Thoughts for New Orleans

Here in the heartland, we don't deal with hurricanes but it's impossible not to watch and pray for those who do. A couple of weeks back, Doug in Ft. Myers was preparing for Fay, a hurricane that lost strength and didn't cause as much damage as feared. Now, the people of Louisiana, New Orleans, and Mississippi are in the eye of the storm, almost literally, at this moment. Yesterday some advisers of college papers in the region posted on our professional list serv the information that their schools were evacuating, but that their student staffs were continuing to publish online, in true journalistic tradition. My heart goes out to these people, whom I know through national meetings and reading their thoughts online for sometimes up to 15 years.

Through the amazing connections of the blogosphere, I also found some first-person accounts of what it's like to deal with the stress of waiting for Gustav so soon after trying to rebuild from Katrina. One compelling account from New Orleans is LettyNOLA, whose blog can be found by clicking on her name. And over in Mississippi, a Presbyterian pastor who writes under the handle of St. Casserole talks about the process of rebuilding her small damaged church and what it's like to be waiting, once again, with dread for damage to strike. Finally, I commend the coverage of the New Orleans Times-Picayune at its site. They did a heroic effort after Katrina and they are now prepared to do the same to cover the anticipation, arrival and aftermath of Gustav. As I watch and visit these sites I am amazed by the tenacity of all these folks in telling the story, so that the rest of us can know what their experience is like. God bless all of them.

Best of the August Garden

Before the month ends, I thought I'd share some of the photos I've taken of our late summer flowers here. This tall day lily started blooming around the first of August and it is still loaded and going strong at month's end. We found it growing behind the garage three years ago and transplanted it to the side yard.

A photo of surprise lilies seems to be an annual ritual. The first of these bloomed on August 3, the day after our anniversary party.











These bulbs were in the ground when we bought our house in 2001, but we also had surprise lilies at our Ferguson house. This year we counted more than 90 stalks, in 5 clusters, a record. Perhaps it was the wet spring, or lack of a late freeze, or the compost mulch?

One small cluster of black- eyed susans graced the back border when we moved in. This year they had spread into a clump more than 6 feet in diameter. Next year, they may try to accost the house! They are so glorious, and are still blooming as well. The seed cones will attract birds all winter.

In addition to our many geraniums and house plants on the front porch, the sweet potato vines have been profuse this year as well. This one is so root bound we have to water it every day, or it wilts in the afternoon sun, but it is a cheerful sight when we pull in the driveway or walk up to the porch.

Soon the flowers of fall will be featured. We have some new chrysanthemum plants to get situated, and the wild white clemantis is blooming all over the village, including our front bank and back fence. It gives off a sweet scent when we walk around the block in the evening.

On the Trail of Lewis & Clark

Cousin Debi and history teachers every where, this one is for you! After Norm and I departed Pere Marquette, we drove south about 25 miles to a little village, Hartford, Ill., at the mouth of the Wood River where it empties into the Mississippi. It is situated across from the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi as well. The State of Illinois maintains a historic site here, on what is supposed to be the site of Camp DuBois (Wood River Camp) where the Lewis and Clark expedition spent the winter of 1803-04 before starting up the Missouri.


Clark had a keelboat built near Pittsburgh and floated it down the Ohio River in the fall of 1803. The expedition then moved up the Mississippi to St. Louis and picked the Hartford site for the winter camp. The interpretive center has a full-size replica of the keel boat that is cut away on one side to show how provisions were packed onto it. There is also a film and exhibits about the native peoples, the maps, and the biographies of Lewis, Clark, and others on the expedition. It's fascinating and it's free (donation requested, and there's a gift shop.)

A replica of the winter camp, a crude stockade with a center cabin and four smaller corner cabins, is also on the site. No one knows what it really looked like, since there are no drawings, just some description in Clark's journals. A docent in the center cabin explains the layout and some of the items in the exhibit.

