Thursday, Again

 Its Thursday morning and not much happening on PawPaw's acre.  What's left of Edouard is dumping rain on east Texas.  We're getting a bit here in central Louisiana and we needed it.

Belle is running errands.  The dawg and I are out in the shop.  Belle has been hungry for chicken pot pie and that is her recipe.  She told me to take out some chicken thighs and she would make a pot pie when she finished her errands.

I'm thinking about the anniversary of 9/11.  It's been 25 years.

Belle and I had been dating for eight months.  I had worked a night shift at the Natchitoches Parish Detention Center, got off work at 5;00 am, went home and fell into bed. Shortly after 8:00 CDT the phone rang.  it was a friend telling me to get up and turn on the TV.

I saw the North tower burning and thought "what the helll?", then watched the second plane hit the other tower.  "That was no accident."  I stumbled into the kitchen, put on a pot of coffee and  spent the  rest of the day curled up on the couch watching television. I had calls from friends and family and got no sleep that day.  At 5:00 pm I reported back to work for another night shift, tired, grumpy and in no mood for standard inmate bullshit. The others on shift felt the same way. It was a quiet night.

Where were you when the world stopped turning?

TS Edouard

 It looks like Tropical Storm Edouard (ain't that cute) has finally been named.

As storms go, Ed is pretty piddling, but he will bring wind and rain to Texas.  It looks like he is heading toward Dallas, which is in the throes of a drought, having had no rain in August. The Houston/Galveston/Beaumont area is no stranger to tropical weather and I wish them no ill will, but if you are going to be hit by a storm, this one is the one you want.  If this thing goes as forecast, DFW will get a little rain, which they need.

Watching the Tropics

 On the last day of August, we are watching the tropics.  There is a blob of unsettled weather just south of New Orleans that everyone is expecting to become tropical storm Edouard.    For whatever that is worth.  it is expected to organize, gain strength and come ashore somewhere near the Louisiana/Texas line.  Maybe closer to Beaumont.  who knows.

They are also watching the remnants of Dolly.   It has been a slow season for tropical storms, and I am okay with that.

Pecan Island

 Governor Jeff Landry and Elon Musk made the announcement this week, Elon and SpaceX are going to build a launch facility near Pecan Island, LA.    There are lots of good reasons to build a spaceport on the coast and Musk chose Pecan Island as the place he wanted to build.

Termite sent me this graphic, which deserves wide distribution.

We wish Musk and SpaceX good things and we hope that Louisiana serves his needs and the needs of the broader community for years to come.

Gravel

 We built this shop during the winter of 2017-18 and put down gravel during that winter.  That has been eight years.  Around here, crushed limestone is the preferred driveway material  The limestone dust packs well between the stones and makes a firm driveway that needs very little maintenance.

That is Belle's parking spot, immediately adjacent to the main entrance door. I wanted to get this done before the winter rains set in. My gal is a diehard country girl but at this stage of her life objects to walking through mud.

Filters

 Sometime about the middle of May, we had to buy a new fridge for the house. Belle went online to the Lowe's site and picked out a fridge.  A nice Frigidaire on sale.  Had it delivered.  The fellow who delivered it and set it up was a nice fellow, very professional, did a great job setting it up, connecting the ice maker and walking me through the process.

Couple of days ago, the fridge threw a code on the door panel, telling me that it needs an air filter.

What?  An air filter?  Seriously?  So, we went to Amazon and ordered some air filters. They will be in tomorrow.  Today, I came in and it is throwing another code.  It wants a water filter.  Hence, we have ordered some water filters.

My old fridge stood there for almost 20 years and when Lowes hauled it off it had the same filter in it that the manufacturer had installed.

It is a nice fridge, but it is needy.

Wednesday

 It's hot outside.  Belle is puttering in the kitchen.  Lunch will soon be upon us.  Just another Wednesday in the piney woods of central Louisiana.

I'm being worthless today.  As is my right as an old retired curmudgeon.  I will haul off some trash later, but that is about the extent of my ambition today.  As I scroll through my news feeds I note that it is all Dolly, all the time. That is to be expected, I guess.

The tropics are quiet, almost spooky quiet.  Looking at the list of names for the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, I note that the name Dolly is on the list.  Strange coincidence.

Rest In Peace, Dolly

 After a busy morning, I turned on the computer and learned that Dolly parton has died at age 80.

Dolly/s music has been a constant in mu life.  She was truly a superstar in the music industry, and her music has reached across genres.  She will be sorely missed.