Slidell magazine 44th ed: March 2014

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF SLIDELL

Arts Evening • March 22, 2014 • Olde Towne

magazin magazine Vol 44 March 2014

ARTSth EVENING 20 Anniversary

Showcasing Slidell’s Amazing Artists WE KEEP IT FRESH

SAY KEEP IT POSITIVE

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Green Oaks Apothecary

Handmade Aromatherapy & Herbal Remedies for Body & Home

Slidell Museum

Relive History! Featuring one-of-a-kind Civil War Displays

Terry Lynn’s Café

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Editor’sLetter In addition to being our main writer, Lee is often the public face of Slidell Magazine. He’s the inventor of the “Sli-Ku” (it’s so neat that we have a haiku in the mag each month!).

He’s a former stand-up comedian and it shows!

Since the beginning, Alan is the behind-the-scenes backbone of Slidell Magazine.

Every word, picture, color, and page number in our publication is designed by him.

Alan Lossett

Lee Kreil

Graphic Artist/ Photographer

Kendra with Louis Ochoa, owner of NOLA Southern Grill On Thursday March 27, Slidell Magazine and NOLA Southern Grill will be hosting a Business After Hours social. The party is from 5-7pm and promises to be filled with food, drinks, friends and fun. JOIN US! At the party, you’ll meet all of the writers, photographers and staff of the Slidell Magazine family. If you’re reading this now, you already know each of them. It is because of this wonderful collection of people and personalities that our publication is a success.

magazine PO Box 4147 • Slidell, LA 70459

www.SlidellMag.com • 985-789-0687

John Case

Mike Rich

Lori Gomez

Tempting the Palette

John Maracich

Crimi-Mommly Insane

Owner of Veterinarian Medical Center on Robert Road, Jeff has cared for my pets (about 200+) for the past 15 years. He makes complex pet problems easy to understand, with a doctor’s dose of humor.

magazine

MikeRich@mypontchartrain.com Rose@RoseMarieSand.com

Anyone who reads Leslie’s stories can relate to them.

Whether you have your own children or just put up with the neighbor’s brats, Leslie will have you laughing at the realities of family life.

Leslie Gates

Slidell 20/20

www.LoriGomezArt.com

Mike Rich Rose Marie Sand

What a phenomenal talent!

Lori is the BEST cook I know (I gorge myself at her home as often as I can), an amazing artist, and my best friend.

As the owner of Expo Signs, John knows well the business climate of Slidell.

He’s a full-time business owner, husband and father by day... and heavy metal rocker by night!

Contributing Writers:

Charlotte Lowry Collins

Rose Marie Sand Go Beyond

Making Sense of Your Money

Lee Kreil - Staff Writer

The Storyteller, John Case Jockularity, Corey Hogue Pet Points, Jeff Perret, DVM Slidell 20/20, John Maracich, III Crimi-mommly Insane, Leslie Gates Dan Crowley

Rose is an artist in the truest sense - she sees beauty in all things. Readers are welcomed on her travels each month, exploring the world and their own imaginations.

Mike has been with Slidell Magazine from the start. His passion for helping people shows in his financial advice, as well as his community activism.

Alan Lossett - Graphic Design

Lori Gomez

A modern day William Faulkner, John is a historian and storyteller with talent that humbles me. I am captivated by his tales each month and our readers are too! John’s stories always get the biggest reader response.

The Storyteller

Kendra Maness - Editor/Publisher Editor@SlidellMag.com

Donna Bush EFOP / Sli-Ku, Lee Kreil

Staff Writer (Sli-Ku, EFOP, Leadership Northshore)

Dr. Jeff Perret Pet Points

Donna’s ethereal photography and writing sweeps us up every month as she brings us closer to the beautiful things to be found in nature, and ourselves.

Donna Bush Nature Writer/ Photographer

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Story by Lee Kreil

ef o

Extraordinarily Fascinating “Ordinary” Person of the Month Sponsored by:

Arriollia “Bonnie” Vanney

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March 2014

Laissez Les “Bonnie” Temps Roulez “If History were taught in the form of stories…it would never be forgotten.” ~ Rudyard Kipling Over 40 years ago, the city of Slidell had no idea what it was getting when Arriollia “Bonnie” Vanney crossed Lake Pontchartrain with her husband, Val, and settled down into the south side of town.

She is a woman of infinite stature with an equally colorful vocabulary to match. Bonnie is the kind of Southern woman that you definitely want on your side; and bless you if you have to go up against her after she’s made up her mind that she needs or wants something. Imagine Scarlett O’Hara from Gone with the Wind and add 40 years of getting what she wants to that! Tenacity and passion - thy name is Bonnie.

Lucky for us and the City of Slidell, March’s EFOP is on our side. What she usually wants is the “stuff” of history; in this case, pictures, Mardi Gras throws and gowns, and family stories. But not for herself she wants it for us. Bonnie is collecting HISTORY so she can give it back to the people.

Spend any amount of time at all with Bonnie and I promise you will feel like you just attended the

coolest history lecture ever! A simple question asked or comment made to this author and historian quickly turns into an educational moment. While leaving the Slidell Mardi Gras Museum with Bonnie, a passing remark about street names, which ones were changed and why, triggered a lively response. Bonnie was like a 1900’s version of OnStar or Google Maps rifling off street names of the past, but actually guiding me from Pontchartrain Blvd. down Front Street and into Olde Towne via First Street, then to Carey. She just used the original street names and told me when they changed, where they stopped before continuing under another name (or as the familiar names we know today). It was like second nature to her.

No wonder Bonnie can rattle off stuff like that; it is who she is. Our EFOP has been many things over the years: a wife, mother, business owner, commercial fisherman, award-winning cook,

political advisor; but it is her role as author, researcher, and historian that keeps her going. As Bonnie energetically explains, “I see something and I want to know all about it so I’ll research the crap out of it. I’ll research anything! I know more damn stuff about things just because I got curious about it.” Oh, and I might have forgotten to mention that your history lecture comes with a PG-13 rating for colorful language! This love of research and her natural curiosity resulted in not one, but THREE books, with a fourth one in the works. She has a great story for how the books came about…

“At the time, I was entering all kinds of cooking contests and I was winning them, so everyone kept saying, ‘When are you gonna write a cookbook?’ So I said ‘Ok, I’m gonna write a freakin’ cookbook!’

But then I got to thinking about it, and every mother and her brother in Southeast Louisiana writes a freakin’ cookbook. It’s the truth! So I got all the recipes and wrote the book, but it needed

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something. I had to have a niche. My mother-in-law grew up down there between the Chef and the Rigolets and she had a lot of old pictures. So I thought - I’m gonna write a history of that area too. I began digging and digging through pictures and talking to the old people and going through their old pictures and decided to do the book.”

After nearly five years of research, she got all she needed to write the book, “An Island Between the Chef and Rigolets.” This and the companion book, “The Lost & Forgotten Communities of Chef Menteur-Rigolets & Lake St. Catherine In Orleans Parish” took a total of eight years to complete. It was a great honor and validation of her hard work and excellent research when both books were recognized by the State of Louisiana as THE source books for the histories of the Chef Menteur, Rigolets, and Lake St. Catherine areas. The information Bonnie took years to collect and document on paper is now regarded as historical fact! Both books also are included in the Louisiana Collection, the New Orleans Historic Collection, and the Library of Congress. Fearing Bonnie’s first book was going to be an exposé, many of the locals in the area weren’t going to talk to Bonnie because there was a lot of, in her words, “hanky-panky” going on…

“When the book came out, I was at the book signing in a bar down there and I signed 150 books in two hours. I saw people sitting there wide-eyed, flipping through the pages, making sure I hadn’t divulged something that I wasn’t supposed to say!” she said, making us both laugh. “I uncovered a lot of stuff but I wasn’t interested in all the goings-on. I was focused on telling the historical record. Needless to say, the book was a big hit, even if some people were buying it just to see if they WEREN’T in the book! I had to self-publish the book because people told me there wouldn’t be any interest in it. Boy, were they wrong! I’ve sold over 6,000 copies since it came out.”

The second book started out primarily focusing on Lake St. Catherine and the barriers, the development along the L&N Railroad line and the community of 745 people that called this area home. It wound up being somewhat of a before-and-after record of Katrina; what the storm actually did and what happened to the area. “It was just all gone. To see the pictures and then look at the devastation and see that nothing was left. The entire town was wiped clean off. I still have nightmares of the images to this day.” Bonnie and her husband, Val, would know much of what it was like when Hurricane Katrina went through this area. She and Val spent seven hours in a canoe during the storm with their 20 year old dog because their house was 6-8ft under water. They anchored their canoe by the porch under the eave on the side away from the blowing wind and rain and just watched the storm. That’s all they could do. She remembers taking in so much while watching the storm first hand. Two things that really stood out in her memory: the water was the coldest she had ever felt it in all here years of living by the water and she’ll never forget the sight of huge pine trees just bending over completely and snapping right back up between each gust of wind.

Nothing can keep Bonnie down; not even Hurricane Katrina. As she told me with resolve in her voice, “You gotta move on. What else can you do? You can’t just quit! We were lucky when all was said and done. Our house was flooded but we had plenty of food and water. Our couch stayed floating for some reason so we put the dog on the couch so she could be comfortable. As the water slowly dropped and the cleanup started, I realized that I had all my Mardi Gras stuff and didn’t know what the hell to do with it all. I had a huge display in the house. And, I still had tons of it in boxes.” Her solution came to her when she was visiting the Slidell Museum one day...

“I came in and looked around and didn’t see anything about Mardi Gras.

So I went to the library. You know what? They didn’t have a single book on Slidell’s Mardi Gras! They do now - because of course I wrote the thing!

When I went back to the museum, there were a few Mardi Gras beads in the corner in one of the display cases in the front. I said, ‘Is that all you got to show for our Mardi Gras?’ So I decided to do a Mardi Gras display there.”

Our EFOP was told there was an empty jail cell in the back (the Slidell Museum is housed in the former Slidell City Jail) and if she wanted that space to use for her display it would be alright. Bonnie started out in that empty jail cell in 2009. The single cell wasn’t even close to big enough so she started looking around and found the building right behind the museum. This is where Bonnie’s tenacity and fire came in handy. She had to fight for the building and, of course, she got what she wanted. She had

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to explain that this building wasn’t just for her but that it was “for the people of Slidell and those that participated in the darn thing for years!” A history lesson followed...

“The building housed the Juvenile Division of the Slidell Police Department before they moved everything over to the new building down the road. The Civil Defense called it home for a while as did the Sheriff’s Department. The building was in the process of being renovated when Katrina hit. Originally, it was the pump house so it’s a historic building and can’t be torn down. The city didn’t have the money to finish refurbishing it, so it went unused. I asked Mayor Drennan if I could have the building for the museum and he gave it to me for that use. It needed a lot of work and finishing to do.”

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There was a lot of work to be done; both on the building and for all the displays that would fill the museum. It was also at this time in 2009 that Bonnie got diagnosed with cancer. Have I mentioned yet that you can’t keep this woman down? It definitely bears repeating! As she would tell me, it took something as big as cancer to slow her down just enough to spend the next three years to organize and finish all the books that are in the new Mardi Gras Museum.

“I started working on the books the same year I got my diagnosis. We were traveling back and forth from MD Anderson in Houston all the time so it was a long drive. Once we got there and I did my tests, we would have to wait an entire day for the results, then I’d do a treatment, and we’d stay in a hotel and then drive back. We repeated this routine over and over and over. I had a lot of time to work on the books - in the car and at the hotel room. I had a lot of time to organize everything and get all the books finished.”

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And finish it she did. The books are the most complete record of every Krewe and parade that has rolled through the streets of Slidell. Many of the books are scanned onto disc now for posterity; no more lost or ruined pictures as a result of flooding and storms again. Bonnie also has many of the negatives of the original pictures so if someone wants a picture, it can be redeveloped.

Over 800 items make up the displays within Slidell’s Mardi Gras Museum.

She also searched for and obtained many of the ornate costumes that are the focus of the Krewe’s royalty and iconic to every parade.

“What are you gonna do with a dress like that after the Ball and parade? You can’t wear it around the house? So I started asking for them. When you’re riding on a float, people cannot see how much work goes into these costumes.

You’re talkin’ about a lot of nickels here! Some of these have to be around $1,200 or more. A lot of work goes into making these gowns. I wore the black one to the City’s 125th birthday bash at City Hall because we wanted to dress in period clothing. Let me tell you, it’s heavy and plenty warm too! It was a cool night but I was plenty warm. They are actually quite comfortable for how heavy they are.”

She went on and on about many of the dresses and gowns. Story after story, as only Bonnie can do. It’s easy to remember them all because she isn’t giving a lecture. She is telling stories with passion - as only a true historian can.

Visiting the Mardi Gras Museum is like stepping back in time in Slidell. It is one of the most colorful rooms you’ll ever visit. And, as Bonnie is proud to boast, you can take pictures of everything and feel the costumes and touch things unlike most other museums. Stop in and take a tour to see all the hard work Bonnie has done in putting the museum together.

So what is next for my EFOP? She has a new book coming out sometime during the summer. It is the story of us - Slidell. It is part of the Images of America series covering a lot of the smaller towns across the region. “The book is gonna be called “Slidell”. Mayor Drennan told me they wanted a history written about the city and he thought it sounded like something I would want to do. He also said, ‘This is gonna look great on your resume’.

I said, ‘Freddy, I’m 67 years old! It might look good on my obituary! I’m trying to stop! Why the hell would I wanna go to work?”

Because research and history are in her blood, that’s why. Bonnie is ahead of her deadline and has already received approval on the cover. She has just mailed off the book to be edited and formatted. Her history of Slidell will join the other three books she has written and, like those books, I’m sure this one will be used by others for many years to come as a primary source of information about Slidell.

If you have any information, pictures, stories, or articles to donate or lend to the Sidell Mardi Gras Museum, Bonnie Vanney would be more than happy to oblige. And, if your lucky, she just might tell you a story...

© Konnie’s Gift Depot 2013

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Music by: Ronnie Kole Trio Bobby Ohler & The Harbor Band The Storyville Stompers

LIVE MUSIC • DANCING • SILENT & LIVE AUCTIONS

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An annual two day event benefiting Easter Seals Louisiana and STARC

Chateau Kole on Bayou Liberty

Sat urday & Sunday March 22 & 23 3 pm – 7 pm

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$100/person. Tables for 10 people are $1,000 with the table reserved in your name.

