Saturday morning Shamus & I began our day
driving through Lakeview, an affluent suburb of New Orleans






and then St. Bernard's Parish, a lower to middle class families live.
Unlike the Gulfcoast, structures are still standing
in St. Bernard's, but

there's an eerie-ness to the atmosphere that
I did not encounter in Mississippi.

Perhaps it's because death
seems more prevalent as indicated by
the markings on the doors.

On every door of every structure
in every area, in every state
affected by the hurricane
X's are drawn.

In each open space of the X
numbers and letters are recorded.

To the left, the agency who inspected the site
and the state they're from.
To the right, the status of the structure.
C = clear
NE = No entry

On top the date is written
and the bottom number
states matter-of-factly
how many dead were discovered.







CUT TO:


The REMA* "Thanks For Giving" Waveland Parade!
(*Rainbow Emergency Managment Agency)


What a contrast.
We somberly raced to the parade
fearing we missed it
yet not feeling particularly inspired to
watch a parade.

CUT TO:

ME

Skipping around IN the parade wearing my angel wings and white tutu delight.

I made it on the MSNBC website, go to:

http://risingfromruin.msnbc.com/2005/11/hippies_say_goo.html


This local fella made a float for himself
and proudly displayed his HUG in a place of honor.
That tickled the bajoobies outta me!



Beads flew through the air
as organic cheese fell from the sky.

Talk about the parade that cares -
ORGANIC CHEESE!!!



There was a poignant moment for me
as I watched a few of the locals scramble
to gather as much of the tossed food as possible.





I had a handful of cheese myself,
really out of self preservation.
Apparently the concern of contusion caused by cheese really inspires.

As items were thrown to me
really AT me from my new buddies
I in turn would distribute them to the spectators.
Running over bestowing beads
as if everyone had just arrived at their Hawaiian destination
except for the "did you get your cheese" inquiry.

"did you get your pineapple slice or Macadamia nut" would be more Hawaiian.

But I prefer organic cheese distribution.


Later, I previewed the footage and burst into tears.
The gift these people provided is immeasurable!
Not just for the locals but that can even be captured into words.
But also for the volunteers like the Red Cross and Disaster Relief Teams.


HEY! Did you know that Jan. 21st is SEND-A-HUG Day.
What are the odds.


Here's Shamus with his hug.
He was my camera man for two days and a hug recipient.
His place got flooded and to add insult to injury
a tree landed right smack dab in the middle of it.
He's quite a trooper and
an honorary Mertzel (even though he doesn't eat sweets.
That's gonna have to change if he wants to maintain his Mertzel status!)




Confession time, there was no rhyme or reason to how the hugs were handed out
it was all completely random, except for
the giant M&M.
This particular hug killed me!
The photo of the little guy hugging the heck outta this stuffed
candy the melts in your mouth not in your hand
was the cutest thing in the world.
Plus I was kinda hopin'
the M&M would start chatting with me outta the blue.

Huh? What?
Oh, did it?
Talk to me you wanna know...
maybe it did and maybe it didn't.
A girl has to keep some secrets.

It rode shot gun
and I planned on saving it for Doc.


I went back to St. Bernard's parish to donate some non HUG stuffed animals
at the request of a sweet, dimpled gal named Jill.
There was no one there but the various relief volunters and workers.
Except for this one little boy with his Pa Pa. (not papa)

Well, the M&M had met it's match!
This little fella was so darling.
DeJuan.

And he LOVED that M&M!

I've been remiss in not posting this sooner
but I truly feel the need to apologize to all Soldiers!

Shortly after seeing the movie Jarhead and jotting my thoughts
I heard a piece on NPR covering soldiers in Iraq and their blogs.





www.npr.org/news/specials/wardiaries/archives.html



In their own voices they read from those blogs
sharing their experiences and fears.




I just have this to say
I may have opinions
but I truly have no clue about anything that's really going on over there.

Except for this...
the soldiers over there have given up their lives
lives that we enjoy every day that
must seem a distant movie viewed
who knows how long ago.




And whatever options or thoughts any one may have
the most important point that I came away with was this



With all my heart
I stand behind our American Soldiers 100%
and to presume to know anything else
about right or wrong

just seems to disrespect the men and women
giving of their lives on a daily,
momentary basis.

that's all
thanks for
reading me out.

