Entries in Life

We went to the Mt Gretna Rail Trail today. Ginger and Basil brought their bikes. The rest of us walked.

At some point, Ginger was off her bike and I asked Violet if she wanted to try to ride. She hopped on. Ever the mother, Alexis reminded me to make sure she wouldn’t fall.

I held on to the bike and Violet for a little bit, then just the bike. Then, I just put my hand beside her shoulder. Finally, I let go completely. Bam! Down she fell.

“Want to try again?” And she was back on. This time she stayed on. A couple of other mothers who happened to be riding past at that moment cheered. Violet was ecstatic.

“Can we take the training wheels off my bike now?”

It seems hard to believe that so much has happening in just seven days time. Reports about the possibility of cholera are starting to show up. Laurie Garrett, Senior Fellow for Global Health
Council on Foreign Relations, has given her analysis of the situation. She draws a bead on the biggest difference between this tragedy and what happend in NYC on September 11, 2001:

Perhaps the single most crucial difference between New York’s response to 9/11 and New Orleans’ and the hurricane region’s response to the current crisis is communication and its corollary, leadership. Though cell phones were disrupted and emergency responders in Lower Manhattan lost contact during the morning of 9/11, the people of New York knew immediately what was going on.
…
In contrast, none of the people now trapped in New Orleans or wandering around in shock along the Mississippi/Alabama coastal communities have any idea what is going on. They have no electricity, and therefore no television or radio. Information is entirely rumors.

My brother-in-law returned to his house today to survey the damage. He lived on the West Bank, so we thought his house would be relatively safe.

Instead, the floor was covered with six inches of water. Brick walls were damaged. Major roof repairs will be needed.

He lived in a semi-rural area of Jefferson Parish. There were trees all around. Today, he told dvfmama “All the trees are down.”

Others had similar stories.

In recent years, they’ve managed to get Lake Ponchartrain cleaned up enough that you could actually swim in it again. Now it looks like the lake is going to take a huge hit of pollutants as the Orleans and Jefferson Parishes are dried out:

Earlier this year, scientists found as many as 20 manatee had taken up residence in the lake, apparent visitors from the Florida coast.

Dufrechou said he hopes they will be able to avoid the dirty water as it's being pumped into the lake.

But the water will definitely be bad news for rangia clams that have repopulated the south shore of the lake during the past 10 years.

I love fish sauce! And stink? It smells great!