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TICKETS:

Wines, Champagne and Budweiser Products compliments of Champagne Beverages

• Paul Prudhomme’s K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen Executive Chef, Paul Miller • John Besh’s La Provence • Drago’s Seafood Restaurant • Pinewood Country Club • Patton’s Salmen-Fritchie House • Andrea Apuzzo, Andrea’s • Tommy & Frank Wong, Trey Yuen • Desserts by Royal Sonesta Hotel • Le Foret • John Besh’s Lüke • Michael’s Restaurant • LA Pines • Ann Sergie’s Assunta’s • The Original Italian Pie • Café Lynn • Nathan’s • Copeland’s • Starbuck’s • Southside Café • Chesterfield’s • Blue Bell Ice Creameries • Chateau Bleu • Sapphire Restaurant • Sweet Cheeks Cakes • Silver Slipper Casino • Zea’s • Christopher’s on Carey • Bonnie C’s • NOLA Southern Grill • Sunrise on Second • Fox’s Pizza Den

2014 INVITED CHEFS & RESTAURANTS

Bubbly on the Bayou Patton’s • 11am-3pm

St. Patrick’s Day Parade Olde Towne • 1pm

Grand Opening Sculpt Fitness 3 - 5pm

Free Business Counseling Chamber Boardroom

BY RSV. ONLY • 9am

April

Hard Hat Party New Chamber Building 5-7pm

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Grand Opening Diagnostic Imaging Services 3 - 5pm

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Grand Opening Bazelle’s Bakery 3 - 5pm

Restaurant Roundtable Chamber Boardroom • 9am

18

11

KREWE OF CHAHTA-IMA KREWE OF SKUNKS Lacombe • 1pm

4

TUE

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2

Chamber Anniversary Luncheon Trinity’s Banquet Hall 11:30am-1:30pm

Chamber 101 Chamber Boardroom 9am

Networking at the Nest Pelicans Game Meet at Chamber: 4:30pm

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5

WED

Business After Hours Wingate by Wyndham 5-7pm

Business After Hours CiCi’s Pizza • 5-7pm

Grand Opening Massage Envy Spa 3 - 5pm

Communications Committee Olde Towne Soda Shop • Noon Thursday Evening Bass Tournament from 3/13 - 7/24 Lock One Canal • Pearl River

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YOU’RE INVITED! Business After Hours Slidell Magazine and NOLA Southern Grill 5-7pm

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20

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Communications Committee Olde Towne Soda Shop Noon

LABI Legislative Issues Conference Pinewood Country Club • 11:30am

6

THU

Luau Party from 8 - 11pm following Golf Event All are Welcome - $20/person

Registration 5pm • Tee Time 6:15pm

Pinewood Golf Course

Fragniappe Harbor Center 10am - 6pm

City Council Forum Pinewood Country Club 8-9:30am

Jr Auxiliary & SMH A Day for Girl’s Health SMH Cancer Center 1-5pm

Gumbo Cookoff 8th St/Gause • 11am-3pm Jazz on the Bayou Chateau Kole • 3-7pm Jag Fest Pope John Paul • 7pm

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Radium Girls • Slidell Little Theatre 8pm

Die Mommy Die • Cutting Edge Theater 8pm

Arts Evening Olde Towne 5pm

22

Radium Girls • Slidell Little Theatre 8pm

Die Mommy Die • Cutting Edge Theater 8pm

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Radium Girls • Slidell Little Theatre 8pm

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Liars & Lunkers Bass Tournament Lock One Canal Pearl River

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SPONSORSHIPS STILL AVAILABLE!

Annie • Cutting Edge Theater 8pm

EYP Twilight Golf LUAU Pinewood Golf Course • 5-11pm

“A Fair to Remember” 1984 World’s Fair Photos show runs March 22 - April 26 Slidell Cultural Center The Maltese Falcon Reading Slidell Little Theatre • 7pm

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SAT

Die Mommy Die • Cutting Edge Theater 8pm

FRI

Grand Opening Fremaux Town Center • 10am

14

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EYP Twi light Golf Tournament & Luau March 28, 2014

Ambassador Meeting TBD • Noon

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Bayou Jam Boogie Men Heritage Park 5:30pm

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HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY!

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MON

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Jazz on the Bayou Chateau Kole • 3-7pm

Radium Girls Slidell Little Theatre • 2pm

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Radium Girls Slidell Little Theatre • 2pm Chef Soiree Bogue Falaya Park Covington • 5-9pm

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LPO Concert Slidell Auditorium 2:30-4:30pm

Radium Girls Slidell Little Theatre • 2pm

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LAST CHANCE! Salad Days Juried Exhibition of Student Art Slidell Cultural Center show runs through March 8

2

SUN

www.estchamber.com

Look for the RED Fleur de Lis For more info: 643-5678

Chamber Events!

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M A R C H

A

JOE

First in a Series

About twelve years ago I wrote a book. For the next seven years I rewrote it many times. It was a decent story, but not well written. I lack the discipline to edit a 300 page book so that is why I now right short stories and magazine pieces.

passed by on the path, glancing in our direction as if to say, “Is it ok?” He had on a dirty red cap, raggedy blue jeans, a torn tee shirt and he was barefooted.

Later that day, he came back and under his arm was a loaf of bread. The day was hot and he looked tired so I ran to the path and asked if he wanted some water. If the truth be known, I wanted someone to play with. I pointed to the house.

The book was named The Goat Tree Odyssey.

It dealt with the civil rights struggles of the 1960’s, solving a forty year old murder case and the narrator’s teenage infatuation with an older girl. It was once written in the first person, then changed to the third person and finally back to the first person. After that, it was shelved and there it has remained for the last five years or so.

Unless my children dig out the manuscript, it will never be published, but I thought some of the characters were worthy of a short story at least. This is the first in what may become a series. Joe was probably my favorite character so I will start with him.

I first met Joe when I was about twelve years old. He, his mother and at that time two sisters, lived in an old house that had once been a plantation home before the Civil War. Now, don’t conjure up any imagination of ornate columns or chandeliers. It was never that kind of home, but it was much nicer then than it was when Joe’s family lived there.

When they lived there, it was less than a shack.

Rooms had been torn off one by one so the wood could be used for other purposes. There were no

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doors, no windows and not much roof. The trees and underbrush had grown up around the house to the point that there was no driveway and the only access to the house was a foot path that led a distance of about a mile to the highway. That path came down the edge of our property.

Even for that time, these people lived in poverty.

Pictures I see today of third world countries and the starving people are no more real than the situation under which Joe was living at the time.

These were before the days of our present social programs.

I remember the first day I saw him. Even though he was two years older than me, he was smaller and frightfully thin. I could see him as he hastily

I thought he was being funny when he said that, but I would hear this again, or something similar, on several occasions in the coming years. We started to the house. I went in the door and headed to the refrigerator. I noticed he did not come in. Looking back, I can best describe it as a dog that has been trained not to cross the threshold. He waited. Then I understood. I took the water to him, got myself a glass and we both went outside. You see, I was white and Joe was black.

In the coming weeks, I would watch for him and I got to know his schedule. Every fourth day, he would walk through our yard to the store and buy a loaf of bread. On his return, if he saw me in the yard, he would stop and talk. These visits became longer and longer and our conversation turned into a friendship.

In the summer, they had a small garden.

There was a small creek that ran along the base of a hill between our place and the shack where he lived. Our first bonding of friendship came the first time we fished this creek together. He liked to fish, but the real excitement was in claiming the fish. I soon realized that probably this was all they had to eat. I was correct.

He confessed to me that a loaf of bread every four days was their main diet, but he did sometimes kill a woodpecker; or if lucky, a rabbit or a squirrel with his slingshot. I always gave him the fish I caught.

I found out that he did odd jobs at Newby’s junk yard for the privilege of his family living in Mr. Newby’s shack. He also told me that he tinkered with lawnmowers, chain saws and other small engines that were brought in. He said he was pretty good at repairing them.

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One of the chores that my brother and I had to do was cut the lawn. It was not your normal lawn.We had a two acre yard that had once been a corn field, so the terrain was rough. We had a power mower but it was a push type and we hated having to do this job. We would put it off as long as we could, using such excuses as the grass was too wet. But our best excuse was that the motor would not crank.

On that particular morning, before going to work, Dad cranked the mower to make sure it was working. He gave us an ultimatum. The grass was to be cut by the time he came home from work “or else”. We knew what “else” meant.

We cut the grass until the first tank of gasoline was burned. When it came time to refill the tank, we got the idea to urinate in it. We felt sure this would keep it from running and our sabotage would not be discovered.

It worked. At least the motor would not run. That evening when Dad came home, he went straight to the mower before even asking us what happened. We prayed it would not start. He pulled the rope time and time again, with no success. We began to feel somewhat sorry for him as the sweat rolled down his khaki shirt. We knew he was tired from putting in a hard day’s work in the hot sun.

About that time, I looked up and saw Joe on the path.

“Dad, there is that colored boy Joe, and he says he can fix engines. Why don’t we let him try?”

“Get him over here; at least he can pull on the rope some.”

Joe did not even pull the rope to try to crank the engine. He immediately went into diagnostic mode. He took a nail that he retrieved from his pocket, inserted it in the spark plug wire and then touched the other end to the casing of the motor. He made sure to handle the wire on the insulated portion.

“Give her a pull, Mr. Johnny.”

Again, being called ‘Mr. Johnny’ shocked me, but by now I had realized that Joe knew well how to live in a white man’s world. I pulled the rope.

Sparks jumped from the nail to the engine block. “It be getin’ fire, good fire, points and condenser be just fine. Let me check the gas.”

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He opened the tank on the lawnmower and smelled the gasoline. Then, to my horror, he put his finger in it and then to his mouth to taste it. I felt terrible that my friend was sampling the urine laced gasoline in an effort to help me and my family. Of course I did not feel bad enough to stop him.

“Yo’ gas be plum bad. You got any good gas?”

Dad answered, “Yea, up in the shed is a fresh can.”

Without hesitation, Joe took off to the shed. It was getting late in the afternoon and, in a few seconds, all you could see was the reflection of the lighter color of the bottom of his bare feet. In a flash, he returned with the gasoline.

“First, we’s got to drain that bad gas out.”

He disconnected the sediment bowl and put his mouth on the opening to the gas tank. As he blew to make sure all the bad gas was gone, again I felt bad because I knew that we had splattered around that opening with our imperfect aim.

Two quick pulls on the rope and it cranked. Dad gave him a quarter and thanked him. He, in turn, thanked Dad. Time passed and one day Dad saw him and me returning from digging worms for a fishing trip we planned the next day. He called me aside.

“Son, you need to quit playing with that colored boy.”

“Why Dad? He is my friend.”

The next Monday, just before daylight, we were still sleeping when Joe and his mother came to our house. They waited in the yard until they heard noises inside meaning we were awake. It was easy to tell that Joe’s mother Mary was pregnant.

She came every Monday for the next few months and one day, when she got ready to go home, she asked Mother if she could have some Clorox.

In those days, it came in a glass bottle. Mother assured her that she could and Ms. Mary took it, along with an arm load of newspapers she had been collecting.

The next Monday, she did not come. Joe came, but she did not. He told us he had a new baby sister. The Monday after, she came and she brought the baby.

Over the course of time, Mother learned that she had delivered her own baby, just as she had all of her children except Joe. She had broken the Clorox bottle and used the glass to cut the umbilical cord because she knew it would be sanitary. She used the newspapers to lie on during the delivery and wrap the baby in because she knew that they would also be clean. With another mouth to feed, their situation did not improve.

Our neighbor, Mr. Tom, was a superintendent for a large company (now Halliburton) that was building a pumping station for a pipeline. He told Dad that almost every day he had to send a motor of some sort to the shop. It may be a generator, a pump, a chainsaw or an air compressor. He said he would be glad to give Joe some of the work.

Mr. Tom was impressed with the first few jobs that Joe did for him. He said he would give him all the work he wanted; but if he found out Joe was missing school, he would not send him anymore. That was not a problem, Joe loved school.

Dad gave Joe a spot in our barn to use as his shop. Since Joe worked on the motors to almost school time, Dad eventually built him a comfortable bunk and a shower. He provided a wood stove for heat in the cold weather and, of course, no one had air conditioning. Joe was doing well.

There is an element of our society that is jealous of people who excel.

Joe excelled and, coupled with the fact that he was black, this was more than that element could stand. They knew Joe was making more money than some of them and he was only fifteen years old. And of course, the wrong color.

“I know, and I like him too. But it is just not accepted. One day you will hurt him when you have to choose between his friendship and the friendship of your white friends. The day will come, and you will choose the white friends, not him. He does not deserve that.”

Late one Saturday afternoon, a car drove up in our driveway. There were four men inside and I was the only one in the yard. The one on the passenger side had his window down (again, no air conditioning) and he asked me if my Dad was home. I told him I would get him.

Regardless of Dad’s warning both he and Mother became attached to Joe. They were touched by his family’s poverty. Sometimes, when Mother would buy clothes for me, she would accidently buy a pair of blue jeans or a shirt that was a little smaller. She said she just accidently picked up the wrong size, but it happened too often. I knew better. She was trying to help Joe. One day she told Joe that if his mother wanted some work, she could use some help on wash day. Wash day was every Monday.

The men asked Dad if they could speak to him alone and he motioned that I go away. I did, but not far. I could hear and see what was said and happened.

All four of the men got out of the car and, when Dad came out, I could tell he recognized them. Dad stepped back into the house where there was a heavy pipe wrench. He slipped the wrench in the back pocket of his overalls.

Dad bought most of his hardware and other supplies from Mr. Goldman’s Hardware Supply. It had never occurred to me that Mr. Goldman was Jewish. I know Dad did not care. He had the items Dad needed, he was honest, and he would extend credit to Dad when he needed it.

The man that had been doing the talking told Dad that it had come to their attention that he did business at Goldman’s. Dad told him that he was correct. He then told Dad that he would have to stop...things were different now...the Jews and Blacks were trying to run the world. He did not use the word blacks.

He told Dad that this visit was just a warning, but the next time it would be more serious. That is when Dad grabbed him by the shirt near the throat.

I think the man was surprised at Dad’s actions but the man did not back down. He bravely stood his ground.

14

Dad said, without releasing his grip, “Where was your sorry ass on June 6th 1944? I’ll tell you where you were. You were home pretending you were 4-F, physically unfit for duty. You claimed you could not hear or see well.

Remember? Well you better hear this. Do you know where Goldman was on that day? He was on the beach, Normandy, Omaha Beach to be specific, if you have forgotten.”

Dad’s tirade did not seem to rattle the man. As soon as Dad released him, he stepped back in Dad’s face. The other three guys seemed a little less brave and had retreated to the car.

“And while we are here, you need to get that Joe off your place. He is getting work that rightfully belongs to white people. And it is not right for your son to be seen with him.”

He should not have said that. Dad reached into the back of the overalls and brought the heavy wrench across the man’s face. His teeth flew from his mouth and hit the side of the car before his head did. He fell against the open window. The next blow from the wrench, along with a heave, pushed him through the open car window.

By this time, the other three men were already in the car, had it cranked and were rolling backward down the driveway. Mother came to the door.

“What’s happening?”

“Low class Ku Klux Klan. The scum of the earth,” Dad replied.

Joe was doing well enough that he rented a building that provided not only a shop, but better living conditions for his mother and sisters. We missed not seeing him as much but he came by from time to time.

