:00

Our new home in Lafayette, LA

Today marks the 20th day in our new home in Lafayette, LA and Mark's first day at his new job at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. I am sitting in my new office which overlooks our very green backyard. Sapphire sits at the back of my desk also looking out at the yard.

We all are adjusting well to our new digs and new town. This morning Mark received an alert on his phone from the National Weather Service for a flash flood watch. We are expecting thunder storms this afternoon. We have experienced several afternoon thunderstorms since we arrived. It is loud and exciting for this CA kid.

Here are just a few of the experiences we have had so far:

Creole Culture Day at Vermilionville (a folklife park that recreates life in Acadiana region between 1765 and 1890). We heard Jeffery Broussard and the Creole Cowboys perform in the beautiful Performance Center. I saw a Creole cooking demonstration and sampled the delicious collard greens, and we watched demonstrations of split-oak basket making and corn-husk doll making. We also met Joe Hall, a very fine accordion player who talked about and played the accordion in one of the historic buildings.
Art Walk where we spent our time at Acadiana Center for the Arts We saw the beautiful photographs of Kent Hutslar. I especially liked the mandalas that he composed from repeating images of instruments. Mark enjoyed playing accordion and bass at the Cajun jam session upstairs.
Gone to hear live music at Pat's Atchafalaya Club in Henderson (Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys), NuNu's in Arnaudville (Lache Pas - fun to see and hear our CA friends making fine music and hearing about how they have integrated into life in LA) where we also had an amazing meal. We heard Sam Broussard perform at the Barnes and Noble Bookstore. He is an amazing songwriter, singer, and guitar player who also performs with Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys.
Jumped on the yellow school bus for a field trip with the kids and teachers who were attending Cajun Creole Summer Camp for Kids sponsored by Louisiana Folk Roots. We visited the Acadian Museum in Erath and then headed to the Konriko Rice Mill in New Iberia. Wow, that place was a step back in time. Cobwebs hung down all around us as we walked around the mill. That didn't stop us from purchasing a box of their Wild Pecan Brown Rice.
On the final day of the Cajun Creole Summer Camp for Kids, we headed over to the Acadiana Center for the Arts for the performance/dance with the Lost Bayou Ramblers and the kid's performances along with their teachers. Very cute. I am going to see if I can convince my nephew to come to the camp next summer.
Shopping - We have been to Lowe's more times than I care to say. Our big purchase was a lawn mower. The grass grows really fast here. I also bought a board that I have sanded and stained to use as an additional desk top in my office. We have gone antique "shopping" in Washington, Breaux Bridge and Lafayette. We met Robert Smith at Au Vieux Paris Antiques who gave us a tour of his amazing home filled with beautiful antiques. Robert is one of the many friendly and characterful people we have met so far. From there we headed to Main St. Antiques Mall and Flea Market where we found a dining room table more in our price range.
Meals with new friends.
Checking out the grocery store options. I found a Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings in the Oil Center (this is a neighborhood in Lafayette that includes retail, offices and a hospital) where local organic farmers are selling their produce.
Orchid Show and Sale sponsored by the Acadian Orchid Society. I met a helpful woman from Breaux Bridge from whom I bought two orchid plants.
Spotted amazing green lizards and huge cockroaches.
Tonight we plan to attend a Gulf Coast Oil Spill Benefit for those directly impacted by the spill. Benefits are planned tonight all over the country. We plan to go to the Blue Moon Saloon in Lafayette.

Green lizard in front yard.

Sapphire checks out the backyard at her new home.

Some observations:

What in California we call Hawaiian shirts, they call Caribbean shirts in Louisiana.
I have seen lots of ads for gun purchases in the newspapers. In fact, the LA legislature is considering whether to allow guns in churches.
Signs that warn of "speed lumps."
It is hot and humid here. The weather forecast from The Advocate Newspaper from Baton Rouge for the week of June 21, 2010: Monday - Very hot 97/75, Tuesday - Slightly cooler 94/75, Wednesday - Muggy 94/75, Thursday - Sticky 95/75, Friday - Stuffy 95/76, Saturday - Heated 95/74. I must say I haven't learned the differences between these descriptions. Is this a demonstration of a weather person's sense of humor?
People enjoy extended conversations.
Food is spicier here.
Many people in Southwest Louisiana are very concerned about the deep water drilling moratorium and how that is affecting the economy of the area.

Rain in May in Oakland

2010-05-27T11:02:00.000-07:00

It is raining this morning, hard. We even had thunder. It is May in Oakland, California, and this is very unusual. It seems that we have had more rain this May than I have ever experienced. The flowers and roses in my back yard seem to love it!

