Summer Plans

It is as hot as Hades here, and the daily evening thunderstorm pattern has begun. Ah, summer in New Orleans; hot, humid, and buggy. Luckily, I have plenty of summer projects to keep me busy so I cannot complain too much about the weather.

What summer projects you ask? Well, for starters, I am trying to get the house into the best shape possible before hurricane season begins in earnest. I am going to be completing both cosmetic and structural repairs, indoors and out. Examples of items on my to do list include: paint touch ups to the indoors, purchasing and installing outdoor shutters (once these puppies are in I look forward to never having to board up our house for a hurricane) , installing rain barrels to prevent gutter water pouring onto the ground around our pylons, and sealing the fireplaces to prevent air leaks. My summer days have so far consisted of traveling to the hardware store, followed by getting filthy and completely covered in sweat before giving up for the afternoon. I do feel that I am making some progress, even if my projects are not being completed as quickly as I would like.

Other summer plans I have include volunteering at Animal Rescue of New Orleans. ARNO is a wonderful organization that cares for the stray, feral, and abandoned animals of New Orleans. They run a no kill shelter and also have feeding stations in the more hurricane damaged areas of our city. I am going to be a dog walker, walking and jogging some of their shelter dogs, and I will also be donating some time to their parasitology laboratory, diagnosing infections among the rescued animals at the shelter.