One day, he came and asked if he could buy an old bicycle that he had seen in our shop. By this time, I had lost interest in bicycles as most of my friends were moving on to motorbikes. I wanted a motorbike too, but it was not in our budget. I knew I could never afford a Harley Davidson or a Triumph, but Western Auto sold one called a Simplex. Maybe someday I could afford that. I later found out they were manufactured by the family of the late Louisiana governor, Dave Treen. Joe knew I wanted one and he knew I probably would not get one anytime soon. So, I gave him the bicycle.

It was Sunday after church when we came home to find Joe waiting on our patio. He said he did not feel good and asked would Dad mind giving him a ride to his house. He wanted me to go also. Joe had never asked for anything so we knew something was wrong.

When we arrived at his house, he told me there was something that he wanted to show me. I followed him inside. In the corner, there was an object covered by a blanket. He removed the blanked with lots of pomp and circumstance and beneath it was - well, I was not sure.

Joe had taken the bicycle I had given him and put a chainsaw motor on it.

He added a series of belts and pulleys and fashioned a motorbike.

“Johnny, it ain’t no Simplex but at least you got a motorbike. Take it for a spin.”

Joe cranked it with one pull of the rope, showed me the controls, and off I went. I only rode a short distance and I could tell how proud Joe was when

he saw me coming back. I appreciated what he had done, but I thought the bike was a little too homemade and primitive for me, self conscious of what my peers would think.

“Can’t wait for you to ride it to school tomorrow and see them kids’ faces,” Joe said.

It had never occurred to me that he expected me to do that. I knew that I would be humiliated if I took it to school. I could not hurt Joe’s feelings, however. I was not ready to do that. Not yet.

We named it the Joebike and the next morning, I did ride it to school. The reception I got was worse than I had feared. When I told the story, some less than flattering things were said about the manufacturer of my bike. It hurt my feelings - not only for me, but also for Joe. That evening, I rode the bike down to Joe’s. I told him that I did not think the motor would last for me to go to my school. My school was ten miles away; his was less than a mile. It would last him a long time.

Looking back, this was one of the most regrettable days of my life. Dad was right. I would hurt his feeling and he did not deserve that. He pretended to be happy to have the bike, but I could tell that he knew the real reason I was returning it. Our relationship was never the same after that.

Joe continued to prosper, however. And the more he prospered, the more attention he garnered from a bad element. It did not help that the state newspaper decided to print an article. I still doubt their purpose for doing it, but it was supposed to feature black people that were doing extraordinary things. There was a large picture of Joe and the Joebike. I was proud of him.

The NAACP picked up on the article and came to see Joe. They had him tested and his mechanical aptitude was off the charts. They began to supplement his education with correspondence courses and the newspaper covered that too.

One night, when Joe and his family had gone to church, the bad element placed dynamite in his workshop. We heard the explosion from two miles away. I saw the fear on Dad’s face and heard him say “Joe”.

We raced to Joe’s shop and home and were relieved to find that he and his family were safe. Everything was destroyed, except the Joebike. He had parked it outside, behind the building.

The bombing made national news. Support began to come in from all over the country for Joe and his family. They moved away, north to Detroit.

As I would later find out, Joe went on to college on the co-op plan, majoring in mechanical engineering. After graduation, he went to work for his co-op sponsor, General Motors. Some of the features on the General Motors cars today were developed by Joe. He never got over his first invention, motorcycles. He went to work as a private consultant for Harley Davidson and helped turn that company around.

I learned all of this one day when I was at the local Harley Davidson dealership. There I saw a magazine. A picture on the cover kept attracting my attention, making me uncomfortable. I picked up the magazine and there it was - a picture of Joe and the Joebike. I did not recognize Joe with his grey hair and three piece suit, but I recognized the bike. The magazine article told some of this story, but certainly not all of it, or the way that I have told it to you.

I was able to get in touch with Joe through the magazine. He was cordial, but not overly friendly. He thanked me for the opportunity that my family had provided him. I invited him to visit, but he said he probably would not.

I am sure that somewhere in the back of his mind he remembers when he had to say ‘Yeas Sir’ and ‘Naw Sir’.

John Case March 2014 Other stories of this series will appear when I have time to develop them.

15

The American Swallow-tailed Kite story and photos by Donna Bush

T

hey hang in the sky suspended in flight. With the tiniest twitch of their tail, they dive in a display, which is pure music to the eyes.

“Spirit-that-soars” is the Calusa Indian phrase for Swallow-tailed kites. We are among the fortunate few who are able to behold these magnificent predators during their breeding and nesting season. The American Swallow-

tailed kite is part of the Accipitridae (Hawk & Eagle) family and although not an endangered species, it is considered something of a rarity.

Their range originally extended as far north as the Great Lakes. Now they are seen primarily along the Southeast coastal states, Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. They begin arriving in Louisiana as early as February, and are heavily involved in nest building by March and April.

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In Louisiana they are most often found near a river, pond, swamp or marsh (both freshwater and brackish), in a tall accessible tree, usually pine, sometimes cottonwood or sweetgum for nesting and near upland forest areas for foraging. Their preferred habitat is forested wetlands, but they will also hunt over agricultural farmlands. Their nests are on average about 80 - 100 feet above ground and made from sticks, moss and lichens. Both

Fresh Local Inspired

adults take part in the nest building / repairing.

The prior year’s nest is reused about 60% of the time. Throughout the nesting period, the adults will bring fresh lichen in to line the nest. The nest is approximately 10 inches deep and from 15 to 22 inches in diameter, with sometimes as much as 3 feet of moss hanging down. Swallow-tailed kites are very communal, nesting in colonies of up to six or more nests. Additional kites, beyond the parents, are often observed around the nest.

Their role in nesting, if any, is not yet known.

During courtship, the male is often seen putting on glorious displays, soaring overhead carrying a rough green snake, diving and turning on the wind, all to impress his female. Similar displays are seen when the chicks fledge, where all the kites in the area will put on an air show as choreographed as a Blue Angels squadron. It is almost like a family get-together to celebrate the big event.

Locally we are fortunate to have biologist, Jennifer Coulson, studying swallow-tailed kites since 1995. She received her PhD. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Tulane University in April 2006. Per Jennifer, “The swallow-tailed kite attracted me as a study animal because it is a rare raptor of conservation concern native to Louisiana that wasn’t receiving much attention.

I wondered if the U.S. population’s decline was continuing and I wanted to determine what threats kites were currently facing.” At the end of the 1800’s there was a sharp population decline in many of the migratory bird species.

Various reasons for this decline were extensive logging and growth of cities, causing reduction in range and bounties on hawks to name a few.

The American swallow-tailed kite is a prime species for studying the decline of many types of neo-tropical migratory birds, as they are longlived, easily identifiable, and large enough to carry a transmitter. Swallow-tailed kites have strong site fidelity for their nesting location. With respect to the Pearl River Basin, Jennifer says “The increased market value of timber coupled with the number of stands that are reaching a harvestable age may mean that too much nesting habitat is now being harvested at too fast a rate.” Compounding this is increased development, suburban sprawl and increased value of land, plus less replanting of trees after harvesting takes place. Frequently the swallowtailed kite returns from its winter migration to find its home has been destroyed, habitat rendered undesirable or the neighborhood has changed such that food sources are rare. Hurricane Katrina felled or topped 70% of the canopy trees in the lower Pearl River Basin, drastically changing the forest structure. Swallow-tailed kites still nest there, despite these habitat changes.

17

Jennifer is the private eye of swallow-tailed kites, spending many hours scanning the treetops, searching for these fork-tailed beauties. Aided by numerous reports of sightings from avid birders throughout the area, she pinpoints the nest, obtains access permission from the property owners, and records the existence of the nest in her log.

Clutch size ranges from 1 - 3 eggs, typically two.

Once the eggs are laid, the nest is considered an active nest. A nest is considered successful when at least one chick fledges. Incubation is approximately 28 days. Weekly, Jennifer checks the nest status, i.e., the number of chicks, age estimate and health condition. If a chick is missing, Jennifer will search under the nest and surrounding area for evidence of what occurred. They are often targets of other predators such as great horned owls, red-shouldered hawks, turkey vultures, black vultures and raccoons, and like any other young animal they are subject to the hazards of Mother Nature. Fledging of the chicks occurs around 36-42 days after hatching.

18

Fledging is when the chicks are able to leave the nest under their own power (flight), but still dependent on their parents for food.

In years past, as part of a population study, Jennifer would tag and band nestlings.

CLECO and Asplundh Tree Trimming Service provided a tree-climber and ground support for this effort. Donald Ray, a tree-climber for over half his life, would don his leg-spikes and climb the 110-120+ foot pine tree as if it were child’s play. He would carefully place the chicks in a knapsack that was lowered to the ground where Jennifer would weigh, measure and draw blood. The blood was used for DNA testing to determine sexing, paternity and genetic diversity of populations. Radiotransmitters with an approximate two-year life span were strapped on the back of the kite and carefully sized to allow for growth.

The transmitter allowed biologists to track the particular bird’s migration and nesting habits.

Afterwards, the chicks were raised back to Donald Ray who gently returned them to their nest.

Now Jennifer is using GPS-satellite transmitters powered by two small solar panels. This technology engineered by Paul Howe of Microwave Telemetry, could conceivably remain operational for the life of the bird. Geographic coordinates, date, time, bearing and speed of the kite are uploaded to satellites 10 times a day and accessed via a website.

Adult kites are trapped by erecting two finethreaded nets at different heights in an open area near kite nests. Enter Hammy, Jennifer’s great-horned owl, who is tethered to a perch a few feet from the nets. The great-horned owl is a fierce predator of the swallow-tailed kite chicks. When the adult kites see this predator in their neighborhood, they begin soaring overhead, alarm calling, gradually coming lower and closer to Hammy, attempting to scare him away from their nests. Eventually an adult kite will overcome its fear and dive low enough to be caught in the net. The adult kite is tagged much the same as the swallowtailed kite chick, and then released. Neither

Hammy nor the swallow-tailed kites are harmed. Hammy is very entertaining in his job as swallow-tailed kite bait and takes his job very seriously.

In 2011, Jennifer tagged three adults. As a result of the data gathered from the GPS transmitters, Jennifer was able to determine that breeding kites do not breed every year. This lesson was learned from “Slidell,” an adult female that was tagged as a breeder near the West Pearl River. “Slidell” fledged two chicks in 2011 and two in 2012. She got into trouble during her 2013 spring migration from the Yucatan when she encountered an unusually strong cold front about halfway across the Gulf of Mexico. She made a U-turn returning to southern Vera Cruz where she remained for over three weeks recovering from her ordeal. When she resumed her migration she took an overland route, finally arriving at her previous nesting spot a month later than normal only to find her nest was being used by another swallow-tailed kite. She traveled westward, eastward and north within the Gulf Coast states during breeding season, perhaps looking for her past mate or a new one. Despite her bad experience with her spring trans-Gulf migration, she crossed the Gulf without issue in the fall. She stopped in Campeche, Mexico, then continued through Honduras and was moving south toward Nicaragua.

To learn more about Swallow-tailed Kites, their global movements, and to view the tracking maps, visit the OAS website: www.jjaudubon.net

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Jennifer must pay for satellite time to gain access to the tag data. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grant covered the first two years of data retrieval. You can help continue this project by contributing to the Adopt-a-Kite program. Any donation amount is welcome. Data retrieval costs $100 per month or $1200 per year per kite.

Once you’ve been awe-struck by the majestic beauty of the American Swallow-tailed kite soaring overhead, you too will be mesmerized by their flight and become addicted to searching the sky for them. Springtime till the end of summer, keep your eyes aimed to the sky. If you see one, please contact Jennifer, the private eye of swallow-tailed kites.

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There are so many things about Louisiana that make us unique. One of my favorites is the abundance of seafood. Especially during this time of year, Lent. As a young girl growing up in Kenner, I remember my dad, mom and two older brothers packing up the truck with crab/crawfish nets, turkey necks and fishing poles and driving over the Spillway. We would go off the beaten trail down a dirt road to get to a clearing by a railroad bridge that led to the Lake. It was a pretty isolated area.

(Every now and then, we would come across some interesting characters that l could only describe at first glance as people that you would see in a Steven King movie. In the end, they would turn out to be good old folks living off the land.) We would tie the turkey necks to the nets and hang them off of the railroad trestles. Every so often, we would have to run and lift them out of the way for fishing boats heading out to the Lake. We would wait for the trains to pass, then go pull up the nets in hopes that there would be some fat crabs snacking on the turkey necks.

I’m not really sure what my parents were thinking bringing us in the middle of nowhere

Story and Art

by Lori Gomez

Palette

and letting us play on the railroad tracks. Oh yeah… they were thinking it was worth it to get those tasty crabs! The fact is, we never really caught that many. In the evenings, the returning fisherman would feel sorry for us and give us some of their crabs.

One year, we had relatives visiting from California. We took them with us and ended up with enough crabs to have a crab boil.

As the mouthwatering smell of hot boiled crabs filled the air, we could hardly wait to dig in. But first, we needed to show the outof-towners how to crack them open and pick them. One of our guests was so eager that he grabbed a hand full of lungs and popped them into his mouth. The expression on his face was priceless. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why we would go through so much trouble for that. I bet that many of you have witnessed this from people that are not from here.

Another adventure my parents would take us on to get seafood was night fishing off of an old bridge. I was probably 4 or 5 years old, so I don’t know which bridge it was.

Evidently, it was a popular spot because there were a lot of people there. I remember that we would have to grab our fold-up chairs and fishing gear and run to the foot of the bridge as it would raise up to let the big boats pass. This would happen quite a bit. I also remember that you never knew what was on the end of your hook when you reeled it in. We used to catch a lot of little stingrays (when they were on your line, they felt like a huge fish). One time, my parents bet each other who would catch the biggest fish. Now the details of the bet I did not know, but I can only imagine. I do remember everyone around us cracking up laughing when my mother pulled up a huge eel. So, it just goes to show that we love our seafood and will go to great lengths to get it.

A Louisiana favorite is Shrimp and Grits.

For March, Creole Bagelry, sponsor of this column, will be serving this recipe for the whole month. Be sure to stop by there and try it along with some of their other amazing food. They will also be serving delicious Muffalettas on sesame seed bagels.