It rains a lot in Louisiana too. I can't help but wonder if there is some connection here. Is the universe getting me ready for our move? Except it is hot in Louisiana right now, even when it rains. It is cold here in Oakland today.

My friend Linda and I have a plan to go to the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek this afternoon. We will see if the rain lets up so that we will still want to go. I find that I am yearning to get out and do the things in the Bay Area that I have not yet done. Or, revisit some favorite spots.

I am trying to get packed up in advance of the moving date so that I will have time to do some of these things. I plan to visit the renovated Oakland Museum. I hope to see a performance of the Stanford Laptop Orchestra and go out for hikes and meals with friends.

Mark blows out the candles at his 50th birthday party!

Southwest Louisiana Photos

2010-05-05T14:51:00.000-07:00

Photos from March and April 2010 Trips to Lafayette, Louisiana

The view from the country home outside of Lafayette where we were generously hosted by new friends.

De Temps Antan, from Quebec, performing at Festival International de Louisiane in April 2010

Acadiana Center for the Arts, Downtown Lafayette, Louisiana
March 2010 ArtWalk

Progressive Baptist Church Gospel Choir in an energetic performance at Festival International de Louisiane

Crawfish from Dwight's

Carlos' Owl Box

2010-04-04T20:17:00.000-07:00

San Francisco Chronicle columnist, Jon Carroll, recently wrote a column about the Owl Box. It is a live video of a wild common barn owl, named Molly by Carlos, who placed the owl box on his property. She chose Carlos’ box as her nesting spot. You can watch her activities, or lack thereof.

She is sitting on four chicks keeping them warm and one egg. I am not clear on whether the fifth egg will actually hatch. If you turn on the sound, you can hear birds chirping in the background, and Molly occasionally flapping her wings. I find it quite fascinating to have this up close view of a wild owl tending her chicks and egg. She tears apart the rodents, rabbits and other animals that her mate brings her and feeds the chicks.

Carlos occasionally comes on screen to describe what is happening, to answer the questions of school kids, and to share his experience with this project. He is truly amazed about how much interest there has been in his project. There have been more than 5 million views on the site.

He anticipates that in @ 80 days, the chicks will fledge.

Check it out!

Mothers and Dying

2010-02-01T11:55:00.000-08:00

Recently Jon Carroll wrote a column in the San Francisco Chronicle about his mother-in-law who had died recently. I was quite moved by his column, as I often am, and decided to write about my own mom's final hours.

I received a call from hospice in the late afternoon that my mom was near the end of her life. The woman asked me if I wanted to talk with her on the telephone. She said that mom would not be able to speak but that hearing was one of the last things to go. She put the receiver up to mom’s ear. I think I told her I loved her. I also told her that I was going to come see her to say goodbye and that I would be there soon. I asked her to wait for me.

I called my siblings to let them know. My brother Robert and I decided to leave at 6 am the next morning to drive to the bed and care facility in Pismo Beach where my mom lived. My sister in WA state would not be able to come, nor would my younger brother. They both felt they had already said goodbye.

Robert and I got to our mom’s room at @ 9:15 am. We sat with her for 30 minutes as she labored to breath. While she could not acknowledge our presence, I do believe that she knew we were there and that she had waited for us. We talked with her. I held her hand and Robert rubbed her feet. He started to sing “All Fly Away” and I joined in. She passed away quietly. We weren’t even sure when was the final moment of her passing. We sat with her for another hour or so until the folks from the mortuary came.

Then we went for a walk nearby to the eucalyptus grove where the butterflies nest. It seemed fitting to be walking amidst the monarchs hatching and enveloping us with their winged beauty.

On Writing

2010-01-26T10:07:00.000-08:00

On New Year's Day we went to a party at the home of friends that included a delicious potluck spread and a Cajun music jam session. At the party one of the hosts introduced me to Jane Anne Staw, a writing coach and author of the book, Unstuck: A Supportive and Practical Guide to Working Through Writer's Block.

I had already decided that I was going to get back to writing in 2010. I had started a writing project in April 2009 and wrote for several months, and then I stopped. I got involved with other projects, including my work and networking and my writing fell by the wayside. I decided it was time to get back to what I am now calling my book project.

When I talked about my project with Jane Anne, she said that it is important to write at least four times each week so that you never have more than one day off. That made sense to me, so I scheduled writing into my calendar. First I would sit in meditation for 10 - 30 minutes and then I would write for up to an hour.

