Listening to Hillary

I didn't hear Chelsea's intro nor the entire speech, but I was glad I'd tuned in and heard that last half. Hillary's passionate oratory and delivery just soared....so different from those dispassionate data delivery talks at the start of the primary season. "My mother was born before women could vote, but my daughter could vote for her mother as president" thrilled my feminist heart. Her retelling of the Harriet Tubman experience, using "Keep going" as the amen chorus had me recalling days in Dr. Cloud's Southern oratory class as we read the great speeches of the past, and also resonated with the voice in me that breaks through my lows with that same admonition of "Keep Going". And wasn't it something to watch Bill's face as he "kvelled" while his wife spoke...a so much better face than that he showed during the primary. A good night at the Democratic convention

A Red Letter Day

Today our oldest grandson, John Austin Nathan, is on his way to Corpus Christi as a college freshman. Thusfar, he's majoring in Ecological Chemistry(?). It seems that only yesterday, he was just going into his teens....yes! time does fly! He's an interesting, wonderful young man and we are so proud of his accomplishments though we haven't been able to participate in many special times. Good luck, Austin!

dancing at Eliot's Bar-Mitzvah

Its been too ong since I've seen you.

Eliot Organick's Bar-Mitzvah celebration brought together not only his relatives from different parts of the country, but also the local Jewish community and Montessori school friends. That handsome pair, Robert and Talbot Trudeau arrived with their son, Jett; once Shreveporters, Sally and Jack Cotlar said that their 2 daughters are now in Manhattan enjoying their fashion industry work; Susan and David Gross with daughter Sarah were on the dance floor for the hora circle (see above video). Rabbi Kawaler sang Hova Nagila as they got into the spirit of the dance.
At the table next to us was Ray Morris, now 91, who told me that Dr. Shavin sitting next to him w. his wife, Louise, was 101...what great role models for aging well. Carol Ginsburg, Teddy Kranston, the Abramsons too were enjoying Cookie and the Kingcakes' music. Cookie looked and sounded great...today she begins her stint as a 3rd grade teacher at Queensborough....lucky kids! It was great to see Eliot's parents, Allen and Ellen, on the dance floor, also Ellen's mom, Lorraine. Lou Lewis chatted w. us as Justin Wolfson and Aunt Lila shared LSUHC, then Confederate Memorial, memories. It was a great day for Eliot and for all who celebrated with him.

Arts Congress

The last Arts Congress, meeting at Artspace, adopted a solid group of policies, five in all, as the first step in planning for the growth and development of the arts in NW Louisiana. Yesterday's meeting, at LSU-S, adopted strategies to further those five policies. The steering committee that developed these worked long and hard to ensure that they crafted necessary, yet workable strategies for individuals, organizations and institutions.
Discussion included Carol Anglin's enthusiastic stories of her Art in Education dance initiatives with youngsters at Artbreak, Red River Revel, and then Shreveport Symphony, and Neil Johnson's applauding the work ethic and intensity of the core group that has hammered out these trail blazing policies and strategies and the leadership of Paula Hickman of the Community Foundation. Copies of this document will be given to every arts organization so that each can discuss and sign on to this partnership/collaboration.

August Flowers

High temperatures plus high humidity and the fear of poison ivy have kept me out of the garden this summer. When doing a walk-around yesterday, I saw that an orchid plant had sprouted beautiful small lavender blooms. Our potted plants are placed in May, under some old junipers and seem to thrive on the filtered sunshine. When in blossom I enjoy bringing the plant into our spa hut as that's where we have breakfast each morning. I also noticed that the "gardenia" bush puts out a few flowers each day. Their aroma drenches the air around the patio. I'd decided that the ginger plants would have to be moved to a different bed in the Fall, but hurrah! after a few heavier rains, they're starting to bloom and add their perfume to that of the gardenias.

Olympic Thoughts

I've been reading heaps of articles re Beijing pollution; that factories are being shut down, people unemployed so as to get cleaner air for the games. Isn't it beyond belief that the Chinese gov't. didn't, when they won the bid for the Games, spend some of those Olympic building dollars on scrubbers/pollution controls for those factories and to add stringent emission standards for cars? Why was that Olympic Int'l. Committee so very short-sighted not to insist on pollution control...where were the athlete's committes? the IOC has always kept its head in the sand re human rights. and quotes political correctness as a defense.
What a missed opportunity to combat the pollution in this country, caused by their awakening to the capitalist, entreprenurial world. When the games are finished, the plants will return to operation, and the local population will suffer the respiratory ills rampant in our early Industrial Revolution, and we'll all suffer their contribution to global warming. I was in China 10 years ago, before the automobile and factory explosions, when bicycles still ruled the roads, and yet, returned home w. a very resistant respiratory infection. I hope our athletes wear their masks, even in the opening ceremonies as protest as well as health.