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Shrimp and Grits

Crawfish Topping

1 lb. peeled and deveined shrimp 1 stick of butter ¾ cup of green onions chopped ¾ cup of celery chopped 2 cloves garlic chopped 2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup 1 cup chicken stock Hot sauce to taste Salt and pepper to taste (or Tony Chachere‘s) Your favorite prepared grits

1lb crawfish tails, drained 1 stick butter ¾ cup green onions chopped ¾ cup celery chopped 2 cloves garlic chopped 2 cans Cream of Mushroom or Cream of Chicken soup 1 cup chicken stock 1 tbsp. hot wing sauce or hot sauce to taste Season to taste with salt and pepper (or Tony’s)

1. Melt butter in a medium size pan 2. Sauté celery and green onion till tender, about 5 minutes 3. Add garlic and sauté till fragrant but not brown, about 1 minute 4. Add Cream of Mushroom soup 5. Add chicken stock and blend till smooth 6. Add hot sauce to taste or 1 tbs. hot wing sauce and seasonings (see notes below) 7. Let simmer for 10 minutes till flavors are all combined. Taste to check seasoning 8. Add shrimp and let simmer till shrimp turn pink, about 5 minutes. Do not overcook or they will become very tough 9. Serve over hot grits NOTES: - This is a very basic Shrimp Etouffee recipe. It can also be served over rice or pasta.

- As for the hot sauce in this recipe, I do keep it on hand but I don’t generally use it in my recipes. I feel it sometimes overpowers the other ingredients.

- Years ago, I discovered “Louisiana Supreme” Chicken Wing Sauce.

(This is one of my big secrets I’m sharing here...) I have an addiction to this stuff and tend to put it in everything in place of traditional hot sauce. It has a little more subtle flavor. I only use this brand. You can get it at Dollar Tree, Big Lots and most groceries for a buck.

1. Melt butter in pan 2. Add green onions and celery. Cook till tender, about 5 minutes 3. Add garlic and cook till fragrant, about one minute 4. Add soup and combine till creamy 5. Add chicken stock and mix well 6. Add seasoning and hot wing sauce. Simmer about 10 minutes to let flavors all come together 7. The crawfish are already cooked, so add them last and simmer for a minute 8. Put 2 slices of fried eggplant on a plate and spoon about ¼ cup of crawfish mixture on top NOTES: - The Shrimp recipe and Crawfish topping are basically the same.

Again they are very basic Etouffee recipes, without bell pepper.

- The Crawfish topping can also be served over rice or toasted garlic bread.

I welcome your feedback! If you have any recipe requests, please feel free to email me at: LoriGomezArt@charter.net

- Here’s a bonus for you - mix equal parts melted butter and hot wing sauce. Then dip your popcorn in it. It’s one of my favorite snacks.

These two paintings are great representations of south Louisiana's abundant water wildlife.

From the local bayous, to the world's largest swamp, our beautiful Lake Pontchartrain and on to the Gulf, the vibrant and delicious bounties of our water ways makes Louisiana the seafood capital of the nation.

The next recipe, “Fried Eggplant and Crawfish”, I had when I was participating in an art show at The Swamp Festival at Audubon Zoo several years ago. It was so good that I felt I needed to figure it out so that I could make it whenever I had a craving for it.

Fried Eggplant with Crawfish 1 large eggplant 4 eggs beaten 2 tbsp. water 1 tbsp. hot wing sauce or hot sauce to taste 2 cups All-Purpose flour Salt and Pepper 2 cups of Italian Bread Crumbs or Panko Bread Crumbs 3 shallow bowls Peanut oil for frying 1. In the first bowl, mix flour and seasoning 2. In the second bowl, whisk together eggs, water and hot wing sauce 3. In the third bowl, put your bread crumbs 4. Peel and slice the eggplant into ¼ inch slices 5. Heat oil to 350 degrees 6. Dip eggplant into flour, then egg, then into bread crumbs. This technique ensures a crispy coating 7. Fry about 1 minute on each side or until golden brown. You may need to lower the heat a little as you go if you see it getting too hot 8. Set fried eggplant on a rack till ready to serve

You can enjoy more of Lori’s art on facebook or by visiting: www.LoriGomezArt.com

21

Making ₵ents

of your money

When you need a money lifeline, wi ll it be there?

If you are a long-time reader of this magazine, you might recall that the original version of the article you are about to read appeared in this column several years ago, but I hope you’ll read it again. In fact, I frequently reread the original article myself, because it reminds me about the importance of the work that Andy, Chris, Steve, Robin, and I do here at Pontchartrain Investment Management, and how we add real and lasting value to the lives of our clients and their families.

T H N T I E T W E

Because we are financial advisors, people mainly come to us to build wealth, but we don’t stop there. Our job – in fact, what sets us apart from other advisors – is to also help our clients make a realistic and honest assessment of their readiness to withstand the unexpected events that most families will face sooner or later.

A disability – a time when no money from a paycheck is coming through your door – is one of them. The ability to earn an income is what drives survival, let alone wealth accumulation,

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by Mike Rich

for most of us. If that ability goes away – and you’ll read below how it almost happened to my family when I was growing up – all the wealth-building in the world could go up in smoke, and might never be recovered. I don’t ever want that to happen to our clients.

Now for my story: For most of his working life, my dad was a self-employed housepainter.

A child of the Great Depression, he never had the chance to attend high school, but he wasn’t afraid to work, and I never knew him to not have a job. Oftentimes, he worked seven days a week. I remember seeing him go off to work early many mornings in his white painter’s pants. For several years, he worked on jobs in the Chicago Loop and rode the Illinois Central commuter train from our suburban home. He used to joke that he sat with “the big executives” and carried a brief case just like they did, except he called it his “grip”, the leather satchel in which he stored his brushes, rollers, and other tools.

We didn’t think his job was particularly dangerous but, when I was about nine years old, my dad was injured on a job. A scaffold he and another painter were working on collapsed because it wasn’t anchored properly. My dad fell ten feet to the ground and broke the fourth lumbar vertebra in his back. It was during the summer, and I remember like it was yesterday when the call came from the hospital. He ended up in a full upper-body cast, and needed six months of recovery time. My mom didn’t work outside the home, so my dad’s disability could have meant six months of no income for our family.

Fortunately, he owned a disability income policy that his “insurance man” (that’s what we called the guy) had sold him years before.

It paid $50 dollars a week. That might not sound like much today, but this was 1960.

Gasoline was 31 cents a gallon, a pound of hamburger was 45 cents, and the monthly note on our house was $54. Be that as it may, my dad’s house painting income had disappeared, so that $50 disability check became our lifeline.

VOTE! SAT. APRIL 5TH

I recall that the check came in the mail like clockwork every Friday morning. Then my mom, who didn’t drive, would get a ride to the bank from a neighbor or my grandfather and deposit the money in her checking account. The system worked, and our little family – my dad, my mom, my brother and sister, and I – rode out those six months with the luxury of a regular, albeit small, paycheck.

Early Voting March 22 - 29

Councilman D istri

RE-ELECT

Except, one Friday, the check didn’t come.

That hadn’t happened before, so my mom called the insurance company to find out where our check was. “Don’t worry,” the customer service rep said, “we mailed the check on time. You’ll probably get it on Saturday.”

I was only nine years old, but old enough to notice the concern between my parents. “The lady said it’ll come on Saturday,” my dad reassured my mom. “We’ll be fine.” But, my dad was wrong. The check didn’t come on Saturday, and even a little kid like me could feel their sense of panic. We didn’t have any money, and our family was in trouble. I don’t remember much else about that weekend, but I do remember Monday, when the check finally arrived. The look of relief on the faces of my mom and dad is something I’ll never forget.

I don’t care if you’re a doctor, lawyer, Indian chief, or housepainter, no one is immune to the nightmare of not having money when it’s needed.

Every family needs financial security to get though unexpected life events, whether it’s a disability, a premature death, or some other disaster. I’m glad – and proud – that my dad was prepared, and I’ll never forget the money on which our family pinned its every hope for six, long months – our $50 a week lifeline.

Unless you have rich (and generous) relatives, no one is likely to throw you a financial rope when you need it most, and they’re probably not going to give you retirement money, either. You have to make a lifeline for yourself.

If you don’t have one, or aren’t sure yours will work when you need it, call us, and we’ll help.

lican

SLIDELL CITY COUNCILMAN District F

My dad’s disability check was never late again, and we survived that difficult time. He made a full recovery, went back to work, and retired at age 65. Despite never earning more than a housepainter’s wages, he and my mom paid off their home, put three kids through college, and enjoyed a comfortable and healthy retirement of dinners out, travel, ten Mardi Gras down here to escape those bitter Chicago winters, and the blessings of six grandchildren. My parents are both gone now, but they gave three kids a very good life, and I am forever grateful for their love and care.

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PERSONAL

raphy

Married to Peggy Fuller Newcomb for 26 years.

3 children, all raised in Slidell and District F. Employed at Slidell High as a Math teacher & Coach.

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Michael Ca

An experienced and energetic leader, Jay remains committed to working with administration, council members, and constituents to do his best to help achieve your goals.

EDUCATION

BS - Math Education - LA Tech. University, 1988.

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Do you have an emergency fund, life and disability insurance to protect your family, and a realistic investment plan to get you to a comfortable and dignified financial future? My dad did, even though he lacked a high school education and never made more than $19,000 a year. Are you building a plan for a guaranteed income stream that will last as long as you do?

Do you have a will, power of attorney, and living will to ensure that your family members don’t have to make potentially heart-wrenching decisions for you? Have you made plans for your care when you’re old and can’t take care of yourself? Do you know how you’ll pay for it? Or, have you left everything to chance? If you have, does your family know it, and do they know what misery the future might hold for them because you haven’t “gotten around to it”?

ct F Repub

ACCOMPLISHMENTS Communications

Built e-mail group open to anyone to recieve agendas, storm updates, federal & state government info., etc.

Capital Outlay

Reconstruction of Audubon Dr., lift stations rehabbed, prompt diagnosis and solutions of infrastrucure issues.

Neighborhoods

Facilitated home owners with FEMA/GOHSEP home elevation grants.

Budget

Rolled back property taxes working positively with Mayor & Council.

Voted against reducing funding to SPD.

985-605-5066

INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT

2242 Carey St. Olde Towne, Slidell, LA

CONTACT

985-649-9468 (Home) 985-960-7988 (Work) reelectjaynewcomb@bellsouth.net 139 Melody Lane Slidell, LA 70458

Securities and Advisory Services are offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor.

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

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Editor’s Note: On April 5, 2014, Slidell voters will have their voices heard when we head to the polls for the Slidell City Council and Parish Coroner elections. The recent expansion of the Freamaux area has made us all realize the important role our council has in the growth and prosperity of our city. Contrasting this positive impact on our community was the black eye our parish received after the year-long investigation, and eventual conviction, of our Coroner.

Because we strive to maintain an unbiased and entertaining format, Slidell Magazine has done a good job of steering away from politics. (We dipped our toe in the political pool in our first year and found the water wayyy too hot.) Our magazine’s motto is “Keep it Fresh, Keep it Positive”. Oftentimes, however, politics and ‘positive’ can be dichotomous.

AT-LARGE LANDON CUSIMANO I have represented Slidell as a Councilman At Large since 2007 and would like to continue to do so, therefore I am seeking another term. Prior to that, I represented council District C from 1998-2006. I am currently serving as the Council President and have also served as Vice President of the Council.

I developed my interest in serving the community from my grandfather, Frank Cusimano, Sr. who was Mayor of Slidell from 1962-1978. He instilled in me to be both honest and keep my integrity as I serve the people of Slidell.

I have served on the City Council in both prosperous and challenging economic times. I have had to make some difficult decisions that affect many people. With my past experience and leadership, I will continue to make those tough decisions to ensure that the City of Slidell is fiscally sound for years to come.

My wife Sheila and I choose to raise our two daughters, Rachel and Brittney, in the same Brugier neighborhood where I was born and raised. I am a sales representative for Momar, Inc. I am a member of Guardians of Slidell History, Order Sons of Italy, Brugier Homeowners Association and Knights of Columbus.

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The importance of these elections has caused us to take a fresh and positive look at the candidates. As a city-wide publication, we chose to focus on our city elections, specifically the Council race.

In the following pages, you will learn more about the 18 candidates seeking Council seats. Each one was given an opportunity through Slidell Magazine to speak to the Slidell voters, unedited. The only rules we set were: 1. No negative talk about other candidates, and 2. It cannot be more than 200 words.

I would like to thank each candidate for their commitment to our beautiful city! Good luck to all of you!

Kendra Maness Editor/Publisher

AT-LARGE KIM HARBISON The responsibility of serving as your City’s Councilwoman at Large is a commitment that Kim Harbison takes very seriously. It is reflected in her approachability, as she remains accessible to address her constituents’ needs. It’s demonstrated in her responsiveness, as she acts quickly to respond to those needs. And it’s evident in her involvement, as she continues to be an active part of the community, both as a representative of Slidell and as a long time resident. Kim believes in the importance of teamwork and ensuring that the many voices of those she represents are heard, both through her actions and through her dedication.

Kim is the recipient of the 2013 Athena Award, given by the East St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce, honoring her as “Woman of the Year” for her service and dedication to Slidell. She has also been recognized for her work with many community organizations and has been honored with the Pearl Award for Community Stewardship, Leadership Slidell’s Community Steward Award, and the City of Slidell’s Katrina Angel Award.

Kim is humbled and honored to serve her constituents and looks forward to continuing to serve the City of Slidell.

AT-LARGE LIONEL HICKS • Married, Mary Ann Hicks • 2 Children, Sandy Hicks, Lionel J. Hicks, Jr. (deceased) • 3 Grandchildren Education: • Chata Ima High School • Attended Delgado Community College, Tulane University & Loyola University Work History: • Military Veteran • U.S. Coast Guard - 1966-1970 • Proctor & Gamble (Folgers) • Cement Contractor (Self Employed) • Slidell Police Department - 30+ Years Numerous assignments, including, but not limited to: Police Officer, School Crossing Guard Supervisor, Records Division Supervisor, Detective Division, Crime Prevention (Neighborhood Watch Coordinator) etc.

Began career as a Patrol Officer, then Sergeant, Lieutenant, retired as Captain.

Served as Patrol Division Commander.

• Elected to Slidell City Council - 2006-2014 - District A - 2 terms • Served as Council President • Served as Council Vice-President Accomplishments in District A: • Rebuilt Rufus Viner Center - CDBG Funding (After Katrina) • Sidewalk Project • Street Repairs, Park Place, Lincoln Park, Roosevelt Park & Olde Towne, etc.

• Working with Mayor Drennan Administration , Veterans Groups & Slidell Garden Club to improve Veterans Park & Tennis Courts at Sgt. Alfred & Cleveland St.

AT-LARGE BRAD RUMMEL Brad Rummel was taught to give back.

His parents taught him the importance of integrity, honesty, and putting others first. It was no surprise that Brad and his brother both went into law enforcement. And it’s no surprise that Brad is running for City Council now, to continue serving.

With nearly 30,000 residents, Slidell is Louisiana’s 12th largest city – but its potential for excellence isn’t yet fulfilled. We need better flood protection, better streets, and solutions for the crumbling infrastructure that lies beneath them. We need a Police Department that can continue a tradition of excellence only with proper funding from the City Council.

Brad’s commitment has been proven. After leaving full-time law enforcement, he remained a reserve deputy, volunteering to keep our community safe.

An officer in the Krewe of Dionysus, he donates his time to promote charitable causes and make Slidell an enjoyable place to live and work. A husband and a father, he knows the value of family.

