Slidell Magazine, April 2021

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF SLIDELL

Vol. 126 April 2021

WE KEEP IT FRESH

SAY KEEP IT POSITIVE

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3/12/21

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The City of Slidell presents

The Revery Alone Will Do A Botanical Art Exhibit at the Slidell Cultural Center Curated by Liv Butera Featuring Artists Emily Binder Martha Whitney Butler

at City Hall

with The French Potager

Emma Fick Rachel Jung

with Rayco Designs

Angel Komazec Solange Ledwith

with Swampgirl Glass

Laura Scariano Rachel Lagarde Walker Dustin Young

“Okra and Bloom” by Dustin Young

Slidell Cultural Center • April 9 - May 21, 2021 Gallery Hours: Wednesday - Friday, 12 - 4 pm

By appointment only. Please call (985) 646-4375. Same day viewings available. Free Admission.

“The Revery Alone Will Do” is sponsored by the City of Slidell, its Commission on the Arts and the 2021 Cultural Season Sponsors: RENAISSANCE • $5,000 SPONSORS:

BAROQUE • $2,500 SPONSORS: Silver Slipper Casino • In Memory of Ronnie Kole NEOCLASSICAL • $1,000 SPONSORS: Councilman Bill & Laura Borchert • Lori’s Art Depot Purple Armadillo Again • Lowry-Dunham, Case & Vivien Insurance Agency

IMPRESSIONISM • $500 SPONSORS: Chateau Bleu • CiCi’s Pizza • Mayor Greg Cromer • Flatliners Entertainment Old School Eats Food Truck • Roberta’s Cleaners • Slidell Historic Antique Association 4

Editor’s Letter The magazine you are holding now was started by a woman. Its owner and editor is a female. Yes, that’s all me. This month’s cover artist is also a woman, along with half of our staff.

I’m not a beat-my-chest feminist by any means. But recent events have me more aware of the challenges women have faced in their search for equality. I was naiive to think that our country had moved past gender bias.

Then, our Vice-President was elected and social media lit up with rumors that she had “slept her way” into office. It doesn’t matter which party you belong to, that is a demeaning and sexist way to think. About that same time, I found out that my great-grandmother was murdered by my great-grandfather. The newspaper stories were detailed - at trial, the all-male jury was told more about her “disreputable character” than of her

death by bludgeoning. The jury couldn’t acquit him fast enough. Basically, he was found not guilty because he convinced them that she was a slut.

The following is a short list (there is much more) of things a woman couldn’t do in 1971, the year I was born.

In 1971 a woman could not: 1. Get a credit card in her own name.

It wasn’t until 1974 that a law forced credit card companies to issue cards to women without their husband’s signature.

2. Be guaranteed that they wouldn’t be unceremoniously fired for the offense of getting pregnant. That changed with the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978.

3. Serve on all juries. Now, this was especially scary to know. It varied by state. In 1968, Mississippi was the last state to rule that women could serve, however it wasn’t until 1973 that the law was enforced in all 50 states.

4. Fight for our country. Women weren’t admitted into military academies until 1976. It wasn’t until 2013 that the military ban on women in combat was lifted. Prior to 1973, women were only allowed in the military as nurses or support staff.

5. Get an Ivy League education. Harvard didn’t admit women until 1977. Brown, Dartmouth and Columbia did not admit women until 1971,1972and1981, respectively.

6. Take legal action against workplace sexual harassment. Indeed, the first time a court recognized office sexual harassment as grounds for any legal action was in 1977.

7. Get the birth control pill without being married and without written consent of her husband. It wasn’t until 1973 that birth control was approved for use by all women, regardless of marital status.

Know your HERstory.

COVER: SHELL GAME

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”

Ted Lewis Slidell History

Charlotte Collins Extraordinary Slidell Neighbors

Scarlett Maness Recipe for Disaster

Mike Rich Making Cents of Your Money

Jeff Perret, DVM Pet Points

Donna Bush Stories Through My Lens

Ronda M. Gabb Legal-Ease

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mary christopher Mary Christopher retired from teaching art for the St. Tammany Public School System in 2016. She received a Bachelor of Art Education from Oklahoma State University and later earned a Masters in Management and Supervision from Central Michigan University. Prior to her teaching career, she worked in a variety of fields and positions, including social work, volunteer management and marketing, while raising three sons with her husband, Joe. She remains an active member of the Slidell Art League, which she credits for providing the needed support to rekindle her creative efforts. Ms. Christopher was selected as the Master Artist of the Year in 2010, the same year she was chosen as Cypress Cove Elementary Teacher of the Year.

The City of Slidell also featured her in a one woman show in 2015. Her art was chosen for the City of Slidell Art’s Evening poster in 2018 and was featured on the April 2018 cover of Slidell Magazine.

Ms. Christopher is currently working on a mural for the Police Department sponsored by the City of Slidell.

WE KEEP IT FRESH

SAY KEEP IT POSITIVE

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A biography by Charlotte Collins

It was thrilling to jump in the car and head to the part of Slidell I had missed the most during the pandemic, Olde Towne. My husband and I used to love spending a free day walking aimlessly through this historic area, stopping for food, drinks, music, or art exhibits, and bumping into friends along the way. As this edition publishes, Louisiana will be just over the one-year mark since our Governor issued the stay-at-home decree. Sonia Valencia and I planned to meet at her newly acquired Old Town Soda Shop before it opened for the day, masked and distanced.

Heads up, readers - I am about to take you on a five-block tour of Olde Towne as it relates to Sonia and the Valencia family. It also happens to be my childhood home, family legacy, and a part of Slidell with history so unique, that it has spawned museums, books, and periodicals, such as this Slidell Magazine. I’ve had the privilege to write numerous articles from a Slidell native’s viewpoint. This time, we shall hear from someone who arrived as a newcomer and loved what she saw enough to devote her blood, sweat, and tears here.

I arrived at the Soda Shop and found the door locked, so I naturally turned and searched the other three corner buildings at my intersection. You see, Sonia and Gilbert own or partially own all four businesses on this corner.

Seeing no sign of her, I glanced further down Cousin street to yet another of the Valencia’s businesses. Next, I pirouetted and scanned their buildings further down First Street. When there was still no sign of her, I broke out my cell phone. Sonia greeted me, speaking rapidly, then spoke just as rapidly with someone beside her about inventory.

She would be with me shortly.

On every corner of this intersection, their employees were preparing for business to open for the day. They were 6

Sonia Valencia pressure washing, loading and unloading, having impromptu staff meetings in the street, and unlocking the door where I stood. Suddenly, Sonia strode out from Olde Towne Pizza Company. However, I was not the only one who spied her.

It seemed everyone had a question. Clearly, my interviewee was the go-to girl. I realized I would need to spirit her away in order to capture her story.

We finally escaped into a booth. She looked up thoughtfully, and nodded her head, “I think I can speak for both myself and my husband when I say that we had very different upbringings. We were both taught to work, and work hard, from a much younger age than most of our peers. Our parents, both his and mine, are immigrants. The most important things back in those days was to teach your kids a strong work ethic, to be good, trustworthy people, and to be successful.” Her dark eyes danced as she announced, “Neither one of us finished high school. Of course, we had to learn the basics. But the rest was survival and respect for others.” Her last three words reminded me just how different things are today.

I learned that Sonia’s parents immigrated from Mexico in 1974. Her mother was only 15 years old at the time.

Unfortunately, her father died when Sonia was young.

Her mother brought Sonia and her siblings back to Mexico to live with Sonia’s grandparents. Having been born and raised in California, Sonia describes the move to Mexico as a complete shock. Her eyes grew wide as she recalled, “At the time, I was twelve years old and there was no portable water in the whole town! I couldn’t imagine.” She smiled and added, “Luckily, they had just gotten electricity, probably two years prior to us moving there. So, thank goodness for that! But we had to carry water for about half a mile. If you wanted to shower, you were responsible for hauling your own water, even if you were only 12 years old!” Her

eyes twinkled with nostalgia as she recalled, “I had to carry these two big white buckets once or twice a day, up and down the hilly terrain.” She nodded emphatically, “But it was a really cool challenge, and I grew up strong because of it. Each time you went to the bathroom, you had to fill up the tank to be able to flush the toilet. My mother was very clean and made us do chores on a very basic level.” She laughed and rolled her eyes, “But my grandmother was a whole different animal! She woke us up early with a chore for every single girl in that house, no matter the age, and she was just adamant about making sure that everybody could do everything. She switched our chores around every day. One day you did bedrooms, tomorrow you did dishes, the next day you cooked, then you cleaned outside by throwing water and sweeping. It was good for youth. I can honestly say that living there for two and a half years was probably the best blessing in my life. That’s something no kids in the U.S. can understand. I have three sons and a stepdaughter, and there’s no way they can imagine that lifestyle. All of my siblings say the exact same thing.”

Not only did Sonia and her siblings learn great work ethics, they also learned how to cook their own cultural food, everything from scratch. The land was very dry, so cactus was part of most meals. Sonia related that cactus is very healthy and is still one of her favorite foods. She folded her hands on the table, and relived, “We had to go out with a little bucket and cut cactus every day. We brought it home and my grandmother cleaned them. She taught us so much in those two years.”

By the time Sonia came back to the U.S., she was very far behind in her formal education. She had only been going to school two days a week in Mexico. However, she had learned invaluable lessons most kids will never know. She nodded emphatically, “I laugh at my kids now when they talk about work. I tell them about my grandparents, and that we didn’t have a lot of extras. If I wanted something as simple as a bottle of hairspray, I would have to go with my grandfather on Saturday to help him sell Mexican sausage.

On those days, I had to get up at five in the morning to catch

the only bus and go with him to the next biggest city. We worked until the bus came back to bring us home, around four o’clock. All day was spent just to get that one bottle of hairspray. It was a very good lesson. Honestly, I appreciate that time now more than anything.” Her voice grew quiet, and she paused at the fond memories.

After a couple of years in California, Sonia became a mother at the age of 16 with her first son, Michael. She moved in with her boyfriend and his parents for the next six years.

The relationship eventually ended, but she still considers that part of her life as a growing experience and she enjoys a wonderful relationship with her son’s family.

