Slidell Magazine, March 2021

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF SLIDELL

Vol. 125 March 2021

WE KEEP IT FRESH SAY KEEP IT POSITIVE

1

Dr Olivier Best Ad 8.375x10.875 021821 Slidell Magazine.pdf

2

1

2/18/21

5:06 PM

3

SLIDELL HISTORICAL ANTIQUE ASSOCIATION’S 40TH ANNUAL SPRING

ANTIQUES & CRAFTS STREET FAIR MARCH 27 & 28 • 10AM - 5PM

VINTAGE • ANTIQUES COLLECTIBLES • ART JEWELRY • CRAFTS

First, Second & Erlanger Streets OLDE TOWNE • SLIDELL, LA For more info: 985-788-7799 slidellantiques.com 4

AMAZING FOOD! FAMILY FUN!

Editor’s Letter I’m so sick of political posts and news stories. I’m tired of politics, period. But, indulge me for a moment...

Words matter. And a U.S. President’s words and opinions matter MORE. It’s obvious. I’m telling you things you already know.

I just think that sometimes we need to hear it said outloud (or read it) so we can keep ourselves on track.

The world is watching. Children are listening.

When I was young, I wanted a typewriter. It looked like fun and I loved to write. My mother refused because I had not taken typing in school and I didn’t know how to properly type. So, I wrote all of my stories and thoughts long-hand. It was inefficient and laborious, but my passion for writing was strong.

When I was in my twenties, I watched a news story that showed George Bush writing his memoir. He was a two-fingered typist.

It impacted me. I thought – he can’t type, but he’s still writing a book. You don’t have to know how to type to be an author!

And, well, I went on to become an editor and a publisher. I’m not giving all the credit to good ole George, but I can assure you that I was affected.

Then there was the time that Vice-President Dan Quayle misspelled potato. I could spell potato. I could out-spell the Vice-President! I was proud.

Ronald Reagan loved Jelly Beans. I hated them (they hurt my teeth). But, I gave them another go because Ronnie ate them.

(They still hurt my teeth.)

Barrack Obama’s struggles with cigarette smoking mirrored mine. I had never tried using nicotine gum to quit smoking until I heard that it worked for him. I’ve been smoke-free for seven years.

We, as a nation, have dropped our expectations. We’ve lost the urge to hold our President to a higher standard. Not because the President is smarter, better or wiser than we are. Hardly.

(I’ve screamed at the TV more during presidential speeches than I have during football games.) We need to expect more because our children are listening.

I don’t expect anyone to be perfect, that’s impossible. However, the U.S. President has the largest staff in the world, nearly unlimited access to knowledge and intelligence, and 545 elected partners who should be experts on the needs of each of the individual states they represent.

So, in my opinion, the President of the United States should be pretty damn close to perfection.

Words matter. Actions matter. Because failure is not an option.

And our children are listening.

COVER: 2018 SLIDELL JAZZ & BLUES FEST POSTER

MAGAZINE STAFF Kendra Maness Editor / Publisher Editor@slidellmag.com

Kendra Maness Editor / Publisher

Michael Bell Graphic Designer Graphics@slidellmag.com Krista Gregory Administrative Assistant Krista@slidellmag.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS John Case “The Storyteller”

John Case Slidell History

Charlotte Collins Extraordinary Slidell Neighbors

Scarlett Maness Streak of Genius

Mike Rich Making Cents of Your Money

Jeff Perret, DVM Pet Points

Donna Bush Stories Through My Lens

Ronda M. Gabb Legal-Ease

subscriptions: only $39 / year! www.Slidellmag.com Visit our website to subscribe, view current & past editions, view advertising rates & more!

ADAM SAMBOLA Congratulations to Adam for your NINTH cover for Slidell Magazine! We’ve written eight previous artist spotlights on Adam, and they all seem to say pretty much the same thing - wow, he’s sooo talented!

Adam is a Slidell stand-out, whose art has been shipped across the world.

He’s won every art award there is in Slidell, including the President’s Arts Award from Parish President Pat Brister for Visual Artist of the Year in 2017.

Adam donates his talents to multiple charities each year, creating their event posters, which immediately become collector’s items. He’s particularly recognized as the Hospice House Crawfish Cook-Off artist, as well as the Slidell Jazz & Blues Fest artist.

Thanks to Brian E. Smith for capturing this fantastic moment in time in a photo, which Adam then painted into splendid history. Two previous festival posters from Adam have appeared as our covers in 2016 & 2019. View and purchase Adam’s work at: Vol. 69 April 2016

PO Box 4147 Slidell, LA 70459 www.slidellmag.com 985-789-0687

www.SambolaArt.com WE KEEP IT FRESH

SAY KEEP IT POSITIVE

5

A biography by Charlotte Collins

This month, I introduce you to a Slidell neighbor, Matt Kutcher, who makes his living through Hollywood, and more recently, Hollywood South. His company, Spectrum FX, designs and implements special effects with explosives, some of which have blown up right here on Pontchartrain Drive. Thanks to Covid, I had to settle for watching it on video, hearing the boom through speakers, as the car bolted up in the air, engulfed in a mass of flames, flipped precisely as calculated, crash landed, then skidded off to the side for lagniappe, all on Matt’s parking lot. His company also specializes in other special effects like fire, wind, rain, gun fire, smoke, car flippers (which his team customize designs and builds), and anything else a director requests to make a production exciting! Matt’s company is rated at the top. His company and employees have earned numerous Emmy Awards, Satellite Awards, Visual Effects Society Awards, and were nominated for an Oscar for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, which was filmed in New Orleans East at the old amusement park site. If I listed even the most well-known shows and movies he’s worked on, it would take more pages than we have room for. He’s earned the respect of such time honored stars as Brad Pitt, Dwayne Johnson, and Mark Wahlberg, because of the trust they have in Matt and Spectrum FX. Earning their trust is important to Matt, and he has worked with producers such as Jonathan Sanger, Neil Moritz, and Louis Friedman, just to name a few you may recognize.

Matt Kutcher is a very down-to-earth kind of guy. He didn’t set out to achieve fame or fortune, it just kind of found him.

Seriously. He is actually amazed to find himself the owner of a very successful business. This was not a career that he knew anything about, or ever set out to explore.

It all began because he knew what he didn’t want. He didn’t want to be in an abusive home. He described his teachers as being the closest thing to parents that he knew. But, 6

he said, “They couldn’t make up for what was going on at home.” He wasn’t prepared to face the mental challenges at school after withstanding the challenges at home. He dropped out in the 8th grade, and left home at age 15. But don’t think Matt let that stop him from making something with his life. From that moment forward, life has done nothing but accelerated to the good life he has made for himself.

Looking back, he admits, “I couldn’t wait to get out of there.

Luckily, I found a bunch of wonderful human beings that were creative with their hands. They took me in enough to teach me, and start me off as a fabricator in their garage.” I guess you could say this was Matt’s first lucky break. It turned out that the teen loved working on cars and motorcycles. He also loved to immerse himself in mental challenges now that he no longer had the major stressors in his life. His voice came to life as he proudly announced, “I became a certified mechanic by the time I was 18. I think now that I look back on it, I may have been looking for a sort of dad, right? I would watch these guys and think, ‘Wow, that guy actually created this, or fixed that.’ I found that I love making money and I love building and working on vehicles. It was just like a dream.”

But, as with any dream, you have to wake up some time.

Matt’s dream ended with a motorcycle crash and a broken femur. He wasn’t able to walk for months, but he knew he had to eat. Being the active teen that he was, he decided to strike out on his own. Not knowing what else to do, he concluded, “I put all my tools in my truck and became a

mobile mechanic. That wasn’t really accepted as standard practice back then, so it was risky. I welded up a little stool and rolled around while I worked on cars. At first, people would call me for a tune-up or an oil change. Next thing I knew, a catering company called me to work on their old catering truck on a movie set. One thing led to another. I fixed that truck, then another car among the crew, and off it went. People would see the work I did and say, ‘Hey, that’s pretty cool, you think you can fix this?’ The long and short of it is that is how I ended up in the movie industry today,” and he laughed at this unexpected next big break.

He was raised in the San Fernando Valley in Hollywood, California, so the location was perfect. He started traveling with this same studio, as business seemed steady enough for a single man. Then came his third break: He was hired into Hollywood with the movie Universal Soldier back in 1991. His voice rose in awe as he described, “They had these massive trucks for that movie, like a hospital truck that could open up and the walls expanded to house the injured. One day, I showed up and nobody’s on the set. I walked into the office and a gentleman named Don Heiser sits me down and says, ‘We fired everybody, but we’d like you to stay and keep working on these trucks. You can recruit your own crew.’ I was shocked. After all, I’m not a member of a union, and didn’t know where to find a crew.

I was a one-man show. I just wanted to work and get paid, not be in charge.” Matt rose to the challenge, recruiting a crew; he then spent a year traveling with the trucks all over Arizona and California.

He was 27 years old in 1993 when he had his first son.

Matt needed to think seriously about his future now. As he reasoned, “I wondered if I had started to become a threat.

If I got really good at a bunch of things, then the coordinator might think I was trying to take their job. Suddenly, one of the coordinators I worked for was killed in a car wreck. I worried about who else would hire me. So I talked to the producers and told them I wanted the job.” It was time for Matt to take control of his own destiny. In the movie industry, becoming a coordinator didn’t normally happen until someone was

in their late 30’s or older because the directors worried they didn’t have enough knowledge and experience. Matt laughed, “Quite frankly, you probably didn’t. But I knew I needed to be a coordinator to be the best dad.”

Matt got the position and still worked constantly, but was now able to afford to hire a babysitter to be on the movie set with him at all times. That still wasn’t enough for someone with his enthusiasm. Next, Matt started helping with special effects, and learned a lot along the way. He found that he loved this more than working on vehicles. “I had a knack for it.” Matt’s energy came bursting through the phone, “So, thirty years later, I own arguably one of the top special effects companies in the world! How cool is that!”

Let’s hear it for our Slidell Neighbor! This kid from hard knocks had made it into the big time through hard work, willpower and an insatiable drive to learn! Today, Matt is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (which vote on the Oscars), Television Academy (which vote on the Emmy’s), Screen Actors Guild, Directors Guild, and the Visual Effects Society (in which Matt and Matthew are the only “father and son” members in this elite group to date).

Matt relates, “I’m constantly driven out of sheer fear that I’ll never get another job. I still have the same anxiety as that kid who quit school in the eighth grade. By this point, I had my second son, Zackary. If I could find a nanny, we literally traveled the world together, and they were raised out of a diaper bag, and went to school on set. I was also intent on giving my sons a shot at this career. It’s something my sons will reap the benefit from, and that keeps me going now,” he announced proudly. So Matt is driven to be the mentor he never had as a child.

Now, you may be wondering, how did Matt end up in Slidell?

Back in 1993, soon after little Matthew was born, Matt was hired to do special effects in New Orleans for Interview with a Vampire. Laughing, he explained that he wasn’t impressed with his first trip to New Orleans. “See, I don’t drink and I don’t party. I don’t really socialize very well either. Plus, I had an infant that I was raising by myself. So when Interview with

Left: Matt was hired into Hollywood with the film Universal Soldier. Right: Proud daddy Matt with sons Zackary and Matthew.

7

Left: On set with David Hasselhoff many years ago. Middle: Shooting in Brazil for the government.

Right: A dream come true for Matt, coordinating for Tombstone. Here he is with legendary actor, Charlton Heston. a Vampire was over, I went back to traveling and working with movies and television shows.”

