week 35, post 4: how can I help, part__________.

Over and over again Bayou Grace and those we serve are blessed with wonderful volunteers -- especially Lutherans from Illinois. It figures, actually: Illinois/Chicago is rich with Lutherans. Bayou Grace is truly interfaith, but based in a Lutheran Church. So they find their way here. And they serve us so well. Carol is a retiree volunteer from Chicago who has been most generous with her time, wisdom and energy. Her heart is huge for our work. Since Spring she has given us about 8 weeks in two stints. Thank you Carol. Thank you so much.

If you can't make it down here...the the first way you can help is to educate yourself. Learn of Cajun culture, and learn about coastal erosion and global warming. Two books I'm reading now which I strongly recommend to you:

The Ravaging Tide, by Mike Tidwell
Holding Back the Sea, by Christopher Hallowell.

Then to help us -- and help yourself: Start doing evrything you can to reduce your use of fossil fuels. Now. It would be nice if George Bush had the wherewithal to be a real leader, but he doesn't and we can't wait. We'll have to lead ourselves, and the legislators. Begin with self.

Peace, Warren.

week 35, post 3: exercising the imagination

While you're sitting at your computer reading this blog, take a minute and look around the room you're in. Look at the doors. Look carefully at the tops of the doors. Now draw a line all the way around the room at that level. See it clearly. Imagine that to be the flood line should a cat 4 or 5 hurricane hit your town. This room and all the rooms in your house would be filled for three weeks with deadly, filthy, salt water from that line on down.

Imagine your losses; imagine the process of recovery.

Try it again. Imagine the flood line even with the top of the lowest door hinge. That water, equally filthy, toxic and corrosive, would be there only 4 days -- the result of a cat 1 or 2 hurricane.

Imagine the process of recovery.

Try it again. Imagine your house is on high ground, and does not flood. Simply imagine that the roof is lifted and that 7 inches of rain enters the house from above, soaking 70% of all insulation and ceiling materials, plus 50% of all the drywall panels in your house, plus 50% of the wall studs, plus 100% of all clothing, carpet, bedding and upholstered furniture -- setting toxic mold growth underway almost immediately.

Imagine the process of recovery.

Imagine you have good insurance (does your policy cover water damage?). Now imagine that your insurance company takes 9 months to send you your payment.

Sometimes there are things so terrible to think about, we just don't...

Think about it...

Peace, Warren

week 35, post 2: Ernesto?

Next Tuesday marks one of two terrible anniversaries for this area. And there's now a tropical depression in the Gulf. They say it will soon become a named storm -- Ernesto? The chief of the OEP (Office of Emergency Preparedness)has called a meeting for Monday night, to reveal plans for evacuations and shelters.

Yes, we can feel it. I went to Lowe's tonight to get some stuff for my little portable home. I noticed the gallons of bleach prominently displayed. The thought ran through my head that this entire store could be scattered everywhere -- not here at all -- a week from now.

Sunday, I'd gone down all the way to the end of Placquemines Parish. New Orleans got off easy -- real easy. There was no debating what to repair in Placquemines Parish -- there was nothing there to repair. Virtually 100% of the housing there is now FEMA trailers. Easy to set them up; just park it on the slab where your house used to be, hook up the power and sewer and you're home. One giant RV park.

The Mississippi River runs a LONG WAY through the middle of Placquemines Parish from New Orleans to the Gulf of Mexico. The Big Muddy wasn't very -- almost clean and clear. We're going to be depending on the Mississippi to bring the sediment to us with which we'll rebuild the coast. But better farmland and river management upstream has reduced the sediment load the river used to carry. Ironic, isn't it?We'll have to get better at managing all that it does give us. The Corps of Engineers used to dredge the river onto barges, then dump it off the continental shelf. The'll have to bring the barges to Terrebonne Parish, please. Precious stuff, mud. We can't live without it here.

I'll add a few pictures of Placquemines Parish later. Please pray for those of coastal LA and Missippi who've been forgotten. There's no intention to nourish any hostility toward NO. It's just that many others have suffered, too, with hardly any notice at all.

As Ernesto builds in the gulf, we can see it in the skies here. We can feel it. This is serious business.

Once again: there's no preventing hurricanes. But there IS a way to minimize the damage they do.

Peace, Warren.

week 35, post 1:fecundity!

Everyone knows this area is just plain lush with fauna and flora -- especially flying fauna (horrid things). Every night I kill at least 3 or 4 before going to bed, so they don't kill me first. The other night I missed at least one and it bit me on the cheek. So I turned over and it bit me on the other cheek! So I got up and killed it! Sorry, Jesus. It just doesn't work with mosquitos.

So it was with glee I witnessed the hatching of the dragonflies and also a hatching of baby lizards here near the front door of the church. Sissy has decided that it's great sport to (try to)catch a dragonfly. And one of the baby lizards (so cute!)has decided to move in with us. So we have an office lizard. Don't ask for a photo -- he won't hold still for closeups! But he's welcome to all the flying fauna he can get.

It's just too bad these wonderful creatures have to wait until August to show up. April looks like a much better idea to me.

Bon appetit!

week 34, post 2: I like Jack Russells and I like fishing

I like Jack Russell terriers
I like fishing
(note picture)
But it's a little hard to embrace both at the same time...
It was a brutally hot day, way too hot to even think of leaving sissy in the truck. So I took her in the kayak. First, she decided that the front deck of a plastic kayak would be a great place to stand. Just like kids; sometimes there's no tellin' 'em. They just have to find out for themselves. Sissy lasted less than 30 seconds before her swimming lesson.

Then she decided the whole purpose of the trip was to catch the spinnerbait. Fortunately, she didn't.

Then I caught this nice redfish. So that was it! Sissy sniffed it, declined a bite, but decided her job was to dash frantically in every direction at once, looking for the next redfish. This was just so fun!! Did I tell you that one has to stalk redfish in shallow water QUIETLY? Sigh.

The dragonflies have hatched here. I wish they hadn't waited so long -- they're excellent mosquito eaters. Some university department of entomology needs to come up with an early hatching dragonfly -- like tomatoes or whatever. Sissy's new favorite sport is dragon fly catching (at least chasing). She has yet to catch one, but she's not giving up... There's just something about Jack Russells and insects...

week 34, post 1: manna for the journey

"Behold I will rain bread from heaven..."

"I can't do it."
"There is so much to do and we are so small."
"I/we are exhausted."

One of my colleagues remarked to me, "Warren, do you have a support group? You're emotionally close to the edge." I was a bit embarrassed by his observation, but I acknowledged that he was right. We have all pushed hard, and we stay close to the edge. There is so much to do...

A group of volunteers from Chicago left this morning. They'd been here for a week. Their wonderful pastor came with them and cared for us of Bayou Grace as the rest of them worked on houses or in the warehouse or with the case manager. Groups like this are like manna from heaven. We are energized and renewed by their enthusiasm and presence among us.

No, we really can't do it alone. We were never meant to. No we don't have anywhere near enough resources to hire enough professionals to do all that's needed; we were never meant to. But, day by day we find enough to keep going. Just enough. And we have to learn to pace ourselves, to "honor the sabbath and keep it holy." But we're still going...

Peace, Warren.