The interior of the center cabin has three rooms. This was where the on-duty enlisted man would sleep, with a desk for playing checkers or going over the orders of the day. There are two fireplaces in the building.

One large room was shared by the Captains, Merri- wether Lewis and William Clark. On the side imagined to belong to Lewis, various medicinal items and books about science are found on the desk. Behind this wall is a store room for items as they arrived for the expedition.

The side of the cabin imagined to be Clark's has replicas of maps and naviga- tional instru- ments. Both cots have repro- duction trade blankets. And there is a cask labeled "whisky" in the corner!

We found this site very easy to visit; it has lots of hands on activities that will appeal to school children. There are other sites in our area that we have already seen: the Museum of Westward Expansion under the Gateway Arch on the St. Louis riverfront chronicles the journey of the Corps of Discovery in exquisite detail. There is also a boat house and exhibit on the St. Charles riverfront, marking the first stop in Missouri that the expedition made on May 20, 1804. Other sites exist along the Missouri River through the state and we hope to visit them soon, and eventually trace most of the journey to Oregon. Given today's emphasis on creature comforts (camping tents with electrical outlets to help inflate your air bed, etc.) in the outdoors, plus our reliance on communication technology (my Sprint phone didn't work in parts of our trip, and I made sure to connect with the wireless on my laptop at the Lodge) and GPS (all Clark had was his sextant and compass plus crude maps drawn from interviews with Indians) it is mind boggling to think about 47 men (29 officers and privates, plus 18 boatmen) setting out in a keel boat and a couple of smaller pirouges, laden with gunpowder, grease, salted meat, flour, soap, whisky, trade goods, and a couple of changes of clothing apiece, to see if they could find a Northwest passage to the Pacific, map the route and catalog the flora and fauna, and get to know the First Inhabitants. In many ways, landing on the moon in 1969 was easy, compared to what Lewis and Clark achieved over 200 years ago.

Wild Fruits of Summer

Wednesday, August 27--Our mini retreat at Pere Marquette state park continued until noon on this day. The highlight of the morning was a bird walk through the deserted tent campground behind the cabins. We saw or heard phoebes, blue jays, a woodpecker, cardinals, wrens, robins, doves, tufted titmice, and gold finches to name a few. At this season, nature begins to mature the fruits that will sustain a lot of the bird life through the fall and winter. Wild grape vines (above) festoon all kinds of forest trees. Norm broke a bluish one open and found little more than skin, two seeds, and a drop of very sour juice. No flesh to speak of.

Robins were eagerly nibbling on these white berries. I thought they might be immature dogwood berries (which are red in winter, if they last that long) but I'm not sure.


Gin anyone? These juniper berries looked plump and almost glowed in the shade on the north side of the camping slope. Cedar waxwings are fond of these berries when they migrate through later in the year.


Osage orange, according to the books, doesn't appeal as food to any kind of wildlife. The huge "hedge apples" will fall, split open and leave a mess, but the seed of the plant will be dispersed anyway. The wood of this small tree was prized for bow making by some Native Americans. Hence its French name, Bois d'Arc, or as my daddy used to say in Oklahoma dialect, Bo-Dark.

We enjoyed a cool hour's stroll in the woods, came back to the Lodge for a hearty breakfast and checked out. Our next stop was the Lewis and Clark Interpretive site at Hartford, which conveniently was on our road home.

Norm's Milestone Birthday

Today is Norm's 70th birthday. Happy Birthday! This year we came to Pere Marquette State Park on the Illinois River, about 30 miles north of St. Louis, to celebrate.





We haven't been "to the river" for at least a year and we were eager to see how well the area has survived the floods of earlier in the year.
We enjoyed a cloudless day today, and a cool breeze when we took a walk to the river bank this morning.




The water has receded some from the high levels this spring, but it is still rolling along. Last night we saw a couple of towboats pushing 15-tow barges upriver. We also saw three deer come down to the water from the woods behind the Lodge at deep dusk.