Sonia felt confident as a single parent and had learned a big lesson. Soon after, she met the love of her life, Gilbert Valencia, when she was 23. Gilbert’s parents, Laura and Carlos Valencia, immigrated to the United States about the same time as Sonia’s parents. They were also very hard-working people. She looked at me with a knowing smile, “Gilbert is also better at work ethic than school. He dropped out of school in the 10th grade as well. His dad told him, ‘You have two options. You are not doing well in school. You are not happy, but you are a very smart guy.

You’re not going to stay home.’ So, his dad took him under his wing and taught him the diamond setting business.

That is what his dad did for 30 years and Gilbert did it for 15 years in downtown Los Angeles. They were top notch with designing and repairing jewelry.”

Sonia considers Gilbert’s parents her biggest mentors today.

“They have been married 45 years. They are very hardworking entrepreneurs, so very successful!” His parents sold their beautiful home in California and used the profits to open a new restaurant, Carretta’s Grill, in Slidell. It found immediate success and remains so today. When Gilbert’s parents moved, they left behind a restaurant and asked Sonia if she would like to take over. Of course, she said yes.

After three and a half years, Sonia and Gilbert married, and soon after she became pregnant with her second son, Micky.

Sonia worked throughout their pregnancy. During a visit to

1.) Sonia, her mother and sisters. 2.) Sonia and her siblings, l-r: Patricia, Manual, Sofia & Sonia.

3.) Sonia in 1983. 4.) 1985 7

Calfornia, her mother-in-law proposed an unbelivable offer.

“Listen, we’re doing great. Why not consider selling this restaurant, you two keep the profits since you’ve been working it diligently. Your lease is almost up, so why not let someone else come and renew the lease. Consider moving to Slidell and stay home with your baby. Gilbert can come and help his brother manage Carreta’s.” The young couple agreed and moved to Slidell.

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Gilbert wanted to open a jewelry shop where he would make, set, and fix jewelry. He opened a spot on Gause Boulevard and named it G’s Jewelry. Sonia added with enthusiasm, “I was able to go to work with him every day. We had a small room in the back where we had the playpen, and the baby was little, so he would sleep a lot. I was able to greet customers when they came in, and Gilbert made amazing connections with big jewelry companies. Then we started to build up clientele and we did well.”

Unfortunately, Gilbert’s back started bothering him and his eyes were strained from working fine details in jewelry.

Sonia and Gilbert began talking about how successful the restaurant business could be and soon opened Tacos and Beer. They gave the restaurant a funky, contemporary Mexican ambiance, and opened with one register, and one server, Sonia. She described, “We struggled for three years. And when I say struggled, I mean I would sometimes sit there and think, the cooks get paid more than we do. We were just making ends meet, and it was difficult because we now had two babies, Micky and Rocky.” She laughed and said, “My husband named them both after the 1976 movie, Rocky. It took years for people to realize Olde Towne was available to come and eat during the day and not just at night. Let me tell you, if you do not love the restaurant business, do not do it. I cannot tell you how stressed out you get, and how personal you take it when someone is not happy with their food or service. These days, they may not tell us, just go on social media and complain. So, you need thick skin.

My husband and I have been a tag team since day one.

One goes out and the other comes in.”

She noted that, at some point, there was a shift; something that just happened, and suddenly, they were getting busy.

Her dark eyes danced as she remembered that moment of glory, “Suddenly, people were pouring in, and I was able to now hire more employees for help! Now we could have a server and I knew we could do this. The business then took off running!” She continued, “My husband has always been very frugal and amazing with managing money. I remember the day he said, ‘I think we’re ready for something else, a new project.’ I was shocked, and so excited! We partnered with Gilbert’s brother-in-law and opened our second location of Tacos and Beer in Hammond, LA.” Soon after, they opened a third location in New Orleans.

She was very animated now and expounded, “We used to live in that corner house on Robert and First Street (the beautiful and historic Carollo home). Both of my younger children were born while we were in that house.

I wanted to buy that house so badly. I remember taking my kids around Olde Towne in a stroller and I always pictured it as a thriving area. This was before the Soda Shop had reopened and Tacos and Beer. I would look up in awe at how unique the buildings were and how much potential they had. I remember telling my husband, ‘You know, if there is ever an opportunity to own some property here, that is what I want.’” She looked up with a twinkle in her eye.

“The first building that came up for sale was an old corner bar,” Sonia said, pointing out the window to the business they co-own, The Brass Monkey. Now Sonia leaned in towards the table and clasped her hands together close to her chest. She spoke rapidly, “I remember thinking we could design a much better bar. I thought we could do something fabulous, and we did! Patrick Heim was my son’s coach for years, and he was looking for an opportunity too. So, we decided to go in together. I am so proud of it. I think Patrick has done an amazing job with his ideas and events.” She leaned back and described, “It has that little bit of an older crowd feeling, which is good, and he’s always got something awesome going on. So that was the first property that we purchased!”

She took a break as we sipped the lattes she brought us from Olde Towne Pizza Company.

Sonia informed me enthusiastically, “Patrick Heim is a caterer and a chef. So, when we agreed to a pizza parlor, Gilbert and Patrick took a trip to New York to do some research on the greatest pizza places. By the time my husband came back, he never wanted to try another slice of pizza again! But, that did not last long. Eventually, they started experimenting with different recipes on us. At first, the pizzas were a little iffy. I remember their pizza in the middle was, you know, droopy. Now I can tell you that it is perfect! I love it and I can truly say that it is my favorite pizza of all time. I believe we’ve all done an amazing job with our businesses.”

“Then the two buildings behind Brass Monkey became available.” Once again, I pivoted to look with her. She put her palms up and said, “It was a no-brainer, it was a really good deal, so we picked it up. Originally, we wanted to put Electric Avenue with the pinball and arcade games there, but there were so many restrictions that it was not feasible. Instead we are renting it out.” But she shrugged with her signature big grin. As luck would have it, Time Out Bar was going out of business right down the block from their pizza restaurant. Gilbert said, “Well, crazy enough, I have all these arcade games that we bought for the last purchase.” Guess what? Yep, they bought that too.

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1.) Sonia at 18 with son Michael. 2.) Sonia & Gilbert soon after they met. 3.) Gilbert’s parents, and the source of much of Sonia’s inspiration, Laura & Carlos Valencia. 4.) Sonia & Gilbert in Slidell, with newborn son, Micky.

That location is now the new Electric Avenue Bar and Arcade.

so they were the perfect addition to the shop.”

Just as they thought things were settling down, Frank Jackson of Old Town Soda Shop began mentioning his possible retirement and selling his historic business. Sonia and Gilbert jumped at the opportunity! She motioned around the premises with her hand and burst, “That was also a no-brainer.

This building is amazing! I told Gilbert, ‘The Soda Shop can never be changed to anything else. If somebody else goes in there and changes anything, it is going to change the dynamics of Olde Towne! It’s an anchor!’” Her energy was through the roof. I could tell this business was now her heart and soul. They found another couple, Angela and Josh Roques, to partner in the business. She explained, “I’ve always bought cake pops from Angela,

I briefly met Angela when she came in to update Sonia on the business breakfast meeting they catered here at 6 am that morning. It seemed Angela had an energy that might match Sonia’s.

Sonia was called off to deal with a plumbing issue, so I had a moment to walk around the Soda Shop. I was elated to see that they changed very little -- a little freshen up here, some bubblegum color paint there, but that was all they needed to change. I was so relieved to see this!

When she finally found an available plumber, Sonia returned to her cup of coffee. I remarked, “So, I guess this is your last purchase before this article, right?” Sonia leaned back and threw her hands up, “Oh no, actually, we just purchased the empty lot behind this

Soda Shop last month! We and our business partners are about to put in mini-golf that is going to be attached to the Soda Shop.”

Sonia’s enthusiasm was just pouring out of her now. “All of the things that are in Olde Towne - Mona Lisa and Moon Pie, White Linen night, the St. Patty’s Parade, Oktoberfest... we put all those little lights on and string flags.

And now Heritage Park is starting to have fun events! It takes all of this to get people out and to start just hanging around here. It feels good when I am down here. I personally wish we had a little splash pad here to cool off in the summer. That would encourage more families to spend time outdoors here. I have thought this since my kids were little and we walked around with a double stroller.

Now I live on the lakeshore, but still

1.) Micky & Rocky in the double stroller that rolled through Olde Towne and started the Valencia’s love affair with the area.

2.) The Valencia family. 3.) At their home in Slidell. 4.) Micky, Gilbert & Rocky riding in the Krewe of Titans, 2019.

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Sonia & Gilbert dress up and enjoy the community at just about every Slidell event. l-r: Halloween 2020, St. Patrick’s Day celebration 2021, Mona Lisa & MoonPie 2019, and Gilbert dressed for his ride with Krewe of Dionysus, 2019. love to spend time down here. You would never see these kinds of things in California. You don’t even smile or speak to passersby there.”

As we talked, I realized that our police have a huge role in all of this. Families would not feel safe to stroll about without their efforts. Sonia agreed, “I believe that we have one of the best police forces ever! They are so respectful and kind. They readily talk to me. I think the diversity we have in Slidell is a huge asset, and we all get along.

It is something that other parts of the parish do not have. Back in California, they talked about how the south is very racist and I was nervous about coming here. But I am going to be very honest with you, Charlotte. I did not have that experience. When I came here, that is what I was expecting. The best thing about Slidell is the people. Whenever

my family comes to visit from California, they are absolutely amazed with all the smiles, good mornings, and hellos they get. When I send videos of the parades in Slidell and New Orleans, they see Caucasians, Black, Mexicans, everything. It is all just a big old mix.”

opposite upbringing than what we did. I believe they can go places our parents could have never imagined. However, if they choose our way of life, we’d be proud of that as well. That’s how I would pay things forward for all the mentors and support I have received.”

She paused and announced proudly, “My oldest son, Michael, just graduated from California State University Long Beach in California and decided to move back here to Slidell with us. I think the decision was hard for him, but California is not really working out for a lot of people right now. It is very expensive. So, I am excited that he seems to like it here. I would love to have him be a part of our business, but I want him to do whatever makes him happiest. Honestly, my hope is to instill in our children the importance of education. They have had a complete

The Olde Towne businesses that the Valencia’s own or co-own: Electric Avenue Arcade and Bar, The Brass Monkey, Tacos & Beer, Old Town Soda Shop, and Olde Towne Pizza Company.