On April 5, 2014, you will vote to choose our leaders.

Consider Brad’s dedication, his commitment, and his promise to you. He hasn’t let you down yet, and he’s not about to start.

DISTRICT B SAM ABNEY Citizens of Slidell, It is been my honor to represent you, the people of Slidell and District.B. I would like to be given the opportunity to continue serving you in making Slidell a great place to live. As I prepare for the next four years, if given the opportunity, I will continue to do my best to represent and serve the citizens of Slidell and to achieve my projected goals for the future.

Sincerely, Councilman District B Sam W. Abney

DISTRICT A JONATHAN JOHNSON District A is the most historic, most racially diverse, and on the verge of returning to its roots as the most important economic part of Slidell. And, it would be my honor to serve as District A’s Council Member.

I am a Slidell native, born at Slidell Memorial in 1973 and I have been married to Jenny Minton Johnson, whose family has been in Slidell for the past 84 years, since 1996. Jenny and I have 3 children: Jordan, Emma and Carson.

We have lived most of our lives in District A. I spent my early years with my school-teacher father at Brock Elementary, attended First Baptist Church on Carey Street, rode my bike to the White Kitchen for donuts and then through Greenwood Cemetery to play tennis at the city courts and played most of my Slidell Youth Soccer games at Possum Hollow Park.

The heartbeat of Slidell runs through District A and the heartbeat of District A runs through my soul. I have a lifetime’s worth of connection points woven throughout this district and I dearly love this community.

I look forward to working with the community of District A through our challenges and on our great opportunities.

DISTRICT C WARREN CROCKETT “Slidell is important to me and has been my home for over 63 years. I have raised my family here and plan to retire here”, said Warren Crockett, a candidate for District C Council. “By being involved in City Government, I can help this community continue to prosper and be what the citizens of Slidell need and expect. This is an opportunity for me to give back to my community the quality of life it has provided my friends and family.”

Having previously served on the City Council, I am already familiar with the local governmental processes. Should I be elected, I pledge to have an accessible office to ensure that any and all issues for my constituents are answered in a timely fashion. I will continue to be a fiscal conservative and promote new economic growth to our area.

I ask for your vote and support on April 5.

DISTRICT A GLYNN PICHON I love Slidell! From our inspirational churches and beautiful parks and neighborhoods, to our first-class city services and great schools, we have a lot to be proud of. But the thing I love most about this town is the people – strong, resilient people who have invested so much in Slidell. It’s time for leadership to make a bigger investment in its citizens, our greatest asset. As your city councilman, I will be committed to serving you, addressing your needs with diligence, respect and privacy. My experience serving our city as a planning and zoning commissioner and as a community volunteer has prepared me for the role of city councilman. I understand the needs of our citizens and can identify the resources to address those needs. I will work tirelessly with the city administration and you, the public, to develop long term plans that focus on the issues, like flood protection, public safety, economic development, and workforce training and job creation. I will support responsible growth while defending our strong culture of faith, family, and community. I am entering this race to work to bring relief and results to our citizens, and I am asking for your support.

Thank you.

DISTRICT C BUDDY LLOYD When I ran for office four years ago, I pledged that I would work to bring back recycling. Recycling returned to the City of Slidell in January 2011 and continues to this day. I consider that to be one of my major accomplishments.

I pledged to curb commercial encroachment into residential areas. Through months of negotiations with Slidell Memorial Hospital, a deal was crafted that transferred ownership of 12th Street to the hospital so a new emergency department could be built on a portion of the street. In return, the hospital constructed a fitness park to be used by the residents of the city on property adjacent to residences in Brugier. The park will be around for twenty five years and be maintained by the hospital.

Several properties around the hospital were rezoned with restrictions to allow for surface parking and landscaping requirements that exceed code. This provided a buffer between the hospital and the residents allowing expansion for the hospital while affording protection to the residents.

While the financial future of Slidell is uncertain, the administration and council have made difficult decisions to put the city in position to weather the storm and continue to provide necessary services.

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DISTRICT D

DISTRICT D

KRISTIE FRAUGHT My goal in running for the City Council is to give back to the community I call home and be a good steward of the citizens’ tax dollars.

I have a master’s degree in Community Health and Environmental Science. I graduated from Slidell High School. I have been a resident of Slidell for over 30 years. I am working as a substitute teacher for St. Tammany Parish while getting my teaching certificate.

Community Involvement: Graduate 2013 Citizen Community Police Academy A member of the Hermadel/Carolynn Park Resident Association.

Executive Director of Northshore Wellness & Swim Foundation Working with Special Needs Children.

Wolfhsholf Equestrian Center: I developed an Equestrian Studies course for Slidell High School Slidell 4-H Horse Club Instructor.

Co-vice president of Our Lady of Lourdes PTC. Senior Health Educator, worked with State and County officials, lobbied for State programs, worked with City Council and Legislators, taught and designed Health Education related actives for children, designed the Business Plans and Health Promotions for the Health Department, worked as a Public Information officer, worked with the Quality Improvement Facilitators, created the Volunteer Program and implemented training course for new recruits, Hurricane Preparedness, and Grant Writing

DISTRICT E SAM CARUSO To the People of District E: I have been blessed by the people of Slidell by your trust and support in allowing me to serve you in public office.

I have honored that trust and support by serving you well. And, I am asking the people of District E to allow me to continue my public service by electing me to my second term as your Councilman.

While we will talk together about many issues before Election Day, for now, please consider these critical qualities that anyone must have to serve you well in elective office: Intelligence, Integrity, Knowledge, Relevant knowledge, Experience, Relevant experience, Competence, Caring, Creativity, Connection with the values of the community, Courage to stand alone when necessary, Willingness to compromise when possible, Industriousness, Vision, A sense of balance, A sense of humor, Wisdom No one has all of those qualities in full measure, including me. But I think my years of successful service to the people of Slidell clearly show God has given me enough of all of them to serve you very well.

Please vote for me on April 5, 2014.

Salvatore A. Caruso, Sr. (Sam) Councilman, District E

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SUSIE MORRIS Slidell became my family’s home in 1976. We spent many hours on soccer fields, dance teams, swim teams, and cheerleading squads. My four children graduated from Slidell High, and so I feel a deep dedication and love for the City of Slidell. I have contributed in numerous ways to my community from PTA to Junior Auxiliary, and various other volunteer organizations. Now I want to be involved in our city government because I see policies that could be improved for businesses and homeowners. I don’t want to just complain about the budget, I want to be a part of positive action in my district and in my city. I have enjoyed talking with my neighbors and hearing their concerns. And yes--I am the other half of the Morris you already know! I am an open-minded, outspoken, free-thinker and I will always have time for my constituents. I have been a proud homeowner in our District D for over 23 years. I recognize our challenges and will listen, take the appropriate action, and get RESULTS for you. I am proud to call Slidell HOME, and I would be honored to have your vote on April 5th.

Susie Morris 985-640-3491

DISTRICT E PETE O’CONNELL A business owner in Slidell for many years, Pete O’Connell knows what it takes to build success and what the City needs to do to help it along.

Neither a Republican nor a Democrat, Pete isn’t driven by either party or any political machine. His loyalty as a Councilman will be to you, applying conservative principles to give you the same opportunities he has had.

Pete wants to continue giving back to the City where he found success – a success built with long hours, dedication, and the determination to overcome obstacles.

Pete has the first-hand experience to understand both commerce and the dangers of bureaucracy. A business owner for nearly a decade, he knows how damaging over-regulation can be to what Slidell needs most – jobs and commerce.

Slidell needs a City Government that works with business, one that makes plans to attract commerce, and one that gives people the independence they need to let families thrive. Slidell needs a clean environment, safe streets, no new taxes, and a Council with independent minds that think ahead.

It’s time for a change. It’s time for independence.

It’s time for Pete O’Connell to serve you on the City Council.

DISTRICT D VAL VANNEY Retired businessman and resident of Dellwood Subdivision for 48 years. Married to Bonnie Vanney, we have a son Val Vanney, III, married to Dianna and two granddaughters, Victoria and Alexandra.

Former member of St. Tammany Homebuilders Association, National and State Homebuilders Association, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Reserve from 1967-1980, Ducks Unlimited, Slidell Chamber of Commerce, Krewe of Perseus and Troy, King of Flora 2000. Member, Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Vice-President of Dellwood-Lakeshore Village-Yester Oaks Residents Association, member of Palm Lake Homeowners Association, Committee member of Community Christian Concern’s Annual Wild Game Cook-Off. Former owner of Val Vanney’s Marine, Vanney’s Seafood, and V&A Homes, LLC. Served in the National Guard, received an Honorable Discharge.

My main concerns are flood protection in order that we can reduce flood insurance premiums. Economic Development to bring new industry and business to Slidell that residents may work here and earn above minimum wages. Infrastructure assessment of streets and drainage. Transparency in city government that will make it easier for citizens to work with and understand the workings. Most of all, I’m available 24/7. I respectfully ask for your vote, you will not regret it.

DISTRICT E KEITH SEHON • Served as Hospital Corpsman, U.S.N., Honorable discharge, 1975 • Graduated Southern College of Optometry, 1979 • Instructor, Department of Ophthalmology, L.S.U. Eye Center • Director, Sight for Life Program, Eye Surgery Center of Louisiana • Served on Board of Directors, Pinewood Country Club • Past President, Lakewood Lake Owners Association • Two time Reserve Police Officer of the Year, Slidell Police Department (23 years of service) • Private Optometry Practice With difficult times facing our citizens and city, it is important that our elected officials listen to the voters.

Today’s elected officials listen only to respond. I will listen so that I may understand. The voters want smaller government. They demand no new or increased taxes. They expect the infrastructure to be maintained, and they want the Police Department to be funded properly in order to continue to provide a safe environment for our families and businesses.

Voters on April 5, 2014 have a choice. You can elect Keith Sehon, a fresh new candidate who will listen to you, the voter. It is a privilege to serve, not a career.

Vote on April 5, 2014 and let your voice be heard.

Keith Sehon Slidell City Council District E Ksehoncampaign2014@att.net

DISTRICT F JAY NEWCOMB

The last four years have been the most fulfilling of all my years in this wonderful city. I have had the opportunity to serve the residents of District F as their representative on the Slidell City Council. This has allowed me the ability to give back to the city that has given so much to me and my family. Like all candidates for elected office, we make promises and pledges. Reconstructing Audubon Drive, building an email communication group, and rolling back millage rates are a few proud achievements.

I ask for your support to serve another term.

Thank you

DISTRICT G BILL BORCHERT, JR.

IRMA RUSSELL

I have lived in Slidell since August of 1991. I have lived here longer than any place else in my 53 years and consider this city my home. It has returned that feeling to me many times over in the last 23 years.

I teach math at Slidell High and coached there for many years, which is what brought me to Slidell initially. My wife, Peggy, is a retired Slidell Jr. High teacher and a local realtor. All three of my children were raised in Slidell and are Slidell High graduates.

Vote, Saturday, April 5th.

DISTRICT F

I’m originally from New Orleans. At eighteen, I registered to Vote, and voted for what is best for my community.

My law enforcement background includes nine years spent on the streets of the City of New Orleans fighting crime and enhancing the safety of the City.

My assignments included District and undercover assignments. I am currently employed as a Code Enforcement Officer in the unincorporated areas of St Tammany Parish, enforcing Parish Ordinances and assisting residents with concerns involving Quality of Life standards.

I moved to Slidell in 2002. I have been a member of the Slidell Republican Women’s Club, the Slidell Women’s Civic Club and a CASA volunteer. I am an animal enthusiast and have volunteered with different local animal organizations. I consider myself a blessed person and I trust in the Lord.

As a Slidell City Councilwoman, I pledge to serve humbly and lead by example, staying focused on the City and the Quality of Life for all of us. I will be easily accessible to the Public, their concerns, and apply their wishes when conducting Council business. Being a Public Servant will be my honor. I will be an employee and a voice of the people who elect me.

Local Christian businessman, Bill Borchert, has been reelected to Slidell City Council to represent District G, which includes the neighborhoods of Country Club, Brookwood, north of I-12, and now with the redistricting, Tanglewood Crossing.

Councilman Borchert has been a proven voice of leadership and reason on the City Council for the past several years. His Engineering Degree from La Tech, his business experience and his ability to make decisions that are intelligent and responsible, make him an outstanding representative on our city council.

Councilman Borchert has worked with Mayor Drennan’s administration to move Slidell forward, together making the tough decisions needed to keep Slidell safe & fiscally sound.

He has shown initiative and leadership. He authored the $1.5 million federal grant for the Heritage Park bulkhead repairs and marina project. He was instrumental in making changes to employee retirement healthcare benefits, saving the taxpayers an estimated $40 million in future expenditures. He has led the charge in getting drainage and street projects completed within his district.

Bill & his beautiful wife, Laura, have been instrumental in the hugely successful “Pelicans on Parade” project around town.

We need more leaders like Bill Borchert on the Slidell City Council.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve the city again. I am honored and proud.

Mayor Freddy Drennan

Dear Citizens, I have been blessed to represent the City of Slidell as Mayor and Chief of Police, and it is an honor to serve you and our great City.

Over the years, I have travelled around the country representing this great city. And over the course of traveling, I always meet people who ask me where I’m from. Here’s what I tell them.

I live in a city with a strong sense of community.

People live together and work together. And we are a great city.

We live in a city that has some of the best schools in the state of Louisiana. We have a very low crime rate, thanks to our great, nationally accredited police department.

We live in a city that when businesses close for the night, they don’t pull down chain link gates across their doors or have bars across their windows.

We live in a city that has a great quality. Slidell provides all the amenities of a great metropolitan area, with the shopping, entertainment and benefits that a big city provides.

We live in a city where cultural activities thrive.

On any given weekend, there is an abundance of things to do, from free concerts in Heritage Park, art exhibits in area galleries, to festivals in Olde Towne. There is always something to do in Slidell.

We live in a city that has some of the best food in the world. You want it, we have it.

We live in a city that has 31 beautiful parks and playgrounds, and it’s not unusual to see children playing or ladies out walking and jogging late at night or early in the morning.

We live in a city that’s only 40 minutes away from an international airport, where anyone can fly anywhere around the world. And if aviation is your hobby, Slidell has a full service airport to suit your needs.

We live in a city that’s only 40 minutes away from professional sports teams. Who Dat! We live in a city that’s 40 minutes away from the beautiful beaches of the Mississippi Gulf Coast where you can find numerous casinos and the great food and entertainment they provide.

We live in a city that has five fresh water rivers and plenty of bayous in our parish. We have access to one of the largest salt water lakes in the United States, and that lake flows into the Gulf of Mexico, which has some of the best fishing in the country. Louisiana is a sportsman’s paradise, and Slidell is no exception.

What more could you ask for?

I am proud to call Slidell my home.

