The Information Super-Frog

A NPR story reported that no businesses were open in St. Bernard Parish. Do they check on these things, are they using old information, not realizing that things have been changing at a good clip weekly? Hm, it's been almost 3 weeks since I was last in St. Bernard, but businesses I noticed open included the big Murphy Oil Refinery, and a cluster of businesses around Paris Road and St. Bernard Highway, including a grocery store and a bar. Further away from the river, they were in the process of cleaning up a service station on Judge Perez. I'm sure more stuff is open now. Saint Bernard Parish was devestated, worse than New Orleans, but it's just wrong to say no businesses have reopened.

My milestone: I think I finally have a roof that keeps out the rain.

For Ms. Hollie: The lyrics "Who lives in a flooded out amusement park in New Orleans East" just don't scan well. Wet Sponge Bob

Three months ago at about this time of the morning, I was in the process of bugging out, heading east on I-10, somewhere in Mississippi or Alabama I'd guess.

Been back 7 weeks +.

And the big news here in Froggystan today: ROOFERS ARE HERE!

There are roofers! Here! Working on my ROOF!!

Oh my, I will be SO glad when I no longer feel like I'm in a Snuffy Smith cartoon, positioning buckets and tarps when it rains.

There's plenty more to do in my tiny plot of of one of the "did pretty well" neighborhoods in the disaster area, but this will be the bigest single relief I think.

In other news, I didn't do anything special for Thanksgiving day (though I was kindly invited to join a bunch of demolition workers downtown); but on Friday Fred (the former Governor candidate-- no, he didn't win if any long term readers of this LJ were still wondering) had a nice party in my neighborhood with good food, folks, and music.

Yesterday was the resumption of the series of music events misnamed "Nickle-A-Dance" shows at Cafe Brasil. (Actually they're totally free, but when they were inaugurated someone thought it a good idea to name the series after the early 20th century Taxi -Dance price.) Papa Don Vappie's Creole Jazz Serenaders played great music for dancers, a club full of people sitting, standing, and spilling out into the sidewalks in all directions (and a few dancing in the street). It was great to see such a large turn out! The series continues for the next 3 Sundays, 3 to 6pm, next week the Jazz Vipers, week after that Benny Grunch, then Lionel Ferbos.

Some friends of mine and I were talking about getting a band back together to start playing at a local venue again regularly. I suggested the name "Blue Tarp & the Flood Lines".

After spending the night before last at Ms Hollie's on the Westbank, I went back to my place yesterday intending on doccumenting things with my camera and clearing the branches, broken glass, etc etc from my front steps and the off street parking for my car. While I was there, power came back on in the neighborhood! In another pleasant advance, later in the day the water was declared fit. I still have no land line phone nor internet connection. Other than that even my rotary dial phone doesn't work, civilization is back to the level of the 1960s, with two television stations (Channels 4 and 8)comming in over the rabbit-ears (from the number of stations I would have said early 1950s, except that they are in glorious living COLOR).

These developments were just what a bar just up the street had been waiting for, so Bruno's became the first business on Maple Street to reopen. Many other buisness still have pre-Katrina signs on their doors or in their windows-- the Mexican Restaurant has a faded board announcing the nightly special was hurricanes (a fruity rum drink) in honor of the aproaching storm, and PJ's Coffee and Fresco's Restaurant have similarly worded signs saying "Closed Sunday and Monday due to storm; reopen Tuesday". While the intended Tuesday was the last one in August, we hope that Tuesday will come soon.

Ah yes, many of us have wall calendars that went right from August to October with no September in betwen.

I made a preliminary clearing not only of the areas I intended, but also a path along the side of the house to the back door. A crew with a little shovel truck and a dumpster offered to dispose of such debris as I could get to the curb, so I didn't want to miss taking up such a fine opportunity-- debris removal is a rare luxury here.

My back yard is still a major debris field, but I'll be chipping away at it bit by bit.

A few curiosities from the storm-- while many of my gutters, downspouts, and roof shingles are lying around near my home, I've seen no sign of the rotating hot air exaust that used to be atop my roof. On my porch a 2 inch shard of glass is embedded into the wood like a nail-- it must have been flying pretty fast.

A musician friend got back in town earlier in the day. We tried contacting a third to form a trio that night without luck. She has no running water at her place (busted pipes), so she came over to use mine, chat, and have dinner. I cooked the first dinner back home (pasta and pesto sauce from a mix-- no, don't try opening the duct-taped shut refrigerator to try to get the powdered cheese).

Last night I had the luxury of sleeping in my own bed for the first time since Pre-Katrina. It was a very pleasant night, with the windows open.

Ventelation is nice from windows, but I don't like it through my roof. Lots of sunlight is visible through my roof. I tried applying for the Blue Tarp Club at the Fire Station near Ms. Hollie's that was listed as one of the sites, but they said they aren't doing Orleans there. Okay, then, where should I go? They just said since the Mayor has given FEMA workers blanket permission to tarp roofs that need it, there's no application to fill out. Okay, so what do I do to let people know I need tarping? Oh, call the FEMA 888 number-- which just gives a pre-recorded message telling me what I already knew. And so around in circles we go.

I'm back here at Hollie's using internet connection, having just packed up most of my stuff that was over here. Thanks, Hollie!

Workers are tarping up Ms. Hollie's place. I asked about where I apply for tarping for my place-- all they could give me is the $%@^! FEMA phone number again.