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MAy

14 - 22

APRIL

9 - 24

Women & Songs

11 - 19

June

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JULY

FRI & SAT 8PM

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.

APRIL 30 - MAY 8

Girl Groups of the 60’s

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Slidell Library • 12 - 1PM VIRTUAL FLOOR YOGA sttammanylibrary.org

Reusable Cup Awareness Day

Slidell Library • 12 - 1PM VIRTUAL FLOOR YOGA sttammanylibrary.org

Ribbon Cutting Etouffee Covington > 11:30AM

Slidell Library • 12 - 1PM VIRTUAL FLOOR YOGA sttammanylibrary.org

MONDAY

Reusable Bag Awareness Day

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Adult Crafting: Making Gnomes!

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CHAMBER MEMBER ORIENTATION In-Person or via ZOOM Slidell Office > 8:30 - 9:30AM

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VIRTUAL CHAIR YOGA (Every Thurs)

APRIL

APRIL FOOL’S DAY!

THURSDAY

Slidell Library • 1 - 2PM 8

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Slidell Library • 4:30 - 5:15PM Virtual Field Trip: Egypt (Ages 6-11)

WEDNESDAY

Recycling Awareness Day

Live Better Wellness Luncheon FREE WELLNESS SCREENINGS Slidell Auditorium > 11 - 1:30PM

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

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B2B Networking @ Covington 8:30 - 9:30 AM, register @ StTammanyChamber.com

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Lobby Lounge Concert ”Wildeyes” • 7 - 9PM

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

SATURDAY

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Slidell Gun & Knife Show 9AM - 5PM

Olde Towne Slidell Art Market Green Oaks Apothecary • 4 - 9PM

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

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H.E.R.P.S. Pet Show 9AM - 5PM

Tennis Town Hall Slidell City Tennis Courts • 10AM

SMH FOUNDATION GOLF TOURNAMENT Pinewood Country Club

ONCE ON THIS ISLAND • Slidell Little Theatre • 8 PM Disenchanted, the Musical • Cutting Edge Theater • 8 PM 1 ARBOR DAY MAY

Fortitude Fit Fest 8AM - 5PM

ONCE ON THIS ISLAND • Slidell Little Theatre • 8 PM Disenchanted, the Musical • Cutting Edge Theater • 8 PM 24 Citywide Cleanup Plant a Camellia Day

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Disenchanted, the Musical • Cutting Edge Theater • 8 PM

Ribbon Cutting Heart of Hospice Covington > 11:30AM

GOOD FRIDAY

FRIDAY

ONCE ON THIS ISLAND • Slidell Little Theatre • 8 PM Women & Songs: Girl Groups of the 60’s • Cutting Edge Theater • 8 PM

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Glass, Tire & Bag Recycling Day

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

Slidell Council Meeting • 6:30 - 7:30PM

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BINGO! Every Tues & Thurs • 3PM Slidell Lions Club • 356 Cleveland Ave.

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Spring BOTANICAL Art Exhibit • Slidell City Hall Gallery

By Appointment Only • Wednesdays - Fridays / Noon - 4PM • April 9th thru May 21st

Northlake Nature Center Biking the Back Trails • 6PM northlakenature.org

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Slidell Council Meeting • 6:30 - 7:30PM

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ONCE ON THIS ISLAND Slidell Little Theatre • 2 PM

ONCE ON THIS ISLAND Slidell Little Theatre • 2 PM

H.E.R.P.S. Pet Show 10AM - 4PM

City of Slidell “EARTH WEEK”

Slidell Gun & Knife Show 10AM - 4PM

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

PALM SUNDAY

MARCH

SUNDAY

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2 0 2 1

The

Storyteller

EGG HEAD THERAPY BEST TREATMENT FOR CISS

Just so readers in the future can relate, I am dating this story March 2021. I do so because that date, in some future years, will relate to an era. Those of us who live in south Louisiana date everything pre- or post-Katrina.

Someday, I am sure the whole country, possibly even the whole world, will date everything pre- or post-Covid.

The past year has been the worst of times and the best of times. Does that sound familiar? I will be the first to admit the latter part of that statement takes some imagination, but that is what storytellers do.

You have got to understand that I, along with almost everyone I know, am suffering through C.I.S.S. Now, that term is a Storyteller’s original and means “Covid Induced Stress Syndrome.” We’ve all had it and some have handled it better than others. But, this is not a story to dwell on the bad times. It is a story of how one person and his family coped with CISS, and learned in the process.

The roots of the story start five Christmases ago when my wife, Brenda, gave me a Big Green Egg. No, it is not something you scramble or fry, but that is close. It is the most basic, but sophisticated, cooking device created since the cave man rubbed two sticks together.

It is a ceramic tank - you got it, shaped like an egg - and colored green. It is charcoal heated and works as a grill, an oven, or a smoker. It appeals to me as it has lots of accoutrements that you can buy to enhance your culinary addiction. It almost has a cult 14

following and we disciples are called “Egg Heads.” It’s an impressive piece of equipment, but before CISS I only used it about once a month.

We have a pavilion behind our house.; maybe “outdoor kitchen” would be a better description. It is open air, with curtains for cold weather, a fireplace, a surround sound system, a sink and, yes, you guessed it, a Big Green Egg with all the trimmings.

I first heard of Covid in early February of 2020. Like most, I didn’t think much of it, just the flu, and I remember hearing it would be gone by Easter. The severity of the pandemic is history and there is no benefit in blaming. The benefit is sharing how we survived.

Has it been fun? No. Has it changed lives? Yes. The sadness of the jobs lost and loved ones passing cannot be downplayed. But let this story be upbeat.

Attitude does make the difference. We called an office meeting and excitedly got commitments from employees to work from home.

Only Alan, who acts as operations manager among other titles, me, and Mary Ann, our receptionist, greeter and chief holiday decorator, would come in each day. The rest would come in when needed.

I think our small office is a microcosm of the way business will be conducted in the future. People can work from home. We had spent the money for the technology, not knowing that its use would so soon be activated. We learned about Zoom and GoToMeeting.

On the positive side, we saved money on supplies, travel expenses and utilities.

Hold on, this story is supposed to be about the Big Green Egg. To me, it is like a beautiful sculpture that graces our pavilion. Could I say it compares to the Statue of Liberty?

Pre-CISS we had no idea how it would be the nucleus of our sanity during the pandemic. Its use and importance changed.

I guess you could say CISS brought us together. The union is much like when you fondly tell the story of how you met and were attracted to your spouse; or, that is the way it was for me.

Cooking on the BGE offered us something special. We are foodies. CISS took that away from us as far as visiting our favorite restaurants. It also took away social interaction with a wide range of friends. Sounds bad, doesn’t it? It could have been without the Big Green Egg. We started using it almost daily. We would have small groups of Covid-conscious friends under our outdoor pavilion and watching the Egg work its magic became a ritual.

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I will share some of our recipes because the BGE made them special in our time of need. The simplest thing you can cook on the BGE is a steak. This is how you do it: Get good prime beef from your butcher and have it cut 1 ¼ inches thick. Bring the steaks to room temperature. Coat them with a mixture of olive oil and minced garlic. Rub them with freshly ground pepper and salt. Lots of both. Let sit.

Fill BGE half full of charcoal. Open the vents and let it get to upward of 800 degrees. Drop your favorite smoking wood in.

Close the lid and let it return to 800 plus degrees. Add steaks and cook for three minutes on one side and three minutes on the other. The steak will be wonderful and medium rare. Add 30 second for each step up of doneness. Simple? And now you have lesson 101 in being an Egg Head.

For the first time in forty years, Brenda and I had the opportunity to spend more time together than ever before. Most evenings, it was just me and her and, of course, the BGE. Sounds bad, doesn’t it? Not so. Conversation was reborn and we rekindled a love and fondness for each other that had not died, we had just gotten too busy and too much in our routine to enjoy.

They did not tell me the BGE was a marriage counselor, but there it sat amongst us, smoking like the chimney it is, and chaperoning our every move.

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Baby Back Ribs on the Big Green Egg: Remove membrane on back of ribs IF POSSIBLE. Coat with olive oil and minced garlic. Rub with your favorite meat rub.

Jack Daniels makes one, and yes, I know they make whiskey too. I have used that on one or two occasions, for medicinal purposes. Let stand for an hour.

Fill BGE to half full and put generous smoking wood in egg.

The secret is to cook slow. 230 degrees. This can be obtained by adjusting the vents.

Cook indirectly. There is a device made for the BGE that does that. It is a must. Don’t leave home without it.

Cook about four hours or until the ribs are limp. Wrap tightly in foil and cook for another hour. The ribs will fall off the bone.

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CISS changed family lives. I have a grandson aged 5 and granddaughter, 3. By all accounts, they should be in some type of school. Well, I’ll say, that has been the norm for so long, we thought they should.

With Covid, that could not be; or my son, Alan, and daughter-in-law, Katie, decided it shouldn’t happen. They say that necessity is the mother of invention. Using that philosophy, “Covid Elementary” was formed with Katie Case as its principal, headmaster and teacher of reading, writing, music, arithmetic and art.

The blessing you ask? One more year they will nurture their children, and I have no doubt it will have benefits that outweigh the formal tutoring. Can we say, thank you Covid? You must also realize, Alan is supported by his own BGE. Brenda, I and the BGE have cooked numerous dishes together. To name a few: cold smoked salmon, smoked cabbage, smoked pears, pizza, chili and Hungarian Goulash. One of our favorites is Wagu beef ribs. Here is how: Get prime beef ribs (just like baby back pork, but beef). They will be much longer

than baby back ribs. Prep them just like you did the pork ribs. I like to use a rib rack for cooking. Yes, BGE makes one of those too. It will take a little less time than the pork ribs but follow those directions for this beef prep too. You’ll love it.

I think one of the things that I have learned with CISS is that you can retrain your habits. For years, I have spent Wednesday afternoons with a group of buddies enjoying a cocktail. We met around 5pm and I left about 6:30 usually. I was not addicted to the drink, but I was addicted to the camaraderie. I felt like something was amiss if I did not go. Well, Covid stopped that. I miss my buddies, but I don’t have that need to go. I would rather be with Brenda and my BGE and, occasionally, a few Covid-conscious friends.

