Change is constant. I know that isn't original but it is true. The way Baton Rouge looked and felt in the 1980's, 1990's is a far cry from today (April 18, 2018). Life is no longer just fluid. You must plan when you will leave your house to be somewhere. If it is on the other side of the Interstate you will add at least 30 minutes to drive time during a "good" part of the day. I find myself not leaving our home for days at a time due to the traffic.

Our local politicians have continued to waltz around this issue and found ideas like "moving the zoo" to be more priority. What is wrong with these people?

Hurricane Season, again

It is hard to believe that it has been several years since Hurricane Katrina. Baton Rouge changed for good...yet, not in a good way. Our traffic system never recovered. Thank goodness for Mayor Holden and his Green Light program. It has certainly answered prayers on some arteries. However, not enough streets can be widened quickly enough and now that our area's economy is a little depressed we need to have traffic moving. I blame the administrations prior to Kipp's. There was obviously a total lack of planning. Now that sounds like our Federal Government! I don't know how Mayor Holden has done it, but he has moved much of the city.

We just purchased a Generac generator. It is huge and will mean that if our electricity goes out (when, not if) we will have power this time. At least, that is the game plan. We bought the system and on our first night of running it, it DIED! A belt came off of the system and the thing overheated. Does not sound good to us.

That is it on Aug 12, 2009.

Help Ann Please

Well, I don't really know who to write or whom to tell about the plight/fight that a young woman I know is in but I have the need to write about it. We all meet people who just uplift us. Ann Gregory is one of those people with the contagious type of smile and knowing sparkle in her eye. She has just the right sense of humor to make you want to come back for more.

Ann is in the fight of her life right now and needs a miracle. Follow this link to see what you can do. Ann's Blog

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

From all across the nation I get asked how we can do business in Baton Rouge with "what has happened here?" Perhaps some photos will prove that WE are fine. Our traffic situation is horrendous as you can see. This is a shot outside of my subdivision in the late afternoon. The other shot is of the new Towne Shopping center in the middle of the afternoon.

Baton Rouge is thriving. We welcome you.

A Progression in Papers

Weathermen were telling us to "HUNKER-DOWN" for the storm and go get supplies. Evacuation traffic from New Orleans, appearing light don't you think? was already in contra flow (going one way on the interstate). The Hurricane was Hours Away and massive warnings were all over the media.Katrina hit slowly and decidedly. She was a Category 5 with massive winds.
After the Hurricane parts of New Orleans were damaged, but dry... but then, the levee broke and flooding began. Where people had thought they were safe, they no longer were. Homes began to flood. People died in nursing homes. The city was cut off from electricity and water with hundreds of thousands of people from all classes there. They were in posh hotels, the Rivercenter, bars as well as the Superdome turned shelter. But it wasn't a safe shelter. The roof was torn off with rain coming in, children were hurt physically and conditions were unsanitary to say the least.

What does this have to do with Baton Rouge? Well, some of these people were bused to Baton Rouge and surrounding areas for refuge from the deplorable conditions there.

Since Hurricane Katrina and the Levee Break in New Orleans we have been indated with media in Baton Rouge and across the United States. Some of them have it accurate, some not. It is surprising what parts of the story are and are not correct to me. Here are a few of the covers of the Advocate which is our local paper in Baton Rouge.

Speaking to citizens of Baton Rouge, it is interesting to hear what they have to say about this new way of life. More on that to come.

Hurricane Katrina

The Hurricane may not have hit us directly but we sure have and are feeling the impact of it due to the increase in our temporary (?) population growth. Gasoline is hard to find, ice is impossible to find, businesses are still closed due to electrical outages but that will surely change locally in the next few days. The local stations (tv and radio) are running only emergency programming.

The future for New Orleans does not look good. It is depressing. They now say it will take at least a month to get the water out the city. Then, FEMA can go in, then the electrical company. For residents of the area, it must be overwhelming.

Many are enrolling their children in Baton Rouge and Lafayette area schools, facing the difficult fact that it will be a very long time before anything in New Orleans will be inhabitable again. SO... where does that leave Baton Rouge?

We will probably grow! That could be a good thing.

Hot and steamy

There is no end in sight to the above average sauna-like weather. My husband uses my hair as a barometer. The frizzier it is, the more humid outside. He, being a weatherman, is happy, I am not. Luckily I am "at least" wearing it curly these days. It was pitiful when I was trying to flat iron it. I could never exactly look sleek with this mound of thick volumnious hair on my head. I'm glad that water is plentiful and we can take baths at will. We are very fortunate indeed. ahhhhh.