Happenings of a South Louisiana Cajun

Trouble = Nolan, Again!

2011-07-14T15:55:00.008-05:00

His name became Nolan, again. He is still TROUBLE, but we thought maybe we'd better not reinforce that in his psyche. So, it is now, NO! Nolan. Or No! No! No! Nolan!!!!

Nothing escapes his curiosity. He absolutely loves water. Anytime we water the lawn, he is there. When we take a shower, he is there. He lays in the lavatory once I finish brushing my teeth.

We took him to the "inexpensive" vet last week. He had apparently gotten into a fight and got gouged. He had an abscess. The vet did not have any vaccine in the office, so she prescribed a liquid to be given twice a day. This would not do, as our house/pet sitter was coming in and was not too keen about putting an eye dropper of medicine in the mouth of a cat with giant teeth who did not want to take the medicine. We had planned a trip to Branson, MO, we were leaving in two days. The vet staff suggested we board Nolan with them where they could administer the antibiotics.

Yeah, how much would that cost, I wondered. Ten dollars a night! Wow, that is not bad! We could handle that. So, we brought Nolan to the vet where he was to stay five nights. We got home earlier than expected and he came home in four nights.

He was in fine shape when he returned. They fed him, they administered the meds. He remembered where his food was, water and the litter box. He remembered the doors and the placement of the rooms in the house. No adverse effects. Great!

He does not run up to Wee and chase him, jump on him or suck on him. He hardly acknowledges Wee. There has been no crying by Wee, no cat fights, no disturbances. Nolan has been awesome! He also is hanging around the house more. Of course, it is really hot outside and he may be more comfortable inside in the air conditioning. Dunno! But, he is much nicer.

No, this is not the first time we have been away from home. We did leave him home in a separate area of the house than Wee, the last time we left. We have only left three times since he's been with us. The pet sitter, Billy, had to keep them apart in order to have peace. We have two litter boxes, one for each, in different partsof the house. Maybe the trick was to send him to the Vet's where he

must have been in on some obedience lessons. Or maybe he missed being home! Yeah, Right!

Nolan now weighs 10.5 pounds while Wee weighs 5.5 pounds.

On the left is a picture of Wee and Nolan. Nolan is sucking on Wee and Wee is trying to protect himself. This is not a picture of two cats in a love hug!

This picture was taken before Nolan went to the Vet's for an extended stay.

As I write, it is midday, it is hot outside. Nolan is inside as is Wee. There is peace. It is amazing. I will try to post an album of some pictures of Nolan that I have been taking when I see him in funny positions. To me, he looks like the "straight" man in a comedic episode. Double Click on the picture at the upper left, then you can go to Picasa to see the comments and view in a larger format.

BTW, Nolan is a mixed Raggdoll cat. He isn't a pure bred, if he was, his eyes would be blue. They are gold. Enjoy the pictures.

Introducing the New Member of the Family.

2010-12-12T21:51:00.012-06:00

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We had no intention of ever having a new kitten join our family. After all, two old people and one very old (16year old) cat were enough in a household. Everyone was set in their ways and things were running smoothly. Everyone knew each others rules. It was nice.

One day in late October, our next door neighbor, Angie, was gifted with a new kitten. Angie's old cat had been killed by dogs late one night about six months ago. She longed of another cat, but her mother has allergies and didn't really want to have a cat in the house again. Angie called her new kitten, Nola for New Orleans LA because it had black and gold eyes. She believed it to be a female. It was Gorgeous. Gordon called it a show cat. Its markings are precise.

That's Nola looking inside our house.

Angie's next door neighbor, Earline loves cats. Angie came to our house looking for Nola one Saturday morning. She told us about the kitten and how Earline really liked it. We said, "No, we haven't seen a gray and white kitten. She said she was going to wash her car, that Nola liked water and hopefully would come around when she heard it.

About two days later, Nola showed up at our house. She looked hungry. We did not feed her. She was very nervous, but let us pet her. She chased leaves and feathers. She was very entertaining and very unassumingly funny. Our granddaughter, Annie came over to make Jack-O-Lanterns and played with Nola.