This story does not mean to belittle the hardships that many businesses have endured. Yes, we are feeling it too. So goes the economy, so goes the insurance business. We hear the stories of economic heartbreak and we hear the stories and know the people that have lost loved ones.

I respect that. However, if you diagnose

yourself with CISS, just crank up the BGE and enjoy yourself with those you love.

Now, let’s have some dessert: Fill the BGE to ¼ full. You will want to reach 250 degrees.

Split a half dozen pears lengthwise. Take a spoon and remove the seed section, creating a little dip to hold liquid. Use a stick of butter, one teaspoon of cinnamon, one teaspoon of nutmeg and ½ teaspoon vanilla flavoring. Heat in microwave until melted. Add brown sugar until you reach desired sweetness. Return to microwave to melt the sugar.

Dip pears in sauce. Put on grill, adding sauce to the depression in the pear. Cook until pear is soft. Serve with additional sauce and ice cream. Blue Bell, of course.

It is hard to change habits but Covid has done things nothing else could do. They say it is hard to teach and old dog new tricks.

That may be. However, I must add, my oldest son, Chef Chris, is an Egg Head too.

John S. Case April 2021

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NORTHSHORE

New Healthcare Choices Now Available on the Northshore Our Lady of the Lake Physician Group has grown, expanded and refreshed patient care services in Slidell.

In early January, the Our Lady of the Lake Physician Goup opened new offices inside the Fremaux Medical Office Building at 1810 Lindberg Drive, Suite 1100, conveniently located near the Fremaux Town Center and I-10.

Primary care and specialist providers offer a wide array of healthcare services, including rapid COVID-19 testing, same-day access to care, and on-site lab and x-ray services. Other services include preventive medicine, acute illness care, major injury treatment, wellness visits, physical exams, school and sports physicals and chronic disease management. The primary care clinic is located on the first floor of the building with 10,000 square feet of space and 21 exam rooms.

president. “We’re committed to making it easier and more convenient for Northshore residents to access the care they need when and where they need it.”

On the Northshore, Our Lady of the Lake offers 20 primary care providers, nearly two dozen specialists and two pediatricians and support staff who perform more than 70,000 clinic visits each year.

Additionally, Our Lady of the Angels Hospital in Bogalusa employs more than 500 team members and is the center of a rural family medicine residency program that provides training for 18 LSU medical school resident physicians.

All this means YOU have more healthcare choices than ever before.

The new facility has 60,000 square feet of space on three floors and was designed to accommodate future population growth as well.

What’s more, next door to the new medical office building is the new Our Lady of the Lake Surgical Hospital, which provides outpatient surgical care, connecting you to seamless service.

“We are providing comprehensive health and medical services to the Slidell community,” said Rene Ragas, Northshore region

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by: Mike Rich, CFP® | Pontchartrain Investment Management

Piccoli Passi “Baby Steps”

By the time you read this article, I will have passed a significant milestone in my adult life. On March 25, 2021, I marked four years of studying the Italian language. I have studied every single day for at least 30 minutes. I have not missed one day in four years, even when Mary and I were on vacation in Italy, of all places. For the past year or so, I have met at 7:00 nearly every Wednesday morning with Martina, my online teacher who lives in Tuscany, for a weekly one-hour lesson in grammar and conversation.

I also participate in another online group of students from around the world, and in an almost-monthly gathering of Italian-learning friends here in Slidell. My studies have become such a regular part of my life that skipping a day is unthinkable. Obsessive? Yes, but I can think of worse.

subject matter at a time. Those baby steps eventually add up, brick by brick and step by step (passo passo, as they say in Italy). It’s frustrating for me at times, but when I find myself actually understanding the words in one of the many Italian videos I watch, I realize that I’m making progress.

Learning a foreign language is tough, especially for an old guy like me. However, I’ve discovered that my daily studies – even as little as 30 minutes – can lead to real progress.

If I had the time to spend all day on my studies, I doubt it would be effective. I learn best by taking little bits of the

For example, when it comes to building wealth, time can be your most important asset. Think about this: a 25-year old who invests $300 a month at an average 6% rate of return can amass about $600,000 in 40 years. That’s real money, and $500 a month makes her a millionaire. Yes, it

That’s the way it can be, too, when it comes to building wealth. Most of us do not accumulate money quickly. If we are fortunate enough to build a nest egg for the future, we have to grow it bit by bit over a long time. Baby steps, passo passo. Just like my frustrations with not making progress in Italian, it can be frustrating to see how slowly an investment might grow, or even to watch it decline in value from time to time. However, for those who persist?

The results can be worth it.

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might take years and years, and there are no guarantees.

Also, you have to be consistent, and it helps a lot if you have an advisor to help you manage risk and keep you on track. What’s that? You don’t have $300 or $500 a month to invest? Start with $50 then. No matter the amount of money you have to work with, practically anyone – young and old – can use this strategy. The best time to start is today.

Learning Italian might not be on your must-do list, but I don’t know many folks who do not want to accumulate money for the future. My baby step approach to learning can work equally as well to help get you on the road to your financial goals. Give me a call today, and let’s get started.

Ciao!

Securities and Advisory Services offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor, Member FINRA/SIPC 1 This is a hypothetical example and is not representative of any specific situation. Your results will vary. The hypothetical rate of return used does not reflect the deduction of fees and charges inherent to investing. The Rule of 72 is a mathematical concept and does not guarantee investment results, nor does it function as a predictor of how an investment will perform. It is an approximation of the impact of a targeted rate of return. Investments are subject to fluctuating returns, and there is no assurance that an investment will increase in value. Investing involves risk, including loss of principal.

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

10 Fun Facts About the Italian Language 1) Italian became the official language of Italy in 1861.

2) The standard Italian alphabet has only 21 letters, because J, K, W, X and Y aren’t used in Italian words.

3) Italian is considered one of the closest languages to Latin.

4) Some Italian words are misused in English, like “panini” which is a plural in Italian & refers to multiple sandwiches.

“A panini” is singular in English, confusing many Italian speakers.

5) Approximately 66 million people speak Italian worldwide.

6) Over 700,000 Americans speak Italian.

7) The word “volt” was created by an Italian. Alessandro Volta was an Italian scientist and inventor whose last name is where the word “volt” originates.

8) The Italian language loves double consonants.

9) The longest Italian word (used in everyday speech) contains 30 letters. “Precipitevolissimevolmente” means “very hastily.”

10) The word “America” comes from Italian. America is named after Amerigo Vespucci, the 15th-century Italian explorer.

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Story by Liv Butera

A botanical art exhibition entitled The Revery Alone Will Do will be on display at the Slidell Cultural Center at City Hall starting April 9th and running through May 21st.

The spring show will feature the floral work of nine artists working in or around the Slidell area. As curator, this will be my third time organizing a show in this historic space. It is always an exciting honor to represent the city and provide opportunities for the talented artisans in our community.

The Revery Alone Will Do will feature work by Emily Binder, Martha Whitney Butler with The French Potager, Emma Fick, Rachel Jung with Rayco Design, Solange Ledwith with Swampgirl Glass, Angel Komazec, Laura Scariano, Rachel Lagarde Walker, and Dustin Young.

Emily Binder is a local teacher and painter. Many of us have her wood slice ornaments hanging on our Christmas tree each year. Her large colorful magnolia abstract will be one of my favorite highlights of the show.

Angel Komazec of the local husband and wife furniture building team The French Address will be debuting a Top: Art by Emily Binder 20

Spring Art Show at Slidell City Hall

large-scale floral abstract painting that is currently in the works.

Martha Whitney Butler of the French Potager in downtown Bay St. Louis will be arranging a dried floral piece in their shop’s iconic head planters, which will be situated alongside Covington artist Rachel Lagarde Walker’s new series of head planter paintings.

Revery will also feature five paintings

by Emma Fick. Fick grew up on the Northshore and now resides in New Orleans. Heavily inspired by her time teaching and creating in Serbia, Fick’s work has a conceptual focus on hybrids: merging Louisiana-specific symbols and ancient Byzantine frescoes.

Her current work, all watercolor and ink on paper, explores cultural, biological, and floral hybrids and the endless permutations they allow.

Emma and I worked together for this exhibition and chose 5 existing works, two from her Blue Roots collection.

The other three are from her Lousiana Roots series.

Emma says, “In the Collected Marvels, Louisiana Roots series, the patterns featured on vessels and background textiles are collected from distant lands, either via travels or books.

By contrast, all florae sprouting from the vessel are native to Louisiana, plucked - sometimes figuratively, sometimes literally - from my own backyard. Building on similar ideas from previous series, these paintings are visual musings on identity, travel, growth - where we come from, what we collect, how we grow. No matter how much exploring we do, how many new ideas we accumulate and showcase, our roots remain linked to where we’re from.”

In contrast to the painted vessels featured in Emma Fick’s work, the exhibition will also feature physical vessels created by two Slidell artists. A collection of ceramic vases by local potter Laura Scariano will be on display, along with the glass creations of Solange Ledwith with Swamp Girl Glass.

Blue Roots 3 by Emma Fick

Revery will mark the debut exhibition for local artist Dustin Young. Young specializes in single-line floral drawings.

Single line, quite literally means he creates these detailed works in a single line, not picking up his pen until the drawing is complete. I started following his work on Instagram last year, and I am blown away by every new piece he creates.

While this will be the first formal exhibition for Young, he was recently commissioned by Starbucks for the Starbucks Art Program. For the show’s poster, I chose his piece Okra and Bloom. When I first saw the work during our virtual studio visit a few weeks ago, it immediately struck me.

Like all good Cajun girls, I am very familiar with okra, but I had no idea it was a flowering plant! Rediscovering something already so familiar perfectly captures the essence of this exhibition!

I knew I wanted the show to be very floral. Like many of you, I sought nature more than ever this past year.

My family and I lived in our backyard and explored the entire Tammany Trace and Camp Salmen Park. When cabin fever set in, these outings were the safest way to get out and have an adventure as a family. When it got too hot to be out, I filled every table in our home with cheap grocery store flowers in an effort to mimic the therapeutic quality that comes from being out in the great wide.

Thinking back on these adventures inspired me to reach out to Rachel Jung with Rayco Design. A selfdescribed adventure addict, Rachel runs a successful graphic design company here on the Northshore. Her work radiates a sense of adventure that I wish I could bottle up and pour into my coffee each morning. We will be featuring a few of her digital illustrations that are inspired by the Lousiana landscape.