We also enjoyed swimming in the indoor pool here, and unwinding in the whirl pool. It makes all of the kinks acquired from walking go away.


Some sunscreen,
a straw hat and a little insect repellent are essentials for an August vacation.



While we were at the river this morning, some pleasure boats came by and stirred up a wake that sparkled in the sun.

The mud flats at the edge of the river show tracks of many shore birds. We think the big tracks probably belong to great blue herons which we see in this area often. The small tracks might belong to sandpipers.

This spring's high water left mud, which has dried and cracked in the sun during July and August. And nut grass, that bane of suburban lawns every where, is sprouting with vigor.



Dining in the Pere Marquette Lodge is always a treat this time of year, as bird feeders located on each window attract ruby throated hummingbirds in droves. As we ate supper this evening, an alpha male asserted his guardianship over the feeder nearest us.

These feeders don't have a perch, so these little guys eat while hovering, their wings just a blur.





The afternoons here are filled with the rasp of cicadas. We found this one on a lamp post when we started our walk this morning.

40 years ago, some 400 miles away

It was a hot, sticky August afternoon 40 years ago when we were married in Pittsburg, Kansas. I made my wedding dress and veil, and we had about 30 guests at the wedding, including our Best Man, Matron of Honor, and our parents. About 3 weeks ago we had a wonderful celebration, attended, appropriately, by about 40 guests, but today is our Real Anniversary. I have posted more photos from the anniversary celebration weekend on Kodak Gallery. They can be seen at this link. If you cannot view them, send me an e-mail at judi.stories@yahoo.com, and I'll send you an e-mail invitation to the gallery.

In our Sunday School class, we have been talking about gratitude as one of the spiritual disciplines. The greatest blessing I know is being able to share this much of life with Norm, my eternal sweetheart and best friend. I thank God for you and wish you a Happy Anniversary!

Tiny Territorial Battles Rage On

We had an uptick in visits to our humming- bird feeders about three weeks ago, and this week, the battles for air superiority (not to mention perching and sipping rights) have become fierce. The young male rubythroat at left had just a touch of red on his throat. The males don't get the trademark red plumage until their second summer.

Although humming birds often appear on greeting cards in peaceful poses, ours are seemingly into non stop aerial combat. Here, the young male refuels for the next sortie.


Of course, a mature male is the alpha bird, but he has to spend a lot of energy chasing away the young pretenders. Here he raises his beak to ward off the youngster circling over head.

The bird books say that the males migrate to Mexico and central America first, followed by the females. Next month the sight of this red throat will be rare, but the battles will probably continue. The females are territorial, too.


Usually Norm waits until it's almost dark to venture out and refill the feeders with sugar water. We have three: one on the front porch, this one in the dining room window, and one in the back yard hanging from a shepherd's crook. Somehow, these guys keep an eye in all directions and try to defend them. One thing we have noticed is that when the hummers are in full competition, most other birds avoid our yard as well. No sparrows, wrens, goldfinches or even starlings are in evidence, except for a quick dip in the bird bath. We love watching these hummingbird antics at breakfast, lunch and supper. They are a reminder that fall is coming, even if it was 92 degrees today before a thundershower cooled everything off.

Visitor # 1000 Checks In

It wasn't exactly a contest, but the last couple of days I've been watching the SiteMeter to see if Home Stories would log its 1000th visitor since April 21 this week. Lo and behold, we have a winner, and it's the visitor from Garden City, Kansas! Although I think they might have been aiming for that distinction since they logged on three times today. Either that, or they are in need of something new to read. Congratulations, Don and Kay, and thanks for reading.

Visitor 999 was niece Debbie in Hutchinson, another frequent reader. Debbie, I have a present for you: some of the original fabric from my wedding dress--I saved the scraps. Would they come in handy for some of your altered art projects? Let me know.

