Category Archives for Jessica Rambles

This past winter was unusually brutal, with snow and ice and prolonged freezes that caused pipes to burst and killed citrus trees all over New Orleans. Then suddenly it is spring, eighty-three degrees outside, and I am cutting down a dead lemon tree, with the music from Jazz Fest, a mile away, as my afternoon […]

We had unexpected time off last week when a winter storm brought sustained freezing temperatures, ice, and even snow to South Louisiana. As soon as LSU announced its closure on Tuesday afternoon (it remained closed until Saturday), I jumped on I-10 so as to get home to New Orleans, to my daughter. The temperature on […]

It’s the end of October and we finally have a bit of cool weather here that reflects the calendar. Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays, maybe because I grew up in a Catholic city where schools were closed the day after for All Saints’ Day, which also happens to be my birthday. […]

This morning my nine-year-old daughter came into the kitchen while I was preparing her lunch for day camp to announce that she found it “ridiculous” that Minecraft does not make seasonal adjustments for time: morning and night arrive at the same time year round. “Doesn’t Minecraft know it’s summer?!” she exhaled with her hands in […]

This past weekend was the New Orleans Poetry Festival, which, in addition to having a book fair, was filled with readings, music, a nonstop open mic, and a literary tour (capped off by a streetcar ride uptown to hear more music). It was good to share a long table at the book fair with writers […]