WHO DAT SAY DEY GONNA BEAT DEM SAINTS?

Well, if you're not from LOUISIANA, you may not be able to appreciate this one.  But, in 1967 we got our NFL team, the New Orleans Saints. Unfortunately, we have NEVER been to the Superbowl. I have very strong memories of my Dad yelling profanities at the television! Of course, we were hidden under the big picture window, OUTSIDE of our home....any number of kids sitting there, giggling while listening to the men cursing one minute, then hooting and hollering the next.'
The SAINTS have truly been a team with challenges. One season we may have a 'great' Quarterback, but no defense; or an awesome defense, with no special teams; or an incredibly accurate kicker (of whom we'd rely on for Field Goals when we couldn't make those TouchDowns), but no Quarterback. You get the picture! We have been the 'Underdogs of the NFL', since our franchise was formed.
We've had numerous coaches over the years...'my' most memorable was Jim Mora, until NOW! Sean Payton has been the driving force behind 'this' particular team.  He tries to focus on each game, each week, as it comes.  AND, he instills that in our players as well.
He respects our Quarterback, DREW BREES, and allows him to call some of the plays, actually TRUSTS him to do so! The players, in turn, respect our Quarterback as well. He is awesome at 'threading the needle', i.e., throwing the football to his player, who just so happens to be surrounded by opposing players, yet manages to get it IN THE HANDS of our players! He has provided us, THE FANS, with an exciting game each week, both running and passing. And for our SAINTS to have a PASSING game is just plain incredible!
After winning last week, we were EIGHT wins/ ZERO losses, in other words, 8 & 0! And to put it in other words, no matter HOW it's written: EIGHT and ZERO, 8 and 0, even ATE and OH!  It sure LOOKS and SOUNDS great to all of us, THE FANS!!! People who don't even HAVE season tickets, are purchasing SUPERBOWL tickets already! I am not joking! And the Superbowl will be in MIAMI!
Well, we also beat the St. Louis RAMS today, making us NINE and ZERO! A franchise RECORD, of course, and New Orleans is floating on air! The fans meeting the team at our airport will be in the hundreds. Even when we were seriously losing, our fans, the diehards, never gave up. Others were actually wearing 'bags' on their heads, with AINTS written on them, instead of SAINTS. "I" was one of those diehard fans that was still attending, and supporting our team! But "I" never wore a bag, but ALWAYS dressed in something black and gold (for GOOD LUCK, of course~and so the team knew "I" still loved them)!
With my current financial situation, "I" won't be one of those at the SUPERBOWL (in the event we actually make it there), but you'd better believe that "I" believe, like NEVER before, that THIS team is the one CAPABLE of going! "Dahn heah, cher, we may be some haffass coonasses, yah, but we say dem SAINTS is gawn to da SUPERBOWL yah" and to all who don't believe that we can, we say "GEAUX SAINTS ALL DA WAY"...." WE Believe"..."Bless You Boys"..."and WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN"...they have uplifted the spirits of a state full of people who are STILL recovering from Hurricane Katrina. YOU MAKE US SMILE AGAIN~

Halloween in a very small town!

OK, there are many 'variations' and 'descriptions' of the last day of the month of October, being the 31st, and supposedly celebrated, as HALLOWEEN! Living in the Village of Folsom (Louisiana), we had very limited options for this "All hallows Eve".

The divide is definitely 'black and white', and I don't mean it's racial! Either you celebrate and enjoy the 'Trick or Treating', or you do not. No grey area at all. On one side of it, it's an 'evil' celebration of Satan's followers, dressing up to receive candy from strangers. On the other side of it, you do NOT dress 'evil' and simply go to the homes of people you know to feel safe. OR you choose to go to one of the local Churches, and consider it to be a "Fall Festival", but still give all the kids candy at some point of the night.

We'd started a tradition a few years back, at the Elementary School, to have a "TRUNK or TREAT". Parents filled out forms, so the school knew who would be handing out candy. On the night chosen, they parked around the circular drive of the school, decorated their vehicles, and the kids could go around and get candy from parents they knew. This was a wonderful idea, and it was beneficial to the PTA, from the sale of hot dogs, popcorn and soda. Well, for some reason, it just didn't take place this year.

So, the alternative is to drive from house to house (remember, this is a village~with two red lights) in order to see if their porch light is on, as the signal to let us know to stop there. Yes, the parents were in a line, stopping and parking (with flashers on), to let our children get some candy. You see, the houses that had lights on, were very spaced apart. In and out, in and out...but my girls were just happy to get candy.

Once we'd made our rounds, got some candy and stopped by Rebekah's classmate's house, we went on to Applebee's and had a nice meal together. There were numerous questions, that I assume all parents get asked at one time or another (if not simply because they hear so many adults' comments), and it was sad to me to be asked, 'Why can't we eat our candy now, Mom?'

And to explain to them the dangers of mean-spirited people, which only leads to more questions.

Is it the 'time of year' that Satan's "month of feasts" come to an end? Is it the EVE of "All Saints day" for a reason? Do ALL hallows, ghosts, goblins, witches, warlocks celebrate this night, some ritual? We can ponder these questions, we can assume things, and we can make choices based on our own interpretations. We still have free will, and as with most things "it's all in how you look at it"!