I added the counter in April after attending a presentation about them at the Missouri College Media conference. Although Home Stories has been in the blogosphere (thanks for that new word, Doug) for two years, readers seldom leave comments and I was wondering if anyone besides me ever read it. Now I know. There are the people who stumble in via a Google search, from Delaware and Tel Aviv and New Zealand and France, but there are also regular visitors I think I know: Greg and Monique in the Netherlands, Doug in Florida, Maxine in MIneral Wells, Carol in Irving, Debi and Mike in Tulsa, Jan in Colby, Carla in North Platte, Jacque in St. Louis and Sandy in St. Louis; former student Josh from the Post-Dispatch (although he's reading it at work and it registers as coming from Lee Enterprises in Davenport Iowa, go figure), and Carrie in St. Charles (although I think she has moved.) There are some mysteries: Broomfield, Colo., Monument, Kans. and a couple of others. (ISP providers aren't always listed as being in the town the reader is from, and the ISP is all I see, not your e-mail address.) It's great to know that family and friends, those for whom the blog was started, are looking at it and I hope finding something a few times a week to inform or entertain. So--who wants to be visitor # 2000? Can we reach that goal before the end of 2008? I'll try to give you a reason to come back and we'll see.

What Do Retired People Do All Day?

Well, this week was supposed to be the start of my official complete retirement. Classes at the university started Monday and for once, I wasn't involved in anything. So the Big Question is, what do we do all day now? So far, we are plenty busy. Our late-summer yard is still verdant (above) thanks to Norm's efforts at hauling hose around. Yes, even though we are 12 inches over average for precip for the year, July and August have been dry and we have had to water. But it's worth it.

On August 5, the day after all of our anniversary guests had departed, a cold front came through, putting us back into the 80s. We enjoyed sitting on our front porch (shown in the daytime above, with over- wintering geraniums in full array) that evening, watching some lightning play from cloud to cloud in the far distance, and soaking up the cool air. Suddenly, there was a snap, a flash and a boom, all simultaneously. We dived inside and when our hearts started beating again, wondered where the thunderbolt had struck. It had been frighteningly close.

Because our neighbor was out of town, we went outside about an hour later (no more thunder or lightning in evidence) to look at trees, roof lines, check for smoke escaping from attic vents, etc. There was no sign of a lightning strike. But oddly, we saw these two shingles dislodged from our roof near the chimney. We could swear they were in place the day before, and we had not had any wind to speak of. An insurance estimate was below our deductible. So we called the company that installed the roof in 2002, and the repair was covered under our 10-year workmanship guarantee from them. It pays to look at warranty papers! Two employees of the company stopped by before lunch today and had new shingles nailed in place in about 10 minutes. No charge. End of story. Except I'll always wonder about that thunderbolt.

When we aren't worrying about the conditions of our house, we are keeping track of the neighbors. At one time this summer, four houses across the street from us were for sale. One was taken off the market quickly; we think renters bought it. One has been renovated extensively by a parade of workers and just this week a gaggle of real estate agents toured it, so it should go on the market soon although no sign is up. The two in the photo above got Sold signs within a few days of each other about two weeks ago. The near one has been on the market for over a year and the far one for about 4 months. Both owners had moved out of state. We still don't know who the new neighbors will be, but we will be on the porch on Labor Day weekend, keeping an eye out for moving trucks.
Is this a sign of an improving housing market? We certainly hope so!

Next to gardening and people watching, our favorite activity is eating, and one of our favorite places to shop for food is the Ferguson Farmers Market, which is open on Saturday mornings from May through October. We have found delicious local peaches, melons, sweet corn, tomatoes, new potatoes, squash, cucumbers, and more at the vendor places here. We also have bought bread, eggs, and sweets. A couple of weeks ago we had a cooked to order omelet for breakfast. It seldom rains on Saturdays, and we are glad.

We also are glad to report that Tropical Storm Fay missed Ft. Myers, except for dumping a lot of rain. Doug says they are taking the storm shutters down today, so they can once again get natural light in their condo. Classes begin next Monday for Doug, who teaches at FGCU. Oh, and I said at the top that I'm supposed to be fully retired now, but the student newspaper still doesn't have an adviser. I'm doing some minimal things for them right now just so they can stay in business, so although that cord is really frayed, it's not quite cut. Soon, I hope.

