Everything Fred – Part 119

10 September 2023

My cousin Jimmie reminded me that she had stage 0 breast cancer. It was her I alluded to in the last post but I didn’t want to put her name to it unless she was OK with it. She also mentioned our Aunt Edna Lee (her aunt, my great aunt) has “female” cancer which Jimmie suggested may have been ovarian cancer. Cousin Jo and I mentioned Aunt Eddie but neither of us could remember if it was cancer. It now looks like both sides of my family have the tendency towards cancer. Normally, I think mostly of strokes and heart attacks in relation to my family.

Jimmie also mentioned the DDT we were exposed to as kids. Rachel Carson published her ground breaking book Silent Spring in 1962 and before that DDT was the pesticide of choice throughout the U.S. It was quite common for towns and cities to send trucks to spray/fog the area for mosquitos. It was a broadcast spraying and it would permeate the neighborhood. It worked well on keeping the mosquito population under control.

Jimmie, Jean and Jo’s house was a long house with a garage that ran under most of the length of the house where Uncle James parked two vehicles. When the mosquito control came by, and Uncle Jame’s cars were gone, it was common for them to drive into the garage spraying DDT fog. Jimmie and I love the smell of the fog and we would run into the garage and play in the mist after the vehicle pulled out of the garage.

DDT can stay in the soil for up to 15 years and in humans, it is often found in fatty tissue, in mother’s milk, and can be passed on to the fetus. Jimmie and I would certainly have received significant doses. It was banned in the U.S. in 1972.

Again, there’s no way to determine what caused my cancer. It’s just that I’ve had plenty of opportunities over the years for carcinogenic exposure.

The good news of the day is so far I’m diarrhea free! I do admit to low energy today. I think the last few days have really taken it out of me. I slept until 8 am this morning and by the time I was ready for my walk, it was well after 10 am and getting too hot to make the effort. Hopefully, tomorrow will see me on my walk, doing yoga and swimming laps. I did manage to grocery shop today but that pretty much sums up my day.

I wasn’t going to but I ended up watching the Ole Miss/Tulane football game. It was actually a pretty good game, especially since Ole Miss won. Again, college ball has become more semi-professional than amateur but it brought back memories as a college student.

Years ago, I made it to a Tulane game in New Orleans. I think their old stadium was under renovation and the game was played on some small stadium near the campus with metal bleachers. The exciting part was not the game but going to New Orleans. If my memory serves me correctly, it was the first time I’d eaten at the Camellia Grill. Even when I was stationed at the Coast Guard Communications Station in Belle Chase, I would often take the St. Charles streetcar to the Camellia Grill for breakfast or lunch. I’m not sure the food is any better than any other restaurant/grill in New Orleans but the place has presence. It’s also two years older than I am.

Tulane and Ole Miss used to be frequent rivals. Tulane was a charter member of the SEC along with Ole Miss, Sewanee, and Georgia Tech. I also remember listening with my Dad to Ole Miss/Tulane football games broadcast via WWL in New Orleans at the Roosevelt Hotel. Saturday’s game was the 73rd in the series – one of the longest in Ole Miss history. The longest rivalry is Vanderbilt at 97 games.

Several years ago, I met my brother and sister-in-law at the Roosevelt. They took the train which turned into a disaster when they had to disembark and take a bus into New Orleans. In any case, we stayed at the Roosevelt for two nights.

I had a Ramos gin fizz in the history Sazerac Bar in the hotel. It was Huey Long’s favorite drink.

New Orleans is a magical city. I’ve attended 3 Mardi Gras there, was stationed there for two years in the Coast Guard, sailed up the Mississippi River on the CGC Reliance, made lifelong friends in the city, and have eaten some of the best meals of my life there. One item that should be on the bucket list of every person is beignets and coffee with chicory at Cafe Du Monde. I love strolling the market just off Jackson Square and hitting the dive bars all along Bourbon Street. I think back to my first visit to Bourbon Street and seeing all the strip joints for the first time with hawkers outside trying to get you to come in for a drink (although I was much underage – money was money to them).

My cousin Jo introduced Jimmie and me to Pat O’Briens and hurricanes. There were two piano players that night in the main bar and they were kind of dueling. One would break out into a melody or song and the other would interrupt with snide comments and jokes. I remember that particular year, either LSU or Tulane had played Texas and lost. The piano players got into a side gig of talking football and playing fight songs for teams mentioned. For example, one player would say something about the University of Michigan and then play the fight song of Michigan. This went on for a while and they eventually included Texas and “The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You.” Then one shouted lets play a song for LSU. They played “The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You.” It was great.

Warning! Two hurricanes will knock you on your a**. It was also there at Pat O’Briens that Jo told Jimmie and me that she was going to introduce us that night to the person she was going to marry. She qualified it by saying “He doesn’t know it yet.” That was when we met Ken for the first time. So, you can see, New Orleans holds a lot of memories for me.

Stay tuned!