And new colors--a bit more spring-like.

The disaster in the Gulf continues.

Our governor--Bobby Jindal--was on TV and he is one fast organizer. He ran down all sorts of plans etc., including putting the arm on the feds for their share in the blame. I find Jindal just a bit too conservative in several areas for my taste, but that man can grab a problem and plan out solutions and/or action options.

The oil well continues to spew out huge amounts of oil and BP hasn't been able to shut it down.

Jindal got the oil clean-up/prevention crews to use the fishermen--and pay them well--for getting containment booms out to try to protect the marshes and bird habitats. The oyster and shrimp yields this year will be extremely small.

Lake Pontchartrain is (hopefully) being protected by containment booms at the two passes to it in the south--Chef Menteur and the Rigolets.

The basic problem--the broken valve or something below the sea floor in the drilling rig--is not readily accessible. So anywhere between 5000 and 25000 gallons of crude are escaping each day.

I talked with a friend in Mobile today and she said they're really concerned all along the Gulf Coast about the oil damage to the beaches--top vacation places. She and her husband rented a cottage for a summer month and, as usual, declined the cancellation insurance. Well--the house might be usable by then. We made tentative plans for a day-long coffee meet at the Arby's in Gulfport for some time in the summer. (We call it the Gulf Coast Women's History Association Conference.)

So--today has been quiet. I've had the TV on a lot to keep up with the situation in the Gulf. I'll probably stay up way too late tonight keeping up with the latest happenings.

I do hope the rest of May will be somewhat less "eventful."