So now you've seen photo after photo
of Waveland since Katrina.

All of them looking
similar to this one.

And perhaps on the surface
these seem to
depict what Waveland's become.




Never judge a book by it's cover my friends.



For in the middle you'll find
a colorful centerfold of smiles, treats and joy
all thanks to the beautiful people at the Waveland Cafe
and their resolute and gracious guests.


That's where I was lucky enough
to spend part of my Thanksgiving.
(that's me hugging Jessika
one of my MOST favorite new friends.
The list of her fabulousness
could fill up a blog all its own.
But her smile tells ya all you need to know!)





I chopped no less than 40 onions
and cried me a river.

But that was the only
note of sadness
detected at that evening's feast.

All in attendence
had reasons all their own
for being thankful

but you can bet
we were collectively grateful




to be there
together
under the dome
of the Waveland Cafe.




I dubbed this area
"Turkey Alley;"
Preparation zone for
smoked turkey
fried turkey
Tofurkey turkey
All prepared
with loving hands
at "Turkey Alley."


There I stand in all my stature
with Junior
6 feet my senior.
It probably won't last.





Nothing could have made this
a more special Thanksgiving!
(Actually,
it's now
my dream
to celebrate
Thanksgiving
in this same
type environment
but share it with
all of my family and friends.)


How great
is Scoops
the Clown!!!!!


What a blessing for me
as I had the opportunity
on this magical day
to partake of delicious food,
enjoy lovely people
and deliver
generously
donated hugs.









It's funny in life how you wish for things
without even realizing your making a wish.

When I was a little girl
there was nothing I wanted more than
for one of my stuffed animals to come to life.
And several years later (nevermind how many)
my pal Percy came into my life.

Sometimes we don't even recognize
our granted wishes.
It took several retellings of how
Percy found me to put two and two together.

In much the same way
while LOVING my experiences at Burning Man

(go to www.burningman.com for further explanation --
or feel free to just ask me)

anyway, I noticed when telling tales of adventures at Burning Man
I always ended with
"I just wish I could take Burning Man
and bring it to the outside world."
Well, the Rainbow Group and friends
have gifted the hell outta me and an entire town!
They've literally answered prayers
and made dreams come true
for this hugger,
the folks of the town and
all those who came from far and wide to volunteer.
(pardon my language, I'm feelingly strongly about this.)


Well two very solid wishes granted
is nothing to sneeze at
but what the heck, I'm gonna go for broke...

Right then
the wish of the hour...
to make an honest living as a professional hugger.

And if I may be so bold
as long as I'm on a roll...

Wish upon wishing for
just the right producer for
SEND-A-HUG

and

hmmmmm,
well

save something for the sequel.

STAY TUNED FOR THE FOLLOWING STORIES
katrina cough
shamus, my new camera guy
wings from the waveland cafe folk and their upcoming parade
"thoughts on hippies" from the locals
mary ann crying in my arms
folks seeing me on the news
dave in his yard with gnats & patches the cat
servin' up thanksgiving grub

THIS POST WAS UPDATED on 11/25/05...

My friend from Covington,wanted to check out the damage in New Orleans.
I've known Kelly since 1990 and she's been taking
marvelous care of me and Percy
has researched camera folk for me and
hours of entertainment is provided by her boys
Henry (6), Patrick and Harrison the twins (4).

This first photo was taken in New Orleans.


You know how sometimes you're watching a tv show or movie
and you feel like their just showing
violence for violence sake...


I realize I haven't really shown ya'll
photos of the Mississippi Coast
and quite frankly I feel rather cheesy taking them.
It's like being a lookie loo of the worst kind,
more evil than the hwy rubber necker.
But I know that behind my camera,
peering behind the view finder
is the public at large, my family, and friends.



Kelly hadn't as yet seen what Katrina had done
to the city she loves to explore.
Frightening enough,
I've already become desensitized;
whereas certainly we saw damage and
mile high piles of debris,in New Orleans
it couldn't compare
to shock of Waveland, Bay St. Louis and Biloxi.



New Orleans got most or all of the press,
therefore I've felt compelled to concentrate
on Mississippi
where entire towns have been completely wiped out
except for the residents
who love their communities
are staying strong and plan on rebuilding.



