Adoption Update

We are in the middle of the trying to get all of this paperwork together to DHL to Honduras. Nothing is easy. Nothing.

Current sticking points:

• Everything must be notarized. Doctor's reports, letters of recommendation, employment verification, everything. Can I really ask my doctor to have a statement that we're in good health notarized? Isn't that really outside the realm of her professional duty? (Friends who've written us recommendation letters, however, will be getting a request in the very near future!) We've found a notary who happens to be a friend, but he too is bound by the limits of his professional duty. Not sure how we'll handle this, but it's got to happen fast.
  

• Many of our documents are about to be out of timeline. We've only recently come to realize that everything must be dated within a year of each other. Makes sense. I should have realized this and looked into it from the get go. Our blood work, urinalysis, and yes, the stool examination will have to be redone.
  

• We need a psychological analysis, separate from the home study. Sounds simple enough, but most psychologists we've contacted have waiting lists until the spring and exorbitant fees. We're talking in the $2000+ range. Yes, $2000 for a three hour appointment and a written report. Charlie is so frustrated by this he commented he may have to be drugged to be deemed psychologically fit. We've scheduled an appointment for later this month.
  

The quest towards parenthood continues. Such is the adventure.

Welcoming Fall

It's October. It's autumn. Well, at least in other parts of the country it's autumn. We've had a few cool mornings, but for the most part, summer is hanging around.

I've been wanting to make a big pot of soup, chicken and andouille gumbo or some tortilla soup, but the weather just isn't right.

So I had to come up with a more appropriate fall treat....


Pumpkin cheesecake with gingersnap crust!

It turned out rather well, considering it was my first cheesecake, and I didn't know all the ins and outs of a springform pan. I have no idea why it didn't occur to me that the springform pan is not a closed system, sealed to all leaking. We had a bit of a smoke out for the 55 minutes it baked and the buttery goodness dripped onto the bottom of the oven.

That hint of smokey flavor did the cheesecake just right, and I needed to run a cleaning cycle in the stove anyway.

Butterfly Garden

I love working in the garden. There's something satisfying about the physicalness of it, and the end result is the icing on the cake, even though I consider myself to be a novice and think of every flower bed as a work in progress.

The butterflies in the garden are lagniappe,


but are a treat to watch them flitter by as I weed and plant.


It amazes me how everything continues to flower and the butterflies keep on coming.

Could it be?

I do believe it is a lemon! A lemon on our tree! This poor tree has looked like a twig for its entire 2 year life in the yard. It is always infested with black fly, flowers profusely, but never has any fruit. But I do think we've got some fruit! It is only about 4 cm, but nevertheless a lemon.

Orchid this morning

We've learned over the last few years that orchids are pretty resilient. We had figured as much when we found them growing in the Andes in areas that experience extreme high and low temperatures. Ours have bounced back from freezing temperatures, but we never can seem to get them to bloom. They shoot up flower stalks, regularly, once a year, right on schedule, but something always seems to interfere with the buds opening, be it bugs, over watering, severe wind, always something.

So we are quite delighted that this stalk, with three buds, is in full bloom. Future orchids will be mounted to the fence in pots so I can bring them indoors to enjoy. But I do like the baskets Charlie made for his precious flowers. He has quite the green thumb.

Saturdays

Hans about town

I took Daddy on a field trip today. We went to Whole Foods. I needed some soup and I needed some company, so Whole Foods and Daddy it was.

Hard to believe, but Dad hadn't been to Whole Foods since they were located on Esplanade. We took a leisurely browse around the store, checking out the seafood selection, perusing the vitamins, and finally finding lunch which we took outside to eat and enjoy the mild September weather.

Daddy visited the salad bar, had a cup of barley mushroom soup, and washed it all down with a hibiscus tea. He fit in perfectly with the New Orleans Uptown crowd listening to their ipods and sipping sparkling water, whether he wanted to or not.

Loss

One of my students died. She had leukemia.

I have only known her for 7 weeks, and have only visited her a handful of times, but I'm finding it hard to accept her as gone. There is something not right about the death of a child, a child suffering.

Despite her mother's upbeat demeanor and talks of a good prognosis, for some reason I felt she may not make it through the year, but I had no idea that after only being diagnosed 8 weeks ago would she pass away this week. I have never spent time with a patient undergoing treatment, and have only read heroic accounts of "beating" cancer, so I wasn't sure what succumbing to the disease might look like. I'm still not sure I do, because she certainly seemed to be holding on, keeping her life, despite the discomfort I knew she was in.

My emotional nature has my mind cluttered with those trite lessons of life now. More than anything it is a reminder of the fragility of life.

The Aints?

This time the blow is softened, as I won one quarter of the football pool.