Your mayor,

Freddy Drennan 29

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You don’t have to go big, you just have to GO! Touristy, crowded cities too much to deal with? Just go camping. You’ll be removed from ordinary life in ways that airline travel and hotel stays can’t offer.

You’re in nature, not just observing it from a window.

camping gear you’ll need, and over night spots in many state parks can cost only about $12 - $15 per night for hookups.

the immediate gratification of technology.

But most of the time, WIFI connections are a short jaunt from your camp site.

But opportunities to “go big” with a big open road RV, or in campground cabins, can afford luxuries for road warriors with a bigger budget.

Camping trips have always been one of my favorite weekend destinations.

Campgrounds and state parks in Louisiana and Mississippi hold memories I’ll never forget.

Camping is only as intense as you want it to be.

Although your site itself may be close quarters, just steps away from the tent flap or camper doorway is the great expanse of nature. Taking those steps from the confines of the small camper is pretty much what you’re there for.

I remember walking up to a fellow camper’s site in St. Bernard State Park one February day and seeing hundreds of Mardi Gras beads hanging everywhere. Used to seeing beads in trees on parade routes, but not in nature, I asked the campers about their décor.

“We’re from Maine,” they explained. “We collect the beads at parades, clean them in the campground washing machine and hang them up to dry. The kids around our neighborhood love getting them when they trick or treat at Halloween.”

“Camping is nature’s way of promoting the motel business.” ~Dave Barry I’m usually a good hotel-room-service, clean-bathroom, fine-restaurant kind of person, but many of my best vacation memories are “roughing it” on camping trips.

Camping is a relatively cheap get away – you can borrow or rent most of the 30

by Rose Marie Sand

“Whatever form it takes, camping is earthy, soul enriching and character building, and there can be few such satisfying moments as having your tent pitched and the smoke rising from your campfire as the golden sun sets on the horizon--even if it’s just for a fleeting moment before the rain spoils everything.” ~Pippa Middleton Camping helps keep your feet on the ground in more ways than one. Count on mishaps, rain, equipment malfunctions – and the self confidence you’ll gain from handling all those things!

With just a little pioneering spirit you’ll explore, hike and discover hidden gems in small towns you might otherwise miss.

“You have to leave the city of your comfort, and go out into the wilderness of your intuition.” ~Alan Alda Family camping trips necessitate planning and often rethinking what it means to be on vacation. Cell phones often don’t work in nature – but the trade off of hiking and wildlife spotting can more than make up for

I’ve met many people who are full timers – people who chuck it all and take to the road full time. Retired folks do it all the time, but there are also a growing number of young families who live, work and learn on the road. With the advent of online banking, entrepreneurial opportunities to run a web based business, as well as more traditional jobs like teaching or crafting, the idea of calling the road your home is more attractive than ever.

Many RV parks hire full time RV’ers to handle reservations or park maintenance, or exchange camping fees for a few hours of service per month.

“Mom, camping is not a date; it’s an endurance test. If you can survive camping with someone, you should marry them on the way home.” ~Yvonne Prinz In all honesty, more than once I’ve been tempted to “vote someone off the island” after spending a few days in confined quarters on a camping trip. But when the inevitable mishaps happen, however, fellow campers can reinforce your faith in human nature.

On our first canoe trip, my husband and I struggled to keep the small craft containing food, water, clothing and camera, from overturning in a small rapid. We lost the battle - and the supplies. I remember thinking - if you really want to know if the person you’re dating is the right one, see if you can paddle a canoe together.

The rest of our party chipped in with sandwiches, we laughed it off, and actually carried the canoe back to the starting point to go over the rapid again. It was that much fun, and we all passed the test.

“You don’t have to say everything to be a light. Sometimes a fire built on a hill will bring interested people to your campfire.” ~Shannon L. Alder In truth, friendships are often made and solidified at a campground. On a trip to Jellystone Campground in Robert, La when my children were little, we formed a long lasting friendship with nearby campers. We shared dirt bikes and ingredients for ever-loving s’mores.

Who wouldn’t make friends over chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers?

Somehow it’s true that food always tastes better when it’s cooked outdoors. And that doesn’t always mean grilling burgers. Breads, veggies, cakes – anything you can cook indoors can be cooked in foil packets on a fire.

But my best memory of a campground meal has to be the time my Mom brought Hamburger Helper Lasagna, and the tantalizing smell of Italian food greeted me after a hike. Now, that’s living.

I must admit I’ve turned out some pretty impressive meals myself in a closet-sized camper kitchen, including a time when I scored free squash and made a stuffed zucchini dish…more about that later.

“Some state and national parks have long waiting lists for camping reservations. When you have to wait a year to sleep next to a tree, something is wrong.” ~George Carlin While “get up and go” spontaneity is the hallmark of daily activities when camping, some preparation is necessary. Most parks do require reservations during peak seasons and a check for current conditions in all rural parks is a must.

Get to know the camping in the area by looking on the state park websites – there are great ones in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Many have cabins as well as camp sites, and all are short drives from Slidell.

“Travel is the only thing you have that makes you richer.” ~Anonymous Perhaps there’s nowhere more perfect to reflect on your place in the world than when in the natural world. Staring into God’s perfect canvas of stars may be a look into the past, but one look at an open road is a look into the future.

In 2006, I had the chance to go on the “mother of all camping trips” when I traveled in a 37 foot RV with a group of seven actors and educators ranging in age from 20-56 for a 15 week road tour of a production called “The Voices of Louisiana.”

When I left the comfort of my own bed for the rigors of the road and the tight quarters of the crowded RV, I figured it would either be a recipe for disaster or the trip of a lifetime. It turned out to be both.

Our fearless leader, Barry Lemoine, wrote an original production we called “The Voices of Louisiana,” and the plan was to perform 31

in as many venues as we could book, and then make it to the mouth of the Mississippi River in Lake Itasca, Minnesota and drive the Great River Road home, taking time to reflect on the lives we would rebuild when we returned.

We called ourselves The Evacuation Theatre Troupe. Four men – Barry Lemoine, Tom Hassinger, Will Schneider and Christian Bordelon – and three women – Katie Betz, Shannon Gildea and myself - set out with a plan to visit most of the states of the Louisiana Purchase, and to put a face to the images of the storm people around the country had only seen on television. The show told the rich history, beauty and culture of our home.

We booked shows on the fly, and set up and performed in locations we’d never heard of, much less seen. And then we’d move on to the next town, finding campgrounds and performance spaces as we traveled.

Some ground rules were established. Sleeping space consisted of air mattresses on the floor, a sofa bed, a table top and bench seats that converted into a bed, and one spacious (seemingly) bedroom.

Everyone was assigned a personal space for their stuff and sleeping arrangements were fluid. Each cast member would be responsible for a dinner one night per week and on the night you cooked, you also got to sleep in the bedroom, rotating both the bed and cooking chores. Boy, did we look forward to that night!

There began a journey of discovery, both in the real world of state parks, performance spaces and a crowded camper, as well as the internal one of each of us. Along the way, we kept a road journal to let folks back home know of our adventures. Through those road journals, with excerpts from the voices of my troupe mates, I’d like to tell you about some of those places along the journey...

COCHETTA, LOUISIANA The first night in a campground was spent in Cochetta, Louisiana, just past Nachitoches, fittingly the oldest city in the Louisiana Purchase territory. The men proudly set up the electricity and water, created a relaxing spot under the awning and began an earnest horseshoe game. But before you could say Grey Water, the awning apparatus fell down and the sewage backed up in the bathroom. So much for planning.

The manual for our rented 37 foot RV we called “Queen Isabella” claimed to sleep six adults comfortably, and detailed the finer points of how to dump “grey water.” I drove, using my Ford truck as the support vehicle (called “The Big Ass Black Truck”), and two pugs named Sachi and Sushi were our official mascots. There’s nothing sweeter than loving on a pug during a long road trip.

We booked 17 shows along the way, starting in Abbeyville, Louisiana and ending in St. Paul, Minnesota. Productions in New Orleans and Lacombe helped raised money to get us on our way; our excitement – and our hopes – were high. Yet, so was our apprehension. How would we be up to the task? This entry in Oklahoma by troupe member Christian Bordelon from September 9, 2006, says it all…

“A strange phenomenon has taken place here at Lake Thunderbird. For the past two nights, the ETT has seen…the moon. Not just any moon, ooohh no, a full moon resting in a clear night sky. I see it as sort of an omen, illuminating the darkness surround it for miles and turning the sky into a work of art. I’m surrounded by my friends and we have laughter, respect, creativity, talent, needs and help. We are a work of art.

Do I have enough light to see all the things that will be available to me on this tour? How much will I learn? How much will I be able to take back? How much will I miss home? How much will I be missed?” ~ Christian Bordelon

We jerry-rigged the awning quickly with duct tape, and found the sewerage dump place at the campground before night fall…and from then on, we watched the grey water indicators religiously.

That night I made a nest on the table-top bed, and fell asleep wondering what would happen next. When I awoke, I realized that I had no idea where I’d left my shoes when I took them off, and that finding them would mean digging under sleeping bodies on the floor.

So I gingerly stepped around everyone, and promptly scraped my foot getting out of the camper. Tom greeted me outside with a towel for my now bloody scrape – he’d wisely brought a small tent and slept outside for most of the trip. Tom and I were the elders of the troupe. We realized we needed coffee and the only way to get it was to jump in the truck and find a coffee shop in the nearest city. GPS to the rescue.

That’s when I realized that things like shoes aren’t really important; I walked into a café barefoot for the first time since I was a kid. I was young again!

That morning established a pattern: Tom and I would rise before the rest of the troupe and head somewhere to find coffee. And I would

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“First time on the open road today, making our way to Oklahoma City for our first show….only to have to pull over on I-35 for a second round of the awning challenge. Chris and Will climbed on top, secured the awning with duct tape.

There’s no end to the team spirit and mutual respect – whether it’s setting up camp, figuring out the intricacies of unfamiliar equipment, or making the most of a meal, everyone pitches in and makes it happen.” ~Barry Lemoine

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McPherson, Kansas welcomed the Evacuation Theatre Troupe with open arms as we had one of their own, Will Schneider. Will and his brother attended McPherson College for the semester after Katrina, and when we walked on campus with him, we felt the love. It was one of the most emotional shows we performed.

Our campground in McPherson was actually an RV park/horse farm called Stepaulauki. One dark night, winds and lightening raged outside of the RV as a big storm swept the Kansas plains. The conversations turned to talk of tornado shelters and hurricane shelters and the unspoken conclusion…we live where we live because we choose to, with whatever dangers and devils dwell there. This road, this unkempt little family of ours, is what we chose for the next few weeks. The future lies in its unasked questions, just around the next turn.

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From a book aptly named “1000 Places to Go Before You Die” we learned that you had to try the lamb fries at the Cattleman’s Steakhouse in Oklahoma City – so we did. Once is enough.

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The campground we found in Norman, Oklahoma was a spacious and achingly beautiful setting. We performed in a cafeteria of Bishop John Carroll K-8 school for 100 students and toured the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial. Everyone felt a bond with this city and its history of recovery. I have to admit, the memorial displays were a bit much for me to handle so soon after the rubble of Katrina, but a kind museum docent helped me find a peaceful place that day.

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This Mother’s Day, bring us your mementos.

We’ll frame those precious memories to preserve forever.

Everywhere we could, we found ways to follow the Saints eventful 2006 season, going so far as to rearrange our schedule to find sports bars. We saw the pinnacle of the season – the reopening of the Superdome and the Black & Gold’s return from exile – in Chicago. When Steve Gleason blocked that punt, we were delirious. Tears flowed. And beers. And Kamakazis. And more beers. There was a drink special for everything that happened on the field – the QB loses his helmet - so for the next five minutes, $1 draft! We were rowdy and we passed a good time, mon cher!

Sometimes you feel close to home no matter where you are.

RED CLOUD, NEBRASKA The little Nebraska town of Red Cloud is the home of author Willa Cather and the Red Cloud Opera House, our next performance space. When we pulled Queen Isabella up to the Sleepy Valley RV park, we knew we’d found a charming home in Red Cloud.

“In a revealing and charming insight into the part of the world, across the street from our campsite a farmer has a wagon full of hundreds of different types of squash. On the wagon is a note that says “Self Serve 10 cents. Put Money in Jar.’ So, the high roller that I am, I dropped a Washington into the jar and Rose

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and I chose two handfuls of fresh veggies that she, with McGyver-like ability, made into a wonderful side dish.” ~ Barry Lemoine STARVED ROCK, ILLINOIS On our morning jaunt to find coffee, Tom and I ventured out of the Starved Rock State Park campground on Lake McBride, and followed “Free Coffee” signs to a garage with lots of camping supplies displayed out front.

We were greeted by a local in a bathrobe, offering what looked to be cold coffee served in pre-used mugs. Ah, thank you, we’re not coffee drinkers – how much is that bug spray?

place next to Mystic Lake Casino. Although we have come to prefer state parks for their natural beauty, you can’t beat a good casino RV park for amenities like laundry and heated bathrooms. A cool camper next door even gave us firewood and helped us start a fire. This guy was in shirtsleeves while we were bundled up with gloves and hats and layers of clothing. Go figure!

LAKE ITASKA, MINNESOTA – The Headwaters of the Mississippi

The sign read “Here 1475 feet above the ocean, the mighty Mississippi begins to flow on its winding way 2552 miles from the Gulf of Mexico.”

But the campground and the lodge are gorgeous, and we found we’d arrived just in time for Octoberfest! Yeah, more beer!

“Late in the evening, a nasty thunderstorm moved into the area.

A tree just two camp sites away was toppled, nearby canyons filled with water, and we awoke to local TV news reports of street flooding, power outages, and school closings. It reminded us of home.” ~Tom Hassinger We worked hard when shows were booked – it takes the whole troupe to set up our scenery, costumes and tech for each show, and then to set up and take down camp on each stop. But we played hard, too.

Entertaining both the audiences and ourselves on the road was, perhaps, what we were best at. Thanks to the GPS, we found the Women’s Pioneer Museum in Ponca City, Oklahoma and the Cowboy and Heritage Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City – both great places for these southern actors to have fun.

Horseshoe games became a favorite pastime at campgrounds, until the game was left behind somewhere along the road. A horseshoe is simply a type of shoe, right? So we used our own sandals and tennis shoes to toss and the game of “shoe shoe” was invented.

Card games, especially Texas Hold ‘Em, was the mainstay of evening entertainment in the camper. One night when we were in a campground with TV reception, Christian rigged up a white sheet and showed “Fargo.” As we were headed to Minnesota, it seemed appropriate.

We found Karoke bars and sports bars and all manner of indoor fun.

But what I’ll always remember is the scenery, the big sky and the places I hope to return to someday.