Later, he worked in Shreveport doing Shark Night. From there, he came back to New Orleans to work on Fire with Fire and Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter and other shows. He took on Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and any television show or film offered. Somehow, he made it work, even if he had two going at once. As he said, “I never turned a good job down.” He felt confident that there was plenty of work in Hollywood South. He moved his entire company and his two boys with him from California to Louisiana, and enrolled the boys in high school in River Ridge.

I heard that laugh again as he recalled, “I ended up falling in love with Louisiana. I don’t know what changed, but I think it was me, because it certainly was not that the town changed. At some point, I drove across the lake to Slidell, and just fell head over heels. I ended up moving my whole company over here. It’s been 12 years since the move from California, and l have no regrets at all. I absolutely adore living on the Northshore, but I couldn’t have imagined being able to live here in my youth. I always wanted to be by the beach, and I own a place in Miami and one in a little town

called Los Olas, a little island near Fort Lauderdale. But I’ve never really felt at home in those places, like I do in Slidell.

I have the water and the people here. I work on the water and live on the water in Slidell, and I can afford to help my employees earn more here in Louisiana. The tax incentives and lower cost of living makes all the difference. I love seeing my guys able to put their families in much nicer homes than they could afford in California, and pay for private schools on top of that. I can see how much of a difference it makes in their lives, and for me, offering high wages for them. Now, that’s the measurement of my success!” His enthusiasm was contagious, as I realized that his success was helping families in my community!

Life went on at this pace, which suited Matt well. He doesn’t sit much or sleep much. I learned from him that most people in his business do one job at a time and then have a lull in between, for perhaps a couple of months. But Matt assured me, “I couldn’t do that. I simply cannot take a break mentally, so I invested every dime I ever made into equipment so I could do two shows at once. Then I could send my Number 2 guy with equipment and a crew, while leaving the others on another set. We were doing multiple shows in multiple states at once. We’re the only company I know of that is

Left: Matt filming Strange Evidence. Right: Matt on the set with Director Rob Reiner.

8

Left: Oh my! Matt with a lead character in Snakes On A Plane. Middle: Queen Latifah practicing stunts in Slidell for the film Girl’s Trip. Right: On the set of 22 Jump Street. doing this. It only happened because of my fear of missing out. Right now, we are working on Claws, NCIS: New Orleans, Sulphur Springs, Oracle, and Your Honor, a great new TV series, to name a few. Matthew, my oldest, is coordinating Walking Dead in Atlanta for our company. I’ve trained several guys as my coordinators. Some of them were bussing tables when I met them, some of them were painting cars or fixing motorhomes. Most of them have been with me 8-12 years, some even longer.” Now that, to me, spoke volumes about Matt’s character.

Matt is always looking ahead and wonders if some day this pace might catch up to him. He keeps enough competent and trustworthy guys for that reason. As he explained, “Part of the discussion now is maybe we should figure out a better way to maximize the business that we have, rather than just keep racing out

of fear.” To me, it sounded like he has a good model already, but I’m sure he is thinking way ahead to the future.

As far as his personal life, Matt feels completely successful. He knew better than to marry anyone in the business, because there is so much travel and constant work involved. So he tried match.com, and seven years ago he fell in love and, a year later married, someone he describes as, “The one who taught me how to love and how to trust. Lisa Schaeffer and I met for lunch, had another date a few days later, and I’ve never left her side since then. Lisa worked in a step down neurocritical care unit, and she loved what she did. When I met her, I was fortunate enough to be doing shows in town like American Ultra, 22 Jump Street and other locals films. Then, a producer asked me to direct the water unit in Australia on a movie called San Andreas. We had

never separated since we met, so Lisa came with me. Then came a project in Mexico. She ended up not only traveling with me, but running part of the company. Never once did she ask me not to take a call, or stop working.

I’m pretty sure the day we got married, I was texting before the ceremony and after. And I’m impossible to live with.

I am a bundle of energy that sleeps maybe four hours a day. Lucky for me, she loves it! We’re literally traveling the world on a daily or weekly basis. She’s flexible and calm...she’s everything I’m not, so it has all worked out very well for both of us.” Another hearty laugh.

That brings us to the present. Before Covid, Matt had 54 guys on his roster, earning $36-$58 an hour. That means a lot to Matt because, as he reminded me, “I still feel like that poor kid that grew up on his own. But to look out at a parking lot full of new cars and trucks,

Left: Matt filming Snakes On A Plane. Middle: With son Matthew, playing a role as a police officer, on set of Patriot’s Day. Right: On the set of Deep Water Horizon, with sons Zack and Matthew.

9

Left: Matt filming Spencer Confidential with Mark Walberg. Middle: Donnie Dean (far right, kneeling) winning the Emmy for Spectrum FX for American Horror Story. Right: Lisa with Matt as he wins the VES (Visual Effects Society) Award for Planet of the Apes.

I realize I must have had something to do with all that. That’s the pinnacle of giving back. I had so many people in my life that showed me the way, that it’s important to do the same for others.”

With Covid, he went from 54 guys on payroll down to zero. I’m sure you realize by now that Matt isn’t going to sit still and wait. “I’m not prepared to do nothing. My wife had been a nurse, so I asked Lisa what I could do to help prevent the spread. She explained that, for her 20-something years as a nurse, she stayed safe by washing hands, and wore a mask when necessary. So I took my core group of guys and started a company called Clean Hand Solutions. We built hand washing trailers with 10-12 sinks per unit. I repurposed my shops and now there are 22 completed. I bought the trademark and called them Health Hubs.

Now that the film industry is allowed

back to filming, they need our hubs. The Walking Dead in Atlanta set has three of them. Your Honor and Claws have two of them, plus rentals throughout the motion picture industry all over the nation. It’s almost like 22 of them isn’t enough, so that’s something very positive that came out of something so devastating.” Plus, Matt was able to keep some of his guys on a steady payroll, when most of their colleagues were out of work.

Today, Matt Jr. is 27, and he has already seen more awards than his dad had at that age. Zackary is 24, and is possibly the most talented, according to Matt. They are both in the business, despite Dad’s request that they follow the college route. I mean, who wouldn’t want a glamorous life full of creative possibilities? Meanwhile, Matt asked Taylor, Lisa’s daughter, if she would like to be a Kutcher. She

took a couple of years and, at age 27, she asked Matt to officially become her dad. Matt chuckled and said, “Just when I thought I could say I’ve done it all, I got a chance to adopt a baby girl! Taylor is now our bookkeeper, and she’s a 911 operator.” I could hear his pride, and it sounded like she was a chip off the old block with her work ethic. But she doesn’t travel as much.

Matt describes it by saying, “She’s not a gypsy like my sons. She wants to be a CSI investigator, as long as they don’t make her carry a gun!” That brought another hearty laugh, as Matt is a lieutenant for Hancock County Law Enforcement. I found this part of his life to be a surprising revelation, but I suspect the more you know Matt, the less surprised you are at his ambition.

Another funny thing is that Matt has never watched most of the movies or television shows he’s worked on. He

Left: Lisa and Matt at their wedding reception at their Slidell home. Middle: The entire Kutcher clan - Zack, Matthew, Matt, Taylor and Lisa. Right: A Health Hub on site at Southside Cafe.

10

prefers the hard work and getting his hands dirty. His favorite film that he’s worked on was Tombstone. Sounding nostalgic, he remembered that, “Matthew was only three weeks old, and I was fairly new to the industry.

You know the cast from that movie?

It’s just one name after another, from Kurt Russell to Val Kilmer, Sam Elliot, to Charlton Heston.” His jubilance was obvious! Matt continued, “Just before we started filming, my mentor drinks a little bit too much, doesn’t take his heart medication, and has a heart attack. The producers asked me to coordinate the movie! Imagine that! I went from being the kid who just had a three-week-old kid himself to coordinating Tombstone!

What an honor. I’ve done more shows with some of the actors since then and they are truly such wonderful human beings. Tombstone was a defining moment that taught me I could get it done, then go home and put a bottle in Matthew’s mouth! Wow! So when I was the most embryonic in my career, came the point that I had to buck up and work the hardest. I proved my worth to directors along the way. And when directors of stature like Peter Berg, Antoine Fuqua, and Rob Reiner call and say they need you for a certain show and ask to set their dates for filming based on my availability, those are moments...” and he paused, “thank God we’re on the phone, Charlotte, because I’m tearing up right now. My first reaction is, ‘Are you sure you dialed the right number, dude?’”

Another of his defining roles was working with Mark Wahlberg on Patriot’s Day, which is about the Boston bombers.

“My entire family worked on this project together in Boston, and we attended the premiere the next year back in Boston.

Matthew, my oldest, was given a role in the film by the director, Peter Berg, as a thank you for our hard work.” He chuckled a second time. “So when Wahlberg called recently to request us for a new movie titled Arthur The King, being filmed in the Dominican Republic, I couldn’t turn him down.”

Though this story is about Matt, he gives a lot of the credit to the man that helps him run Spectrum FX, Donnie Dean, who brings a lot of prestige to the company. Donnie received an Emmy as Coordinator in American Horror Story. Matt made it clear that, “The measures of my success are the guys that coordinated for me and are winning these awards. Because that is so much more rewarding than getting more for yourself. I loved my moment getting thanked, but when your company is doing it, that brings on a greater level of interest. That is when you know your plan works. The sum is greater than the parts.”

I finally got my chance to safely tour Spectrum FX studios. It was an artist’s dream come true! Huge racks with a zillion marked drawers for any tool, materials, glues, paints, you name it!

They hand-fabricated the racks and bins that lined every room. Matthew showed me around the 3-D computer generation lab, the fabrication studios, the chemical labs and warehouses, even the Health Hubs. I watched Zackary and his co-worker creating silicon puddles of fake blood, which save time on cleanup. I can’t give away everything I saw, but let me just say, holy cow! In Donnie Dean’s office, one whole wall was turned into a gigantic whiteboard to keep track of the various films they are working on. Donnie laughed at my amazement, “You should see it when we are full blown booked!” This is one mega operation Matt and his crew have established here in Slidell.

Maybe one day I will happen by during a car explosion!

How about Matt and Lisa’s future plans? Even though they get sent to locations from Puerto Rico to Thailand and Europe, they don’t get to be tourists while working. Matt’s bucket list includes trips to New Zealand, and China to stand on the Great Wall of China. As you know, an hour is probably the longest his attention span will last.

He assured me, “As long as I have

internet, phone and an earpiece, I can work anywhere. I would like to spend more time fishing in Slidell, also.”

That last line surprised me, because now Matt has the money to live comfortably in California. But, he described California as, “Brown. The hills and vegetation turn green for a few days after a good rain. But Slidell is always green. Plus, I get a chance to drive over a big, beautiful lake all the time, and I love the water. Literally, half a mile after you cross the lake on the right is where my shops are. And the air has a certain smell to it from the water and from the humidity. It’s fresh, not like the city. All the things that people in Louisiana complain about are what I adore. I love the heat and humidity. It makes me feel alive. I can stand on my shop and across the street are the most beautiful sunsets over the marsh every night, and on the other side are the gorgeous sunrises.

I watch the alligators floating by, and the pelicans and cranes flying over.

Seriously, there’s a postcard image every time you turn around. And I think that I may be one of the few that actually appreciate it everyday, because I lived in Southern California. I couldn’t build a special effects shop on water or afford a house like this in California. My guys appreciate it too, because they get to fish from my dock on their lunch break. I guess most people don’t travel enough to realize that Slidell is a very unique and special place. If you travel the world, you’ll find that this kind of place is few and far between.”