Cloud pictures from my phone

Last Thursday, Norm and I were walking around the block near sunset, taking advantage of the cool weather we have been having to get some exercise. As we rounded the curve at the top of our street, the trees parted and we saw this amazing complex of thunderheads building to the southeast. Not good news for the folks downtown at the ball game or across the river. But an amazing sight for us.

We kept walking south, and watched a thunder head build up from almost nothing into a seething white cone that is partially visible here in the center of the picture. In 5 minutes time it rose by several thousand feet.

About a block farther south, we came to the open area along the bike way and saw this view to the east, over The Meadows student apartment complex that is on the University campus. We watched the clouds change colors as the sun's last rays touched them. This was my first successful use of the camera on my Sprint Upstage wireless phone. It saves images to a teensy tiny chip that needs an adapter before it can be inserted into my card reader. It's not bad for weather pictures, especially with a little help from iPhoto afterward.


Storm pictures somehow seem appropriate tonight, as we keep watch by TV and Internet on the progress of Tropical Storm Fay. It looks like Ft. Myers might dodge a direct hit, but these paths are notoriously hard to predict. Doug said this morning that the storm shutters are up and provisions are laid in. We keep our boys and all of the people of Southwest Florida in our prayers for their safety and the preservation of their homes and property.

Fay Watch

While we are enjoying a long spell of air-conditioner-free weather: low humidity and daytime highs a little above 80, the weather report last night made me aware of trouble brewing in the Caribbean. So for the last 24 hours I've been tracking Tropical Storm Fay on various online sites from NOAA and The Weather Channel. Fay has caused misery and loss of life in the Domincan, Haiti and Cuba and the next stop is projected to be the Florida Keys and then the West Coast of Florida.

Not long after Doug moved to Fort Myers, we became dedicated watchers of the tropical updates. The first year there was a brief skirmish with tropical storm Ernesto but it resembled nothing more than a heavy downpour here in the heartland. But Fay seems to be the most serious potential storm to threaten this area since Hurricane Charley in 2004. Tonight's Weather Service update says that Fay may strengthen to "near hurricane strength" as it approaches the Keys tomorrow and the SW Florida coast on Tuesday. All areas on the east side of the storm, its strongest side, may be at risk of strong winds and tornadoes. If Fay stays over the Gulf and eventually makes landfall farther north, it might be even more destructive. Short of an outright fizzle, there is not a lot of good news here for a lot of people, including our boys and granddog.

Our prayers are for everyone in harm's way: those who have already been slammed by wind and rain in Cuba and Hispaniola; those who are debating whether to evacuate or wait; those who are racing to put up storm shutters or wondering if they really need to; those who have work and school and everyday life to try to carry on this week despite any dire forecasts on TV. I've found useful information on the NBC television station in Ft. Myers at this spot, and also at this blog by the station's meteorologist--who has already widened my storm vocabulary by a nautical mile or two. The National Hurricane Center site is also helpful, and issues updates at 5, 11, 5 and 11 EDT every day. We will stay tuned.

Blogging Milestone: Almost Missed It!

I'm a couple of calendar days late, but have the right day of the week, at least. Home Stories is two years old this week: its first post was first published on Friday, Aug. 11, 2006. Thanks to everyone who has become a regular reader as well as to those who browse the Blogger listings and check me out if only once. New readers Tricia and Granny from Texas also are examples of the serendipity that can happen when communities erupt on the Internet and/or acquaintances find each other again after 50 years or so. Later this weekend I'll be posting some new stories and photos of August in St. Louis, as well as updated links to our anniversary party photos. Please check back when you can!