“One of the blessings of this trip has been the opportunity to enjoy the natural beauty that exists in mid-America. It’s easy to wax poetic about the Rocky Mountains, but there’s abundant beauty as well in the rolling farmlands of Iowa, the cornfields of Nebraska, and the flat plains of Kansas. As for the people we’ve encountered along the way, they’ve been unfailingly friendly and welcoming. Here’s to the goodness of the American heartland!” ~Tom Hassinger ST PAUL, MINNESOTA Here’s what happens when you go day to day, making decisions on the fly about where to stay and when to go…sometimes you see the dregs and then you move on. That was the story today as we made our way to perform at the Great History Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota. We heard of an RV park a short distance from the state line which turned out to be a funky motel with a few small trailers in the rear parking lot. Our Queen Isabella would never have even fit in the lot, so we moved on and found Dakota Meadows – a pretty cool 34

“There it was! Shallow enough and short enough to cross either by stepping on stones, crossing a wooden plank, or braving the cold water. It was so inspiring to see the quiet, clear and cool headwaters of the Mississipppi and once again be reminded of the connection we all share through this mighty river. The sun shown brightly, and we felt at home again.” ~Shannon Gildea THE GREAT RIVER ROAD It is said that a raindrop falling at the headwaters takes three months to get to the mouth of the Mississippi River at the Gulf of Mexico.

We took a little less time than that, but The Evacuation Theatre Troupe meandered home through the Great River Road, visiting Mark Twain and Paul Bunyan territory. We hiked in Perrot State Park in Trempleau, Wisconsin, in frigid temperatures, following a small path with deer tracks. As if the deer knew we would need direction.

As we traveled south, we rejoiced at seeing grits on grocery shelves. We remembered the people we met on our travels, looked forward to seeing those we’d left behind, and reflected on the interconnectedness of us all. You don’t have to go big.

You just have to go.

We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. ~ T. S. Eliott

Sli-Ku Slidell actually had a winter this year…how not-normal was that? Closures, ice, even a little snow; if Sochi can host the Winter Olympics - as warm as it was - then why can’t we host the Iditarod Race here in Slidell? For a large portion of the US, this third month ushers in the promise of spring and warmer weather. I guess that’s why March is Optimism Month. They say to ask a farmer for a favor in March, because the warmer weather gives him optimism for a bumper crop. On the other hand, I have a friend that would advise you to borrow money from a pessimist, because they don’t expect you to pay them back. And speaking of borrowing, the first full week this month is Return Borrowed Books Week. I guess that’s why it is also Read an E-Book Week; saves you the trouble of waiting a whole year for the grace period of returning it to roll around again.

The beginning of March sees the end of another Mardi Gras season. If it ends as well as it started this year, it will have been another fantastic year of parades, parties, and fun. It never gets old. But one thing that does get old quick - being put on hold by the IRS hotline every time I call about a tax question. It figures that March is National On-hold Month. Well, I’m sure I will be an unwilling participant once again in this observance. One day I’ll throw in the hat and get my taxes done by a professional. National Procrastination Week takes place March 8-14. The fact that it actually occurs is ironic, right? Well, unless it was supposed to fall in April…of the previous year. The only good thing about procrastination is that it pays dividends immediately.

American Crossword Puzzle Weekend will be March 7-9 and I really do love me some crossword puzzles! I do them in pen because that’s how I roll. If you’re jealous, I have a crossword puzzle clue for you as my answer: ACROSS: four letters, ends with “E”: Go fly a _ _ _ _! March winds begin to blow as this month kicks off a 3-month observance, National Kite Months!

I love opposing observances. Dr. Seuss Day happendy-tappendy falls slappendy-exactendy on the 2nd while Grammar Day is on the 4th. Do you think there are some English teachers out there that aren’t fans of a certain cat in a hat? People call author Theodore Geisel a genius just as often as they do Shakespeare. Just so happens that BOTH men have been credited with creating hundreds of words that are now part of the English language lexicon. I think both were a little limited with their vocabulary and just made words up instead.

But, I will give Dr. Seuss credit for the colorful artwork.

I also love observances that allow me to pander to my readers. Lips Appreciation Day is Sunday, March 16. Anyone wanting to “celebrate” just call me at 1-800-KISS-LEE. To off-set this day, the 18th has been set aside as Awkward Moments Day. Kissing a stranger is one thing, but having to see that co-worker you exchanged an ill-advised kiss with again on Tuesday (after managing to avoid each other all day Monday) is quite another. Either way…CALL ME!!

I like to think I am open and fair to groups with beliefs that differ from mine.

I’m ok with the 20th being Atheist Pride Day. They deserve a day like everyone else; besides, they do have one thing in common with other religious groups, from a pun point of view. Atheism is a non-prophet organization. I also hear that Atheists are horrible at Algebra because they don’t believe in higher powers. I have an Atheist friend who thought this was funny and wasn’t offended at all.

She’s a hairdresser and informed me that Atheists were the most successful stylists during the 80’s because they only believed in Big Bangs.

Hold on to your hat A cross wind blows down the cat Ma’s dog will get that

Until next time…

Lee Kreil

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This time of year, as things start to wind down a little in the professional sports world, we look around at all those “small” aspects of athletics that often go overlooked. What are these small things that I speak of? This time of year - hirings, firings, changes in staff or chain of command, hot seats, or just a general low burning heat of anger due to the disappointment of another lost season (I am still a Saints fan through and through, but even I get a little case of the bummed-out fever this time of year). There have been several coaches, administrators, etc. across the NFL and other sports organizations that have lived out their 15 minutes, their terms in office, either by choice or otherwise; but when you look towards Louisiana professional sports, overwhelmingly, you see one man that has stayed solid over the past 29 years. A titan in his field and a stronghold in his position, he brings in the right people to get the job done, and then stays out of it (which, in my opinion, is the smartest way to call the shots when it comes to sports). Spend the big bucks, do what needs to be done, and then sit back and watch your empire rise. Probably best of all, he is a local man, a self-made billionaire, and has the craziest umbrella in New Orleans. Make no mistake, he has made some errors in his handlings with Louisiana’s most famous sports franchise, but Tom Benson has done much for New Orleans and, by extension, Louisiana, that we have a great deal to thank him for.

buying 25 acres of land, turning it from a $1 million investment to a $25 million success, and buying several small banks, which he then sold to Norwest. All in all, a very successful early history.

Honestly, at first I felt a little like I was behind when reading Tom’s early history!

35 years old and owning a car dealership doesn’t sound like a bad way to go. But hey, I’m only 28! Which means I have a few years to get that together...right??

Thomas “Tom” Milton Benson’s history with New Orleans is fairly simple. He grew up in a humble family, and after serving in the U.S. Navy, graduated from Loyola University in 1948 with a degree in Accounting, and started selling cars at Cathey Chevrolet. Eight years later, the owner of Cathey Chevrolet asked Tom, one of his top salesmen, to head to Texas and turn around an ailing dealership in San Antonio, giving him a 25% ownership in the process. By 1962, at the young age of 35, Tom Benson Chevrolet was born and sole-owned, with more on the way. Tom’s various business dealings before what we know him for - the Saints - also included

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In 1985, Tom learned through Governor Edwin Edwards (memba’ him?) that there were parties interested in moving the Saints football team from New Orleans to other cities, including Jacksonville Florida. Tom, recognizing the severe economic impact that the loss of this team would have on his home state that was struggling through a recession, hussled up and got together a group to buy the Saints from John Mecom in 1985. Throughout our great state he was lauded as a savior of the Saints, a hero for the city of New Orleans. It didn’t hurt that his first hires, Jim Finks

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and Jim Mora, brought New Orleans to their first winning season. Tom sat comfortably at the top for many years, but it was easy to forget these early victories and celebrations after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. After negotiations stalled to renovate the Super Dome, build a practice facility in Metairie, and increase payments from the city to the Saints, Tom had already been considering a move, back in 2001. On top of that, the devastation of the hurricane and the decline of the local economy seemed to cement his decision to move the team to San Antonio... or at least at first...

After many rumors, public outcry, private conversation (including the involvement of everyone from the commissioner of the NFL, to former NFL quarterback Terry Bradshaw), and a full page ad, Tom Benson finally addressed “his” city and cleared the air and, in January of 2006, finally promised that he would remain committed to the community of New Orleans as long as the community was committed to him. And committed we have been! Eight years later, the Saints have had five winning seasons, have been to the postseason four times, and have hoisted one Lombardi Trophy over their heads. In the process, Tom has taken the Saints from a point of contention and turned them into a beacon of hope for a community that, in some ways, is still rebuilding from the losses of Katrina.

In 2013, Tom made the Forbes list in the top 400 richest people in America. His $1.3 billion dollar empire includes his purchase of WVUE-DT, the Fox affiliate for the New Orleans area, as well as his $338 million dollar purchase of the New Orleans Hornets, now the Pelicans. But, more importantly, his philanthropy efforts are a serious part of the communities he’s been involved in and made an impact on. The Benson family established an endowment fund at Central Catholic High School, in San Antonio, dedicated to the memory of their son, Robert Carter Benson, who graduated from the school in 1966 and died from cancer in 1985. Tom Benson also donated the Benson Memorial Library at Central Catholic. In 2010, he donated $8 million to Loyola University New Orleans to build the Benson Jesuit Center and donated $7.5 million towards the construction of Tulane University’s Yulman Stadium. In 2012, he and his wife were awarded the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice for their generosity to the Catholic Church, the highest papal honor that Catholic laypeople can receive. His overwhelming list of good goes on and on.

Tom Benson’s tenure as owner of the Saints and the Pelicans could very well be considered the most thrilling roller coaster ride in Louisiana. From humble beginnings to towering heights, to public enemy, and finally back to a comfortable steward of

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Louisiana’s sports business, the Louisiana public has seen Tom rise and fall, as we have risen and fallen right along with him.

Above all, he saved two franchises, one of them twice, from leaving Louisiana. He gives to the community not only through his successful business ventures, but through his charitable works. His Saints give Louisianans hope. Many of us have things in our past that we can’t take, or get, back.

But it’s what we do from those moments forward that ultimately define us. Tom has done much for the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana. There is much to be thankful for. His defining moments have defined us all in some way or another.

Now let’s just cross our fingers and hope he can work some of that Benson magic on the Pelicans...cause so far...eesh.

Corey Hogue March 2014

by Jeff Perret, DVM

I

Tricky Tinkles

It’s a fact: everybody pees.

Well, every mammal pees, and since all my patients are mammals, we’ll just go with that. Eating, you can hold off for a few days, and pooping is optional (for a couple of days anyway), but urinating (I’ll start using the medical term now) is right up there with breathing on the list of things you simply must do on a pretty regular schedule. So when something happens to stem the flow of urine, trouble ensues, and fast.

Urine is an interesting substance. It a c t u a l l y h a s l o t s o f g o o d s t u ff i n i t .

S t u ff y o u c a n ’ t l i v e w i t h o u t i n m a n y cases – like potassium, sodium and water. Your body, and more specifically, your kidneys, sense and adjust the composition of your bodily fluids, dumping the excess into the urine.

Just ate a super-sized order of fries with an ocean’s worth of sodium (salt) in it? Here come the kidneys to say ‘hold the salt’ and dump the unwanted excess into the urine. Ditto with lots of other substances, like water, that need to be regulated constantly. And urine is (usually) sterile – unless you have a urinary tract infection (UTI). I’m not advocating doing anything crazy with it (except maybe writing your name in the snow), but it’s not the heinous, dirty stuff that third graders make it out to be. True, it does have many of the waste products of metabolism in it, which your body definitely needs to eliminate.

And that’s where some of the problems begin. If the flow of urine stops, those waste products build up and lead to all kinds of complications. One of the most common ways this flow can be interrupted is when a cat’s urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the litter box) gets blocked. Known in veterinary parlance as a ‘blocked cat’ or ‘blocked tom,’ this poorly understood disorder is seen with alarming frequency in vet hospitals and Emergency Rooms.

E R ’s p r o b a b l y s e e a f e w t o s e v e r a l blocked cats per week. They show up in all stages of the disease, from the early ones who just seem a little painful and have a big, hard bladder, on to the nearly dead ones that are beyond saving in many cases. I really hate this disease.

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The actual plug that stops the flow can be made of urinary crystals (the microscopic building blocks of bladder / kidney stones), blood, or a gooey mix of mucus and protein known as ‘matrix’ that has the consistency of toothpaste. How and why some crystals or matrix forms, no one knows despite a few decades of investigation. Adding to the confusion, the name of the disorder has changed no less than four times in the past 20 years from feline urologic syndrome (FUS), to feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD), to feline interstitial cystitis (FIC). The researchers and academic types at the universities change the name constantly just to keep us practicing vets confused. Well, actually they do it to more accurately reflect the changing data and the true nature of the disease. But the constant changes definitely reflect the fact that there’s a lot we don’t know about the specific causes and many factors that contribute to it. The causes go beyond a little pastey plug, as well. A host of factors, such as stress, lack of access to water, diet, infectious agents, indoor lifestyle, and others have been implicated in the lead-up to blockage. Those little plugs don’t form in a vacuum – something is causing them to form, and we don’t know which factor or factors contribute in any given case. Female cats can suffer with the problem just as male cats can, but because their urethras don’t taper down to a tiny opening the way male urethras do, they seldom if ever obstruct. Their plumbing is just better.

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Cats that are blocked often show the following signs: • Straining repeatedly in the litter box (often mistaken for constipation) • Crying or howling • Licking at the genitals/below the base of the tail • Hiding If you notice your cat showing any of these signs, get right in to see your veterinarian, or go to your nearest veterinarian ER as soon as possible. Don’t delay, don’t fill up the gas tank or stop at Krispy Kreme on the way. A few hours can make a big difference – you don’t want those toxins circulating for too long, and the longer it goes unchecked, the more pain the cat experiences, the more work the vet has to do, and the bigger the final bill will be.

In advanced cases, where the urine flow has been stopped for more than 24 hours, cats can become extremely ill from retained toxins and start vomiting, or become very weak, lethargic and shockey. Without aggressive treatment, death can happen within 48 hours, and it’s not a pleasant way to go.

The course after unblocking these cats is just as unpredictable and mysterious as the factors leading up to the obstruction; some cats are released from the hospital after a day or two, never to suffer another episode, while others will have repeated occurrences days, weeks or years later. This is a frustrating disease.

Managing these cases medically can go way beyond relieving the obstruction in some cases. First priority is fixing the plumbing problem: getting urine to flow. This is usually done with anesthesia and a catheter to get the obstruction out of the way. Managing all the internal havoc wreaked by the toxins is next. This can mean some intense medical therapy as we try and put all the genies back in their bottles. Disorders of potassium and other electrolytes, elevated renal values and severe dehydration can mean days in the hospital, even long after the urine is flowing again. It can get complex, expensive and can wear down even the most committed of owners for the really complicated (and therefore expensive) cases.