What I took away from this interview is to live somewhere you love that takes your breathe away daily. Love with someone who makes you smile every day. Work at something that makes you glad to get out of bed every day. Basically, make a great plan, and then make it work! You don’t have to have a gigantic whiteboard to find your passion. Unless, of course, you are as driven as Matt Kutcher!

11

Belle

MARCH

13

9

Sleeping Beauty

FEB

12

19 & 20

MARCH

Cinderella

30

APRIL

8

MAY

14 - 22

MAY

WE ARE PROVIDING A CLEAN AND WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT TO KEEP OUR PATRONS SAFE ACCORDING TO ALL FEDERAL, STATE, & LOCAL ORDINANCES. WE SUGGEST WEARING A MASK.

FRI & SAT 8PM

APRIL 9 - 24

COMING SOON!

Snow White

Jasmine

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS Slidell Little Theatre • 2 PM

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS Slidell Little Theatre • 2 PM GREASE Cutting Edge Theater • 2 PM

SLIDELL GUN & KNIFE SHOW 9am - 4pm

SUN

28

21

23

16

9

Northlake Nature Center Yoga in the Pavilion • 1PM northlakenature.org

Slidell Library (every Wed) Virtual Tai Chi • 10 - 11AM sttammanylibrary.org

4

sttammanylibrary.org

ONLINE: Scrapbooking with Judy

31

24

17

Northlake Nature Center Nature Walk & Trimming • 1PM northlakenature.org

Northlake Nature Center Nature Walk & Trimming • 1PM northlakenature.org

LABI Legislative Outlook ZOOM: 9 - 10 AM, register @ StTammanyChamber.com

ST PATRICK’S DAY

Northlake Nature Center Nature Walk & Trimming • 1PM northlakenature.org

Food for Seniors - Distribution Day Good Samaritan Ministry • 1-3 PM

10

1

25

18

11

2220 Carey St., Slidell 610 Hollycrest Blvd., Covington 985-892-3216 | StTammanyChamber.org

5

FISH FRY! (Every Friday in Lent) St Luke’s • Drive-Thru (Baked or Fried) • 5-8PM

FRI 6

ANNUAL BAYOU CLEANUP Heritage Park & Chamale Boat Launch • 8am

SAT

APRIL APRIL FOOL’S DAY!

B2B NETWORKING via ZOOM 8:30 - 9:30 AM, register @ StTammanyChamber.com

TRI-PARISH WORKS JOB FAIR • 1pm - 4pm

Slidell Library (every Thurs) Virtual Chair Yoga • 1 - 2PM sttammanylibrary.org

GOOD FRIDAY

Camellia City Farmer’s Market Every Saturday 8am-Noon

3

M 2 A 0 R 2 C 1 H

Meredith@StTammanyChamber.org

Meredith Wright 985-273-3002

Megan@StTammanyChamber.org

Megan Haggerty 985-273-3007

Call Us. We Can Help!

2

TOUR DE LIS • RIDE / HIKE RACE Fountainbleu Stat Park • 8AM

Beyond the Stars Regional Dance Competition

27

LOVE LETTERS • Cutting Edge Theater • 8 PM

FISH FRY! (Every Friday in Lent) 20 St Genevieve • Drive-Thru TAE KWON DO National (Opens for Lunch) • 11AM-6PM Tournament • 7am - 5pm Slidell Library Guide to Tutor.com • 3 - 4PM FREE Vision Screening • Kids 6 & Under sttammanylibrary.org Slidell Lions Club • 9-11 AM

FISH FRY! (Every Friday in Lent) St Margaret Mary • Drive-Thru (with Mac & Cheese) • 5-8PM

26

19

Olde Towne Slidell Art Market Green Oaks Apothecary 5 - 9PM

Camellia City Farmer’s Market Every Saturday 8am-Noon

13

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS • Slidell Little Theatre • 8 PM GREASE • Cutting Edge Theater • 8 PM

FISH FRY! (Every Friday in Lent) Our Lady of Lourdes • Drive-Thru (Includes Dessert) • 5-8PM

12

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS • Slidell Little Theatre • 8 PM GREASE • Cutting Edge Theater • 8 PM

My Girlfriend’s Closet Clothing SALE: Thurs (10-7), Fri & Sat (10-3) • TO BENEFIT RAINBOW CHILD CARE

THU

Is YOUR Business Getting Enough Visibility?

Beyond the Stars Regional Dance Competition

Northlake Nature Center Walk & Marshmellow Melt 7PM • northlakenature.org

Northlake Nature Center Biking the Back Trails • 6PM northlakenature.org Slidell Library • 1 - 2:30PM

30

29

3

WED

FREE GREENWOOD CEMETERY TOURS by “The Storyteller” JOHN CASE TUESDAYS - THURDAYS • NOON - 1PM • By Appointment • 985-707-8727

2

PALM SUNDAY

Northlake Nature Center Dancing in the Pavilion • 6PM northlakenature.org

Slidell Library • 6:30 - 8PM Conversations: Voting Rights sttammanylibrary.org

Slidell Library (every Monday) Virtual Floor Yoga • 12 - 1PM sttammanylibrary.org

MARCH

TUE

BINGO! Every Tues & Thurs • 3PM Slidell Library • 6:30 - 8PM Conversations: Voting Rights Slidell Lions Club • 356 Cleveland Ave. sttammanylibrary.org

22

15

8

1

MON

Northlake Nature Center Dog Wag & Walk • 8AM northlakenature.org

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS Slidell Little Theatre • 2 PM

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME! SPRING FORWARD

14

7

28

13

The

Storyteller

RING ON A CHAIN Proverbs 22:6 KJV Richard Davenport slurred the opening lines of his sermon just as he had many times before. No, it wasn’t alcohol induced; but, nevertheless, a demon he could not control.

On most Sundays, his sermon delivery was perfect; but when it happened, the congregation knew, but they didn’t know the reason.

He knew why it happened and knew why he became distracted and confused, but he also knew there was nothing he could do about it, no matter how hard he tried. Well, there was something he could have done about it, but it would have come at a heavy cost. It would have ruined lives, his, and especially, hers. Regardless of what she did, he could not or would not do that to her. He was older and wiser now and, as a minister, had counseled so many people he knew that when we do not achieve our goals, we often place blame. She had selfishly hindered his career. He both blamed and resented her, but he still loved her.

14

He was seminary educated and had a good pulpit presence. He knew just when to inject the right inflections that made his sermons always interesting and spell binding. At 60, he knew being the lead pastor in a large church of his denomination would never happen. Churches somehow don’t believe a man who has not married and raised a family could have the necessary life experiences to lead a major congregation.

His career had been a long journey. He was raised in a conservative, fundamentalist religious denomination. They were often judged by the way they dressed. As a child, he was deeply immersed in the faith and believed in everything that his fiery, short minister would say. He believed in the strange sounds he heard coming from the throats of the believers. He believed that a true believer could drink poison or handle snakes and God and/or the Holy Spirit would protect them. He had never seen this happen in his church, however.

It was a doctrine that truly relieved one of anxiety. If you believed, you could give your troubles to God and He would provide. He learned that other denominations preached this, but his truly believed it. As a young boy, it worked for him and was comforting. He had never been hungry, and all his family members were healthy.

Of any monetary blessings his family received, an adequate share was given to the Lord. It seemed fair to him. They paid rent for a place to live, why not reward God for health and happiness?

The hormonal change of adolescence began to create a storm within him. At first, he prayed and often quoted the scripture, “Get thee behind me Satan.” He could not believe that all the things his minister said about sin and temptation were now happening to him.

He became embarrassed when his mother would come to school for any function.

She would be wearing her dark dress that extended to her ankles, with her hair braided tightly to her head. The other mothers wore shorter dresses with bright colors and their hair was cut more like Jackie Kennedy’s.

He wished his mother dressed like that.

He had been forbidden to go to school dances. Dancing was a sin. He could not go to the city swimming pool because young ladies would be there and would not be properly dressed. His church called it “mixed bathing.”

He could play sports, as the Lord loves a healthy body, and even his pastor encouraged him to do so. If the pastor had any desire to keep Richard within his flock, this may have been bad advice.

Richard excelled in sports. His athletic ability and his uncommon good looks made him a class favorite.

He realized there were other things in the world besides his church and what they believed. He never doubted that God loved him, and that God would provide, but he questioned why God had to be so confining.

School activities occasionally would interfere with his church obligations. He would become very conflicted. His pastor insisted he must serve God first, and his coaches emphasized teamwork. He was at a crossroad in his life. A crossing which would be years before he navigated.

He still prayed and was mindful that what he was feeling was just as the preacher had said it would be. He was being tempted by the Devil. It didn’t matter. He would follow the Devil’s path, at least for a while, and ask for forgiveness later. He remembered the Prodigal Son.

In those days, church was a big part of most lives. Not only was it a big part spiritually, but a big part socially. Sunday school parties and picnics were an integral part of Christian fellowship. The First Methodist Church even rented the city pool and had a swimming party and picnic.

Surely the Methodist girls didn’t swim in long dresses.

Every class has one: The girl that has and is everything. She would be elected as most beautiful, most stylish, most likely to succeed and president of her senior class. Cindy was also the head majorette and, even with the relative modesty of the uniforms then, he was attracted to her like no force that had ever guided him. He remembered her beauty and still remembers that she had the prettiest legs he had ever seen.

With each passing year, despite his prayers, the clash between his religious teachings and his leaning toward being “wordly,” as the minister used the term, grew more intense. The summer before his senior year he would remember as the apex of the conflict.

He turned eighteen that summer and made a decision that would forever change his life. He would no longer go to church.

As much as his parents and his minister insisted, he refused. He would hear them pray for him, as if he were committing a crime. He realized that, in their opinion, he was committing a sin, and that was worse than being a criminal.

He went swimming at the pool. Yes, the girls did wear bathing suits. He smoked a few cigarettes now and then, and even drank an occasional beer. He went to after-football game dances too. He loved the new freedom he had. That is when he became infatuated with Cindy.

Who could blame him? Cindy was the prettiest girl in town. Her long, dark hair was teased and pulled to the top of her head. It was the era of big hair. She wore some makeup just because it was the thing to do, but she really didn’t need it. Her clothes were purchased each year when she and her mother went to Atlanta. She was easily the best dressed girl in the school.

No one knows how romantic chemistry works; but, regardless, she had the same attraction to him. Soon they were inseparable.

When he got his senior class ring, he never put it on his finger. It went on a chain and he proudly placed it around her neck. She was his, and she liked that too.

Her father was very prominent, successful, and had ambitions for his daughter. He and her mother had mapped out her life. She would go to college at least. Maybe become a doctor or, at least, marry one. She would be happy, and they would provide whatever support she needed to become who they wanted her to be. Richard did not fit into the equation.

They first forbid her to wear the ring. She complied. Then, as the romance deepened, they forbade her to see him.

Cindy did not want conflict with her parents.

She would appease them on the surface, but she would not give up Richard. Her parents were pleased when she announced she had a date to the movies with someone who they strongly approved of. Danny lived just down the street from Cindy. What her parents didn’t know was that he was Richard’s best friend.

Danny would deliver her to Richard just out of sight of her parents and bring her home at 10pm, which was her curfew.

15

KNOW something is OFF in your body?

Feel like you’re not being heard, or

Richard blames them. If they had not planned to send her away, maybe things would have been different. From time to time, he looks at the old photo taken by Danny that special morning.