You probably look at these photos and think
"there's nothing left, why stay."
Again... COMMUNITY. Being from Los Angeles
I had to look the word up in the dictionary.
Many of these folks and their families
have been here for generations.
This is the only place they know
and quite frankly
love the locale, the people, the camaraderie...




Photo after photo I clicked
while continuing to drive,
barely slowing down.
As the beep indicating my memory card was full,
I muttered aloud
while shaking my head...
there's no enough film in the world or
RAM on a disk to cover all
the carnage.



Honestly, I don't usually have a propensity for the dramatic
(hey, I heard that) but the area, areas was PUMMELED.
And perhaps by sharing these photos
a small explanation is given to family and friends
of why I feel so compelled to stay
and "do this right."
The hope is that on the grandest scale
I can inspire folks to take part.
No role too big or too small.



Heck, look what I'm doing.
Sometimes I compare what others have
accomplished or given
to my passing out of hugs.
But then I get out there
and before I can even deposit the hugs
into the HUG DEPOT
folks are crowding around my car.
Parents, kids and adults
who meekly ask
"Can anybody get a hug?"



I still get embarassed when they thank me
I still feel ridiculous when I say
"no, thank you."
But truly
the unabashed vulnerability,
love and courage they display
inspires the heck outta me
and keeps from quitting.
(A moment of honest --
I've had propensity for doing just that,
but that's past tense.)


On a lighter note: the Waveland Cafe.
My pal Annika, the Good Witch of the West
was kind enough to email the link for an
article written in the L.A. Times.
I share it with you now.



A Gospel and Granola Bond
--------------------

Two radically different sets of volunteers arrived in post-Katrina Louisiana to
feed the hungry, and their lives were changed forever.

By Elizabeth Mehren
Times Staff Writer

November 22 2005, 7:44 PM PST

WAVELAND, Miss. -- Days after Hurricane Katrina hit, they began cooking together
in a grocery store parking lot: evangelical Christians from Texas and Rainbow Family
flower children from all over.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/la-na-waveland23nov23,0,6596970.story?coll=la-home-headlines



Today I'll be servin' up grub with my new pals at the Waveland Cafe
as well as the folks at Pearlington.

Waveland is also know as "the hippie camp"
there's a spirit of joviality supplied by said hippies
that doesn't exist any where else.


Pearlington sure could use a boost, so
off I go!
Me and my hugs to bond with the locals and
the 80 zillions gnats waiting to greet me.



Happy Thanksgiving folks!
I think it may be a bit easier for us all to come up with
a list of things to be grateful for.
I'm most grateful to be here
and to have the love and support of MY community
out there!!!

=)

Yesterday heading into Baton Rouge to meet "Scarecrow,"
I was on a strip of the I-10 that was very reminiscent of
the road to Emerald City.

Being "Dorothy" I'd know that.
It's a 2 line hwy for both directions, opposing lanes separated by
a lengthy stretch of green grass, perfect for bocce ball, (or so they tell me --
the proverbial "they")
or a skinny game of croquet.
Framing these roads were tall lush trees, creating the illusion
of approaching the magical green metropolis.
Tried to photograph said enchantment...













yeah,
not so much
unless your actually into
blurry bug carcasses.


Went to see Jarhead tonite.
(Silence.)

Strange to go see a movie
about war, killing and premeditated man-made destruction
when you're on a hugging mission
to promote love, kindness and human connection
post inexorable natural disaster.



In my head,
as I viewed soldier after soldier,
disembarking the destination Desert Shield airplane,

I imagined a deployment of huggers.


And I smiled.

Then I got back to the movie,
watched the depiction
of exploited boys,
and I cried.









Granted, anyone that knows me, is aware that I pretty much cry at every movie,
except maybe Elf, nope, got a little misty there too, but the thought of
"making things better" by killing people.

Scarecrow and I agreed, it's a fine line to walk,
opposing the war,
yet respecting, supporting, caring for those who go to war.
The soldiers aren't declaring the wars.
My heart breaks for the sincere love of country and reverence for our nation
that these brave individuals hold, and who earnestly believe and trust that those in charge
are serving the highest good.

What a sacred trust to brake, a true sacrilege.

HEAVY SIGH!

Whew, sorry folks.
I debated whether to go this route,
but heck, it's America.
Ironic.
Fighting for our freedom?
Against Hitler, I get that
but this?

You know, my dad brings up a good point that I'd like to interject here
(bare with me if you would...)