Most of the work in the exhibition was created during the height of the

pandemic. That knowledge largely influenced my thinking when deciding on the name of the show.

The show’s name is derived from Emily Dickenson’s 1755 poem To Make a Prarie, in which the poet says, “revery alone will do if the bees are few.”

Dickenson, who lived much of her life as a recluse, was an avid gardener and botanist. She wrote a lot about flowers, including this poem which could be a universal anthem at the moment. While the bees (i.e., togetherness, opportunity, normalcy) are few, revery alone will do. Dreaming will do. Creativity will do. Imagination will do.

Okra and Bloom by Dustin Young

Revery is meant to offer cathartic moments that provide the audience with an aesthetically beautiful and healing viewer experience.

It is a celebration of the ingenuity that came out of this last year. It is a toast to every loaf of bread we attempted to bake, every new hobby we embarked upon, and every artist and artwork that emerged during this time. It is also my own little ode to the Louisiana landscape that kept my mental health in check.

Head Planter by the French Potager

Thank you to all the artists in the show, Alex Carollo and the City of Slidell for trusting me, and to this community for supporting my practice.

Come out and see the show! All safety protocols will be in effect. We ask patrons to wear a mask and practice social distancing. Hand sanitizer will also be available.

Gallery hours are by appointment only Wednesdays - Fridays from 12 - 4 pm. Same-day viewings will be accommodated based on availability.

Please call the Department of Cultural & Public Affairs at (985) 646-4375.

The Slidell Cultural Center is located at 2055 Second Street, on the first floor of City Hall in Olde Towne Slidell.

Admission is free.

Bayou Sunset by Rachel Jung

Balance by Solange Ledwith 21

nvironmental Science Reporting" E " ns a e rl O w e N Donna Bush, Winner of 2020 Press Club of

Stained Glass Story and Photos

by Donna Bush If you’ve ever attended a Slidell Art’s Evening or one of the many other art focused events around Slidell, I’m sure you’ve admired many of our talented stained glass artists’ work. I’ve always respected the amazing artists that create such beautiful, detailed works.

1100 and 1500. The technique used was a closely guarded secret until early in the 12th century when a monk put together a handbook of the process.

He detailed coloring and blowing the glass, mixing paint, and putting windows together. Per my research, the techniques have hardly changed.

Stained glass artwork dates back thousands of years to medieval times and is most widely seen in cathedrals and churches.

The first stained glass manufacturing in the Americas began shortly after the colonists arrived in Jamestown in 1607. It turned out that England was running out of wood to fuel their furnaces to create stained glass. Since there was plenty of wood in America, production of stained glass became a new world trade. Many workshops were constructed, with one of the most famous built in Lower Manhattan by Jan Smeedes in 1679. Another famous studio was by William Gibson who was known as the “Father of Painted Glass.”

The Puritans did not like the religious scenes depicted on church windows like the Churches of England, so sadly less than 1% of colonial stained-glass windows still exist. Luckily, that way of thinking did not last too long.

One theory is that glass was accidentally discovered over 5000 years ago by Phoenician sailors when they were cooking their dinner over an open fire. Their pots were placed on lumps of salt on the riverbank sand. In the morning, they discovered that the heat of the fire on the pots melted the sand which mixed with the salt and wood ash to form glass. The earliest recorded use of glass was by the Egyptians to glaze tiles, make beads and figures.

Excavations place the first known use to be 1500BC. Whether by accident or design, man discovered that, if he combined sand with other materials and applied heat, he could melt the materials; and, when they cooled, they held their color and shape.

In England, stained glass window making reached its peak between

22

St. Paul Lutheran Church New Orleans

During the 1700’s in Europe, the demand for stained glass surged and this period became known as the European golden age of stained glass.

The American golden age of stained glass began in the 1800’s.

Some of the most historically significant stained glass from the United States includes: Glass made between 1843 - 1848, located at St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Church by John and William Jay Bolton.

The works of Louis Comfort Tiffany, known for his creations of richly colored works of glass in the Art Nouveau style.

His signature iridescent glass was called Favrile.

The creations of Frank Lloyd Wright. While he was technically an architect, he founded geometric representations of natural motifs in stained glass and the use of angled glass.

Early on, glassmakers had no control over the color of their glass. Eventually, through accident or experimentation, they learned how to influence color. In the 8th century, a Persian chemist nicknamed Geber detailed several formulas for producing glass in various colors. He is often thought of as the “Father of Chemistry” and is credited with the discovery of adding oxides of metals to glass to change the color. Glass is traditionally colored by adding precious metals such as copper, cobalt, gold, or iron, depending on the desired color. Other substances will actually remove color from a finished product.

After discovering how to add color to the glass, they found that many colors would fade, darken or change shade due to day-in, day-out direct sun, resulting in deterioration of the work. Red, used extensively, was particularly vulnerable to fading. Artists around the world worked to develop a red glass that would not fade under direct sunlight. Eventually, it was discovered that adding a small amount of gold to the glass produced a red that would stand up to intense sunlight. The addition added to the cost of the glass. To this day, it is significantly more expensive to purchase a red sheet of glass.

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I was able to join local stained-glass artist Kelly Dellsperger in her studio to watch her work on a new piece. She was working on a mosaic, which is an easier type of stained glass to assemble, as soldering is not involved. Kelly had chosen a Van Gogh vase with flowers and planned to lay it out in an old window frame. Her glass portions were cut in various sizes of rectangles and triangles.

The pieces were glued in place and now she needed to let the glue dry overnight before grouting the gaps between the glass shards. This style of creating stained glass does not have to be as precise as soldered art.

Next, Kelly drew a quick pattern and selected some pieces of glass to demonstrate the soldering method of stained glass. She explained that there are many types and colors of glass: translucent, opaque, textured, streaky, etc., depending on your desired finished product.

Two copies of the pattern are needed: one to cut out as a pattern to glue on the glass and the other to lay your cut pieces of glass on. She recommends numbering the pattern pieces to help you remember where each

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Stained glass artist Kelly Dellsperger in her studio demonstrating how to cut, score, grind and solder glass.

goes. After the pattern is glued on the glass, a glass cutter is used to score the glass as close to the pattern edges as possible. A grinder is used to smooth out the rough edges. Then, she lays out the pattern and checks for a snug fit. Copper foil is needed to solder the pieces together. This is placed around the cut-out edges of the glass pieces. Once foiling is completed, flux is added to the copper foil and it is time to solder the pieces. After one side is completely soldered, the piece is flipped over, and the other side is soldered. Now it is time to frame the finished piece using lead channel came.

Lead came is the material that holds the separate pieces of glass together.

The lead came is an h-shaped channel so that the pieces of glass slide into either side. The joints are soldered together. Kelly explained that it is not necessary to do this, but it does add strength to the glass. The channel is cut and fit around all sides. Then solder a couple of rings to hook chain or wire for mounting. The final step is to clean the glass with a neutralizer, dry it, and add a glass wax to make

it sparkle. Then sit back and admire your work of art!

Since you can’t make a piece of stained glass without glass, I visited with Solange Ledwith of Swamp Girl Glass Blowing to learn how this is done. Solange explained that glass to be used for stained-glass windows was made from a rondel (plate). A rondel is a mouth-blown piece of art glass that has been spun into a circular shape. It is created by taking molten glass from a furnace with a blowpipe. Size of the rondel is determined by the amount of glass gathered. The molten glass is blown into a starter bubble. The second factor in determining the size is the circumference of the bubble.

The small hot ball of glass is attached to a pontil rod and broken from the blowpipe. The glass is reheated and opened with a pair of shears. This process of heating and opening is repeated until the desired size is achieved. The glass is then spun by the glassmaker to form a small, round rondel. It is tapped off the pontil and slow cooled to improve the structure and stability of the glass.

I’m sure all of you can bring to mind a favorite cathedral or building with amazing stained glass. When I asked for recommendations on Facebook, I learned of St. Paul Lutheran Church in the Marigny. The church is over 175 years old! In 1965, one month following their 125th anniversary, Hurricane Betsy caused extensive damage that resulted in their current stained-glass windows. The windows represent both Old Testament and New Testament characters.

My favorite non-church window is located in the Charles Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, CA. It depicts Snoopy at his best: dancing and smiling with Woodstock, skating with Woodstock, being Joe Cool and, of course, the Red Baron flying his Sopwith Camel!

While the great age of stained glass is technically over, there are still numerous stained-glass windows remaining all over the country. Remember, you can always purchase a piece of stainedglass artwork (yes, locally!) to bring the beauty of this age-old skill into your home.

Solange Ledwith of Swamp Girl Glass Blowing demonstrates 1.) How to add color to glass 2.) Glass blowing 3.)

Opening heated glass with shears 4.) Using a pontil rod to spin the glass into a round shape.

24

GLASS COLORS BLUE GLASS - Created by adding cobalt. Adding copper oxide produces a turquoise tinge. Depending on the concentration, adding nickel can result in blue, violet or black.

GREEN GLASS – A very pale green is the typical color of transparent glass. Addition of iron-oxide results in bluish green. Both chromium and iron-oxide give the color of a wine bottle. Chromium only produces a dark green, while tin oxide and arsenic results in emerald green.

PURPLE GLASS – Adding manganese provides an amethyst tint. Manganese, one of the oldest glass additives, has been used since Egyptian times. Adding nickel gives blue, violet or black glass depending on how much is added.

RED GLASS – The addition of a very small amount (.001%) of metallic gold produces a ruby colored glass, often called “ruby gold.” Addition of a lower amount produces a milder red, often known as “cranberry glass.” Addition of pure metallic copper results in a dark red, opaque glass. This glass is usually “flashed” or laminated and was utilized greatly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for the decorative effects achieved with sanding and engraving.

Pink and red glass are achieved by the addition of selenium. When combined with sulphide, a vibrant red creates “selenium ruby.”

TRANSPARENT GLASS – Looks colorless to the naked eye when thin.

Thicker pieces take on a green tint produced by iron oxide impurities.

There are a number of additives that can reduce the green tint, especially if the glass is to be used for plain window glass, rather than stained glass. Adding manganese dioxide or selenium reduces the green tint and produces sodium permanganate which may cause a slight mauve tint, similar to the glass in older New England homes.