The picture is in black and white, but his mind replaces the lack of color with vivid hues. The dress, he remembers, was beautiful. Pink with white polka dots, she accented it with short, white heels and his ring proudly displayed around her neck. His usual dress was blue jeans, white t-shirt, white socks and loafers. That day, he wore dress pants, a white shirt, and wingtip lace-up shoes.

GETTING ANY ANSWERS? I will LISTEN to you, and TOGETHER we can FIGURE IT OUT!

Kelly Lutman

Certified Functional Medicine Health Coach Kelly@PursueWellnessForYou.com

Just prior to graduation, a picture was taken at a class party that appeared in the local newspaper. Richard had his arm around Cindy. Her parents saw it and made the decision. She would spend the summer in Europe with a group of graduating seniors from around the state.

Pursue Wellness 985-7 98 5-768-8898 68-8898

It was a Friday. He remembers that also. The picture was taken in front of the goldfish pond at the high school. They got there early under the pretense of a special study hall and class pictures. In her purse, she carried her birth certificate and a makeup kit.

By 9:30am, they had crossed the Alabama line. Just as they were told, there it was, a big sign: Justice of the Peace, Marriages my Specialty. By 10am, they were Mr. and Mrs. Richard Davenport. The Justice of the Peace told them of a nearby motel his brother owned and soon they were together.

Oh, the stupidity of youth. Only then did it occur to them that they were going to have to tell her parents, and his, too. They started home at 2pm.

Cindy’s father had been suspicious that she may still be seeing Richard and was determined to keep an eye on her. He was well-connected in the community, and good friends with the high school principal. The principal agreed to keep him informed of anything unusual. The principal had seen Richard and Cindy that morning, but when roll was called and turned into the office, they were not present. He called Cindy’s father.

Personal & Business Insurance

Life and Health Insurance

Get a QUOTE now! aceia.com ph: 985-643-5440 e: info@aceia.com

Call Alicia!

ph: 985-966-7939 e: Alicia Near@gmail.com

Danny was called to the office. After threats of being expelled and not being able to graduate, he revealed that they had eloped to Alabama. Cindy’s father called the state police.

While returning, within five miles after crossing back over the state line, a red light appeared behind them. Richard pulled to the shoulder of the road. The officer went straight to Cindy’s side of the car.

“Are you Cindy Miller?” he asked.

She answered, “Yes sir.”

“You are to come with me.”

Richard still remembers her using her maiden name. He was

16

hurt. She was his now. Then the officer asked her if she and Richard had gotten married.

“No sir. We were going to, but we decided against it. We were going back home to tell my parents that we decided not to.”

This took Richard off guard.

Richard drove home following her and the officer. At the edge of town, she convinced the officer to let her talk to Richard and the officer pulled the car to the side of the road.

She ran to Richard’s open car window. “Until we can work this out, I am going to tell them we didn’t get married. We changed our minds.”

She didn’t wait for his answer. As she and the officer turned toward her house, he turned toward his.

Final exams started Monday morning. She was an excellent student and was exempt from having to take exams. She would not be at school. For two weeks, he had no contact with her.

She was restricted from using the phone and confined to the house. The next time he saw her was graduation night.

She avoided him. After the ceremony, he pushed his way through the crowd hoping to talk to her. “Richard, I leave for Europe in the morning. We will work all this out when I get back.

Do not tell Danny we got married. He believes we changed our minds. He told me you told him that and I appreciate it.

I must have some time.”

It was the longest summer of his life. Each day, he awoke and went to the mailbox. There was no letter from her. How long does it take for a letter to come from France? How was she?

Didn’t she remember she was his wife? June turned to July and July to August. Not one word from her.

Danny found out that she would get home on August 15th, but he had bad news. She would be going to the University on August 17th. Her belongings had already been moved to her dormitory room.

He had put his plans for college on hold. It had never been a strong priority anyway. Suddenly, he realized that, at least for a while, he had a void to fill in his life. He remembered the coaches at the junior college had shown an interest in giving him a football scholarship; but, at the time, he was not interested. Maybe now he would consider that.

August 15th came and went. He knew she was home because he could see the light in her room when he passed. Why didn’t she attempt to contact him, he wondered.

Uncertain About Your Financial

Strategy for 2021?

Meet With An Advisor Today!

Sabadie & Badeaux Financial Group

On the morning of August 17th, Richard’s mother placed a letter on his dresser. It was from her and he sat on the edge of the bed to read it.

985-718-4191 Amber Andre

Jay Badeaux

2019 Second Street Olde Towne Slidell 17

Dear Richard, We messed up. That does not mean I don’t love you. It means that we just must postpone making it public. My parents want me to go to college. I want to go to college. If they had any idea that we are married, they would not pay for it. I will hurry through. I will go to summer school and graduate in three years. Even then, I think we should have a regular wedding and not tell anyone about Alabama. Please keep this a secret as I know you will.

I love you, Cindy Richard took the football scholarship offer and excelled academically and athletically.

He was there for two years. Offers from major colleges were coming in. He could complete his education, but what about Cindy? He had not heard one word from her in two years. True to her word, she went to summer school; and, certainly, she came home from time to time, but made no attempt to see him.

He had decided to accept a scholarship to one of the major universities that had offered, and was making plans to report for early August practice. He was in the driveway loading his car. She drove up.

As she approached, he could tell she was crying.

The next two years were a blur. He played in a few games but was no star and graduated with just passing grades. What was he to do with the rest of his life?

It was the most desperate time of his life.

He drove to the church where he was raised. He looked to the hillside where the cemetery was and had more than a casual thought of ending things and being buried there. Then something told him to pray. Not even as a believing child had he prayed that hard.

So much of what he had been taught spiritually returned to him that day. He though of the passage from Proverbs that reads: Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. He would not depart. He would be a minister.

He prayed each day for guidance and felt that he should pursue the ministry in a mainstream doctrine. He would go to seminary and become a Methodist minister.

She had been Methodist.

“No one knows about Alabama. I can’t tell him. He is very jealous and thinks he is the first boy I ever kissed. He would die if he knew I was married. We can never tell. Promise?”

It was a long journey. First, through seminary, then assignments to small rural churches. Then, associate minister at a larger church and, finally, a series of medium-sized churches where he was the sole pastor. He realized not being a family man and having a wife had hindered him in his career. He also knew he had never forgotten her. He knew he would never make her a criminal by revealing she was a bigamist. He knew that, if he married, he would be a bigamist himself. That was the way it was, and that is the way it would be.

As if a dream, she faded out of sight. It would be a long time before he would

As the years passed, her image was frozen in his mind. To him, in his mind,

“Richard, I have a problem. I am engaged to be married during the Thanksgiving holidays. You will see the announcement in the paper soon. I thought I should tell you.”

“Cindy, we’re married. You can’t get married to someone else.”

18

see her again. A couple of years later, he saw her father, who made a point of saying what a fine young man she had married. Richard thought to himself, she sure did, but he knew her father wouldn’t understand.

she didn’t age or lose any of her beauty.

He had tried his best to not let losing her ruin his life and had made some headway.

Then it would happen. Some young lady in her late teens or early 20s would attend a service. Not just any young lady, but one that looked like he remembered her.

That is when he felt the lump in his throat.

That is when he stumbled over the lines of his sermon. That is when the hurt was fresh again.

That Sunday when it happened, was different. He noticed a lady, an older lady and not a member of his congregation, enter and sit on the very last row. He paid little attention. As his sermon continued, he noticed something strange about the lady sitting in the rear of the church. From where he stood, he could not be sure; but she appeared to have a ring on a chain, around her neck. That would be unusual for a 60-year-old woman. Strange; and predictably, it brought back that familiar feeling he wished would never reappear.

Unable to concentrate, he repeated the last few lines and a scripture he had previously spoken. Just as the service ended, she left the building and he never got to welcome her or satisfy his curiosity as to who she was or why he was attracted to her.

Three weeks later, she came back. She arrived late and, rather than sit in the rear like most late-comers, she walked almost to the front and sat in a seat by the aisle in his plain view. She wore the ring, and she had on a pink dress with white polka dots.

He stopped his sermon and leaned on the pulpit. He was silent for what appeared to the congregation to be minutes. A doctor in the audience started toward him, assuming he was ill. He regained his composure.

“No, I am fine, really, I’m fine, just trying to avoid getting hiccups.” The doctor retreated but took a seat near the pulpit just in case.

As customary, when service dismissed, he walked to the entry to wish the congregants a happy week and thank them for coming.

She lingered in the front of the church till almost everyone had gone. He hoped she had not left by a side door.

Then she approached. She had a smile on her face and extended her hand. Softly, she said, “Yes, Richard, it’s me.”

She then placed an envelope in his hand and left without saying another word. He hurried to his car, turned on the engine and air conditioner and hurriedly opened the letter. He remembered the last and only letter he had received from her. He still had it and had read it a thousand times.

He recognized the handwriting.

Dear Richard, This letter takes all I have in me to write. First, you kept your end of the bargain. You never told. I did not intend for you not to find happiness and marry, but I know you did it partly to remain legal, but mostly for me.

I made two mistakes in my younger days. One was marrying you and the other was marrying Tom. The mistake with you was that we were just too young, and you did not fit the mold my parents had in mind for me, but I loved you. Marrying Tom was a mistake for almost the opposite reason. I married who my parents wanted me to, not who I loved.

Our marriage was not a great one. He cared more about his patients than he did me. I saw him very little, and when I did, he was dead tired. He never abused me, he was just not there for me. He was not at the bedside when our only son died of cystic fibrosis at five years old. He was in the Cath lab treating some ninety-year-old man, whose heart had already beaten for a full lifetime.

He provided well and made good money.

Money was something he loved, next to his patients and ahead of me. I never wanted for anything material. He died of a heart attack himself, treating a patient in the emergency room. It was four o’clock in the morning.

The only real memories I have that I cared to salvage from that marriage were that of our son. I will never have to turn my hands at anything. I am still finding large sums of money he had invested with my name on them, that I did not know he had. So, you can say, I guess he loved me in his own way.

I have come to realize that young people can be in real love. I think we were. Were we?

We must talk, I will be staying at the hotel. Here is my cell number. We must talk, and soon.

Love, Cindy They met and they talked.

The next Sunday, he based his sermon on three stories from the Bible. He put a little twist on each. They were the Prodigal Son, the Story of Ruth and the Prophet Hosea.

When he closed his sermon, he removed his vestments and laid them on the pulpit. He paused for at least a minute and then said: “Ladies and gentlemen of this congregation, it has been my pleasure to serve as your pastor these past six years. We Methodists don’t usually last that long, but somehow you good people kept requesting me and no one else made any offers. I want to thank you for that opportunity.

Just because I am a minister does not keep me from having unsatisfied dreams and desires. As of today, I am not going to be your minister anymore. I have something I have to pursue.”

He walked from the podium, up the aisle.

As he passed the last pew, she stood and took his arm. As they walked away together, he reflected on his sermon from Hosea and whispered to her, “Come, Gomer.

Let’s go home.” ********** Four Years Later...

The crowd was excited. It was the largest attendance the church had had in years.

With open arms, they welcomed their new senior pastor and his wife, Brother and Mrs. Richard Davenport, to the First Pentecostal Church of Pine County. It was the largest church in the area. Cindy wore a long dress, but departed from the stereotype of a Pentecostal preacher’s wife. After all, it was 2005.

The skirt she wore was white with pink polka dots. She also wore a pink blouse.