At least we have the Tigers.

Vermont

Becky and Steven's wedding brought us to the Northeast last week. Vermont was better than we expected!


We were a little early for the fall foliage, but the trees were trying to make a show for us.


Evidently the foliage is in its peak in the first few weeks of October.


We'll have to go back because even the small splatters of oranges and reds awed me. I can't even imagine the entire hillsides being covered in fall.

For quite some time I have been on Charlie to take me to New England, Maine specifically, to wear cute sweaters and eat soup, so that was on the Vermont agenda for sure. Although the temperatures were a bit of a relief from the New Orleans heat, there wasn't any sweater wearing to be had. I did have lots of yummy soups,


but cold Vermont microbrews were what made our meals.


We loved, loved, loved, Woodstock. It's a town both of us could see ourselves living in. So much so, that we took a short drive to Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. It's about 30 minutes from Woodstock, and in the middle of September, it looked like the perfect place for us. Not sure what the winters would bring, but the gentle mountains surrounding old charming buildings look perfect.

And that perfection for me comes from the old houses and overgrown gardens. Reminds me of home. None of the houses stood perfectly straight. Each being over 100 years old meant their being a bit rundown was charming.

And the gardens! I kept thinking about my own garden. Each house has a garden just like what I aspire to...flowers, flowers, flowers. Everywhere. No symmetry, no manicured hedges, just wherever they'd bloom, flowers were planted.

We loved it all.


Wish I'dd taken more garden photos and photos of the covered bridges. As quaint as they are to look at, they are equally as amazing to drive through. My builder husband loved them.

Can you see the side of the barn is painted with "Live Laugh Love"? Picture perfect here.



We visited the Simon Pearce studio and gallery. I got a vase for our mantle.


The building itself was impressive and it's restoration was well done. I recommend a visit if you're ever in the area.

And we did get the chance to catch up with friends. Evenings at the Kedron Valley Inn went late into the night.


It's funny to see these guys together. They could go on and on and on talking about their time in New Orleans.


The many weddings over the last few months have allowed us more time to laugh and visit than we've done in the past two years.



And hopefully the trend continues. We'll see JB and Anne in December and plan some more traveling to visit with others.

Just Married!

Sweet.

Perfect.

Amazing.

I can say that of the day and the couple!

Congratulations, Becky and Steven. We loved sharing the weekend with you. We look forward to sharing in many more milestones you celebrate as a couple and family.

Wish I had taken more photos of the newlyweds. Although this photo doesn't capture Steven's expression very well, it's this type of moment they seem to share with each other so often that Charlie and I love about them together.

Woodstock suits us just fine

Adopt the pace of nature,
its secret is patience.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

It's going to cost you

You know you're getting old when you get insurance on the car rental without even thinking twice about the $100 cost.

I suppose when I begin to ask about the various insurance plans, coverage, and cost, I'll be really old. Can't seem to recall if my daddy does that yet.

Kill 'em

We came upon The Pot Hole Killer in Gertown the other day.

One truck and one man are able to fill in a pothole in a matter of minutes.

And I do believe the driver can remain inside the air conditioned cab and not even break a sweat in the process.


We've had some pot holes repaired on Bordeaux, but I decided I'd rather have them back. Although they had the potential to flatten my tires, they were speed bumps, a necessity on our block as the bar patrons speed away after happy hour.

I can take a hint

Went to have a pedicure today at my favorite cheapy nail salon. I keep neglecting to make an appointment at the fancy spa down Magazine where I could sip wine and pop mixed nuts into my mouth as my feet soak in an herbal bath. But really, I am content with the bright lights, Price is Right blasting on the tube, and chatty yatty women on their cell phones. It must be my lightheadedness from the acrylic nail fumes that get me through those twenty five minutes at the Pretty Nails Salon.

Bad timing today though, it was packed. I had some time at lunch so opted to wait. Until I was approached by one of the meek young women who works there and barely speaks English. Somehow she managed to single me out from the five other women waiting and found the words to ask me if I wanted my eyebrows waxed. My eyebrows waxed.

I was a bit flustered and hesitated before responding a shaky, "No thanks." I don't know why I was taken aback. I've been looking at them in the mirror for a week now. And I don't know why I refused. I think the brow wax is all of seven bucks. I just wasn't expecting it.

Well, that's all it took to send me straight to the car to take care of those eyebrows right then and there in the parking lot. And I didn't even wait around to get some help with these feet.

I wonder what she'll offer when she sees me back in the waiting area tomorrow.

