Daily Archive

Remember the post I put up a few weeks ago about taking my grandmother to have her cancer treatment? Remember my mentioning that my aunt was having a biopsy the same day and that she’d already had a partial mastectomy?

Well, the tumor turned out to be malignant and my aunt, rather than have a lumpectomy, has chosen to have another partial mastectomy to remove the other one. With our family history, she just doesn’t want to leave any opportunity for the cancer to return. 

She just went into surgery an hour ago and when she comes out, she’ll be the second breastless woman in my family. Sounds sort of humorous, I know, but it’s anything but. It’s just that widespread in our genetics.

Please remember her.  

Waking up early again, I sit up in bed and am suddenly stunned awake by something I noticed yesterday or rather, something I did not notice. In all of my jaunting and exploring around the French Quarter yesterday, I did not notice one, not one, Starbucks in the entire area. There’s that sinking feeling again. Could there possibly not be a single Starbucks in the entire quarter? I mean, if Cafe Du Monde wants to have the monopoly on coffee, that’s fine with me. No arguments here. But, still. I’m kinda missing the familiar circle-bound green mermaid and am really longing to see a familiar face.

No use crying over spilled milk or disappearing Starbucks, however. I’ll just grab a free (a rare word for me on this trip……FREE) cup of coffee from the hotel breakfast and be on my way. I’m pretty sure I’ll live.

Hop on the trolley, $1.25 fare, and I’m off to start the day in the garden district. Overflowing with eye-catching wrought iron, well-tended plant life and, of courses, houses that are, oh, a little out of my price range, the garden district provides another slant on living in New Orleans. People walk out of their doors, pick up their mail and send me a greeting and wave as I travel over every inch of the area, googling at the expansive (and expensive:)) houses.

Inside the district is a traditional New Orleans cemetery.

After this quick trip amongst death, I head over to have a little piece of heaven….the local Subway. And here’s the sandwich I always order. It’s perfect and needs nothing added or taken away. Six-inch turkey on wheat with ONLY jalapenos, spicy mustard and sweet onion teriyaki sauce. Yum and yes, usually a torn-up stomach later on, but so good. And of course, to truly add my signature to the sammich, I must put chips on it. Usually sour cream and onion. Hey, it’s quirky but great.

Ugh. Very large cumulonimbus monsters rolling in and making some noise. Looks like a storm’s a comin’ and the wedding is drawing nearer and nearer.

Quickly, I head back to the room, gussy myself up and get ready to go catch the trolley to Broussards.

Ah well, take a good look. It’s a rarity. And because it’s such a rarity, it lasted for all of five minutes because the second I got out the door, torrential rain hit me from all angles and guess who didn’t have an umbrella? So begins the worst part of the trip. I ran ( in heels), slipped and slid my way to the nearest trolley stop, but the building did nothing to shelter me from the rain because the wind was blowing the water sideways and right into my face. Finally, I hopped on the trolley and (to make a long story short) was given the wrong directions to the restaurant THREE times before I finally arrived looking much like a drowned rat, but happy to have found the place. Because the ceremony was intended to be held outdoors in the courtyard, though, luckily they hadn’t started and were busy moving things inside.

Thankfully, it was a very short and very sweet ceremony (10 minutes at most). As I’ve said before, I’m not a wedding person, so the shorter the better.

Ah. Made it. Accomplished my goal. Made it to the wedding and experienced New Orleans after Katrina.

Headed home tomorrow. Maybe I’ll break down in Canton.