Nola loves to jump up at feathers.
So, Nola began spending a lot of time at our house. We started to feed her. We talked to Earline. Earline didn't really want Nola, and said Angie said she couldn't keep Nola because her mother's allergies acted up every time Nola came inside.

Earline, Angie's neighbor, had taken Nola to her vet's to have her checked out. Vet said she was a he and less than six months old. Earline and her husband had a conference with me and Gordon. Both couples are retired. They have two inside cats. We have one. Earline agreed to pay for half of the neutering fee/rabies shot for Nola. She called for an appointment at her vet's. I have had cats die of feline leukemia and it was awful. I wanted the newly named, Nolan, to have those shots and the aids shot. He also had ear mites. When it was all over, Earline paid $68 of the fee for neutering and rabies. We paid $325 for the ear mites, the other shots, half the neutering, etc. Earline uses a very expensive vet. Nolan will not see this vet again. Our vet would have charged maybe half that.

So, it all boils down to we have a new kitten. He weighs 8.2 pounds. He is tall, long and has big feet. He is very handsome and a show stopper. He has changed his name from Nolan to Trouble. He changed it by his actions. We keep forgetting that he doesn't know the rules.

He's pulling Annie's hair, above. He's sleeping in my computer cabinet, below. He jumps on the table. He earns his name.

He is very inquisitive, he loves water. He puts his paws in it to drink. He is the most "pliable" cat I've ever held. He is not at all ridged. He has a big stomach. He makes noises when he eats, kinda like a pig at a trough.
I am typing about him in this blog and he just jumped up and got behind the monitor. He is so big, I couldn't get him out without displacing the monitor, so I took his picture.

Wee is really unhappy about the new addition. Trouble attacks Wee because he moves. When Wee tries to run away, it just makes Trouble chase after him. Trouble grabs him, engulfs him in his arms and sucks on poor, outraged, scared, Wee. Yes, Vet said he was weaned too early from his mother and he will always suck like that. He sucks on pillows, on my robe, on my arm. His sucking hurts. Wee screams and we run because we know he's being killed. You must know, Wee weighs 5 lbs. and has short fur. Trouble has long fur and is a big 'presence'. We find screaming Wee under Trouble and held tightly by the intruder who is biting and sucking on him. I have not taken a picture of this, but I've had many opportunities daily. I think it is more important to rescue Wee than snap a picture of his misery. Trouble gets put in "time out" about 20 times a day. "Time out" is either outside or behind a closed door in a room away from Wee.

Wee appears larger here, but that is an optical illusion due to the camera angle. Our solace now is that Trouble has a big fur coat and can take the cold. We don't feel badly about putting him out. Our promise to him is that he would always sleep in. We don't want the same fate for him as our neighbors cat.

He still visits the houses in the neighborhood. He's after the food dishes that are out for him.

He has been given flea meds and the ear mites are almost gone, so he is not as hyper as he was. He just got his big teeth in his mouth. They were those tiny ones up until about a month ago. Today, after he jumped on the back of my leg and I felt the claws Wee has been exposed to, I cut his toe nails. Argh! That hurt. I guess Wee feels like a pin cushion.

When he's being good, he is awesome!

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New Kid on the Block!

2010-08-02T20:44:00.006-05:00

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I don't think Wee (our cat) likes the new kid who showed up about a month ago. She comes from another street, but gets here through a hole in the fence. She is young, but will probably have kittens in maybe three - four months. She is one of those "leg cats". She likes to be petted and cannot get enough attention. We call her June.

I saw her jump up and catch a bird. I hollered and ran after her. She let the bird go and if flew away. She is very agile and jumped about 5 feet to get the bird off the feeder. Since then, I have raised the feeders, but still I have seen her try to get her bird. You can tell she just MUST have this excitement in her life.

One day, Wee was inside. June came on the outside ledge of the window and I thought Wee would break through the window. It was really interesting. See here.

THE Birthday Event!

2010-04-23T16:43:00.008-05:00

Things were beginning to be suspenseful. . .Would the guest of honor show up? Or would he be too "scared y cat" to attend?
The "cake" was ready, the party hat was there, and the guest were soon to arrive.
The guest of honor was somewhere..... Would he venture to come forward? Did he know the party was in his honor? Did he know he was sixteen (16) years old???