Sold, Again

I better rephrase that..."Under contract"

We have come to an agreement on a price with the buyers, which is slightly less than we had negotiated with the first set of potential buyers. And the agent's commission is going to be a chunk. But, it did peak a great deal of interest once listed with an agent. I wonder if we could hold out for our asking price, but I don't want to press my luck and frankly, moving on sounds rather nice at this point.

On to inspections and appraisal. Hoping for smooth sailing to the act of sale.

Week in Review

1: cash bid on Harding St.
1: Counter offer
5: time this evening they must counter, accept, or decline
100+: cuss words, mostly during the Saints game (thank God for the Tigers!)
4:45: morning alarm
6: miles walked each morning, sometimes with company
2: mornings I've exclaimed, "I'm a little chilly!" Bring on the fall weather!
30: percent of morning miles Charlie has run
10: percent of morning miles Erin has run
0: pounds shed (Crescent City Steakhouse and Phil's Grill ain't helping)
2: dinners with friends
2: lawns mowed
25: seed packets planted
10: seed packets ordered
2: suitcases packed of 3 for our upcoming trip
3: new purses (Now I'll know if Charlie's really reading!)

A Home of his Own

Every man needs a fortress a solitude. I learned that from my daddy a long time ago. And Charlie is no exception. When we were looking for a house, one of his stipulations was there had to be a man space or room enough to build a man space. Luckily, we found a house with the perfect spot in the yard.


He's been working on his space for some time and is quite pleased with his workshop. He's installed some salvaged lab cabinets and added a counter top, and is getting everything set up.


I wish I could explain all of the intricate nuances of the design, but some of the finer things in life are simply lost on me. But, I'm sure it's all of superior design, because believe me, if you know my husband, he doesn't leave out any details. He's thought of it all.

Next phase will be moving into the drawers and cabinets and adding pegboard wall to wall and ceiling to floor for organization. Hopefully electricity is not far behind. And after that, I may never see the man again.

Towards becoming healthier New Orleanians

Tonight we ran the Crescent City Connection Bridge Run, 4 miles over the river. Well, Charlie ran. I mostly walked. Those 4 "McKenzie" sweet rolls I ate from Tastee's today caught up to me 1.5 miles into it. As did the chicken sandwich, chips, bagel, and cream cheese. What was I thinking eating all of that junk today?

And now we've registered for "the other bridge race" in October. This time we'll run on the Huey P. from the east bank to the west bank, finishing up at the Gumbo Festival in Bridge City. We have also put the Fall Classic on our November calender and the Celebration in the Oaks Run on our December calender. It doesn't look like we're going to make the 100th annual Turkey Day Race on Thanksgiving though; I suppose there's always the 101st Turkey Day Race to look forward to.

I'm liking that Charlie is enjoying the races as another thing our city has to offer. It's great to have a goal, something to work towards, and those Abitas waiting for you at the finish line ain't half bad either.

Another Market

We are regulars at the Crescent City Farmers Market, especially the downtown market on Saturday mornings. We usually make it there sometime in the 8am-12noon window and leave with fresh veggies, shrimp, crab meat, herbs, plants, fresh flowers, or fresh baked bread. The market is just part of our weekend routine.

Many groups have been putting together markets, with art, produce and other local fresh foods, all over the city. Even our old neighborhood is slated to start up the Broadmoor Farmers Market on September 20th.

One market I've never visited is the Vietnamese Market in eastern New Orleans. The 6-9am window is a tough one to make, but Liz and I ventured out to Alcee Fortier Boulevard this morning. As we were heading out, I realized I had never even been to the area of town which is anchored by Mary Queen of Viet Nam Catholic Church.


Many of these New Orleanians remain separate from the city because of the destruction that physically surrounds their community, but they are also creating their own New Orleans. All of the vendors were women, many were elderly, and few spoke English. I was curious about what the produce was and how it could be prepared, but have no Vietnamese vocabulary.



The vendors sold mostly fish and produce. This teenage boy and his mother were walking away with a large fish in a trash bag, See the tail sticking out of the top?


A vendor weighs a *large* catfish and has other fish and rays for sale, as well as a few plants.




After weighing, it would then be cleaned, chopped into pieces with cleaver and put into a bag, along withe the head.




I did speak to a young woman who owns the grocery store whose parking lot hosts the market. She explained the market is about 1/4 of its preKatrina size. Their store doesn't make much money during the market, but she thinks it's important for their community because it is a time for people to come together and socialize, especially the elderly. And she's right. Markets are good for creating community and maintaining neighborhoods, something many of us crave in these postKatrina times.



I'll be back to this market, and hopefully be more of a participant than an observer. Don't think I can manage the fish, but some vegetables for sure, and maybe some of those noodles inside the grocery to go with them. I just need to do a little research to know what I'm looking at and a few key vocabulary words would help.