Day 2- Mother Nature and La Carreta

I thanked Mother Nature on this day last year.  She gave us a beautiful dusting of snow for our Christmas trip home without dropping a bunch of it on the roads.  That was nice.  The Weather Girls thanked her publicly in a song (you know, "God bless Mother Nature, she's a single woman too...").  That was fun.

Sometimes Mother Nature is not a nice lady, though, and sometimes she does not give people a reason to be thankful.  One prime example of this that still sticks out in my mind is Mother Nature's nasty tantrum that we know as Hurrican Katrina.  She really destroyed a lot of lives and communities and one amazing city.

I was inspired by a speech George Clooney gave this year while accepting a humanitarian award.  He commented that people do a pretty good job of rallying around a cause when it's current and at the forefront of the media coverage or when there's a celebrity telethon.  However, the real test of giving is continuing to remember these people who have experienced great devastation when they are no longer shown on the news every night or written about in the newspaper.  Just because they are no longer talked about doesn't mean that everything has been fixed or that they are not still experiencing extreme hardship and extreme need.

There's nothing I will ever be able to do to fix what Mother Nature did in New Orleans, especially with $5.  However, my small contribution can be added to a fund and to an organization that aims to "Make it Right." 

http://www.makeitrightnola.org/index.php 

From the Make it Right Foundation: As you know, it is our mission to be catalyst for redevelopment of the Lower 9th Ward, by building a neighborhood comprised of safe and healthy homes with an emphasis on high quality and sustainability, while preserving the spirit of the community’s culture. With your help, Make It Right is well on its way of reaching its goal of building 150 homes. Families have begun to move back into their homes and started rebuilding their community.

They have already completed almost 50 homes and helped to bring more than 200 people home.  This is a charity that produces results where you can really see what your money might do.  It is also an organization of innovators who are changing the way people look at the building industry in New Orleans and beyond.  Take that, Mother Nature!

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Mas Poesia Mala

Mexican food
I didn't use to be a fan.
I'd much rather eat something
from Italy or Japan.

At burritos and chimis
I'd turn up my nose.
The only thing I liked to eat
were "elephant toes."

(Were those even Mexican, or were they just Jack Mex... you know, like Tex Mex from Jackson?)

Now it turns out that as my metabolism slows,
when it comes time to eat, almost anything goes!
I mean, my kind sir, I'd hate to be rude,
so I won't turn down any Mexican food.

Tom ventured out to La Carreta restaurant,
and with such tasty food, it may be our new haunt.
I really enjoyed my chimichanga and rice,
and from the chips to the salsa it was really quite nice.

Thank you, La Carreta, you made my day.





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