A long-sleeve jacket of pink had been tailored for a perfect fit. She still had a beautiful complexion; so, in keeping with her position as the wife of the minister, she wore no makeup. Well, she did wear just a little lip gloss. Her hair was still long and pinned to her head much as it was in high school, but not teased. Breaking the tradition of not wearing jewelry, she did have a wardrobe secret. Hidden under her blouse, on a chain, was his class ring. She never looked more beautiful. His sermon was flawless.

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

The scripture had come full circle.

John S. Case March 2021 19

Environment " ns a e rl O w e N f Donna Bush, Winner of 2020 Press Club o

al Science Reporting"

Our Winter Bird

VISITORS American Goldfinch 20

Story and photos by Donna Bush

Working from home during Covid has allowed me more time to enjoy the winter bird visitors at our feeder and in our yard. We always enjoy our year-round residents such as Northern Cardinals, Tufted Titmice, Carolina Chickadees, Eastern Towhees, Brown Thrashers, Carolina Wrens, House Finches, Blue Jays, Northern Mockingbirds, RedBellied Woodpeckers, Red-Headed Woodpeckers, Mourning Doves, Crows, and House Sparrows. I’m sure I’m forgetting somebody!

Wintertime provides a wonderful opportunity to observe many birds that we don’t see the rest of the year. For instance, you might cross paths with any one of the following: Blue-Headed Vireos, Ruby-Crowned Kinglets, Cedar Waxwings, Orange-Crowned Warblers, Yellow-Rumped Warblers, American Robins, American Goldfinches, Pine Siskins, and Chipping Sparrows, among others.

Let me share with you some of my regular visitors, some of my migrant visitors and a few others you might see around.

One of my favorite year-round residents are the Northern Cardinals. Most everyone can easily identify them regardless of their level of birding experience. Some people call them redbirds or just cardinals. The male is a vibrant red all over with a red bill and black face immediately around the bill area. They really give a splash of color to a dreary winter day! The

female is pale brown overall, sporting some reddish hints on the wings, tail and crest, with the same black around their red-orange bill. During courtship, the male will feed the female seeds, making it appear that they are kissing.

The monogamous pair mate for life and stay together year-round, gathering with other cardinals to form large flocks during the winter, which is known as a college, conclave, radiance or Vatican.

They were named cardinals because their vibrant red plumage reminded early European settlers of the rich red robes of the Catholic cardinals.

Unlike many songbirds, both male and female sing. In several other songbird species, only the male vocalizes. Their song sounds as if they are saying “birdie, birdie, birdie” or “cheer, cheer, cheer.”

Many believe that seeing a northern cardinal is a sign of good luck, loyalty or even a spiritual message. I’ve always heard that seeing cardinals meant that a passed loved one was watching over you. Since they were my Mother’s favorite bird, I always smile and think of her when I see one.

Fun Fact: Several sports teams have adopted the cardinal as their mascot.

Carolina Chickadees hold a special place in my heart since we had them nest in one of our nest boxes and fledge a family. They are tiny birds with a short neck and large head causing their body to have a roundness to it,

Northern Cardinal

displaying a fairly long and narrow tail, and a thickish black bill. They wear a black cap and bib, separated by white cheeks with a soft gray back, wings and tail. Both male and female look alike. They are said to be named for their fast, high-pitched call that sounds like “chick-a-dee-dee-dee.”

About 4.25 inches in length, these year-round residents weigh less than half an ounce! While frequent at bird feeders, research has shown that 75-80% of their winter food supply comes from natural sources. The tiny chickadee can gain as much as 10 percent of its body weight during the day and lose it all during a long, cold night! Chickadees are known for their amazing memory, hiding food in numerous locations and able to retrieve most of it successfully.

They will often nest in abandoned or natural cavities in trees or urban nest boxes. Our pair built a beautiful nest of moss and lichen for the bottom layer, topping it with grass and straw woven in with cat hair. Both male and female pick the nesting location. We’ve observed them both touring the nest box like they were approving a new home purchase. Typically, they lay 3-10 eggs that are white with reddishbrown spots on them.

Fun Fact: I always throw the removed hair from brushing my cats into the yard. Over the years, I’ve found several bird nests with cat hair!

Carolina Chickadee 21

House Finch

House Finches are another fun, year-round resident with the male showing off a rosy red head, face and upper breast, with a streaky brown back, belly and tail. While the female is much more a drab grayish-brown with thick, blurred streaks and a nondistinct marked face. The male may also have a bit of brown on the face beneath the eye and between the eye and beak. The red of the male is produced by pigments in the food it eats during molting. If their diet is lacking, you might observe the orange or yellow variant of the male house finch. Juvenile males look very similar to the females.

Fun Fact: Females prefer to mate with the reddest male she can find.

Nestlings eat a plant-based diet, which is fairly rare in the bird world. Foods are mostly seeds, buds and fruit.

Interestingly, mature house finches are mostly vegetarian as well, only eating insects if they are abundant.

They weigh about two ounces more than a Carolina Chickadee and are almost two inches longer. Despite their small size, both species can live 9-10 years in the wild.

House Finches are a gregarious, noisy bunch and travel in flocks. We’ve easily had more than two dozen descend on the feeder and scatter everyone else!

Flock size can approach over 50 birds.

Originally, the House Finch was only found in the western United States and Mexico. A small number of them were turned loose on Long Island in New York when an illegal attempt to sell them as caged birds failed. They quickly spread across the eastern United States and southern Canada within 50 years.

Some of the prettiest birds that visit us regularly are Mr. and Mrs. Eastern Towhee. About the size of a cardinal, they are actually in the sparrow family, although larger than most sparrows.

Eastern Towhee

The striking male displays a bold, dark black above and on the breast, with warm rufous sides, a white belly and a dark red eye. Unlike most female birds, the female Eastern Towhee is also striking with the same pattern as the males, replacing the black with a rich chocolate brown.

We rarely see them on the feeder as their beaks are not adequately designed for our squirrel-proof bird feeder. However, they will dash out of the shrubbery to snag seeds that fall underneath the feeder. Being a ground forager, often the first sign one is in the yard is when we hear the scratching in the leaves as they forage for insects.

They are fun to watch as they scratch with both feet at the same time and seem to hop backwards.

Fun Fact: Eastern Towhees in Florida and extreme southern Georgia have white eyes instead of dark red.

Ruby Throated Hummingbird 22

Northern Mockingbirds are a staple around here. If you regularly hear 1015 different birds singing in your yard, chances are you have a mockingbird teasing you with their imitations. The lean-bodied gray birds just love to sing songs of other birds. They will even sing at night and like to harass any other birds that intrude on their territory. With gray above and white beneath, they have a long tail and a long, thin, black bill. Both male and female sing. Even though they sing other bird’s songs, they have their own vocalization too.

Fun Fact: In 2006, biology professor Dave Gammon performed a study at Elon University in North Carolina and discovered that mockingbirds most often imitated Tufted Titmice, Carolina Wrens, Blue Jays, Northern Cardinals and Eastern Bluebirds.

They never mimicked Mourning Doves or Chipping Sparrows.

Who doesn’t love hummingbirds?

Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds are plentiful in spring and summer. But we have winter hummingbirds too.

Winter hummingbirds are those that don’t belong here; such as Western species, that, for whatever reason, decide to spend their winters on the Gulf Coast rather than their usual Mexico or California location. Those most often observed here are Rufous, Anna’s, Allen’s, Buff-Bellied, Calliope, Black-Chinned, Broad-Tailed and Broad-Billed. So, don’t put away your feeders when it gets cold. You might have some winter hummer visitors.

Now, for some of our other wintertime visitors, a bird irruption occurs when cone crops across large portions of the Canadian boreal forests fail due to drought, disease, or fire. Our winter is said to be an irruption winter, bringing larger numbers of migrants further south. This is a rave for birders!

The American Goldfinch is one of my all-time winter favorites. Another member of the finch family, they beautifully decorate our winters from November to April. When they first

arrive, they tend to be a little drab in color with males and females looking very similar. In winter, their head is more of a warm tan color that may show a hint of yellow or gray. Their short, conical bill is a dull dark gray or black and the yellow on their throat is pale.

Less contrast is noticeable between the black wings and their dull body.

But the closer we get to spring, the more their breeding plumage starts to pop. The plumage of the male turns a bright yellow and really stands out against the vibrant black top of the head and wings. Their beak and legs become a pale pink. The females are not as bright or as clearly defined as the males, often displaying a lighter yellow on the throat or around her face, with possible yellow on the underparts.

She will also have a pale pink beak and legs. If you are fortunate, you will catch glimpses of their spectacular breeding plumage before they head north.

Primarily seed eaters, they love sunflower and thistle seeds. You may not see them at your feeder until they have emptied all of the sweetgum trees of their seeds, as these are a favorite! Being quite acrobatic, they are often observed clinging to the sides of bird feeders or thistle socks.

Just as noisy as house finches, they will often feed together in large flocks.

You might even get lucky enough to see Purple Finches, another winter visitor, with them!

Northern Mockingbird

Fun Fact: American Goldfinch can weave their nest so tightly that it will temporarily hold water.

Purple Finches are a delight to see in our area. Don’t get caught up in the name. You will not see a “purple” bird at your feeder!

They are about the same size as a House Finch which can make it difficult to tell the two species apart.

The male exhibits a bright pinkish red head and breast, blending with brown on the back and white on the belly. The females have no red. Like the female House Finch, she exhibits

Purple Finch 23

Pine Siskin

Chipping Sparrow

various shades of brown and white with no distinguishing colors. Unlike the female House Finch, the female Purple Finch has a distinctive white streak above her eye, a dark cheek patch, and may have a white stripe at the bottom of the cheek.

Purple Finches breed in southern Canada, New England and the west coast of the United States. We are truly lucky that they grace us with their presence during the winter.

Fun Fact: A group of finches is called a charm, company or trembling of finches.

The Pine Siskin, also a winter visitor, is sometimes confused with the American Goldfinch due to their yellow coloring.

But, in reality the Pine Siskin is much smaller than the goldfinch, with a sharp, pointed bill and a short, notched tail. Their uniquely shaped bill is more slender than most finches and they exhibit sharply pointed wings. Male Pine Siskins have backs that are brown with whitish and coarse, dark streaking on the belly. Females are similar but their tails have less color.

Fun Fact: Pine Siskins are fond of salt and will seek out natural salt licks. In winter they can be found along highways eating the salt used to melt snow and ice.

Cedar Waxwing

Chipping Sparrows have an estimated population of 230 million in the United States, but we only see them during the winter. They take their name from their “chip” call and have a brownish-red crown that becomes more rust-colored with their breeding plumage. Their distinctive black eye-line and unstreaked gray belly make them easy to identify.

Fun Fact: Weighing less than a half ounce, the Chipping Sparrow needs to consume two pounds of seeds over the winter to survive. This means they devour over 70 times their own weight in seeds each winter.

Cedar Waxwings are another of my favorite winter visitors.

They have a sleek and distinguished appearance. Both male and female look alike, with pale brown on the head and chest fading to a soft gray on the wings. They have a crest on the top of their head that often lies flat. They sport a pale-yellow belly and a short gray tail with a bright yellow square tip. Their face has a narrow black mask outlined in white. Wing feathers have waxy red tips, but these are not always easily seen. It is the waxy red wing tips that give them their name.

They breed in the Northern United States and Southern Canada.

Very social birds, they are often seen in flocks swooping from tree to tree. They love fruit and can even survive on fruit alone for many months! Beware: Eating overripened fruit that has started to ferment will produce drunken Cedar Waxwings! When they are in town for winter, look for them on holly shrubs chowing down.

