March 3, 2016

 

Dear Hildie:

 

Yes, yes, pinch collars for the dogs, for all the good it does with Squirrel. By the way, he puked in four places inside yesterday. One was in my place on the bed (on clean sheets, of course).

 

Speaking of puking, have you seen the Cruz ad featuring Phil Robertson, the “Duck Commander?” God, if I’d never heard of Cruz this would scare me away from him—This painted, wild-bearded hillbilly squinting into the camera with beady little black eyes and saying you should vote for Cruz because he’s “Godly.” Does a lot for our image as a state.

 

Take care.

 

Love,

M

 

 

 

 

March 1, 2016

 

 

Dear Hildie:

 

Thanks for the card.  Had a good day in the field yesterday trying to find a grave site, which was tough since the amateur who took the location pictures didn’t bother to say what direction he was facing when he took the photo.  But the landowner came up and helped. Last day of February and it was as hot as May!

 

I shall restore myself by listening to Irish music over the computer.

 

Take care.

 

Love,

M

 

 

 

 

Feb. 29, 2016

 

Dear Hildie:

 

Good to see you yesterday. I was worried about you when I went away but then I did an Isabel Symptom Checker—Hey, you aren’t the only quack in town! If you just put pain under the ribs, where you pointed, ovarian cancer doesn’t even pop up. So the news isn’t that bad—You may just have a pulmonary embolism, pneumonia, Lupus, etc.

 

Thanks for the car and nuts.

 

Off to the woods!

 

Love,

M

Feb. 26, 2016

 

Dear Hildie:

 

I can’t believe some neighborhood busybody has nothing better to do than go around turning people in for imaginary code infractions. That’s somebody with a high anxiety quotient! Next they’ll pull out a gun if Ralph isn’t careful.

 

Out to the new cemetery with my mag man friend Monday. I think the water table is far too high for GPR.

 

Boy the Republicans are wetting their pants. I love it! Even Cokie Roberts and her husband wrote in their column today that Trump’s a real possibility for the nomination. I just can’t see that happening. The whole party looks about to implode.

 

Take care, old girl.

 

Love,

M

Feb. 24, 2016

Dear Hildie:

 

So much for the storm day. I held the crew in but they could have gotten the work done, I think, in the morning, because nothing was happening in Covington then. But they might have had a tornado cross the highway they were on if they’d stayed much later.

 

This morning I drove out to St. Francisville and got a tour by a fellow who wants to develop 130 acres. Poor guy was ready to go when he got a letter from the state saying: “Wait! You have to do archaeology!” He was beside himself. Actually, he was a really nice fellow—not a professional developer, just trying to make a few bucks off some pastureland he bought.

 

I may have to donate some bullets to the Republicans’ circular firing squad. Very amusing.

 

So much for now.

 

Take care.

Love,

M

 

Feb. 23, 2016

 

Dear Hildie:

 

Cancelled fieldwork today due to weather alert—though these guys get it wrong more than they get it right.

 

Off to dentist in an hour.

 

Poor JEB Bush—What a pathetic spectacle!  His weak-minded brother and his mama following him around saying, “Vote for this poor guy.”

 

My predictions as of now: Republicans: Rubio. Democrats: Clinton.

 

But I always bear in mind my 1962 psychology teacher telling us. “Even Jesus Christ couldn’t keep Kennedy from being reelected.”

 

Take care. Be safe.

Love,

M

 

 

 

 

Feb. 19, 2016

 

Dear Hildie:

 

Had a nice trip yesterday. The caretaker was a prosperous cattleman, and he said his ancestors, free men of color, had owned a plantation on the banks of the river. Said there had been no slaves in his family. Very congenial and helpful.

 

Rush up estimate I have to get out now. Please forgive the brevity of this.

 

Love,

M

Feb. 17, 2016

 

Dear Hildie:

 

So in your dream somebody licked your head, did they? Does Jung tell you that this comes from Aristotle, who said bears lick their young to  “constitute” them (whatever that means), and that Ovid and Pliny used this nugget of wisdom to state that parents “licked their young into shape,” hence taking a “licking”?

 

On to Lafayette cemetery again tomorrow, this time to walk around with the caretaker, who will point out where unmarked graves are—I hope.

 

I love something I heard on the news. Poor old inept Jeb Bush posted a photo of a semiauto handgun engraved with “Gov. JEB Bush” on  barrel, to show he was a Second Amendment rights man, and some pundit tweeted: “Gov. Bush, we know your campaign is almost dead, but we certainly hope this doesn’t mean you’re thinking about taking your life.”  This guy just leads with his chin—or with his brother’s, or mama’s, or daddy’s, or sister-in-law’s.

 

On to the post office now to deposit mail which will no doubt eventually be delivered. I still love the V-Day card!

 

Take care.

 

Love,

M

 

Feb. 15, 2016

 

Dear Hildie:

 

It was great seeing you! Thanks so much for the card. I’m furious the post office can’t deliver local mail in one day though. That’s ridiculous. They ask enough for stamps. Thanks for the nuts, too.

 

We had a big Valentine’s Day—Spaghetti and meatballs at home, while we watched a Tex Ritter western!

 

I can’t get over what a wonderful card you brought and how ashamed I am that the PO didn’t deliver mine.

 

Hope the heavy wind/rain/hail yesterday didn’t do you any damage. I think all the bad stuff was NE of here.

 

Take care.

 

Love,

M

Feb. 11, 2016

 

Dear Hildie:

 

Ever thought Sam might make you lord mayor of London? You just need to rent him out to the right people—“Meow.”

 

Yesterday we drove over to Lafayette to check the cemetery. On the way there was a five or ten minute hold up. Seems like some Nigerian had swerved down the Interstate before Whiskey Bay waving a gun and ended up shooting himself. The paper said right after we passed there was a 2 hour hold up on account of it. Whew!  No wonder the trooper who passed us was in a hurry to get there. Everybody was looking in the guy’s window as his car nested against the outside rail.

 

Just missed the surveyors and then drove back over the Basin Bridge to Ramah and up through Maringouin to Livonia. There’s a guy on this stretch named Ludovic Smith. I’ve always wondered where he got such an unusual name.

 

Crew in the field again today. Just open field digging. Dull.

 

Take care and congratulate Sam.

 

Love,

 

M