When I first started reading Staw's book, I thought "I am not stuck." She is describing other people but not me. Then as I read more, I realized that my challenge is not the writing, it is getting myself to sit down and start. I now recognize that I am honoring myself when I allow myself to write rather than take care of others needs. So often, I put my consulting or coaching client first and believe that I need to attend to their needs before I can sit down and write. When I do that, I never get to the writing that day.

So, with this realization, I have written most days that I scheduled this month. I am patting myself on the back when I write and refraining from scolding myself when I don't. I have set up a separate table in my office for writing my book. It feels good to have a place dedicated to my writing that is apart from my other work.

And, I am enjoying the process of writing.

Invictus

2010-01-03T19:21:00.000-08:00

Leaving the movie Invictus last night, I reflected once again that Nelson Mandela is my hero. He had the amazing capacity to forgive and to lead South Africa in its journey of reconciliation. I was not familiar with the poem, Invictus, from which the movie takes it title. I share it with you here and also recommend the movie.

Invictus

by William Ernest Henley; 1849-1903

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate;
I am the captain of my soul.

Honoring Ideas

2009-12-10T15:41:00.000-08:00

Recently I was driving and listening to Terry Gross' program Fresh Air on National Public Radio. Dave Davies was interviewing Eugene Hutz from the band Gogol Bordello. I am not going to write about the interview, though I found it fascinating. What I want to write about is acknowledging our ideas.

How often do you have an idea and think, oh, "that's cool." You think you will remember it, and so you just go about your day. Then later, you have a vague memory of having had an idea, but for the life you, you can't recall what it was. This used to happen to me all the time.

Now, I carry a small notebook everywhere I go. During the Fresh Air program described above, I had an idea while listening to the interview. I pulled over, took out my notebook, and wrote the idea down. In so doing, I was honoring my creative process. I was saying to myself, "my ideas matter."

This is something I learned from reading about the tools of creative people. They always carry around a notebook to jot down their thoughts and ideas. You can do that too!

Sue's Photo Album

2009-11-27T13:09:00.001-08:00

Getting Off the Hamster Wheel

2009-11-06T11:29:00.000-08:00

I see many people these days who are feeling overwhelmed. They have so much going on in their lives. They feel consumed by their to-do lists, by their email in-boxes, by their dining room table or desk piled with paper, by all of their responsibilities. They describe being on a hamster wheel going around and around and they are asking, how can I get off?

And, they feel stuck. How can I get off of this hamster wheel? How can I be effective? How can I move forward in my life and my career?

These are important questions. I enjoy helping people answer these questions. And, more importantly make changes in their behavior, their actions and their thinking that helps them get off of the hamster wheel. This doesn’t mean that they are stagnant. They are still moving, and sometimes fast, but they have the capacity to move at a variety of speeds. And, sometimes, they stop completely.

Three strategies to help you get off of the hamster wheel:

Less is more - Let go of one thing each day for a month. Start getting rid of stuff - physical things. Begin with things. What can you recycle that is cluttering your home or office? What would create space for you? Then move on to getting rid of a way of thinking that is no longer serving you. What is one thought that you would like to get rid of? “I’m not good enough the way I am” or If I am not married, I am not whole.” Or any number of thoughts that may not support you.

Be curious - Stop and look around. Listen fully. Walk a different way to work and really look around. Turn off your phone and Ipod. What do you see, hear, feel as you pay attention?

Move around - When you feel stuck or your mind is fuzzy. Stand up and take a mini-break. Walk around the block, stretch your body, move to a different chair and take three deep breaths. Change things up. It is amazing how this can free up space in your mind. You can go back to what you were doing with a fresh perspective.

These three strategies may not be so easy to do on your own. Sometimes you need a partner to help you create new practices in your life, ways of being and doing. Sometimes we need a relationship with a friend or a coach to hold us in our new practices. The practices that we engage in help us become the kind of person we are - what we pay attention to, how we go about our day. We may need to change some of these in order to get off of the hamster wheel.

Visit my website and click on "Getting Off the Hamster Wheel" to listen to audio on this topic.

Photos from recent trip to Louisiana

2009-10-20T18:36:00.001-07:00

Below are a sampling of photos that I took on a recent trip to Louisiana with my husband, Mark DeWitt. I was struck by the Southern hospitality from everyone we met.

Mardi Gras costumes on display at the Louisiana State Museum in New Orleans. The exhibit is entitled, 100 Years of Zulu.

We took a boat tour on the Atchafalaya River basin. This shot is heading out between the north and south bridges on Highway 10. Thousands of people drove across these these bridges to leave New Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina.