WHITE GLASS – Opaque white glass was first used in Venice to create imitation porcelain. It was produced by adding tin dioxide with antimony and arsenic oxides. Louis Comfort Tiffany used this glass to create a variety of opalescent, mottled and streaky glasses.

Metals Used to Impart Color to Glass:

YELLOW GLASS – Silver compounds, such as silver nitrate, are applied as stain to the glass surface and fired on to produce colors from orange-red to yellow. The way the glass is heated and cooled can greatly affect the colors produced. Adding sulphur, along with carbon and iron salts, forms iron polysulphides and produces an amber glass that can range from yellow to almost black. With calcium, a deeper yellow color is the result. Addition of titanium produces a yellowish-brown glass. Cadmium along with sulfur results in a deep yellow, often used in glazes. However, cadmium is toxic.

Uranium from 0.1% to 2% can result in a fluorescent yellow or green.

The glass produced is normally not radioactive enough to be harmful, but if ground into a powder by polishing with sandpaper and then inhaled, it can be carcinogenic. If used with glass with a high proportion of lead, a deep red color is produced.

RED

WHITE

Antimony Oxides or Tin Compounds

Gold Chloride or Selenium Oxide

YELLOW

Cadmium Sulfide or Lead Compounds

YELLOW-AMBER Sulfur

FLUORESCENT YELLOW, GREEN Uranium Oxide

EMERALD GREEN Chromic Oxide

GREENS AND BROWNS Iron Oxide

AMBER BROWN Carbon Oxides

BLUE, GREEN, RED Copper Compounds

BLUE-VIOLET Cobalt Oxide

VIOLET

Nickel Oxide

PURPLE

Manganese Dioxide

“DECOLORING” AGENT

Manganese Dioxide or Sodium Nitrate 25

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n a r T

Breast Reconstruction L&L Article 031921 Slidell Mag.pdf

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3/19/21

3:06 PM

ional

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Recipe for

DISCLAIMER: These events are true. They are not about me!

Names have been changed to protect the ignorant. DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME.

Disaster

by Scarlett Maness

It was the 80’s... I was in my early 20’s. I attended college, had a part-time job, a large circle of friends and a steady boyfriend.

But I couldn’t cook, AT ALL. Making toast and instant coffee were the extent of my skills; and toast was iffy at best. I was jealous of those that cooked to rave reviews. I wanted to feel that pride that comes from delighting someone’s palate and having them experience the love I put into the preparation.

My best friend, Amy, was an excellent cook. She volunteered to be my mentor. She started with an easy meal to boost my confidence. She gave me a box of Hamburger Helper and sent me to the grocery to get the necessary ingredients. Seemed simple enough.

I approached the meat section, searching for the first ingredient.

Even with hundreds of selections, I couldn’t find what I was looking for, so I buzzed for the butcher. He came from the back and I told him I was looking for “brown beef.” He looked at me, eyebrows raised. He repeated, “You want brown beef?” “Yes.” I showed him the Hamburger Helper box. INSTRUCTIONS: #1.

Brown beef. Amused, he explained that “Brown” beef was a verb, not an adjective describing the beef. As an English major, I appreciated that; but it made it crystal clear that even Hamburger Helper was out of my league. This was the beginning of my relationship with the butcher.

?

1. BROWN ground beef

!?

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Amy was determined to make a cook out of me. She decided a roast would be the perfect thing to impress my boyfriend and family. She said the oven did all the work, and stuffing the roast with garlic was easy. I purchased a roast, freezing it to guarantee its freshness when the big day came. Two weekends later, I pulled the roast from the freezer. I had peeled whole garlic cloves and prepared fresh baby carrots and cubed, red potatoes to cook in the oven with the meat. This dish was going to be beautiful!

I removed the roast from the styrofoam tray and rinsed it, as Amy instructed. I attempted to pat it dry with a paper towel, which promptly stuck to the frozen meat-brick. I rinsed the paper towel off the roast and let the meat air-dry. As instructed, I took a paring knife and stabbed the meat to create a hole, in which to stuff the garlic. The meat slid across the counter. I retrieved the meat and tried again. And again. And again. I chased the roast from one end of the counter to the other. Amy had said this was easy, but that wasn’t my experience! I gave up on stuffing the roast. I salted and peppered all sides of the frozen meatsicle.

I needed garlic flavor. Plan B - I sprinkled the roast liberally with garlic powder, placed it in the roasting pan with the vegetables. I set the timer and waited for the magic to happen. Fifteen minutes later, the smell of garlic was wafting through the entire house. I was feeling confident that this meal was going to be legendary.

Another 15 minutes passed - smoke was pouring from the oven.

I opened the door to see that the roast was blackened. How was this possible?

Amy told me the roast would cook for 2 ½ to 3 hours. Thirty minutes to cook a 4-pound roast? Seemed ok to me.

(I remember reading that stuffed meats take longer to cook. Who knew a few cloves of garlic could add so much cooking time?) The vegetables were still crunchy, though, so I transferred them to another dish to continue roasting in the oven. I covered the roast with foil to let it “rest” until the vegetables were tender. I remembered Amy saying something about letting the meat “rest” before carving. I’m not sure how the meat got tired, but after chasing that frozen meatcicle around the kitchen, I was exhausted.

I set the table, adding fresh flowers, and a bottle of wine. When my guests arrived, I lifted the roast onto a beautiful platter. I noticed a puddle of red in the roasting pan, but thought nothing of it because Amy said a little pink was great. I spooned the perfectly roasted, fragrant veggies around the meat, opened a bag of salad and took a moment to revel in the glory of my successful roast dinner!

To make my boyfriend feel special, I asked him to carve the roast, giving him the electric knife. He stood at the head of the table. The anticipation of my guests was palpable as he revved the knife and approached the roast.

Seconds later, the table was covered in blood. Once the knife got past the blackened garlic powder, the first ¼ inch was a juicy mess. The center of the meat was still frozen solid. It was then that I noticed that the potatoes were bright pink, acting as sponges for the blood running from the bottom of the roast. There were looks of horror on the faces of my guests. Plan C My sister suggested we cut the roast into cubes and make a stew, which she did with my “help.” By the time dinner was served, we had emptied 3 bottles of wine. I could have served packing peanuts with hair mousse to

rave reviews. I made a mental note: Always have more than one bottle of wine at the ready until I mastered cooking. I called it Plan W. Amy, God bless her, remained determined to teach me to cook. She made a meatloaf that was to die for, which perfectly described my latest kitchen adventures. Again, Amy used the word “easy.” She said the trick to making meatloaf moist was adding a can of cream of mushroom soup. I didn’t ask for details. She said it was “easy” and, as a reasonably intelligent woman, I was sure I could use her soup trick but still make the finished product my own.

I went to the grocery meat counter.

Once again, I couldn’t find what I was looking for so I buzzed the butcher. Out came a familiar face. He recognized me instantly and smirked. I asked him for “two pounds of meatloaf.” Again with the eyebrows! The butcher glared at me, explaining that he sells “meat.”

The “loaf” part, he said, was up to me. He suggested that I buy a “tub of Trinity” and mix it with ground pork and lean ground beef. He handed me the pork and beef. I wasn’t sure what Trinity was, but it sounded like it had something to do with salvation and, in the interest of making my meatloaf a near-religious experience, I asked the butcher where I could find it. Sure enough, the produce department had tubs of Trinity. Turns out, it’s not a holy potion, but a mixture of onions, celery and bell pepper, neatly chopped. This still prompted an “Hallelujah” from me!

I purchased a large can of cream of mushroom soup and a loaf pan and headed home, prepared to impress.

Once home, I put the meats in a large bowl, added a generous amount of Trinity and some salt & pepper.

I read the instructions on the soup can, emptied it into a large pot, filled the empty can with milk as per the directions, and cooked the soup.

Pouring the hot mixture in the bowl, it filled the bowl to the rim. I transferred

it to a much larger bowl. I attempted to mix the “loaf” but it was too hot, and the meats were starting to cook, turning gray. I put the bowl into the fridge to cool and, fifteen minutes later, I again attempted to form a loaf. No amount of manipulation would make the gelatinous, swimming blobs form into a loaf. Plan B - I poured all of the gray slop that would fit into the loaf pan. I poured the remaining slop into 2 cake pans and put all three pans in the oven, fingers crossed for success.

An hour later, the oven timer rang. The kitchen smelled heavenly, just what I was going for! I couldn’t wait to see my browned loaves of awesomeness!

I removed the pans from the oven. The once-gray, gelatinous blobs were now brown gelatinous blobs, but with a fragrant, bubbly sauce. I had promised my family meatloaf, but slicing this mess was going to be a challenge!

Plan C - I boiled some noodles and poured the blobs and gelatinous sauce over them. I sprinkled dried parsley flakes over each serving for texture diversity, giving it that little, bitter crunch that goes so well with blobs.

I called it “Meatloaf Stroganoff.” My family’s expectations of my culinary prowess were reasonably low. Wine always helped! I served the blobs to my family. I prayed they were edible.

My family raved!! They said, “Bless the cook!” (Must’ve been the Trinity.)

Turns out that when Amy said she added a can of soup, that’s all there was to it. The downfall of my meatloaf was that it “got milk.” Amy had mentioned something about using breadcrumbs to firm things up, but baking bread seemed like way too much work.

Looking back, I was overqualified for “Worst Cooks In America.” But, I’ve come a long way since then.

I’m proud of my culinary resilience. No one else has my recipes. I’m thinking of writing a cookbook.

Plan Z: Never give up!

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Slidell: Our History Story by Ted Lewis

Slidell Bantam Baseball Association To put it mildly, Roman DeSpain is ready for his first turn at the plate.

Recently accompanying his grandfather, Dr. Jim Gosey, to register for his first Slidell Bantam Baseball Association t-ball season, 4-year-old Roman expressed extreme confidence in his ability to excel.

“I’ve been practicing with Paw-Paw; I can hit it,” he said. Even better than his older brothers, Trennon and Beau, who will be playing in the SBBA as well?

“Oh yes!”

Even from the long distance of more than 70 years ago, Donald McGinty knows exactly how Roman feels.

Back in 1950, McGinty was one of the original SBBA players, competing for the McGinty Red Sox, coached by his father, Slidell High School principal L.V. McGinty.

