Bonjour!

Mark your calendars for Saturday, July 23, for the “Back to the Butte Celebration” and fundraiser for the Sacred Heart of Jesus Chapel and the Butte La Rose Fire Department. There will different activities for the entire family; more next week. Call Gary Simon 257-2444.

I’m standing on my back porch this morning watching the break of day; a beauty to behold. Although the air is very warm, it is clear and crisp and the birds are busy preparing for their day and whistling their tunes; a good feeling. My different colored crape myrtles are blooming throughout my yard. This morning, as every morning, is clear, no sign of rain, still the trees are beautiful and all the greenery is flourishing.

I just plugged in the slow cooker on the porch and put potatoes boiling, my first time doing this with potatoes, I wanna see how that’ll work. I wanna keep the heat out of the kitchen. I like cooking outside.

Not that we need to be reminded, but the weather man said another hot one today and so turn up the air conditioners. I said I’d do it if I was sure he’d pay my electric bill. I’ve got a good ceiling fan I have been making good use of during the day and make the switch from it to AC late in the evenings. I am more outside much. Like I’ve learned to live without DirecTV for $80 a month, I was not born with air conditioning either. I’m sure that vielle femme who lives in my house will not complain.

The potatoes I mention are ones given to me by Dennis and Sis Albert. These two work their fingers to the bone in what they call a garden, what I call a field. They share their labor of love and hard work with me and other friends. This week they shared with me a five gallon bucket of okra and about three dozen ears of corn. Naturally I cooked it all and tucked it in the freezer. They also share their deer meat with me from his hunts. Salt of the earth Cajuns!

They planted watermelon and cantaloupe but when they were not permitted to come to their property to tend to the garden they died.

Dr. Bennet Fontenot did wonderful dental work for me. I’m very happy and satisfied with my new teeth. And to say the new dentures don’t require Polident and Fixodent anymore. It simply takes dish detergent. So! From now on when I’ll finish washing my dishes, I’ll just throw my false teeth in the dish water. I could not resist saying that!

Yola Courville’s birthday party was fun. Food was delicious. Her company was hilarious. Anytime her niece Joyce Guilbeaux is in the area she’ll fill your ears with comedy. She said Yola has such a large family they have to come visit in shifts. There was about 50 to celebrate with her.

We talked about the school days; Ms. Eastin, Mrs. Rosie, Ms. Dutile. If Mrs. Rosie would hear of kids argueing at school, she’d make them hold hands and walk up and down the hall for punishment, whether it was two boys or boy/girl, etc., up and down the hall. When Euna Mae was 12 years-old in Mrs. Rosie’s class, she got mad at Mrs. Rosie and told her she quit school. When she asked why, her excuse was she was getting married and did not go back. You could do that back then. Good old day’s huh!

See y’all at the party!

Bien merci, bonne journée, Cousine Hélène, 228-1714 helenboudreaux@juno.com, www.helenboudreaux.org.