That one was not to disappoint. Wee did indeed show up. He showed up right on time and remained with the "party" until he had had his fill of his special "cake".

Only, he would have no part of the party hat!

What is this, he sniffed?
"Oh boy! ... Oh boy! ... IT'S my FAVORITE!..... Tuna!" He eats dry cat food and rarely gets the opportunity for Fancy Feast, but today... was HIS day, let everyone else eat cake, he was onto something exceptional! And, you wonder... did he eat it all? ......... Every last lick!

.......................................But, he left the candle.
..............................................................HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Wee!

:-)

In honor of Wee or Oui, the cat!

2010-04-03T16:08:00.006-05:00

April is about the time our dear friend and pet, Wee was born. So, this year, we're celebrating his life, his sixteen (16) years of life!

We will have a birthday party later on in the month. He actually was probably born on April Fool's Day since Nature has played so many "Jokes" (not funny ones) on him.

We got him from the Humane Society in October of 1994. We went to get a female, Billy likes black cats. Billy picked him out. They showed us this small, black cat and said it was a female. It looked scrawny. It was in a cage with a lot of shredded newspaper. They said it was between four and six weeks old.

The adoption papers were signed, the fee for the shots, neutering and adoption were paid. We took the small, black, guaranteed healthy, female kitten home. It came home to two other neutered cats. Kate, a real mean, dominating cat who chased yelping dogs out of the yard. Moose on the other hand was a real laid back male tabby cat. It must have been a traumatic experience for the tiny kitten.

Billy named her Kelly and she ate, then had the "runs" and couldn't stop scratching her head. Two days later, still having "runs", I realized it may not be that she was scared of the two other cats, so we brought her to our vet. Vet said, "Hun hunnn, not a female, a male, older than six weeks and full of worms and ear mites!" So began the almost weekly visits to the Veterinarian. We renamed Kelly, Wee, after Wee Willie Winkle in the children's poem.

Wee had had one testicle that had not dropped and had to be surgically removed which meant an incision in his underside. The ear mites required treatment for more than a month. I was the "treater", now that was fun! Wee had to be wrapped in a towel, then put on each side and had yulky stuff pulled out of his ears. I am sure you know he liked the procedure.

Once the worms were eliminated, the "runs" did not get much better, so the Vet prescribed Prescription (note: EXPENSIVE) Science Diet for cats with sensitive stomachs. Ahh, that worked! Along with the monthly flea medicine, Wee, who always kept himself very clean, seemed to be relaxing.

I wanted Wee to be a "house cat" since the other two were "in and out" cats. Our cats have always slept in so that we did not have to deal with abscesses due to nightly cat fights. So, Wee never went outside. He wanted to, but we didn't let him go out, no matter how hard he tried to get through the door. About in January, Wee's fur came off. He was bald, except where he could not reach with his tongue. He licked all of his fur off. (Unfortunately, I do not have a picture of this. )

Back to the Vet. She gave him Valium. Yes, Valium, the drug to calm humans. It made him climb the walls. The fur did not grow back! Another Vet Visit. "Cut the Valium in half and try that for a few days." Another Vet Visit, cut the pill in fourths and try that. This was about the third week of a bald cat in our house. It was cold, I cut a sock up and he wore a sock for another week. This also prevented him from licking the fur, but it did not grow back. Another Vet Visit. She said, "It must be psychological. Is there anything he wants to do that you are not letting him do?" Yes, he wants to go outside. We don't let him. Vet: "Try letting him out."

When we got home, he stayed outside until nighttime. The fur grew back and by the middle of February, we had a furry Wee cat again. Wee was not a year old and Nature had already played big jokes on him. He is a survivor.

Billy is now on his own and no longer lives with us, so Wee is totally, MY CAT! Kate and Moose have passed on. Wee's personality has blossomed since he became an "ONLY". He still chases leaves and his tail. He runs and jumps, pounces on lizards, tries to keep other cats out of his yard, and is in very good health.