But wait – there’s more! Sometimes, getting these cats unblocked, urinating, eating and back home again is the easy part. After all this come the lifestyle changes, medication tweaks, medical rechecks, and diet changes that can all conspire to extend the initial complexity of this disease across months or years. Even in the face of all these management tools, some male cats continue to re-obstruct despite our best efforts. These patients are candidates for a re-constructive surgical procedure that widens the opening at the end of their penis, so that even if they do continue to produce the crystals/ matrix / plugs, they can (hopefully) pass them and avoid that whole life-threatening obstruction thing. Can you see now why I hate this condition?

Our knowledge of contributing factors and therapies has surely changed and improved, but basically we handle this condition much the same way today that we did when I was a newly graduated veterinarian 24 years ago. Today, most cats with this disease, if they get early aggressive treatment, do go home and get better, and even for the tough cases, we have some tricks up our sleeves. Someday, research may provide a reliable way to control or even prevent this condition. I hope the future holds some promise, but I am not holding my breath.

Or my bladder.

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Hooray “Home” Team for the

by Lee Kreil

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Slidell and St. Tammany…let’s have a ball this April! The Red, White & Blue Masquerade takes place on April 11 at Trinity Banquet Hall in Slidell and your attendance is mandatory! Well, let’s put it this way, it is highly encouraged!

By attending this event, you will be helping to support the families of our deployed service personnel. It also will show these protectors of our freedom just how much they mean to us. The Masquerade event is just one facet of a Leadership Northshore team project. Using the proceeds from the Red, White & Blue Masquerade, this project team of future leaders will be able to offer a “Day of Fun” for children of deployed parents; so that these brave moms and dads who are far away can rest assured their children are enjoying the special moments in life.

Supporting the “Home Team” is what Slidell knows all about. Leadership Northshore (LNS) has made a lasting impact on our city and its people for many years. Civic minded projects have become the signature of LNS and their impact can be seen and felt throughout Slidell.

Whether it’s the Olde Towne Pumpkin Festival or the restoration of Greenwood Cemetery or, what was that other one last year? Something about some pelicans somewhere? Oh yeah, the Pelican’s on Parade! (Which raised over $100,000 for local children to make their dreams come true!!) These and numerous other past LNS projects continue on to this day, making Slidell a better place for us all.

Looking to continue this tradition is one of the latest Leadership Northshore teams consisting of team leader Jackelyn Gallo (Vice President & Business Banking Area Manager

with Chase), Captain Kevin O’Neill (Slidell Police Department), Jean Hoover (Technology Administrator with STARC), and Victoria Langlinais (Advertising and Publicity Manager with Silver Slipper Casino). “In getting together to brainstorm for our project, our group discovered we had a passion for similar things.

We decided to focus on our passion for the importance of keeping youth occupied through recreation and for supporting our military,” explains Jackelyn. Now began the challenge of figuring out how to tie together these passions; area youths, recreation, and the military. Here’s how they did it…

Jackelyn’s husband, Mike Gallo, is a charter captain and would fish every few weeks with a fellow fisherman and good friend Don DuBuc. Jackelyn begins the story, “Well, one day Don approaches my husband and says that he has a

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friend named Rob Gibbs who was looking for someone he could trust to take his son Kendall out fishing. Rob said that he and Kendall often went fishing, carrying on a tradition started with his own dad. He doesn’t want his son to lose that passion for the outdoors and fishing while he’s deployed for the next 18 months.” Don recommended Mike Gallo to the deployed serviceman and, since that time, Mike has taken Kendall fishing several times. The Gibbs family’s story and their email response thanking Don and Mike was the beginning inspiration behind this group’s LNS project, named “Bring It Home Northshore”.

This is a portion of that email… ….There are so many emotions that you as a parent have when you start thinking about your family and how deployment over the years has affected you and your family. ~ Understanding that it’s ok to ask for help when you need it and not be ashamed. It’s ok to miss your loved one and cry if it makes you feel a little bit better. ~ Fishing is a big part of Rob’s life thanks to his dad. It has become a favorite pastime for him and Kendall. Rob is trying to fill his father’s shoes and teach Kendall everything he can but deployment had put it all on hold. ~ Thanks to Capt. Mike and Don DuBuc it was made a little bit easier for Kendall. ~ You make the most of it while looking forward to that moment when you will all be together again. It’s moments like the fishing trips that make deployment easier for all of us. ~ It makes us happy to see smiles on our children’s faces when they do something they love and also the smiles on our friends who make that happen for them. Don and Capt. Mike have helped Kendall make memories… ~ Rob and LeAnna Gibbs This LNS team found a way to tie together their three passions of youth, recreation, and support of the military. They had a name and now a purpose for their project. Bring It Home Northshore (BIHNS) is there for those who can’t be. Boosting morale through recreation to provide a sense of normalcy for children of deployed or deceased military personnel is what BIHNS is all about.

They formed a non-profit that will serve St. Tammany Parish children up to 18 years of age of deployed military family members.

BIHNS will use donations and money raised to plan a special day for the children. A day to get excited about and one to tell their parents about - no matter how far away they may be stationed. Ideas for outings include trips to the Zoo and/or Aquarium, sporting events, movies, spa days for girls, and fishing or hunting trips. To make all this happen, the BIHNS team had to develop partnerships in St. Tammany and generate funding to make the project successful, and continue even after their LNS class graduates. They sought out organizations with similar goals and beliefs.

Early on, the team established three primary partners: Slidell Ladies for Liberty meet monthly to pack and ship about 100 “we care” packages to adopted soldiers that hail from St. Tammany Parish. Operation Homefront of Louisiana and Mississippi provides support to the troops and military families through emergency assistance, education, and moral programs. And the third partner, The American Legion Post 185, is part of the nation’s largest veterans wartime service organization. They focus on service to veterans, service members, and their community.

The Holiday Toy Drive distribution event was the first major step breathing life into BIHNS. With Operation Homefront and AL Post 185, this LNS team collected 6000-7000 toys during the December drive.

LNS team member, Kevin O’Neill, recalls this first event. “There were toys everywhere and we gave the kids bags and said, ‘Here, now you go shopping!’ There was this one little boy who was so excited and just smiling the entire time and he came up when he was done and said, ‘Thank you, my bag is full and I am very grateful.’ There wasn’t a dry eye in the house after that.” Kevin hopes that this toy drive will continue

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every year as part of BIHNS legacy.

He also talked about the need to help kids after school with homework and doing school projects. This is a role that deployed parents would normally fill. The Leadership team found many of the kids didn’t even have the necessary school supplies.

Solution – donated school supplies to help take the extra monetary burden off of the families and also help support the current groups that volunteer to help the kids.

This is going to be a long term project, lasting long after the original 9-month LNS class term. “We’ve all come together and agreed that we are going to be the 4 founding board members of the registered 501(c)3 non-profit,” LNS team member, Victoria, says with passion.

Each one of the BIHNS team members has a role to fulfill in their project. Victoria’s role in the team is to get the word out. It’s her specialty - she does it for a living! “We’ve had to take a different approach as to marketing since we don’t have funds yet to do it with,” says Victoria.

With her connections, she has been able to give a huge boost to the public profile of Bring It Home Northshore. Using Twitter, a website, and Facebook offered low-to-no-cost solutions. The team posts information about their community connections and fundraisers through these social media avenues. Her connection with Intercom Communications garnered an email blast that reached up to 80,000 people. Charter Media runs a crawl on the Weather Channel 18 times a day with two different spots for BIHNS. She has secured spots on eSYNC’s Social Pixel Network

The “Bring It Home Northshore” Project Team members: Captain Kevin O’Neill, Victoria Langlinais, Jackelyn Gallo, and Jean Hoover

and through press releases picked up by Lake 94.7, Slidell Independent, Times Picayune, The Advocate, and, of course, this spectacular story in Slidell Magazine!

Jean’s expertise in Information Technology has helped with BIHNS’s great website. As Jean shares, “Our Resources page has our community connections listed. It has everything about our Recreational Support Program and where people can apply. By applying online it makes it easier and the more response we should see. It lists businesses that support the military and also has information about our Red, White,

42

& Blue Masquerade.” The aim of the website is to get the word out, but it also helps a veteran, a family member, or deployed service member FIND information easily and receive support for their children.

The focus right now is to promote awareness for their biggest fundraiser: The Red, White & Blue Masquerade. Jean continues, “Communications and connectivity is what is going to make this event successful. If you just can get people talking to each other about something they are passionate about, you will uncover solutions and resources that you didn’t know were available. People and organizations that are looking for an outlet for their resources; by connecting the dots everyone is more successful with their missions.”

This group of future Leadership Northshore graduates isn’t slowing down any time soon. Constantly looking to add more partnerships and resources, this group is on a mission to create something that will go on long after their time in LNS ends. They want to impact our service personnel and their families that have to adjust to a deployment. The men and women who unselfishly serve our country need our help and our support. It’s hard enough to raise a family today and maintain family traditions, but to try to do it from states, countries, and even continents away from home just makes it that much harder. Our deployed service personnel have a tough job; they have chosen to make sacrifices in serving our country that affect themselves and their families and friends.

Let’s help out and make it as easy for the children left behind to cope with a parent being gone for long periods of time.

As the son of a once-deployed service man, I want to give a big THANK YOU to Leadership Northshore and the team of Bring It Home Northshore for working to take care of the people who take care of us.

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Crimi-mommly Insane I WILL, be ok. And so will I.

By Leslie Gates

“Slow Your Roll!”

My bathroom mirror tells lies.

Using my breast milk for survival (sometimes biting), coloring on walls, spilling things, running out in the street… peeing in the street… counting mufflers in the street. Oh dear God! There are animals running around everywhere telling me they are hungry too. Because it’s MY VIDEO, and so they talk. Duh. School is calling because my special needs child has hurled something across the room again. Dirty dishes are stacked on top of dirty laundry piles on top of dirty diapers, on top of my head. Nothing is making sense anymore! It’s craziness! I can’t keep up! AHHHHHHHHH!

Or I’m blaming it on the fluorescent lighting.

But ever since I made 35, the aging process seems to have quadrupled!

I stare at my face and it’s like I’m seeing a new spot or wrinkle every day! Who IS that person?

I’m starting to do that thing in the mirror… you know… the “what would I look like with a face lift” trick. I know exactly where to pull up on my skin to get rid of a wrinkle. Or fix my droopy eyelid. But then what? It’s not like I’m gonna grab my stapler to keep it in place, so what’s the point? I’m just telling myself, here’s what you USED to look like, but NEVER will again! Muah! Ha! Haaaa!

There are other non-mentioned areas that can be seen in this chest length mirror of LIES! “The lift” doesn’t work too well on that though. Not well AT ALL. So don’t try it.

Seriously. It’s SCARY. Oh, and I won’t even mention my full body length mirror. Well, I just did. But yeah, there is something really wrong with it. I think it’s one of those funny kind that make your head really small and your butt really big. It adds stretch marks too. Weird.

Anyway, after A LOT of denial, and too much time on my hands, I sat on the couch and saw this video clip in my mind (theme songs included), of what all could have contributed to these new lines in my face.

It started off with “Ice Ice Baby”. I’m in high school, driving my little white Honda Civic.

No stress, no wrinkles. Just school, work, home, sleep. Short video. No problems there.

Word to ya Mutha.

Then the song switched to “Rooster” by Alice in Chains. I’m seventeen years old, trying to prove myself.

44

True story.

Dressed in Army fatigues with camo on my face, I’m low crawling in a fire ant infested field, with my rifle and rucksack, while a man twice my age yells in my face. Next, I’m running up and down 3 flights of stairs over and over until I throw up my lunch that I was forced to eat because I’m “too skinny” and they’ve “gotta make a soldier outta me”!

These years may have caused a wrinkle somewhere along the way. And possibly a twitch.

Next in my mind, I’m going through three pregnancies. Skin stretching itself every which way, mood swings showing that I could possibly be the spawn of Satan, hot fudge Sundays and Orange Julius’s dripping from my pores. Strange phobias, like the frozen blue bathroom ice from an airplane falling on top of me while I lay in bed. I know. I ain’t right. The theme song…“Free Bird”. Don’t ask. Some things I just cannot explain. But through these years, I definitely started to age.

Then it really sped up. I heard a loud, screechy record player, with a creepy version of “Ring around the Rosy”. My ADHD kicked in and there are kids everywhere… sick ones, with runny noses and poop coming out the back of their diapers.

The lines on my face started making more sense. It has all caught up to me.

Right when life finally slows down a little, and I regain some sanity (don’t even say it), my body is now paying for it.

I FEEL OLD. But then, something strange.

I LISTENED… There were no kids. They are all in school now.

There were no more talking animals (which is so not cool).

My husband was at work.

SILENCE. I stopped to look around me…

And I saw it.

I have everything I need. I am so blessed.

Life is funny like that. When you slow your mind, stop worrying so much, and find some silence, it makes you look back. It seems like I was just trying to stay out of the mental institution for so long that maybe I missed out on something important.

Probably so.

But it makes me look for those important things even more now.

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My Grandmother was one hell of a woman. I think of all the things she lived through… The Depression, World War II, NO CELL PHONES! (Seriously, how DID they do that?) She was a painter, a gardener, the first female Elder in our church. She even had a community center named after her. The woman was AMAZING. She earned her wrinkles!

Soon moving into Notting Hill at 223 Robert Street in Olde Towne, once the Historic Preservation renovations are complete.

She also raised 7 children. I asked her how she did it.

“You just DO IT,” she said. “But you have to teach them responsibility. So when they get a little older, they can do some of the work for you, while you sit down and have a glass of Sherry.”

She would give me this smile afterwards. As if her old eyes were trying to tell me something else. I often wondered why. But now I think I know.

Stop by during Olde Towne events like Arts Evening to see the progress!

The smile meant, Sweetheart, I can’t tell you how to do it. You just have to LIVE IT, then you will know.

She died at 98. But she LIVED. To the fullest!

That’s the trick.

Don’t be afraid of life. Don’t be afraid of growing old. Don’t fear what you might do wrong. Just Live. NOW! Who cares about wrinkles, and the fact that I may be dragging my boobs behind me in 10 more years?

Is that really going to matter?

From now on, when I look in the mirror, I don’t want to notice those things.

Instead, I will try and look past the superficial stuff, telling myself this…

Slow down Leslie. You are going too fast.

See life as it happens. Don’t be scared of it. It’s GOOD. Don’t live in past hurts, or future “what ifs”.

Walk up to your life NOW, and touch it on the shoulder. As it turns around and looks at you… with all the lines in its face, the fear, and the failures to come. The hurt in its eyes. Everyday pain.

REMEMBER, in that same look is HOPE. With it, bringing love, new experiences, and MOMENTS. Ones that you can never get back.

Thank You Slidell!

Wake up and live! No matter how old you are!

It’s that easy.

And when you are done staring your present life in the face… SNAP THE HELL OUT OF IT, grab its hand, and say, “Let’s go dammit, we’ve got this!”

And if THAT doesn’t fix my mirror, well… then…

There’s always the stapler.

For allowing me the privilege to represent District G as your Councilman.

It is an honor to serve the city I live in and love!

Bill Borchert 45

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