“It was unbelievable how excited we were,” said McGinty, age 7 then and now 77 and residing in Sugarland, Texas. “Our teams

had big-league names (actually, the team coached by local druggist Frank Cusimano was called “The Pills”).

“We may have only had t-shirts that first year but, to us, we were dressed like them, too. Man, I loved playing on that team.”

The crack of wooden bats may have been replaced by the ping of metal ones, but the emotions of thousands of boys – and since the 1960s, girls, too – remain remarkably the same.

With four SBBA graduates – Mike Fontenot, Will Harris, Xavier Paul and Ryan Eades – making it to the majors, it’s a rare youngster who doesn’t have the desire to reach those heights ignited by his – or her – introduction to organized sports.

When the SBBA, which has leagues for those through age 15, launches its 72nd season on April 10, it will mark the continuation of a long, unbroken streak of serving the Slidell community.

Opening pictures: The 1960 (left) and 1962 (right) SBBA Championship teams at the original fields (now Heritage Park). Photos courtesy of Wayne Thomas.

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That includes going through the 2020 COVID crisis, which struck just while registration was in progress. But somehow, they played.

To be sure, the season was delayed from its usual April start until June, there were no postseason tournaments for the All-Stars, and Fall ball, which is mainly considered an instructional rather than competitive component, was called off.

Additionally, the now-familiar COVID protocols were employed, including masks for all and social distancing that included reducing the size of the bleachers. The stands and dugouts were sanitized after every game.

Still, about 800 youngsters, down from the usual 1,200, participated. Some of the older softball leagues had to combine their groups; but otherwise, it was pretty much as normal with no more than the usual in-season attrition.

“Nobody knew anything at first,” said SBBA president Brad Smith. “But, above everything else, there was the desire to figure things out and see what we could

do to play later on. Everybody had to make adjustments and not everybody was happy. But the kids had a season, and that’s what mattered.”

While restrictions are easing up both locally and nationwide, this SBBA season will be played under the same protocols as in 2020.

But, instead of waiting until June, it is starting and ending at the traditional times, there will be USSSA All-Star competition, and the venerable Firecracker Tournament in July is on, as is Fall ball.

“The way we see it, last year was last year,” Smith said. “Things still aren’t quite back to where they used to be, but people are used to doing things like wearing masks now, even though we’re leaving it up to the individuals.”

However, the enrollment numbers haven’t returned to the prepandemic levels. Smith said lingering fears of exposure are a reason, plus just the effects of having our lives so disrupted have some families rethinking their priorities when it comes to things like baseball and softball.

Whether or not the numbers will ever return to their old levels, Smith added, is unknown.

But to SBBA past-president Charlie Hickman, just the fact that the group “figured things out,” and was able to not just cobble together a season last year, but to return to what is hopefully near-normalcy this year is just one sign of an enduring strength of the SBBA – the fact that it is, and always has been, a voluntary, non-governmental entity.

“We’ve always been community based,” he said. “The city helps out (donating $10,000 each year to cover registration for those who can’t afford it and doing a limited amount of maintenance work), but it’s still up to the parents, the grandparents, the uncles and aunts and cousins to make sure the kids are taken care of. We tell new people on the board to have a raincoat ready because, if it rains, no matter where you are, you’re going to hear from us to work the fields. That makes everyone feel invested in making the league succeed.”

Hickman knows of which he speaks.

Teams from 1970-1971 Photos courtesy of Kendra Maness and Richard Polk

His great-uncle, Carl Hickman, was one of the first SBBA board members. A field on the Sgt. Alfred Drive practice area bears his name. The sign was transported from the original SBBA fields, located on the current Heritage Park site, when the SBBA moved its operations to the Ten Acres area off Terrace Drive in 1978.

The original Ten Acres land was donated by the Fritchie family.

Judge Gus Fritchie, nephew of longtime Slidell mayor Homer Fritchie and a newly-minted lawyer back in 1950, was the first president of what was originally called Bantam Athletics Association (the present name was adopted a few years later).

Other inaugural commissioners were A.E. Carr Sr., William Folse, Johnny Panks and Jimmy Panks.

Besides McGinty and Cusimano, the first coaches were merchant Billy McDaniel and Lou Grusch, a dentist.

Floyd Fogg, a local minor league hero, was also there from the start. Fogg would continue teaching the game until his death in 2018 at age 91.

Other major presences in the 1950s included Fred Honaker, Hoover Garrett and Don Bowman. Gayle Galloway and Fred Odenkirk were among those taking over the leadership mantle in the 1960s.

Teams from late 1960s - early 1970s. Photos courtesy of Michael Kavanaugh and Peggy Odle Cornibe 31

Left: The undefeated Mites, circa 1976-78. Right: Norles Plaisance and Lou Fos waiting to umpire (date unknown).

Photos courtesy of Robin Plaisance Strecker

The first uniforms were provided by Eddie Holdsworth, White Kitchen, First Bank, Western Auto, Bosco’s and the enterprising pharmacist Frank Cusimano.

In other words, it was highly representative of the first families of Slidell at the time.

In those segregation days, however, the SBBA was for white boys only. It wasn’t until around 1960 before a separate league was established for African-American boys. It lasted for a decade before the SBBA was finally integrated.

Things were pretty spartan for SBBA in the beginning. “We only had two or three rows of bleachers, no concession stands or anything like that and our dugouts were just benches on either side of the baselines,” McGinty said. “But it was a big deal to us.

One highly-anticipated tradition of those early years was the opening-day parade. Decorated trucks, each bearing a team, would line up at Slidell High and travel down Gause to Front Street before turning off near the train depot.

After the move to Ten Acres, Salmen High was the staging area.

The route went up Pontchartrain Drive to Sgt. Alfred with a right turn on Fremaux before coming to Terrace Drive.

Robin Plaisance Strecker, who started in SBBA softball at age 9 in 1972 and played on both sets of fields – and experienced both parade routes – said the parades were discontinued only when the logistics of getting almost 200 trucks lined up, on the road, and then unloaded proved to be too much.

“You sure wanted to win every game because your teammates were your friends and the guys on the other teams were you friends, too, so you really wanted to beat them.”

“The horns would be honking and everybody was waving,” Strecker said. “Then when we got there, the mayor or somebody would make a speech and somebody else would throw out the first pitch.

It was just so much fun.”

Among McGinty’s teammates that first year were Eddie Bowden, Butch Badon, Billy Dale, Bobby Rougan, Mayo Canulette, Stan Pravata and the Abney brothers, Larry and Bob.

“The boys couldn’t hit the ball as well as we could because of the

Even more fun to Strecker was the season-ending softball game between the girls’ champion team and the boys champs.

SBBA players who have gone on to have professional MLB careers, l-r: Ryan Eades, Mike Fontenot, Will Harris, and Xavier Paul.

32

high arc,” Strecker said. “So we usually won. They didn’t like that too much but we’d have a pizza party afterwards and everybody was friends again.”

“The good thing about slow-pitch was that everybody could get a hit and everybody had to learn how to field the ball,” she said. “We might have scores like 33-30, but there was action all the time.”

The fact that Strecker’s first year in the SBBA was 1972 is a significant one. That was the year Title IX became the law of the land, supposedly guaranteeing equality of opportunity in sports and other areas, although it took a long time for the principle to be established along the lines we perceive it today.

As it was since the SBBA’s beginnings, the softball games were highly competitive because they were between friends.

But Strecker and the other girls benefitted from her having an activist father, Norles Plaisance, who, along with Jim Harrel, saw to it that the girls had equal resources as the boys.

“I must still have contact with 80 percent of the girls I played with,” she said. “We called ourselves the ‘SBBA Family,’ because it seemed like we were always doing everything together.”

“I don’t know if he had to fight many battles,” Strecker said of her father, who died in 2012. “But we always had the same number of fields as the boys and stuff like that. He coached a boys basketball team, too, and when I wanted to play, he just told them he was putting me on the team. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for us.”

Perhaps that was because Plaisance had three other daughters besides Robin, Terry, Dawn and Traci.

And if he rubbed some folks in the SBBA hierarchy the wrong way at times, hard feelings must not have lasted. In the mid-1980s, Plaisance was the group’s president.

During Strecker’s SBBA days, the girls played slow-pitch even though the high schools were playing the fast-pitch version by then.

Strecker served on the SBBA board of commissioners and coached her two grandchildren in t-ball, giving her nearly 50 years of involvement in the league on some level. It’s one she cherishes.

But even families go through periods of stress.

Travel ball is a league which plays out-of-town tournaments for much of the year rather than competing in regular leagues in the belief that it will enhance the players’ professional or at least college prospects. It has taken its toll on the SBBA numbers, especially since travel teams for younger boys and girls have become in vogue as well as for those of junior high and high school age.

Generally, players and their families who find that travel ball is not for them do not return to the rec-league level ranks.

Besides a decrease in players, which has caused registration fees to go up to offset lost income, there’s a loss of leadership because the parents of travel ball players concentrate their efforts there.

Opening Day circa 1993-1995. Photo courtesy of Charles Hickman 33

But there have been accommodations made because almost every travel ball player at least starts out on the SBBA level. For example, the travel teams rent SBBA fields for mid-week practice sessions.

In fact, Smith, who’s starting his fourth year at SBBA president, is the father of two travel ball players.

Charles Hickman, Carl’s nephew and Charlie’s father and a longtime fields manager for the SBBA, said it’s just changing times, although acknowledging something has been lost from the time he coached his sons in the 1980s.

“The kids on the travel ball teams are the ones who really want to be out there playing every day if they can,” he said. “They don’t have their faces in video games all the time, so you see how they’re getting something they can’t in SBBA. But we really miss their parents.”

Still, the SBBA can come together in times of crisis.

2016, Photo courtesy of Jon Nastasi Photography and Charles Hickman

It was true last year, and especially so in 2005 when Katrina struck Slidell full-force.

The summer season was over, but the facilities took a huge hit – downed trees and light poles, washed away fences, flooded fields and concession stands, and storage buildings where water reached almost five feet deep.

To Larry Breland, SBBA president in 2005, it was a jarring but ultimately rewarding experience.

“Our home was pretty severely damaged, but I think I was lot more upset when I saw the park for the first time,” he said. “The whole place looked unplayable and I didn’t know how we could get it ready for the spring.”

It didn’t help that there was no FEMA money, scarcely any from insurance either and the assistance the city could provide was limited due to its pressing problems everywhere.