Anniversary Weekend Finale

Our anniversary celebration continued on Sunday with Nancy, John, Judy, Doug and Matt joining us at church. Then Nancy, John, Judy and we had lunch at the Missouri Botanical Garden and late in the afternoon, drove to the Columbia Bottoms Conservation area so our western visitors could see the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. The line of trees marks the confluence point. Both rivers are above flood stage right now so this is as close as we could get.

Nancy, Norm, Judy and John all enjoyed the view from the platform at Columbia Bottoms. It is a wetland, and we saw many egrets, herons, geese, and other shorebirds on the way in and on the way home. We had to stop for 7 or 8 deer, too.



John took this great photo of geese flying over the Missouri River, near the confluence, at sunset. If you click on the photo, it will enlarge and you can see the details.

We stopped by the Missouri to watch the changing light and marvel at the swiftly rushing water passing at our feet. Imagine what this looked like to Lewis and Clark as they began their journey up the Missouri at this very point in 1803.

Here we are, 40 years after Norm and I joined our lives for better or worse, richer or poorer, for as long as... the rivers run and the sun rises in the East and sets in the West. Maybe longer.

Of course, travelers must eat. We took Nancy, Judy and John to one of our favorite hangouts, the Whistle Stop cafe in Ferguson. It was a mild night so we ate our ice cream treats outside. We waited for a freight train to come by, but it was not the right time.


Everyone was tired, especially Judy, but neither she nor the rest of us could go to sleep until we had gone through our college yearbooks, looking for photos that documented that long ago time in Carnall Hall when we were single and full of plans to change the world. Who knows? Maybe each of us has, in some way, been a small part of the world's changes, and for the better. On Monday morning, our guests left for Kansas and other points west, and Norm and I started a series of naps that have lasted almost a week! At least that's my excuse for taking so long to get this up. Debi posted her account of our weekend on her blog (click here to go to the page) and you will enjoy reading her version and looking at her pictures, as well.

Thank you, all of you, friends and family, for your faith in us. We owe our 40 years together to you and to the grace of God, who brought us together and sustains us every day. Love you!

Anniversary Weekend, Saturday's Party

Doug and Matt took charge of planning the reception on Saturday, Aug. 2, for our 40th anniversary. It took place at the Alumni House, built in 1922, at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Norm and I weren't allowed to set foot inside during the two hours that they set up, with the help of cousins Mike and Debi, friend Judy and Karen and Gary. So this is the sight that greeted us.

I still have a little pride that I made my own wedding dress back in 1968 so it was part of the display. But stealing the show were the collage frames Doug made of our past and present.








Along with the photos were other items such as the White Album by the Beatles, also released in 1968. We brought CDs of '60s music to be played throughout the afternoon as well.

The dining room was decorated with white table cloths, white hydrangeas, and yellow and white tealight candles in tiny goblets. It was a stunning view and much more elegant than our original wedding reception!

Finger foods were catered by Cuisine D'Art and desserts by Cose Dolci. The sunroom made a perfect spot for the buffet table and beverages.I have lots of photos of people gathered around the tables and eating and visiting, but I'll post all of them on Kodak Gallery as soon as I can write captions and upload them. Look for a link soon.


Doug as MC recounted some of our history and led the assembled guests in wishing us 40 more years!

We then took the floor and briefly introduced everyone there, so that connections could be made based on geography, history, and experience. It worked!




















Cousins Mike and Debi look remarkably rested after spending most of the afternoon setting up and cleaning up. Having my family here meant a lot to me.

Here we are with two very special guys who came all the way from Florida to make our celebration possible. Thank you both!


40 years ago, Nancy and John were the witnesses to our marriage. That they were able to come all the way from Western Kansas made our day, week, maybe even year!


All too soon, the party was over! Judy F, at left, came the farthest distance, from Boulder. We also relived some moments from our college days. The alumni center was perfect for the party, everyone agreed. The taste of the organizers was impeccable, and the experience unforgettable. More photos will appear in other places, on free web sites if you want to view more. Thanks to John, Judy, and Doug for sharing photos with me.