Fun Fact: A group of Cedar Waxwings is called an “ear-full” or a “museum” of waxwings.

I hope you have enjoyed this brief look at some of our year-round and winter bird visitors. For a light-hearted look at birding, watch the 2011 movie, “The Big Year,” starring Steve Martin.

Happy Birding!

Yellow Rumped Warbler 24

Clean City Campaign

Earth Week Event

APRIL 19 - APRIL 24, 2021 Monday, APRIL 19 • Reusable Cup Awareness Day Drinking out of reusable cups reduces waste and is better for our planet.

Tuesday, APRIL 20 • Reusable Bag Awareness Day

Reusable bags are sturdier than plastic bags and better for the environment.

Wednesday, APRIL 21 • Recycling Awareness Day Every Wednesday is Recycling Day, so put those recycle bins on the curb!

Thursday, APRIL 22 • Glass, Tire & Bag Recycling Day You can’t put glass, tires or plastic grocery bags in your recycle bin at home, so KSB will be collecting those items at the Bayou Lane Parking Lot.

Friday, APRIL 23 • Plant a Camellia Day

Slidell is known as the Camellia City. Take time today to beautify the front of your home or business and plant a camellia bush.

Saturday, APRIL 24 • Spring Citywide Cleanup Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup

Members from the Slidell Women’s Civic Club participate in Keep Gather your friends, family, school clubs, church groups and civic organizations Slidell Beautiful’s Citywide Cleanup to volunteer to help pick up trash! #CleanTheDell #KeepSlidellBeautiful

Keep Slidell Beautiful’s S ave t he 13th Annual Golf Benefit t e v he Sa D ! a e te! t Friday, OCTOBER 15, 2021 a D Pinewood Country Club Join Keep Slidell Beautiful in our crusade against litter!

Sponsorships are now available. Your support will help fund KSB’s programs and events to increase awareness and help keep our community clean. For more information, email KSB Director Trey Brownfield at tbrownfield@cityofslidell.org.

Thank you to Keep Slidell Beautiful’s $5,000 Media Sponsors: For more information about Keep Slidell Beautiful, please call Trey Brownfield at (985) 646-9564.

And follow “Keep Slidell Beautiful” on Facebook.

25

SUBSCRIBE TODAY! THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF SLIDELL

ONLY $39 FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR!!

985.789.0687 OR slidellmag.com

9th annual Bayou Clean Up Saturday, March 6, 2021 launching from heritage park and chamale cove marinas VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! Please bring your Flatboats, canoes, pirogues & kayaks, along with life vests & paddles!

Gloves, bags & trash grabbers will be provided by Keep Slidell Beautiful

For more info: Zane Galbert 985-640-3672 zgalbert@yahoo.com

BAYOU CLEANUP SLIDELL LA www.keepslidellbeautiful.org

26

8AM - 12NOON

CVID L&L Article 021621 Slidell Mag.pdf

1

2/16/21

11:10 AM

27

by: Mike Rich, CFP® | Pontchartrain Investment Management

Do you want to be an F.S.P. ?

Recently, I had an exasperating meeting with a client.

Frankly, it was just one of many such meetings. He’s been retired for a while, and, for years, I have been working with him to decide what he wants to do with his money: spend it all, give it to his kids, hoard it, whatever. He can’t decide, which makes it very difficult to plan and to invest his money properly.

On the other hand, I have many clients for whom I have built financial plans that are suited to their goals, temperament, and risk tolerance. I can’t guarantee that their plans will work, but I’m confident that we have thought things through carefully and that we are reasonably prepared for both the expected and the unexpected. I call these folks my Financially Successful Persons (FSPs).

I can’t guarantee that you, or anyone, will succeed financially. But, I can tell you that the folks who have reached a level of financial comfort – however they might define it – generally have habits and behaviors in common. Here’s some of what my FSPs are doing:

(1) They set goals. And their goals aren’t mamby-pamby, “I hope” drivel. FSPs have sat down with me and said something like, “We want to retire completely from work at age 68 with an annual income of $83,000 that keeps up with inflation. If one of us dies too soon, we want a $500,000 death benefit to replace what we’ve spent. And, we want to spend down our money over 25 years because we don’t feel compelled to leave an inheritance for our kids. Period.” That’s what I like to hear! If you want to set goals like that – in other words, if you want a specific target that we can actually make a plan for – call me, and I’ll sit with you to get some things down on paper.

(2) They understand that a nest egg does not grow by magic. FSPs know that time is their friend and that getting rich quick is a fairly tale. They know that saving means paying themselves first. They understand the power of compounding. They know that nothing is guaranteed, but that small amounts of money can eventually grow to big sums. They know that $5,000 a

2065 1st Street, Slidell, LA mypontchartrain.com | 985-605-5066 Securities & advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a registered investment advisor, member FINRA/SIPC.

Stay Up-To-Date on the

Markets & Economy?

STAY INFORMED AT:

28

year, invested over 30 years in a tax-deferred account at 8% per year, will grow to $611,729.34. They also know that if they increase that $5,000 by only 5% a year, year in and year out, the total will be $1,033,328.61.1

that, if it has a dollar sign in front of it, I probably know something about it, or can find an expert who does (so they don’t have to mess with it).

(3) They protect their assets by letting someone else take the risk. A single, unplanned, nasty event, such as a disability that stops your income, a premature death that deprives your family of its breadwinner, a car accident that ends up in a losing lawsuit, or a long term care need that goes on for years can cause irreparable damage to the best of financial plans. FSPs know that “stuff happens” and that the benefits and confidence that come from planning far outweigh the costs of insurance.

My core belief is that anyone can be an FSP. The relative scale in terms of money might be different, but the confidence factor is not. There is no magic wand, it takes commitment and discipline on your part, and I cannot make any promises to you. However, I’ve seen a lot of my clients succeed by doing the things that FSPs do. If this sounds intriguing, if you want to explore the possibilities for yourself, and if you want a trusted advisor to take financial affairs off your plate, call me for a complimentary meeting…and join the FSP club!

(4) They work with me. Hands down, my most successful clients have said to me, “You know my goals. Tell me what I have to do to get there. I don’t want to think about it. You know what you’re doing. I trust you to do the right things with my money.” My FSPs use me as the Chief Financial Officer for their families knowing

Securities and Advisory Services offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor, Member FINRA/SIPC 1 Benefits depend on the claims-paying ability of the issuing company.

The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.

Banking for the next decade

That’s a good thing.

FREE CHECKING WITH REWARDS

NO-ANNUAL-FEE, LOW-RATE CREDIT CARDS FREE ONLINE AND MOBILE BANKING Want in on a secret? You don’t have to pay big-bank fees for the convenience you want.

At Keesler Federal, you get an agile, innovative financial partner that delivers more value and the service you deserve!

kfcu.org | 1-888-KEESLER

Federally insured by NCUA

Membership and credit eligibility required

Slidell | Covington | Mandeville | New Orleans | Metairie

29

Slidell: Our History Story by John S. Case

The Great Train Wreck For he looked for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Heb. 11:10

A

bout thirty-five years ago, a colorful Slidellian name Red Scoggin told me that a train ran off the Lake Pontchartrain trestle and killed a number of prominent Slidell businessmen. He said he thought it happened in about 1920 and that the father of Mr. T.J. Eddins was killed in the wreck. The Eddins family were prominent bankers in what, at that time, was Slidell’s only bank.

With the advent of computer search engines, I attempted for years to Google information using every combination of keywords I could imagine… with no results. Mr. Scoggin had given me enough information to peak my interest but some of the information was misleading and made it impossible for me to find an account of the accident. Finally, it occurred to me that if I went to the Eddins’ family plot in Slidell’s Greenwood Cemetery, I may find the grave of the elder Eddins and ascertain the death date. This would give me a place to start.

My friend John Lamarque and I drove over to the cemetery as he thought he recalled seeing a rather stately monument that should have been the elder Eddins. It was not. Instead, it was the monument of William A. Martin who died in 1908. Neither John nor I had any idea who Mr. Martin was and were puzzled 30

as to why he was buried in the Eddins’ family plot. On a hunch, I Googled the Martin name and found the information contained in this story. The story that developed had an ironic ending that surprised us all.

Journalism has changed quite a bit since this account was written in the early 20th century. Here is the account, precisely as published in the Biloxi Dailey Herald on November 12, 1908.

FRIGHTFUL WRECK NEAR NEW ORLEANS EIGHT PERSONS ARE INSTANTLY KILLED AND MANY OTHERS INJURED, SOME OF WHOM WILL DIE Great Northern Train Runs Into Northeastern Train on Same Track, Crushing One Coach and Its Occupants – Wreck Victims Were Prominent People – Blame for Catastrophe Not Definitely Fixed – Conductor and Engineer of Great Northern Train Under Arrest.

THE VICTIMS OF THE WRECK Instantly Killed William Attaway, aged 3 years, Slidell, La. C. B. Lowry, aged 45 years, General Manager American Creosoting Co., Slidell, La. W. A. Martin, aged 45 years, Slidell.

C. A. Cranford, aged 45 years, Seminary, Miss.

J. K. P. Shows, aged 64 years, Morristown, Miss.

O. W. Travis, aged 38 years, Hattiesburg, Miss.

A. Heitkamp, aged 60 years, Pearl River, Miss.

Prof. C. E. Roos, aged 41 years, Alton, La. The Injured Jacob Salmen, aged 45, New Orleans.

J. A. Juick, aged 53, Hattiesburg, Miss., hip dislocated and right leg fractured.

D. B. Calhoun, aged 55 years, Olive, Miss., fracture of the right hip, serious.

Milton Spitzfaden, aged 17 years, news agent of Northeastern train, Algiers, La., general contusions and feet burned.

Peter McCarthy, aged 35 years, fireman of Great Northern train, leg and both arms broken.

Mrs. F. M. Attaway, aged 27 years, Slidell, La., slight bruises.

Mrs. Robert W. Hinton, aged 45 years, Lumberton, Miss., right leg broken.

Miss Florence Lyde, aged 25 years, Lumberton, right ankle sprained.

into the rear coach of No. 9, of the New Orleans and Northeastern at Little Woods, about twelve miles outside of New Orleans, on the lake shore, burying eleven persons beneath the debris and seriously injuring nearly a dozen more.

The New Orleans and Northeastern train, which uses the same track out of New Orleans as does the New Orleans Great Northern, was twenty minutes late. It reached Little Woods shortly before 8:30 o’clock and made the usual stop. A heavy fog suffused the atmosphere at the time. By some oversight, the crew of the New Orleans and Northeastern failed to send a flagman ahead to flag the incoming Great Northern, due at Little Woods at that time, although it was known that the Great Northern train would soon make its appearance.

The nose of the engine tore its way through the entire length of the two rear coaches, and the sickening sound of splitting lumber, simultaneous with the pitiful wails of the unfortunate victims, was heart rendering and indescribable.

Engineer Blackman Stuck to Throttle

Holmes Harrison, aged 42 years, New Orleans, ribs broken and hands cut.

Just as the crash came, Fireman McCarthy jumped from the cab of the engine and escaped with internal injuries, though of a severe nature. A most miraculous escape from death was experienced

by Engineer Blackman. Although he stuck to his post to the last, and was carried through the channel of death, he came out with but slight bruises.

All of the above are in hospitals here.

