Good news: A recent survey indicates three-quarters of the greater New Orleans population has returned.
Bad news: The same survey says the city itself (Orleans Parish) is only at 41% of its pre-storm population. Worse, another survey indicates one-third of people here are planning to leave within the next couple years.
Good news: Hurricane season is officially over today, and it wasn’t nearly as bad as predicted, certainly nothing like the 2005 season.
Bad news: The experts say we’re still in an active period that will last at least another decade, maybe two, maybe more. The 2006 season was made weak, they say, by El Niño and dust storms in the Sahara, which may not be a factor next season.
Good news: Mike Kaplan came to my house Monday and gave it a quick tour. We talked about the electrical and other work to be done. He was very reassuring and said they’d start work the next day.
Bad news: They didn’t make it to our house Tuesday. I don’t think they made it Wednesday either, but maybe they did — I’ve been too busy to check.
More bad news: Xy discovered she had a flat tire this morning. She was already running late, so she decided to call a cab.
Good news: Just then, a taxi came cruising down our street. She hopped right in and made it to school on time.
More good news: We got a lemon tree.
Whatever you do, don’t share the lemon tree with Shelbyville.
Is that the lemon tree in the pot? When I was staying at my friends’ house in July (when I came for the geek dinner), they had these amazing lime trees in their backyard covered with limes. I would like to live somewhere that I could just go out back and pick a lime. Those were some pretty good things, B. Congrats.
By the way, are you familiar with the song “Lemon Tree”? It’s one of those mysterious English-language songs that are super, super famous in China, but almost unknown in the US. Just about any Chinese person who speaks any English can serenade you with it. I never heard of it until I came over here.