Maison des Amis in Breaux Bridge, LA.
We had a wonderful dinner at Cafe des Amis.

Mark jams with Junior Martin and his grandson, Joel Martin, an amazing accordion player, at Junior Martin's accordion shop in Scott. They were examples of the amazing Southern hospitality and of lagniappe.

Mark giving his presentation on his book, Cajun and Zydeco Dance Music in Northern California at the Louisiana Book Festival in Baton Rouge. He was interviewed by Kevin Fontentot, another gracious host.

Taken from inside the Louisiana State Senate Chamber

Two shots from the New Orleans Katrina Memorial

Jim and Jolie (not pictured) were our gracious hosts in New Orleans. Here Jim interviews Mark for a future radio program on WWOZ. In this photo Mark is signing a copy of his book for Jim.

Taking Risks and Moving Out of the Comfort Zone

2009-10-03T12:05:00.000-07:00

I rarely gamble, I have little desire to sky dive and my investing has become more conservative as I get older. However, I do enjoy taking certain kinds of risks. Sometimes I put myself into situations that stretch my normal ways of being or that may lead to a greater connection with another person or to furthering my career.

One example from my past is when I decided to take a job at Grinnell College in Iowa after graduate school. My friends and family were a bit surprised. “You are leaving Santa Barbara, CA to move to a small town in Iowa?” they asked. Yes! And while I sometimes missed California and my friends, I was really glad that I made the move. I got a far better job right out of graduate school than if I had stayed in California. I met wonderful people and stretched my horizons. And I knew I could always move back.

I have recently begun a collaboration with other consultants and coaches who work with artists and arts organizations (Consultants and Coaches for the Arts). I met with them shortly before a planned vacation to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. A light bulb went off in mind that I should try to meet with the director of the Festival to let him know about my own consulting and coaching work and also about our group.

I looked on the Festival website and found the name of the Executive Director but not his email address. I decided to send an email to the “admin” address and put the Executive Director’s name in the subject line. I wrote a short email message introducing myself, giving my website address and that of our group. I told him that I would be in Ashland attending plays and when I would be available for a meeting. I asked if he would like to meet and then I hit “send”.

And then I waited. That night I told my husband what I had done. Mark seemed skeptical that I would get a response. I told Mark that I had nothing to lose. It would be great if he responded, but if he didn’t, so be it.

I had sent my message on Saturday and around 1 pm on Monday I received an email from the Executive Director letting me know the days and times that he was available to meet. Yes! We met that Thursday morning at 9 am for a lovely conversation. The following Monday I sent him a follow-up email thanking him for his time and sending him the links to a couple of articles that I had mentioned in our meeting. He emailed me back that morning thanking me.

Will this meeting result in a work engagement? I have no idea. However, I enjoyed our conversation and being invited into his office in the inner sanctum of the festival. I was also able to ask his opinion on what play to recommend to friends who would be attending the Festival later this month. I certainly realize that not everyone is as gracious and quick to respond as this person. However, having had this positive experience, it makes me eager to think about whom else do I want to meet? What other risks would I like to take?

Who would you like to meet? What risk are you contemplating? Which voice in your head will you listen to? The one that says, “go for it?” or the one that says, “why would he want to talk with me?” Are you willing to give possibilities a chance before discarding them?

Would you like a partner in supporting your journey? If so, contact me at Oak Communications.

Julie & Julia

2009-08-22T10:45:00.000-07:00

Last night Mark and I went to see the movie, Julie & Julia. How fun. I laughed out loud, and okay, I even cried. I could practically taste the dishes that the characters were so enjoying.

The movie led me to recollect some of my favorite meals. In the Dordogne Valley in France, I was researching a new bike trip for Backroads, the active travel company. I had the most delicious salad of my entire life at a train station cafe. One never knows where a favorite meal will come from. Then again, I can't imagine eating an amazing salad at a train station in the United States.

Another memorable dining experience was in New Iberia, LA, in Cajun Country, at a small bed and breakfast that also had a dining room. Each course was as delicious as the next. Mark and I were in heaven, just as Julia and her husband were in the opening scene of the film. We have not tried to go back to that restaurant, wanting to preserve the memory of the perfect meal.

I have read several reviews of the movie, and many have written that that they did not like the scenes with Julie. While a film solely about Julia Child would be wonderful, especially with Meryl Streep portraying Julia, it would be a totally different film. I loved how Julie & Julia showed how both characters were searching for their passions. They each were trying to identify their strengths and interests. How could they pursue these in a way that gave meaning to their lives? It showed their drive and their willingness to persevere even when it was difficult.