Eight Bodies Quickly Found

Others less seriously injured are:

It was not long before eight still bodies, some so horribly mangled as to be unrecognizable, were extricated from the ruins. The injured had, in the meantime, been taken to a place of refuge, where their injuries were attended to, and everything done to relieve their suffering.

E. Heintz, aged 24 years, Covington, La., cut on forehead.

Rev. G. P. Harris, Magee, Miss., collar bone and right leg broken, left leg bruised and left hand cut.

B. S. Wood, Nicholson, Miss.

F. A. Nixon, Seminary, Miss.

S. G. Seal, Passman, La. J. J. Mason, Slidell, La. J. Ricks, Mandeville, La. A. Provost, Slidell, La. W. H. Readman, Covington, La. E. Grant, colored, Covington, La. P. Arceneaux, Mandeville, La. T. Roehl, New Orleans.

J. Peeples, Alton, La. An awful price in human flesh and blood was paid for by an error made by a train crew of the New Orleans and Northeastern railroad at Little Woods this morning shortly after 8 o’clock. As the result of the failure to flag train No. 61 of the New Orleans Great Northern, eight persons were killed, so far as is known, and nearly a dozen more seriously injured in one of the most terrible wrecks, accompanied by an aftermath of most harrowing scenes, that has occurred here in years. The oversight on the part of the train crew of the New Orleans and Northeastern train was made more serious by a heavy mist that settled over that section.

Going at a high rate of speed, the Covington train of the New Orleans Great Northern, Ozone line, three minutes late, crashed

The spot where the accident occurred resembles a slaughter pen. The search for bodies continued and every now and then bits of flesh are taken from the debris. The pile of wreckage was bespattered with blood, and in the search for more bodies the hands of the searching party, in some instances, were smeared with blood. An attempt to describe the extent of the horror of the scene would be futile.

How Mr. Salmen Was Hurt Jake Salmen was seated, engaged in conversation with C. B. Lowry, who was killed, in the coach ahead of the rear coach, when the crash came. Mr. Lowry, it seems, was crushed between the engine and the inner side of the coach, but Mr. Salmen, though struck by the engine and partially crushed by the broken timber, had space enough to permit of his not being crushed to death.

However, Mr. Salmen received such serious internal injuries that it is hardly expected that he will live very long. Besides receiving a fracture of several ribs and sustaining other internal injuries, one of his ears was mashed almost completely off. He also sustained a broken collar bone.

Much valuable and timely assistance was rendered by Inspector O’Connor, special Grady and Chief of Detectives Reynolds.

31

Endowed with intuition, and with the experience of years in handling such cases, Inspector O’Connor and his valuable assistants set about in seing [sic] to the welfare of the injured, and the proper manner of procedure in extricating the dead bodies from under the pile of debris.

thus confusing Mr. Scoggins. Mr. Martin may have been a key stock holder in the bank. He has an impressive monument at his grave site, so he obviously was a man of significant means. The verse at the beginning of this story appears on his gravestone.

The Biloxi Daily Herald, Biloxi, MS 12 Nov 1908

No record is available on the Attaway child or his mother that was injured.

The accident did not occur on the trestle and Mr. Eddins was not among the dead.

Other accounts of the accident tell how women removed their “under skirts” to make bandages for those that were bleeding.

Doctors later confirmed that this step saved several lives.

The accident occurred about 8:30 in the morning on November 11, 1908. Mr. Jacob Salmen did pass away as a result of his injuries on November 21, just ten days after the accident. He was a brother in Slidell’s most prestigious family. They were in the brick and lumber business and, at one time, employed over 800 workers.

Mr. Salmen was not married and had no children.

A couple of years later, the surviving brothers dedicated their company’s commissary to Jacob. Built in 1893, it still stands today at 2596 Front Street, on the corner of Cleveland and Front Street.

Jacob’s tombstone, also in Greenwood Cemetery, is probably the most elaborate of any in the Slidell area.

The Eddins family was instrumental in the establishment of Slidell’s first bank, known as the Bank of Slidell. Mr. William A. Martin, a coal merchant, was discovered to be the father-in-law of Mr. T.J. Eddins,

As I alluded to earlier, it is always a surprise for a researcher to work on a story and find that the story has a connection to him or her. I guess you would call it lagniappe.

Mr. C.B. Lowry (no relation to my family, although it is my wife’s family name) was the manager of American Creosoting Company in Slidell. He was a native of Kentucky and is buried there. He was replaced at American Creosoting by Mr. B.P. Dunham who held that position for many years. Mr. Dunham is the greatgrandfather of my wife Brenda. Thus, a tragic train wreck is most likely the reason Slidell is our home today.

John Case

The Salmen Commissary was opened in 1890 on the west side of the railroad tracks. First built of wood and painted white, it was replaced in 1893 by a brick building on the corner of Front and Cleveland Streets. (Photos courtesy of GOSH and Mildred Pearce.)

32

“Your Estate Matters”

By Ronda M. Gabb, NP, JD, RFC

Legal-ease

LLLLLLET’S GET READY

TO Rumble!

After reading the above headline, I know you hear that famous Michael Buffer cadence in your head, right? But it’s meant for professional fights in a boxing ring, not from your own loved ones OVER a diamond ring! Probably the most-asked question I get from clients: “How do I keep my kids from fighting after I’m gone?”

Make sure that the last check from your checkbook is to the funeral home…and it bounces! (Insert joke rimshot here: ba-dum-bum-CHING!) I realize that the vast majority of you will not implement that strategy, so what to do?

Let’s try and make a plan. Surprisingly, the tchotchkes (chotskies, knick-knacks) often start the nasty fights! These are generally sentimental items that are not necessarily valuable in nature to anyone else. There is a great workbook we recommend to our clients, called “Who Gets Grandma’s Yellow Pie Plate.” Just GOOGLE the book name and you will be directed to a link to watch a FREE 38-minute video of the book and its principles from the University of Minnesota Extension. This is fantastic information that might just save your kids’ relationships.

However, if you have high-dollar, nontitled, personal items that you would like to leave to a particular person, those items should be specifically mentioned in your Will or Living Trust. Or, in the alternative, if you know these high-dollar items will cause family strife, and you don’t sell them during your lifetime, you can direct your executor to sell them to a disinterested third-party as the cash it brings can be easily divided among your recipients.

Beware of specific bequests of titled items. Why? One reason this may not be a good idea is because the values can change. When you made your Will or Living Trust, your beach property and primary home were the same value.

When you die, the beach property is worth $250,000 more. Or, what if the family home was left to one child and the other child gets the “remainder” then you had a long-term illness before your death and most of the “remainder” was used to pay for your care? Neither of these two scenarios have a fair end result. In the first scenario, perhaps a better choice would have been to leave to each child a bequest of the “right of first refusal” to buy the specified property from the estate for fair market value and

if they chose not to, the asset is simply shared equally.

What if the assets themselves change between the time your Will is drafted and the time you die? I often see Wills with specific bequests of a particular vehicle by year/model and/or home by particular address, when they really meant “any” car or primary home I own upon my death. We saw a Will drafted in the 1980’s that was all specific bequests with no “residual” clause. Upon the lady’s death, none of the assets mentioned existed any longer so her entire estate fell through intestacy (as if there was no Will) to her three children. Her original Will left nothing to one son, from whom she was estranged for 40+ years, but upon her demise this son now inherited one-third (1/3) of her estate because of a very bad Will.

Sometimes the best choice for executor is a close trusted friend/family member rather than the children, which could preserve your children’s relationships.

Regardless, the more you openly discuss your legacies and wishes (leaving no “surprises” behind), the better chance your family will be “humble” rather than “rumble.”

See other articles and issues of interest!

Ronda M. Gabb is a Board Certified Estate Planning and Administration Specialist certified by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization. She is a member of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and the Governor’s Elder Law Task Force. Ronda grew up in New Orleans East and first moved to Slidell in 1988, and now resides in Clipper Estates.

40 Louis Prima Drive (off Hwy 190, behind Copeland’s) • Covington, Louisiana • (985) 892-0942 • RondaMGabb.com

33

Genius Streak of

by Scarlett Maness

Robert was a latchkey kid.

His mom, Mrs. Ruthie, was divorced and raising Robert alone. Mrs. Ruthie worked out of town and usually wasn’t home until after 6pm. Robert was every neighbors’ kid after school; but most of the time, he was ours. My mom was a full-time homemaker.

My father was that dad in the neighborhood that all the kids knew. He coached sports and knew all the kids by name. For at least 3 families on our block, including Robert’s, my dad was the stand-in disciplinarian.

Robert was nine in the summer of 1970. I was 8,and my brother, Cyle, was 7. Cyle and I idolized Robert.

He went to public school. Cyle and I attended Our Lady of Lourdes. Robert was chauffeured to and from school by bus. We walked to school. Robert wore colorful shirts, pants and sneakers to school.

Cyle and I wore starched and ironed uniforms, dress shoes and polished saddle oxfords. Robert told us that public school kids were “smarter” and could do whatever they wanted at school. We were taught by nuns that used the “board of education,” an actual board, that sent a message from our butts to our brains to conform and comply. We were jealous of the reported wild ways of Robert and public school.

We thought Robert was a GENIUS. Robert was a legend in his own mind, and ours. He was a head taller than Cyle and me - skinny, pale and freckled, with a crop of unruly, orange, curly hair. The gap between his front teeth was wide enough to house a Milk Dud, a fact that Robert often demonstrated and bragged about. Actually, there wasn’t much that Robert didn’t brag about.

Robert was always convincing us to try something new. Once, he convinced us to eat an entire jar of Tang without water. We had wondered what the astronauts thought was so great about Tang. The three of us had an electrolyte overload. We were as orange as Robert’s hair! Our tongues were like sandpaper, our pee was orange, and we smelled like a citrus farm for days!

Every day after school, the three of us got together.

Robert would tell us of his day and his wildly exaggerated, heroic adventures. Cyle and I were absolute sponges for the drippy tales. Weather permitting, the three of us would walk to our “fort” in the woods. At the end of our street, across the railroad tracks, was a wooded area that was like a second home to many of the neighborhood kids.

My dad helped us make tree stump stools and a fire pit. We made a tall circle from fallen branches to surround our clearing, with a secret opening.

Often, my dad would come to our fort and build a

34

fire for us and we’d cook Jiffy Pop right over the fire. To this day, the sound and smell of popcorn takes me back, smiling, to the woods.

One particularly hot spring day, the three of us set off as usual for the woods. When we got just past the railroad tracks and into the thick brush, Robert came up with one of his brilliant ideas. “Why don’t we run through the woods naked, like wild Indians?” Well, Cyle and I bathed together until I was in 1st grade, so we thought nothing of it. We stripped off our shorts and shirts and underwear, as did Robert.

The only remarkable difference between Robert and us was that he was the color of chalk. Initially, we had taken our shoes off, but decided that, because of pinecones, we would be wild Indians with Keds. We left our clothes in a heap near the entrance of the well-worn trail leading to the fort. We took off running, screaming and howling like wolves - our arms in the air, feeling free and wonderful.

We were without clothes and without cares. Life was perfect.

We reached the fort and went in through the secret opening. Sitting butt naked on a tree stump wasn’t much fun, though. And we had zero protection from mosquitos and sticker bushes, so the whole naked thing lost its charm pretty quickly once we weren’t running. We decided to run back for our clothes, then return to our adventure as more civilized Indians.

We were walking towards the railroad tracks when we heard loud rustling and branches snapping behind us. Robert looked back and saw a tall patch of white through the trees. He screamed, “POLAR BEAR!!!” The three of us took off running towards the clearing at the edge of the woods, adrenaline pumping, our arms and legs blurs as we ran for our lives. With a sure death behind us, we forgot we were naked.

