my brother and his wife are katrina survivors, lost everything they had, were retired. They have bought a modular home and relocated to a little rural NW fla town about an hour from us. We are all going there, the whole family, coming in from Georgia, Fla, Ala, even San Franciso. My neice from San Fransisco is only 35, she has two little kids.
We go over there yesterday. the family drama is that none of them are at all accustomed to extreme redneckism. My sister in law is first generation italian american from Long Island, her and my brother lived in a nice subdivision in slidell pre-katrina and they have always been sorta the art museum, eat out at Brennans in the French Quarter type. My sister in law has practically adopted the little kid next door, saying "her parents are alcoholics and have facial features reminiscent of cro magnon" she actually said that. Anyway the little kid is over and they are going with my san fransisco little niece and nephew back and forth to feed the redneck kids horse and my neice from san fransisco says "they are alcoholic and dont even feed the kid or put clean clothes on her, I dont think she even has shoes, and they have this starving horse over there so we have been feeding it all the carrots and apples from the fruit and veggie trays the poor thing." I said "thats sad, but the best thing would be for them to sell the horse " and my sister in law said "I told them that! and the wife said they have to sell it cause they cant feed it and the dad said no way are we ever selling that horse, so the poor thing is just starving..." So sigh. My san fransisco neice wants to buy it hay and a bag of feed. I told her it will just starve again when they leave. Its very sad. Anyway we are taking a bag of feed and two bales of hay as a special thanksgiving meal for the poor starved horse, and the poor starved kid has been with them day and night for three days and the parents havent even been over to ask where she is... I am very grateful my horses are not starved and neither is my kid and that I have a good job and my husband has a good job and we are not afflicted with illness or addiction (well maybe sugar, my daughter and I have eaten two cakes in two days). But I am very thankful today for what I have. and thankful for all of you to talk to about it today :) Janice -- yipie tie yie yo