It also illustrated how times have changed for women since Julia Child was finding her way. Julia wanted to pursue a career and at that time, especially in France, that was not so common. For Julie, it was more a question of what career. She clearly was not interested in the types of work that her friends had chosen. She had to figure out what matched her own interests and strengths. So, she followed her passion for cooking and writing and used Julia Child as her guide.

I too have a Julia Child story. In 2002 I was working for the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara. We held a fundraiser entitled the Santa Barbara International Wine Auction and Festival. In order to entice regional chefs to take part in the festival, we asked Julia Child if she would be willing to have her photo taken with each of the chefs individually in advance of the festival. She heartily agreed. I was responsible for orchestrating the shoot so that it went quickly and efficiently as Julia was approaching her 90th birthday. After the shoot, I noticed that Julia had helped herself to a glazed doughnut and had sat back down in the chair. I took the opportunity to sit down next to her. And, lucky for me, the photographer snapped my picture with Julia as well.

I also asked Julia if she would sign one of her cookbooks that I had purchased to give to my niece Emily who was getting married the following month. Yes, she generously did so.

So now I find myself blogging about a movie (at least partly) about blogging.

Power of Exercise

2009-08-19T13:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was in a funky mood after participating in a telephone meeting. I wasn't crazy about how the meeting went and was having trouble shaking my bad mood.

It wasn't until later, while working out at the gym, that my mood turned around. I don't know why I am always amazed at the power of exercise to elevate my mood. It is like a magic pill. It also gives me more energy. I generally exercise beginning around 6 pm. Many days I am tired and wonder if I should go to the gym or take my hike. I am always grateful when I do because I feel so much better afterwards.

Yesterday I was listening to music on my I pod. When a slow, sad song came on I switched it to upbeat music. That too got me feeling in a lighter mood.

Stepping Into A Child's Skin

2009-08-01T17:04:00.000-07:00

My brother Nathan sent an email to me and my siblings a while back describing a conversation that he had with our dad which led him to think about justification and to stepping into the skin of his son. With Nathan's permission, I share his thoughts here:

Dad said he wished he knew when his time would end because it will probably be soon. I asked why he said that because he seemed to be in good health. He said he was in good health. I suggested that he try to enjoy himself and not be waiting for his time to end. He said he was trying to enjoy it. Not too many things that he wants to do.

This conversation really struck a chord for me. It is sad that dad is in some ways giving up already even though he is exceptionally healthy for his age. Many of his friends and family have died and perhaps there is a part of being human that makes it easier to face the end as the time approaches. He probably is bored and is losing the initiative to try new things and meet new people. This is fascinating and sad.

I have noticed that as I get older it becomes easier to justify not to work out, or not to make the extra effort that I would have made when I was younger. In order to stay young I have to fight the justification to be less ambitious and vital. Justification will become easier and easier the older I get such that by the time I am dad’s age I too will have justified the end.

With raising a child you really have to put the justifications aside because children cannot argue their own cases very well. They just say, “I want to do this” and that is it. Not the kind of argument that a parent can use to decide yes or no. It requires extra work to argue the case for the child and to make a decision based on his or her viewpoint. It is easy just to say, "I am tired" as a justification to say no to a child’s request to play.

Just the other day Jordan wanted to stay longer at the beach. He was raising quite a stink about leaving. He is unable to argue his case. "Dad, I had to sit in the car for 1 hour and 20 minutes to get here. Now we stay 1 hour and I have to sit in the car another 1 hour and 20 minutes to get home. Can't we stay a little longer?"

Of course mom "I am not leaving. I am going to the tide pools" So a battle ensues. Since Jordan cannot argue his own case yet, Dad and Mom need to be able to argue his case for him in the middle of this power struggle. Nearly impossible.

I was able to get away from the situation and leave mom to deal with Jordan. In the brief time I was away it gave me the time to empathize with Jordan and argue his case for him to myself. Once I explained it to Mom, it made perfect sense.

The bottom line is that I have to dig deep to come up with the energy and the patience to stay another hour at the beach playing hide and go seek and gathering rocks and chasing, etc. It actually was quite fun and we stayed till sunset.

As adults it is easy to justify not doing something because I am tired. I am sore. I am bored. I am cold. I am many different things and Jordan’s feelings do not matter as much. Fighting that justification is so important to do throughout my life so that when I am 80 or 90 years old I still look forward to waking up and going out to do something new or something old, but I am not giving a reason why I will not do it today.

_Nathan