Louisiana

Various things have happened in the last couple of weeks to remind me of my home-state, Louisiana:

The book my daughter happened to choose for the summer reading I want her to do is based in Louisiana and introduces kids to the old traditions and cultures (Circle of Secrets).

I keep seeing a sudden surge in Louisiana/Cajun-based reality shows.

It seems like every time I get on the internet or log into Facebook, there is some really cool story that pertains to Louisiana or something cool or beautiful exclusive to Louisiana.

A Navy family and friends of mine just made a trip to Louisiana to see his family and came back with talk of the heat, humidity, atmosphere, scenery, etc...

So, I'm a bit nostalgic. My daughter was too young the last time she was there to remember anything about it, so I'm determined to get us there for Winter break. No worries - it will still be warm (shorts at Xmas, yeah! lol).

I will say, though, that I don't miss the heat and humidity. Sure, gardens are exquisite down there. You will never find gardens above North Carolina like you do down South, and I miss turning my backyard into a tropical jungle with anything I want and no fear of Winter killing them. I miss the guaranteed rain, thunder showers, swimming season almost all year long. Since being with the Navy, though, and living farther North, experiencing true Winters and even blizzards, I am no longer tolerant of heat and high humidity. I would hate it living there now, I'm sure. Still, it's a gorgeous place to visit, and I'll always love that green paradise! 

I will always miss the bayous, cypress trees, Spanish moss, sprawling plantations, live oaks, magnolia trees, egrets, pelicans, my daddy's aluminum bateau (that's a shallow fishing boat ;} ), the sun rises and sun sets over and behind the lush landscape, flocks of egrets across full moons on dark nights, windchimes being tinkled by afternoon rains while the sun still shines through the windows, and the ease of finding quiet time below beloved oaks and among azaleas and bumble bees. Several states try to claim they are another world, but none are as accurate as Louisiana.