Societé Des Champs Elyseé

Last Wednesday, while feeding the folks at the Calliope, Chuck succumbed to the heat and went down hard. One of the homeless called 911 and after assuring the EMT and Firefighters that he didn’t need NARCAN, he spent time in the ambulance before being released upon his getting an appointment with his doctor. 
After many years of being THE GUY WITH THE CAR, he is really retired. 
Today, a new member who has been picking up the food from the lower nine, found his duties have expanded. 
At every stop, people asked about Chuck before asking about what we brought. 
When you make a difference in peoples lives, they remember. 

The city is now actively making homeless people keep moving. 
No loitering. 
No vagrants. No tinkers. 
The parade passing by my porch is a third world line of refugees, some with ingenious floats built of flotsam. 
The cruelty is the point.  
Creativity is the answer. 

I don’t think I can forget for any length of time how absolutely lucky I am-we are- to have been born at peak USA. 
Even the poorest amongst us is wealthy compared to all those born before us. 
Fortunately I am reminded at least once a week that we can do so much better for each other. I am reminded that those we deem poor, are rich in ways that the richest oligarchs will never know. 
The cavalry is not coming. We each need to be John Wayne. Or Bruce Wayne. 
Each one teach one. 
Fare thee well,Pisces People. Welcome Aquarius and the New Age. 
120 hot dogs and all the fixings today. PB&J next week. 

As we enter the season where we pray to El Niño for the Saharan dust to break up all chances of spinning winds, the Pantaree is stocked and we have actually received some useful food from Second Harvest and take advantage of sales. A while back we bought a case of turkey dogs half price at Restaurant Depot for tomorrow’s meal. 
Last week, Domino’s had half price pizza.  
Next week looks like beans and rice.  
Keep those cards and letters coming in. We need all the help we can get. And we promise to stretch every dollar received. 
Next week we celebrate Al Johnson, who continues to hold on in the Musicians Village. 

Just another Sunday in the French Quarter poking fun at CEOs and the kind of people who move out by the airport and complain about the noise.  A fun time for a serious cause.

Today, I lied to a hundred or so hungry people. While telling the crowd to back up and line up, I told them that we had enough for everyone. 
My intentions were correct, but, we ran out of everything and the people were still coming, and we passed camps that should have received something from us. Even the case of grapefruit from lower nine was gone in a flash. 
I attribute my crying to the fact that I didn’t get a pbj sammich. 
 

While our Pantaree is not open to the public, we have two or three folks knocking on the door daily. 
There must be hobo markings on our fence.  It’s a case of IF YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW. 

Today one of our neighbors who never accepts cold water on the hottest days of summer, saying he only has to get to Villere where he lives, was sitting on the steps and accepted sugar and water as he was having what he thought was low blood sugar. He felt better and headed home. 
A half hour later he was back on the porch having made it to the next stoop before going down and then crawling back. 
Kudos to our EMT and Firefighters who were all good humor and helpful in taking him to the ER, and not to his house, which had become his new plan.  
His groceries are in the fridge awaiting his return. 
All this to say CHECK IN ON YOUR NEIGHBORS, especially the older ones who refuse assistance on a regular basis.  

Status Quo

We have entered some bizarro world status quo; an acceptance of the world as it is. 
The camps are neither growing nor disappearing. There are always a few new people who are usually obvious by their timidity and reluctance to accept help. 
But they learn too quickly. 
Today a nice church lady stopped her SUV and handed out bag lunches to the crowd gathered around the clothing pile and cheerfully and loudly told all gathered there that she was evangelizing and sharing the gospel along with her sandwiches. 
We thanked her for the blessing and returned to doing the stuff we always do. We got knowing looks from our regulars who know that we are still working off karma from who knows how many lives ago and that if we were to choose a god, we would have to look forward to the earthly representation of Aquarius, of the new age.  
Let the sun shine in. 

‘‘Twas a good day on the streets. 
We had quite an assortment of proteins, sugars, and salty snacks. 
The special man box is a known quantity. Folks know that after filling their bags with food, you just have to ask for wipes, toothpaste, lotion, a pen, or other sundries and we say “Let em have it!”

Claiborne was quiet, but there was a crowd at Touro that got most of what was left before we could fill the fridge. 
We received this from one of our friends who decided we were scientists and engineers, and when I said “musician,” she said we were all three. 

Second Harvest came through with useful food today, most of which went immediately into community fridges. 
Wednesday was oddly normal at the Calliope camp. Everyone was polite and patient. But, we only had enough food for the one stop.  
Next week is pizza and cold drink day. 
Our Pantaree is relatively full, and we carry a variety of dry goods and hygiene products in the back of Chuck’s portable general store. 
Spring has sprung!