SEND-A-HUG
is a nondenominational, bipartisan, universal program open to all in need of a hug.
Huh, a little foreshadowing now that I think about it.
The Red Cross Public Affairs writer was doing a little article on SEND-A-HUG
and wanted to quote me as saying "I want to deliver hugs to soldiers."
I didn't actually SAY it to this individual but I sure as heck thought of it.
And now, look out Bob Hope (may you rest in peace) SEND-A-HUGs comin' to entertain the troops.
=)
It would be a really great idea.
Don't worry Dad, I'm not leaving for Iraq THIS week.

I will say this about pulling out now
it feels a bit like bringing a patient in for brain surgery
and midway through
the doctor declares
"oops, this was a mistake."

Well, he can't very well just leave the patient lying there with his head cut open
He DID go in and now it's his obligation to do right by the patient.

Let's move on...
I'd like to close with what will probably go down
as the quote of my entire journey.
Perhaps even a SEND-A-HUG motto.
Today I joined Arin aka Scarecrow at
an Interfaith Community Meeting in Baton Rouge.
The various religious organizations in the area pull together
to try and meet the needs of the Hurricane victims.
At least mother nature pulls people together and inspires the BEST of humanity.
(Oops, I said I'd move on and I didn't, I went the other way.)

So, we're at this meeting
and of course
many are expressing their disenchantment
with FEMA.
Questions are being raised about unpaid gas bills
and the real possibility of folks freezing as temperatures drop.

One man tried to explain that actions could not be taken until a proper
case management system was in order.
After all, we wouldn't want to inconvenience
folks by having case workers knocking on the door of their
unheated FEMA trailers every 15 minutes.

Amidst mumblings of "they wouldn't mind" and
"probably could use the company"
one of my new favorite personalities, "the mayor of munchkin city"
aka Rabbi Barry declares
"God forbid people get too much help.
Knock on wood we should be so lucky!"
(When reading this one must do so aloud as if they were Mel Brooks.)

His poignancy, coupled with the reminiscent charm
of my dearly departed elder Jewish relatives, captured my heart!


This is NOT actually
an elderly relative
it's my dad,
but how cute is he!!!

=)

Incidentally,
the good Rabbi later left me a message stating
"Daisy, this is Rabbi Barry,
it was such an honor to meet you.
If you need a place to stay,
please come to our house,
you're always welcome
just give us some notice,
about 65 seconds should be fine.
And I want to SEND-A-HUG.
My wife wants to send a hug,
my daughters want to send a hug
in fact, I'm sure my whole congregation wants to send hugs.
It's brilliant, I wish I had thought of it."

Well Rabbi, I may have started SEND-A-HUG, but you sure as heck
know how to SPREAD-A-SMILE!!!!!

God forbid there's too much help.

God Bless ya, Rabbi Barry!

I've said it before,



but I'm feeling soooo Dorothy,

what with my little dog,
Percy too!






Although for me,
there is no evil witch,
I guess if there was
her name is Katrina.








While skipping down
the yellow brick highway



- interstate 10,


I've had the good fortune
of meeting so many
marvelous characters.


Doc's probably the wizard,
although I haven't actually me him yet.

Tonite I'll be meeting Scarecrow,



his name is Arin and he's a volunteer
in Baton Rouge with Relief International.

The cowardly lion
would definitely have to be our pal,
Ivan from the Red Cross Public Affairs office.



And the Tin Man, well, believe it or not,
I'd have to say Chad from Fema.
He's been most supportive and agreed to show me
what their calling "Ground Zero."

Most special of all,
lovely and magical,

Glenda the Good aka
my camera gal and
most special of special pals, Annika.


The joke I recited, and believe me it's become all too serious,
was how the heck did I ever function
before I hung with Annika.
Well, it's no joke people!
I'm not laughing now.
What should have been a 7 hour drive from Austin
sadly transformed into an 8 hour trek.

AND, even Amy's delicious ice cream
in Austin, Texas
left me a wee bit empty without out my food cohort.
Oh sure, I finished it in about 5 seconds flat, but still,
not the same without the participatory critiquing and the
ooooo-ing and ah-ing,
the tasting and plotting
perhaps even splitting another one just for the heck of it.


heavy sigh











A couple of other enchanting cameos:


Pat and Joe



were hands down a major highlight for us --
when I say us, it' cause Annika was still with me for this one!

