Blue Dog Nights

Canceled?

dianehuhn — Fri, 07 May 2010 02:40:37 +0000

We regret to inform you that this blog has been canceled until the Deepwater Horizon Oil Disaster is over. See you in a few months? Not possible. Next year? Not possible. In ten years? Doubtful. In twenty? Maybe. Never??? Hmmm.

Small Stuff #73: Living, Learning and Loving

dianehuhn — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 11:05:35 +0000

Opps…been MIA for a lot longer than I’d realized. It’s been a busy couple of weeks of work and volunteers and day trips and old loves and new loves and birds and beaches and boat blessings and crawfish boils and exploring and big ol’ pots of jambalaya and gumbo and almost fishing trips and old friends and new friends and small stuff and big stuff and everything in between and hopes and fears and dreams and…JAZZ FEST!!! Yeah, baby! And I’ve been so busy just enjoying every second of it that I just realized that I barely snapped a photograph of any of it. And normally, I’d be mad at myself for not capturing these moments for posterity, but the important memories of the past couple of weeks and change are etched in my mind forever.

Small Stuff #72: Casting a Vote for a Hero

dianehuhn — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 11:31:48 +0000

Small stuff that I am grateful for today: casting my vote for a true Louisiana hero.

Hey y’all, Jenga Mwendo is a finalist in the Cox Conserves Heroes contest. Jenga returned to her native New Orleans after Katrina and immediately began working to revitalize gardens. She has converted the Laurentine Ernst Garden into a vibrant space and secured the donation of a storm-damaged cottage next door for garden use as a storage shed and library. She is also transforming the Guerilla Garden from an overgrown lot used as a dumping ground into a beautiful centerpiece for the community.

The Cox Conserves Heroes contest will award $5000 to the winner to donate to the charity of his/her choice. If Jenga wins, she will use the money towards renovating a blighted cottage next door to the community garden for use as a storage/education garden center.

Please help Jenga, the Backyard Gardener’s Network, the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association Garden Committee and the entire Lower Ninth Ward community make this a reality. Please go to:

http://www.coxconservesheroes.com/new-orleans-la/votingform.aspx

and cast your vote a true Louisiana hero and a most worthy endeavor. Spread the word.

Thanks!

Small Stuff #71: The Restorative Power of Plants, Power Tools and Laughter

dianehuhn — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 13:40:38 +0000

Small stuff that I’m grateful for today: Getting to watch this…

…while I get to do this.

I love my job and I love gas-powered tools! Thanks, Boss!

Small Stuff #70: Tax Man Cometh

dianehuhn — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 01:15:55 +0000

Small stuff that I’m grateful for today: When my trusty tax-preparer hit the magic button on her computer to assess the damage, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. It wasn’t great…but, it wasn’t as bad as it was in my nightmare last night which involved Kenneth from 30 Rock, a pirate, a life-sized crawfish, kumquats, and my Kindergarten teacher Miss Smith. Don’t ask. Seriously, you don’t want to know.

So, I definitely didn’t run to get my taxes done this year as soon as my w-2s and 1099s hit the mailbox. I knew I was going to owe Uncle Sam and I figured if I could earn an extra 2 cents of interest by holding off, I’d hold off. But alas, deadline time is closing in and I decided it was time to face the music.

So unfortunately, what I owe the Feds is almost exactly the rate for a nice extended weekend retreat at that little beach house I’ve had my eye on. Oh well. But, ya know, it’s not all bad. As I wrote out that check to the IRS, all I could think about was the fact that for the first time ever, the Federal budget is dedicating funds for the Louisiana Coastal Area Ecosystem Restoration program. So if my little chunk of change can help protect and restore this…

…so people can keep doing this…

…and this…

well, that’s pretty darn cool.

Small Stuff #69: Good Easter Hunting

dianehuhn — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 02:47:30 +0000

Small stuff that I am grateful for today: After a wonderful meal with good friends and thoroughly enjoying watching five little ones scour the backyard for Easter eggs, I stumbled upon these four little ones that looked like they were on a hunt of their own.

Small Stuff #68: Good Gator Friday

dianehuhn — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 00:06:33 +0000

Small stuff that I am grateful for today: seeing a very playful (or a very hungry) young gator.

So Spring has sprung on the bayou and, as my good friend BW can tell you, the gators have been out in full force. BW and tour de force saw 18 gators (and numerous snakes) yesterday! Check out the most awesome pics here. Yikes on those snake pics! Termite–you got the gift, buddy! Just super!

Well, I don’t think I saw 18 gators today, but I definitely saw a few. Including this either very playful, or very hungry, tike.

Small Stuff #67: More Raptors and Reptiles

dianehuhn — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 23:35:23 +0000

Small stuff that I am grateful for today: more encounters with juvenile bald eagles. Seriously, these birds are soooo cool. I could watch them all day.

And a little up close and personal time with a juvenile gator. So cute! Wish I could get this close to the eagles.

Small Stuff #66: Back to Reality

dianehuhn — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 01:40:58 +0000

Geez…looks like I’ve been gone a while. All good stuff–Spring break volunteer season has kept me on the run and filled my heart with much joy, but it’s time to get back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Small stuff that I am grateful for today…one adult bald eagle…

…one juvenile bald eagle…

…two juvenile bald eagles…

…and two angry alligators.

I love the bayou!

Small Stuff #65: Joyful Beginnings

dianehuhn — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 01:00:17 +0000

Small stuff that I am grateful for today: Delivering the first bunch of planters and elevated garden boxes made by some truly amazing young folks for some truly amazing seniors! Seriously, no words can express the joy of today. You really just had to be there.

Bonus: Being serenaded by Mister Jose! I’m still crying! I’ve had some AMAZING days thus far in 2010, but this might just be the most amazing. Thank you, thank you, thank you to our team for Iowa State University/Memorial Lutheran Church, Miss Effie, and our wonderful seniors in Smithridge. And to my NIU team–as David Hasselhoff would sing in the most bizarre fashion imaginable–”I’m hooked on a feeling…I’m high on believing.”