He and I are on the same wave length and understand what the other wants us to do. (Mostly, what Wee wants me to do.) When I am patient, he is very obedient, is very well trained and willing to please. He follows me around the house. He comes to get me when he wants to eat and sometimes we know he wants company as he eats, so we oblige. He tells me his litter box needs attention, which it gets twice a day. He waits nearby where I take an afternoon nap, then he snuggles on my lap and we nap together. He sits by my side or on my shoulder while I do computering. He will not jump on the furniture unless there is a mat for him to lay on. He reminds us to lift the shades so he can sit on the window sill and look out. He loves massages and fur brushing. He has a sense of humor and I crack up with his silly looks. Oh, he still goes out, for maybe a total of 15 minutes a day. He is a HOUSE CAT! His name should be "Oui" which is French for "Yes". He said "Yes" to life and has for sixteen years, enriched mine.

Winter has been BRUTAL!

2010-03-04T20:23:00.005-06:00

We have had a brutal winter. We believe our tropicals will not return. We are leaving them alone until Spring as they say, "Maybe they will come up from the ground"> If so, we do not want to further damage them by cutting on them now. The yard is bleak except for the BIRDS! We've got about 100 or so American Goldfinches. They are so much fun to watch!

On the left feeder is a house finch, notice it's red head. The other ones are the American Gold Finches. They are yellow when they are up North, but they are this color here. The white feeder is called a feed sock. It is amazing how many flock to it. Below notice a beautiful Cardinal. He likes the black oil sunflower seed.

Only excitement in the yard and boy are they fun to watch.

Our trip to Kansas

2010-02-02T18:22:00.009-06:00

In November, we traveled to Kansas and enjoyed the hospitality of friends, Glenn and Jean Vaughn.
Gordon and Glenn were in the Navy together. Glenn is a rancher and they have a wonderful place.

We saw a lot of interesting things. The Vaughns live near Ft. Smith which is south of Kansas City, near the Missouri border.

We did not realize that there was an Amish community nearby.

There is also a National Cemetery in Ft. Scott. Very impressive especially since the trees were changing colors and I caught the light right.

We had a wonderful time. We even went to watch marbles being made at a Marble Factory. Yes, the little round ones. The kind you "shoot" between your fingers and your thumb. It is a wonderful country we live in. It is so diverse. The geography is so interesting. The cultures are so varied. Awesome!

Climate change?

2010-01-15T19:43:00.004-06:00

Today, the temperature reached 57°F. Last week, the high was in the mid 30s. We had ice in the bird bath every day for a week. It got down to 19° on several mornings. Now, it is raining. Tomorrow, we were told to expect 2 inches or more of rain. For two weeks our "tropicals" were covered in hopes to ward off certain death. We put all of the potted plants in the store room. Yesterday, took the plants out of the storeroom and we uncovered the tropicals. Well, the storeroom worked, but the coverings didn't. We have a devastating looking yard. Almost everything is brown, as in dead. This morning, Gordon and I went outside, we had "tea at ten", put a fire in the chimnea, and gazed at the desolate landscape. I placed some plants from the storeroom nearby and we enjoyed that. Just goes to show that you can find "cheerfulness" when everything seems sad.

This was also a good time to watch the birds. We saw 8 American Goldfinches, amongs the usual yard birds.

Did you notice the brown banana trees in the picture. They add to the "texture" of the setting, huh? When it really warms up, like maybe next week, we will have to go out and trim the brown. Until Spring, we've got the "set up" of living plants and the birds to brighten our day.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T18:23:00.004-06:00

The day was bright and shinny! It was cold and breezy. It was Christmas Day.

Last night we went to Mass at St. Mary's for 6:15. The choir there is awesome and very large. Maybe the largest in the city. Since we're 'Roaming Catholics', we've been to a few around town. Also, St. Mary's has about a 15 member hand bell choir. Fantastic. There was a 30 minute concert before the seven o'clock mass. What a great way to start Christmas! The pew we were in was empty. My cousin, Yvette and her family showed up and sat with us. We were happy to see her and her grown-up children. It was very warm and cozy in that beautiful church.

The church was designed by an architect that I knew very well. We were engaged right after college. He designed a beautiful church. It is warm and comforting. The altar society did a good job of putting up Christmas decorations in it.

Today, Bill came for breakfast and gift exchanging. He got some very thoughtful gifts for us. I cooked a big Christmas dinner and we all ate too much. So, what else is new?