It was after our second day of hug deliveries, I was ceremoniously dropping all the HUG thank you letters into the post box while holding Percy with Annika capturing it all for posterity. From across the street, a voice yells out, "Don't mail the dog!" And as I was laughing he continued, "unless of course you've got the appropriate postage." Good one! We continued I circled around the mailbox while Annika got some driving footage.

"Well, ya gotta tell us what you're doing now!
For the love of god, tell us what you're doing."
How can ya not respond to that plea?!

So we pulled over while the fellas crossed the street.
After explaining the SEND-A-HUG program and the reasons for getting it all on tape...
to spread the awareness for all the help still needed, the quantities of folks in need, all the fine folks from all over volunteering their time and the shocking wreckage that seems unrecoverable. (I'm gonna go ahead and stand by the use of that word, although I feel very strongly that Webster would frown upon it.)

"What you need to see is Howard street, have ya been there? Come on we'll take you." So our new friends, Pat, who in his previous life was successful drummer earning his living playing several times a week in the more than 50 clubs smattering the area -- as compared to the now, FOUR in existence; and Joe a handsome young man making good money at one of the local swanky casinos, the two of them now getting by clearing debris from a storage facility, offered to be our guides.

We followed their pickup inconspicuously in the motorhome towing the mobile hug depot.

"so was this a park?" I gazed out over an empty lot with some grass and a slab of concrete.
Joe laughed and with his darling southern accent corrected me
"that's where a building used to be."

They pointed out hotels, and then redirected their pointer fingers 5 blocks down the road to the casino
that USED to attach to the hotel now 5 blocks a way.

Bridges completely wiped out, bridges that cut traffic travel time in half and more.
All of it looking like foreign sea structures just discovered
jutting out of the open waters.

As they were leading us back on our way,
Joe stuck his arm out the truck window
indicating something on the horizon.
The signal was still red,
he got out of the truck and ran over to us
"That's where I used to work.
It looks fine from this angle
but on the backside
facing the water
it's demolished."

Then he jogged back into the truck
and we could see
he and Pat joking back and forth
enjoying eachother's company
as if out for a Sunday drive.

How's that for keeping a sense of humor.

I guess the various community folk we're hugging would be the Munchkins.
Whereas, we're providing a service (aka Dorthy's service of killing the wicked witch)
the people here are constantly bestowing their gifts upon us:
inspiration, warmth, generosity of spirit, courage,
and an intimacy that is not displayed in the everyday life experience.

Hard to categorize the firemen in from Virginia and Kentucky,
but they certainly added to the adventure,
offering encouragement, appreciation and a lot of laughs!

Lurking out there somewhere is a photo of Annika and I
standing on the front bumper of a fire truck joined by all the fellas.
I near broke into song, there was a Broadway musical feel about the staging of the picture,
especially when the boys put their hands out to escort us down.

They did confirm a little rumor I heard earlier this year.
I boldly asked, "Hey, is it true that when a girl wave's to a fire engine,
you assume she "wants you."

They were most caught off guard when

One of those deafening silent pauses took over
as I sort of caught them off guard
and then some backpedaling, "oh, well, uh I don't a... you know, not EVERY girl, but uh, well maybe..."
One brave officer comically raised his hand then used it to cover the station info on his t-shirt,
"YES it is!"
And we all had a good chuckle.

The hug concept went over very well with the fellas,
perhaps maybe even a little too well.
I had to give 'em the ole, "okay now boys, settle down."
We took a little time out to be serious
and I asked 'em what's made the most impact on them,
being out here and they all seemed to instantly get teary and quiet...
"the people, absolutely, the people." As if a team chant or prayer,
they all shook their heads and repeated,
"the people." What also struck me with the firemen
as with our nifty buddies, Joe and Pat,
the camaraderie that's built out of crisis is like nothing else.
One of the guys from the Prince William County, Virginia Fire Station
seemed particularly moved by the friendships he built with the other men.

After spending an hour with Pat and Joe I assumed those fellows went WAY back! Nope, they JUST met after the Hurricane, working at the storage facility. Annika and I were floored. They had such a way of boosting each other's spirits, jokin' around and creating that feeling of home, I felt blessed. It's true in the worst of times, the best of humanity is revealed.