But a church group from Oklahoma which used the fields as a staging area for its recovery efforts was a major help. Moreover, parents and others volunteered as never before to help rebuild the fields.

Come April of 2006, the season began on schedule. Needless to say, opening day was special.

“We were so proud of what we had accomplished,” Breland said.

“We were able to give the kids in the community some sort of normalcy, and it took everyone working together to make it happen.”

There are those, though, who say things haven’t been the same since Katrina for the SBBA. But, as Charles Hickman points out, times do change. However, there is hope.

Hope that 72-years from now, Roman DeSpain might be talking about the joy he got from playing in the SBBA. Hope that, as Charlie Hickman puts it, there will be memories of “being involved as a whole family. You don’t realize it when you are a little kid, but when you get older, you appreciate the time and effort they made for you. My dad would have the whole team sleep at our house on Friday nights because he wanted to make sure we’d all be ready to play the next day. Where do you find something like that anymore?”

Maybe you will, though. Because, as Charles Hickman puts it, “Baseball always endures. No matter what, it just goes on and on.”

Mayor Greg Cromer and Slidell Tennis Association Invites You to a

Tennis Town Hall Saturday, April 17 • 10 am • City Tennis Courts

Please come to discuss the future of Slidell Tennis Courts.

All are welcome. Win a free tennis lesson and other door prizes.

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*Henry J. Calamari Memorial Tennis Center, 2600-2698 2nd St, Slidell, LA 70458.

In the event of rain, the Town Hall will be in the John Slidell Gym, 105 Robert Blvd.

“Your Estate Matters”

By Ronda M. Gabb, NP, JD, RFC

Legal-ease

THE

DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS

If you were told you could win the lottery just by writing down your request exactly as the Lottery Commission required, VERBATIM, would you choose to deviate from the language provided? Would you risk the big payout knowing that a deviation may make it necessary to have your submission reviewed by their legal department in order to decide whether your language was “substantially similar” to the words required for you to win? Of course, you wouldn’t! So why do lawyers risk this for their own clients…all day, every day? Good question, huh?

The last few years have been ripe with case law (Successions of Brandt, Hanna, Liner, Booth, Bruce, Carter) whereby disgruntled heirs or legatees have tried to have these Wills (or Codicils) invalidated by making a claim that the attestation clause used by the attorney/notary was NOT “substantially similar” to the verbatim language provided by our Louisiana Civil Code. It is no different than

my analogy above, the Civil Code gives us the “gift” of that language, VERBATIM, and says if we use it, we are home free. Who would ever want to risk what a Court would consider to be “substantially similar?”

However, if someone cannot read or write, or sign their name, there are variations of the attestation clause, also given to us VERBATIM by the Civil Code. Believe me, we use those verbatim too!

My articles, written for laypeople, never recite the actual language from the Civil Code, except this time. Here is Louisiana Civil Code Article 1577, “Requirements of Form”, Section (2): In the presence of the testator and each other, the notary and the witnesses shall sign the following declaration, or one substantially similar:

As an added tidbit, when you read the attestation clause, what else does it tell you? Realize that there must be a minimum of four (4) people in that room, at the same time, while those Wills are being signed. Many of our clients admit that “the last lawyer didn’t do it this way.” Our office does the execution of Wills the exact same way, EVERY TIME.

“In our presence the testator has declared or signified that this instrument is his testament and has signed it at the end and on each other separate page, and in the presence of the testator and each other we have hereunto subscribed our names this ___ day of _____, _____.”

The vast majority of the Wills I draft have the verbatim Article 1577 attestation clause shown in bold above.

There are enough landmines and pitfalls in drafting Wills to begin with, so why take an unnecessary risk? We all know that death and money can surely bring out the worst in families.

In my opinion, risking the integrity of a Last Will and Testament by putting your “own spin” on the attestation clause, or deviating from its statutory requirements, is just “playing with fire.”

Remember, the Devil is in the Details!

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

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Sponsored By:

by: Jeff Perret, DVM | Veterinary Medical Center

The WALKING DEAD This is the story of how I, Jeffrey Perret, an unknown veterinarian from Slidell, Louisiana, became the inspiration for Herschel Greene, a beloved character on The Walking Dead. Names have been changed to protect the innocent.

with, say, a farmer, a mechanic, an engineer, etc, every survivor group should include a doctor. Seems perfectly reasonable.

I have a friend - let’s call him AJ. AJ is a first class, diehard, end-of-times “prepper.” I’m talking guns, ammo, seeds, antibiotics, non-perishable food, gold, the whole nine yards. He doesn’t know when the apocalypse is coming, or exactly what will bring it about it; but when it arrives, he damn well intends to be ready!

Flash back many years ago, when internet message boards are first becoming a thing. AJ starts sharing prepper ideas in computer chat rooms with like-minded individuals across the country. During one particular session, in a discussion of various survival strategies with a fellow prepper from California, the subject of medical care in a post-apocalyptic setting comes up. AJ’s chat partner suggests that, along

But wait. AJ has given this question quite a bit of thought himself. He points out that in the scenario under consideration, survivors will likely be living in a world without reliable electricity, computers, functioning hospitals, fancy MRI and CT machines, automated diagnostic equipment, huge support staffs, and so forth. Twentyfirst century MDs have become totally dependent on technology. They’re detached from their patients. They’re super-specialized. They can’t diagnose or treat anyone without all their modern equipment and doodads. Chat partner is intrigued; she asks AJ to elaborate.

“What we’d need,” AJ tells her, “is a doctor who can think on his feet. One who can get things done effectively in the field, under less-than sterile conditions. One who has a broad knowledge of all the organ systems; can perform

Dr. Jeff recommends:

36

what don’t you want them finding in the yard this easter? fleas.

Protect them. WITH BRAVECTO. ®

surgery and administer anesthesia; practice dentistry and cardiology one day, internal medicine and wound care the next. One who can handle anything that comes her way.

What we’d need”...wait for it... “is a veterinarian.” Brilliant!

“Take my friend, Jeff, for instance,” continues AJ. “He’s a vet. He’s middle-aged, about 5-foot- nothing (I’m actually 5”6’, thank you!), slow, overweight, basically useless in a fist-fight; and I don’t know if he’s ever fired a gun in his life. BUT, he’s cool under pressure, level-headed. If the bullets are flying overhead, I think I’d want him operating on me. Hell, this guy’s so laid back, sometimes I want to hold a mirror up to his mouth to be sure he’s still breathing!”

Fast-forward to 2011. AJ has just watched an episode of The Walking Dead. He’s not so impressed with the show; he’d just decided to try a random episode on the recommendation of a friend, but he probably won’t watch again. Then, as the credits roll, a name on the screen catches AJ’s eye. It’s a woman’s name, and she’s credited as an assistant associate producer in charge of character development, or some such title. Her name rings a bell.

He thinks for a bit, and realizes that it’s the name of the lady who was on that survival chat all those years ago.

The one from California; Los Angeles, California in fact; AJ is sure of it. And this episode features a character named Herschel who is a former veterinarian, and now part of a survivor group on a farm during a ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE! And he’s treating other humans!

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“Well, I’ll be damned!” AJ thinks to himself. “This phony stole my idea, ran with it, and she’s put it into her TV show! She probably took credit for coming up with it herself. She’s living the life in Hollywood, and I’m here with nothing to show for MY idea.”

Now, AJ has told me this story many times. He swears it’s true, and he’s sure that he’s right about his idea being deliberately stolen. But I realize that this whole chain of events is problematic. Herschel the vet appeared in The Walking Dead comic books years before the TV series premiered. Was this woman part of the comic books’ creative team too? And, what are the chances that AJ would remember her name so many years after a random computer chat session anyway? Is The Walking Dead even produced in Hollywood? So many questions. What’s a guy like me to think? AJ’s not usually very forthcoming with praise. So the compliment he pays me in the story, back-handed though it may be, is hard to let go of. Besides, I like the idea of having a claim to fame.

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The lady at the other end of the chat tells AJ that she’d never looked at it this way before, and that this veterinarianturned-human doctor idea is really interesting. The discussion goes on, the subject changes, and eventually the chat ends. She and AJ go their separate ways.

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

So, in the end, although I know that this is an unlikely story, it’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

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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

he t e v Sa

! e t a D

Keep Slidell Beautiful’s S ave t 13th Annual Golf Benefit he D a te!

Friday, OCTOBER 15, 2021 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 information about Keep Slidell Beautiful, call Trey Brownfield at (985) 646-9564.

Follow “Keep Slidell Beautiful” on Facebook.

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

we're TO ANNOUNCE THESE EVENTS COMING IN APRIL!

SLIDELL

GUN & KNIFE SHOW

H.E.R.P.

THE LOBBY LOUNGE PRESENTS

EXOTIC REPTILE & PET SHOW April 17-18

April 10-11

WILDEYES April 22

FORTITUDE

FIT FEST

April 24

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 39

YOUR LOUISIANA REAL ESTATE COMPANY BATON ROUGE • NEW ORLEANS • NORTHSHORE • & SURROUNDING AREAS CENTURY 21 Investment Realty’s Relocation Services makes your move any where in the world a smooth, hassle-free experience.

CALL OUR RELENTLESS AGENTS!

Top Agents | February 2021

GWEN MICHON

 Jeff Breland

Wendy Englande 

(504) 415-2652

(504) 913-4940

Top # Listings Top # Transactions

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985-502-5952

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Property Management Services • 37 Homes leased in 2020 • Your Property is in Good Hands • Experienced & Trusted Real Estate Advisor

2132 Summertree Dr. Slidell, LA 70460

WENDY P. ENGLANDE

504-913-4940

WENDY.ENGLANDE@CENTURY21.COM

Bayou Life!

203 PK Way / Slidell, LA 70460 LOCATED ON BAYOU PACQUET

We handle Property Management and manage each property as if it were our own because Great Service Matters! Servicing St. Tammany & surrounding areas!

Please contact our Property Manager Laura Mills 

228 Loop Drive Slidell, LA 70458

Bayou Life!

203 PK Way / Slidell, LA 70460 LOCATED ON BAYOU PACQUET

LAURA MILLS Property Manager 985-645-6235 PM@C21ir.com

JACKIE MILLER Broker / Owner 504-250-0469 Jackie.Miller@C21ir.com

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