Well, I got a blue bike for Christmas and a lot of Kitchen apps. Very nice! I was blessed. The bike was not a surprise as Gordon wanted it to be. I happened to go outside when he was taking it out of the truck. He was very surprised and upset that I "caught" him. Giggle! He should have waited until he was sure I wouldn't be going outside.

I wanted a good grater for cheeses, etc. Gordon got me a really good one. I washed it and as I was drying it, I cut up my finger. Already! And I haven't used it yet! I had to put pressure with a gauze pad, then with a band aid and a plastic glove in order to cook dinner. You find a way, huh? Dinner was very good. We had baked pork loin, cornbread dressing, green beans, roasted potatoes, garlic bread, ambrosia and for dessert, Baked apples. Yumm! It is almost 7 pm. We ate about 12:30 pm. I haven't been able to eat the baked apple because I am still so full.

Billy took two plates of food home with him. He also took TWO baked apples. He has lost a lot of weight and now wears size 38 pants. He was in a 44 when he went to see a doctor to pacify me. The Doc told him to lose weight. That did it. He is six feet tall and weighs about 238. He just turned 40 and really looks good.

December activities

2009-12-13T22:00:00.003-06:00

It seems like we have a prescribed routine for December which I really don't like. It's Christmas shopping. The best part about going Christmas shopping is that in the middle of a day of Christmas shopping, we have to eat, so we eat in a 'new to us' establishment. I am beginning to think that Gordon only wants to go with me to Christmas shop because he wants to see what I am looking at so he will know what to get me for Christmas. We really should stop doing this Christmas gifting.

Gosh, already this year, we've had to buy a Trane. Yes, Trane, not Train. It's the brand name of an air conditioning/heating unit. About in the middle of October, we had a "winter check" of our heating unit. The trusted man, Guidry, went up into the attic, and checked it out. He said the unit had rusted and there was a fire shooting out of the side of the unit.

We moved here four years ago. The unit was here, we don't know how long. Just last summer, the air conditioning unit needed some repair. Since we didn't know the future, we decided to replace both units. Tranes aren't cheap. That should have been our Christmas present to each other, but Gordon didn't go for that!

So, we have to go out in the drizzly, foggy weather, in the heavy Christmas traffic and he watches me buy presents for others. The reason I know he is trying to watch me to determine a gift for me is that whenever we go into a clothing store, he touches all of the shirts. Men's shirts! So, I know I must get him a new shirt for Christmas. He also looked at football books when we were in Barnes and Nobles. We went in to look for a book on Reagen for Billy and he is in the aisle with sports books.

Last week, we were at Target. I saw an electric griddle I would like to have. We bought it, I wrapped it and I am waiting for Gordon to sign the card; "To: Brenda From: Gordon" before I put it under the tree. I will not use it until I unwrap it on Christmas.

Tomorrow, we are going to the Kitchenary. I will find a cheese grater and then I will show Gordon which one I want. After we leave, he will return to get the grater. Then, he will have them wrap it for him.

Is this CRAZY or what?

Christmas, etc.

2009-12-06T21:37:00.003-06:00

I love the clothes you wear at Christmastime. I love the good and special food around. I love the music. I love the traditions. I love the decorations. I love the heart-warming Christmas tv movies. I love the party gatherings.

What I don't like is the commercialism of the Season.

This year, on December 4th, 2009..... we had snow. Yes, SNEAUX fell in Lafayette, Louisiana. There were two high school football games in the area at the time of the snow. One of the games was on tv. Watching it reminded us of the Green Bay Packers Lambaugh Field. Yeah! It did! Only, you could tell this was a kids game. After the game was over, the kids were rolling in the snow. It was played on a turf field, so it was not messy with mud. Looked fun to me.

Fall is in the air and the birds are migrating.

2009-09-20T20:38:00.002-05:00

I do believe we will be into Fall very soon if it isn't here already! The persimmons are getting yellow-orange, we're getting a mass of brown, orange and yellow leaves on the grass. It's feeling a tad cooler. I am filling bird feeders every day. We have five hummingbird feeders, five seed feeders and one suet feeder. Fall is bird migration time. We're seeing a lot of birds, but some aren't migrating, they stay here year round. They must be storing fat for the winter months. Is this an indication that winter will be harsh this year? In about November I will take down all but one of the the hummingbird feeders. We must leave one up for those birds that for some reason do not make the trip south to Central America. Two years ago we had one. It visited every day until Spring.