Cyle and I also forgot that there are no polar bears in Slidell, Louisiana.

We figured Robert, given his superior intellect, knew more about polar bears than we did.

My dad was probably having a hard time keeping up with us because of his giggling. And he was wearing dress shoes, dress pants and a starched, white dress shirt. On his way into the woods, Dad came across our heap of familiar clothes. My dad was a wise old bear and moved the clothes into the brush, hidden from sight. A lesson was in the making.

Dad was becoming exhausted so he decided to end the chase. Stopping, he called our names. We stopped running from the bear and towards my Dad, thankful that he was there to save us from a horrible death. We reached Dad in short order and hugged him.

It took a minute for us to realize that we weren’t being chased. I think the three of us probably had the light bulb moment at the exact same instant.

Uh-oh, Dad is the bear.

Uh-oh, we are naked.

Uh-oh, our clothes are missing.

At this point, being naked was anything but fun and the three of us were blushing all over. My dad insisted that we walk in front of him out of the woods. Robert was the only one brave - no, make that stupid - enough to suggest that we could not walk down our street naked. My father, older and wiser, wasn’t interested in any of Robert’s suggestions like we were. Just at the edge of the woods, Dad led us to our clothes and we put them on and walked home. We were bitten, scratched, sweaty, exhausted and humiliated.

I don’t know what Robert was thinking, as usual, but Cyle and I were thinking we wanted to kill him. We couldn’t wait until we got home and we could tell Dad that everything was his idea.

When we reached our house, Dad sent Robert home and Cyle and me to our rooms. He then told our mom, and Robert’s mom, the hilarious story.

The moms deferred discipline to Dad.

his mother sent him over to receive his punishment. Dad lined the three of us up in the hallway and told us to strip. Huh? We were confused. Wasn’t that what got us here in the first place?

But we did as we were told. He then marched us to the hall bathroom where a hot, sudsy tub was waiting.

The three of us stepped into the tub, wide-eyed and unsure. Like the Three Musketeers, our penance was “all for one, one for all.” My dad made a big show of lathering a scrub brush with Lava soap. I don’t know how many of you are familiar with Lava soap.

Imagine skinning a snake with a bar of soap. It’s that rough. Add a scrub brush and yowza! Dad scrubbed us.

We were beyond squeaky clean. For three days, our skin was bristling like we had hugged an enraged porcupine. We were grounded for two weeks. During the time Cyle and I were away from Robert, we became worlds smarter.

By the time summer rolled around, Cyle and I had decided that Robert’s ideas would only lead us back to the bear and serious consequences. We still played together. We still visited the fort. But Cyle and I rapidly dismissed any genius ideas Robert had. And Robert avoided our dad like the plague!

It seemed like we had all grown up a little. I think Mrs. Ruthie was grateful.

Robert moved away from Slidell when I was 13. Cyle and I missed him. I think even Dad missed him. I remember Robert every year in the spring and summer. And the smell of Lava soap always makes me think of him, but not in a good way.

Looking back, that Lava bath cleansed our minds.

UPDATE: There have been zero polar bear sightings in Slidell since Robert left.

A short while later, the doorbell rang and there stood Robert, head hung low, still glowing red, telling my dad that 35

Sponsored By:

by: Jeff Perret, DVM | Veterinary Medical Center

COVID-19 scent-detection dogs I’ve read a bit about COVID-19 scent-detection dogs, and I’m intrigued, but only recently have I read enough good information that I think it’s worth writing about. So, can scent-detection dogs help with COVID-19 control? The answer, as is true of so many things about the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is less than clear. The current answer seems to be maybe, in some situations, potentially. Let’s break it down.

Dogs cannot detect the actual SARS-CoV-2 virus using their sense of smell. The virus itself should have no smell.

It appears, however, that some dogs, in some situations, may be able to detect people who are infected with the virus. There are a few preliminary studies of varying quality (from laughably poor to pretty good) indicating that dogs can detect infected people. They aren’t smelling the virus though;

they’re smelling something that an infected person’s body produces in response to virus. We don’t know yet exactly what that might be, which makes it harder to train and assess them. If we had “eau de COVID-19′′ it would make training and assessment much easier.

As of yet, we don’t know the best sample for dogs to smell (saliva, nasopharyngeal swabs, skin wipes, sweat...?) or the best kind of patient (really sick person vs moderately sick person vs asymptomatic person...?) from which to get the samples for training.

We also don’t know how best to present the “suspect” to the dog. In person, clothing samples, close-up, at a distance?

The best work has been done with samples taken directly from a person, such as sweat wipes. I haven’t seen any data

Dr. Jeff recommends:

MARCH 3RD IS NATIONAL

“IF PETS HAD THUMBS DAY” 36

If dogs had thumbs, they wouldn’t need us to remove their fleas

WITH BRAVECTO. ®

about dogs detecting infected people from just sniffing around them (despite the NBA’s Miami Heat trying to use dog walk-bys to screen fans for COVID-19).

I can’t see scent-detection dogs as a tool to say either: YES, this person is infected - he needs to go home; or NO, this person is definitely not infected - off she goes. If dogs are actually good at detecting people from a distance, then they could be used similar to rapid antigen tests to say either: YES, you’re good to go, but still wear your mask and do everything else because I’m not perfect; or NO, hang on a minute... something might be up. You need to go for a PCR test to find out for sure.

Even if dogs aren’t that good for rapid individual screening, they could still be useful. I think the greatest potential is identifying high-risk environments. For example, they could be taken into a homeless shelter, workplace, migrant worker housing, nursing home or other high-risk environment, and if they detect a whiff of COVID-19, that would be the trigger to bring in targeted testing (rather than the dog trying to figure out which individuals are positive). Rapid, cheap, person-side antigen testing will probably be more useful than dog screening, but scentdetection dogs could be useful in some situations if rapid testing isn’t readily available or practical.

First, we need to know for sure that COVID-19 scentdetection dogs work, how well they work, and their limitations. As with a lot of things, this is an area where some people have jumped from “idea” to “application,” without all the necessary steps in between.

What we can’t do is try to use these dogs as untested tools that give people false confidence to engage in higher risk behaviors (like having them at the door of a sporting event). They’re a potentially useful add-on, but not an excuse to do something that wouldn’t be done without them. So, if an event is going on and rules are set, sure, add dogs as an additional measure. If the dogs are being used as the argument to allow people in, allow more people in or allow them to reduce infection control measures, that’s probably counterproductive.

When you choose Allstate to protect what matters most, you get an expert agent who will make it easy for you to save.

Like with bundling your insurance. Its’ the simplest way for you to save time and money, while getting protection for the things that matter most. Stop by or call today and let’s get you bundled up.

CLARK HANER 985-726-5001

370 GATEWAY DR, STE A SLIDELL ClarkHaner@Allstate.com Proud to offer Good Hands® protection to you and your family.

Prices vary based on how you buy. Subject to terms, conditions & availability. Savings vary. Allstate Vehicle and Property Insurance Co., Allstate Property and Casualty Insurance Co. © 2018 Allstate Insurance Co.

12799700

Dogs may be good enough at detection to be used to tell if individuals don’t have COVID-19, so they can be allowed to do something or go somewhere (e.g. use public transit, or attend an event like a basketball game). It depends on the scenario. At best, dogs are going to be a reasonably good screening tool for COVID-19. They won’t be 100% accurate, so we can’t rely on them in critical situations.

But they could be an adjunct screening tool, far from perfect, but still useful.

Oakley • No Exposure to Diseases or Parasites from Other Dogs • Medication Administered • Less Separation Anxiety • Insulin Injections • Waste Cleanup • Mail Pickup • Daily Walks • Nail Trim

37

It’s the next best thing to having your natural teeth again!

All-On-Four Dental Implants

Only (4) implants can replace all of the teeth on the top or the bottom of your mouth!

DOCTOR EDWIN KOPFLER, DDS SAME DAY EMERGENCY SERVICE AVAILABLE.

Dental Care For Your Entire Family!

985-641-1181 • 1101 Robert Blvd, Slidell, LA • SlidellDentist.com

For more info, call 985.781.3650 or go to harborcenter.org

A Testimonial from an Annual Event Organizer

annual events held AT your HARBOR CENTER!

AMERICAN ELDER ABUSE CONFERENCE 

A.W.G. FOOD SHOW 

The Harbor Center has been the home of the American Elder Abuse Conference (AEAC) for over ten years, and it will continue to be our event site of preference for the foreseeable future. It is a fantastic facility with many configuration options, a highly professional support staff, and all at reasonable prices.

They continually work with us to keep our costs manageable for attendees and sponsors.

Through the partnership with the Harbor Center, AEAC has grown from a one-day regional seminar to a three-day national conference.

Annually averaging about 200 attendees from about 40 states, the conference is the only major multi-disciplinary conference on Elder Abuse presented in the United States. Outstanding lecturers and volunteers from across the nation provide the latest training to many professions involved in the protection of elders and the prevention / intervention of abuse.

Our event draws attendees from all over the country who spend thousands of dollars on local lodging, food, drink, and leisure activities.

Area hotels book hundreds of room nights paid for by attendees.

Restaurants, bars, and local shopping areas also benefit from the event which starts on Sunday evening and ends on Wednesday. Ample free periods are provided in our attendees' schedules throughout the conference, which creates a multitude of opportunities for all of us to get out and enjoy the local hotels, restaurants, bars, shopping, and other attractions.

I remain a fervent supporter of the Harbor Center, and strongly recommend the citizens of St. Tammany Parish closely examine the value it provides now and will continue to offer in the future.

Mr. Ralph O’Neal L.A.P.H.C.C. CONTINUING EDUCATION 

Director of the American Elder Abuse Conference

Our steps to keep you well when you return:

• Providing hand sanitizer stations

• We recommend guests maintain social distance

• In accordance with state & parish mandate, masks are mandatory at all times while inside

• New floorplans that provide social distancing

• Sanitizing frequent touch points hourly during events

• Conducting wellness checks of staff

• Sanitizing the facility & equipment after each event

YOUR LOUISIANA REAL ESTATE COMPANY BATON ROUGE • NEW ORLEANS NORTHSHORE • & SURROUNDING AREAS No matter where you are moving from, CENTURY 21 Investment Realty’s Relocation Services Division makes it a smooth, hassle-free experience.

CALL OUR RELENTLESS AGENTS!

TOP AGENTS December 2020

 WENDY P. ENGLANDE | 985-913-4940 Top $ Production & Top # Transactions

JEFF BRELAND | 504-415-2652  Top # Listings

GWEN MICHON

985-502-5952

GWEN.MICHON@CENTURY21.COM

operty r P t n o r f r e t Wa 3335 Bonfouca Dr. / Slidell LA WATERFRONT PROPERTY

WENDY P. ENGLANDE

504-913-4940

WENDY.ENGLANDE@CENTURY21.COM

3115 Oak Lane / Slidell, LA $329,900

JACKIE MILLER BROKER/OWNER 504-250-0469 JACKIE.MILLER@C21IR.COM

61258 N. Military Rd. / Slidell LA $360,000

CARLENE ALFONSO OWNER 985-643-4200 CARLENE.ALFONSO@C21IR.COM

C21IR.com | 985-643-4200 | 2160 GAUSE BLVD. SUITE 100 | SLIDELL, LOUISIANA 70461 EACH OFFICE IS INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED. 40