Please see the Pictures about the Critters. It was a special event I went to on Saturday. The man banding the birds at the Humming Bird Day said one of the birds he banded in Lafayette three years ago was caught (for banding) on Vancouver Island, British Columbia the next year. Then it was also reported in Ohio the year after. That means, it left from Lafayette, went to Central America, flew to Vancouver Island, flew to Central America, flew to Ohio. WoW! Those little bitties travel!

When the bird is banded, it has a number on the band. That number is the reference for the bird. When banded, its weight, and many linear measurements are taken. This is sent to a central data bank that keeps track of the birds. See the pictures of the Hummingbird affair. It was an awesome experience.

Football Season is upon us.

2009-08-28T19:33:00.002-05:00

It's Friday night! Gordon really enjoys high school football. Friday nights are reserved for high school football. So, for the next three or so months, I will be a Friday night widow. Okay with me, as long as I don't have to go. I did my 'stint' in the stadium for 15 years when Gordon coached. I was happy to be there, but now that I don't know anyone, it's okay to be home. Bill and I usually go out to eat on Friday nights during the season. It's our "treat" for being sane. Tee hee hee.

I am in the Football Stadium on Saturday nights, that's when the Colleges play. We have tickets to the UL home games. Sometimes, I even watch college football on TV. Amazing! I also used to watch the Saints, but I don't usually get into that if I have watched a lot on Saturday. There are other things to do with my precious time. Like sometimes take a Sunday afternoon nap.

2009-08-19T18:06:00.000-05:00

Activity in our BackYard

2009-08-19T17:26:00.000-05:00

It has been raining a lot lately. Compared to our heated June, this is cool. It hasn't gotten to 90° in a week. Our backyard birds alert us to an impending rain. They flutter around eating. We know it is coming, because, right before a rain, we have more than 50 birds in the yard. All kinds, but mainly Cardinals and House Finches. We also have hummingbirds, but they don't eat birdseed, they have a sugar diet at their feeders.

Today, we went to Lowe's for more black oil birdseed. In two weeks, the birds have eaten 60 pounds of black oil birdseed. That's a lot! Well, maybe, it wasn't all birds. Two nights ago, we did see that a raccoon had climbed up a pole and was helping himself to the seed. That was not an easy task. We knew he was hungry to do that. We do feed 3-4 raccoons at night. They eat table scraps and cat food. They come every night. Also, we have seen opossums after the raccoons leave. Then, we also have a stray black cat that dines with us in the morning and the evening. He doesn't let us touch him yet, but he's pretty faithful at his dish.

We call him Hobo. He doesn't know his name. He only knows that he wants food and that we provide it. To him, we are his servants. This is a little unsettling to our pet, Wee. Wee is a black cat also. He is 15 and is MY "honey" cat. We love each other and I am usually in his view wherever he is.

The other day, I bought some Purina Cat Chow for Hobo and the raccoons. It was on sale. Wee did not care for the cheap food I had before. But, this food, he likes. He wants to eat while Hobo is eating. Wee is not a Boss Cat, but Hobo is, so Wee cowers nearby waiting for Hobo to finish his meal. Wee eats Science Diet because he has poor digestion and should not eat the rich Purina food. So, we are having a small problem.

So, besides birds, raccoons, cats, opossums in your backyard, we also have lizards, squirrels, frogs and moles. We want to get rid of the moles, but we don't know how. We like everything else. So, I guess we've got to take the good with the bad and the moles will be there whether we want them or not.

It wasn't so hot!

2009-08-17T20:19:00.000-05:00

On Saturday night at about 8:30, we noticed that it was HOT in the house. Checking the thermostat, we found it was 80°F. Yep, it was a weekend, and the AC had frozen over. That's when these things happen, huh? Luckily, we have a "Hurricane Use; 110 Room AC" that we put into the window of the bedroom. It worked! We did stay cool all night, and it wasn't so hot inside during the day Sunday. We have ceiling fans in just about all of the rooms. They were on "full speed".

On Sunday, we managed the heat which wasn't so bad. It was overcast most of the day. Thankfully, the mosquitoes did not get inside in the openings around the window air conditioner. We tried to stuff newspaper and cardboard in all the holes, but we missed some. This house his very, well insulated.

To manage the heat on Sunday, we went to mass mid morning, then we kept the kitchen from getting hot. We did Don's Downtown for lunch. In the afternoon, after his nap in the cool bedroom, Gordon went to Bill's to help him clean out his air conditioner.

We survived another night Sunday. We set the alarm to make sure we were on the phone Monday at 7 am. We called Gene Guidry of Breaux Bridge. Cousin Milton Guilbeau had given us his name when we moved here. Gene said he'd try to get to us in the morning. At about 10:40 am, as we were having ice tea outside, he drove up. In an hour our AC was on again. The problem was a malfunctioning relay. We appreciate air conditioning. But, more.... we appreciate the repairman who went up into the hot attic to fix the relay.

We CHILLED in Alaska in July

2009-08-16T19:14:00.000-05:00

On July 14, 2009 my husband, Gordon, grandson, Spencer and I flew to Anchorage, Alaska to experience the great northwest state. It was truly a trip of a lifetime. There were no really big, problems to overcome. One would think that having such different age groups, the experience would have been just par. It was not! The differences in age and culture made our visit extraordinary.

Our nephew, Tiger, lives with his family in Anchorage. He is an engineer with BP. His wife, Oskana, is Russian. Alaska was once owned by Russia. His mother-in-law, Luba, was with them at the time. Elizabeth was born in March. Luba is there to help Oskana with the baby. Katherine is almost 7. She is fluent in English and Russian and can read both. They live in an extremely comfortable home on the outskirts of Anchorage.

One of the oddities was the amount of daylight. We had a difficult time realizing when it was time for bed. The sun was up past 11:30 pm. It rose again about 4:30 am. We did sleep, but due to the daylight, we had time to "get a lot done" which we did.

The first couple of days, we were "inbetween" places, so we ate trail food and one major meal a day. Spencer's parents claimed he ate all the time. Not in Alaska. We ate hallibut, salmon, scallops, cheeseburgers (Spencer), and reindeer burgers. Also of note, Spencer is almost 15. He rarely had his cell phone out. He did not use his I-Pod or any other electronic game. He said, "I didn't have time." He was a great traveler and we enjoyed our time with him. His excitement and interest made it all the more fun.

Tiger fed us planked salmon, bear sausage and Dungeness crabs. Yumm! Oskana and her mother made caviar with the salmon eggs Spencer got out of the Pink Salmon he caught. WoW! Yes, the planked salmon was the fish caught by our posse who fished at Bird Creek.

One other memorable moment was our Glacier tour. We did this on our own. We saw Portage Glacier and Exit Glacier up close. We also saw Middle Glacier. However, Matanuska Glacier held the greatest experience as we got to walk on it. It was cool and kool!

Downtown Alaska, Wasilla, Eklutna Russian Orthodox Museum, Turnagain Arm, Seward, Magadan Birthday, Trails around Flat Top Mountain, Alaska Zoo, Alaska Botanical Gardens, and the Alaska Heritage Museum were all places we visited. The roadways of Alaska are scenic post card views.

Of real interest was the Magadan Birthday Celebration. It seems that Magadan, Siberia, Russia has been "twinned" with Anchorage. There is a lot of Russian influence in Alaska. Most of the people at the Birthday Party have origins in Magadan. The people were celebrating the 70th Birthday of Magadan. Oskana and her Russian dance troupe were invited to dance at the celebration. Oskana is not from Magadan, she is from Kyrgyzstan. We went with Oskana. We had Russian hor d'oeuvres before the main presentation. We heard Russian speakers, we heard Russian music, we saw Russian dancers. We were immersed. It was very impressive and we felt that we had been blessed with an experience that no other tourist had gotten to have.

We, Cajuns, were on our own for the first two days. After that, we turned in the rental car and were together with Tiger's family. We had a treasured time in Alaska and all of us experienced what we wanted to experience. Alaska is a Great State.