JT is really looking forward to this weekend in Natchitoches. Not just because it’s the first day of Spring or that it’s Election Day, but add to the mix, NSU Football. (Please don’t forget to vote Saturday.) Coach Brad Laird and his Demons will be hosting the McNeese Cowboys for Homecoming. Yea, JT knows it’s a little weird to have homecoming in March, but hey…a lot of things have been weird the past 12 months.
It’s the third outing for the Demons while McNeese has three games under their belt already. The Demons are looking for their first victory while the Cowboys are 1-3 and have lost their last two. To make things a little more unusual is that game time is 4 p.m. in Turpin Stadium. …and the temperature is to be around 65 degrees at kickoff. Please get out and support your Demons. They have taken the last two games down to the wire against nationally ranked teams. Fan support (noise) is just what they need….so get your tickets and don your purple.
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Did you see where the Cane River Waterway Commission lowered their millage rate? Do you know how rare that really is? It’s got to be a decade or more since any public body has done that…intentionally, anyway. (JT’s talking about the Parish Council’s forgotten tax.) While JT sometimes has to scratch his head about some of their expenditures, he commends them for lowering the mileage. They are actually saying….we’ve got enough money.
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The calendar says spring won’t be here until Saturday, but JT can tell you….that’s wrong. Just look at the pollen on your vehicles and porch. Of course, the tell-tell sign is your nose and the sneezing that’s begun. JT’s already assembled his supplies to de-pollen his rocking chairs and front porch because that’s his favorite morning spot now that the time and weather has changed. Now that we have that extra hour of daylight at the end of the day, JT doesn’t have any excuses for knocking that off his to do list.
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Blooming on the Bricks drew quite the crowd last Saturday. JT noticed there seemed to be a lot of people headed to their vehicles from Front Street to the cars. It was nice to see what resembled “a crowd.” In fact, the Blooming on the Bricks was the second big event going on in town last weekend. JT didn’t do a crowd count…but the opening of Hobby Lobby on Keyser Avenue just might have had a bigger…sustained…crowd.
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JT mentioned earlier about the Demons. Don’t forget that Friday at the University is Purple Day. Everyone associated with Northwestern wears something purple. Even some of the town’s people and businesses are into Purple Friday. JT found out just how serious some take it last Friday. He was getting his second COVID shot at the Ben Johnson Auditorium and visited with an NSU employee. They normally always have purple on them, from a mask to clothing. However, by some freak chance, they were purple-less on Friday. They mentioned to JT they couldn’t join the NSU crowd that was assembled in a group because she forgot her purple….and would catch flack because of that. For the longest time, no matter where JT went, he would also wear his NSU mask. He was really surprised at the number of people who would comment on the mask and talk about their connection to NSU. It really gave JT a good feeling …especially when visiting for medical care…that there was a NSU bond that might just ensure a little extra special care for a fellow Demon. Besides, many of the staff providing the vaccine were from NSU, nursing students getting a taste of the real world as an LPN or RN.
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JT was somewhat amused at the end of Rep. Gabe Firment’s talk to the Parish Council Monday evening. Firment was honest about the lack of funding for rural roads and the $15 billion backlog of road and bridge projects. He said there may be some funding from the COVID-19 Cares Act but it won’t be what is needed. Then he got to an issue that will be addressed in the Legislature, that of centralized tax collections by the State. Parish Council, the School Board and City have all passed resolutions opposing the change. It will take away local control and certainly delay receipt of tax money. It’s just a bad idea. The rest of the story is that Speaker of the House Clay Schexnayder is the one introducing the bill. And as Firment says, it will be hard to vote against something the Speaker of the House brings. If you have the courage to vote against the Speaker, don’t expect much from the State for your district. What your constituents think won’t have much bearing. JT’s willing to bet that Firment will vote with the Speaker. Just as the State wants to take away Parish control, the Federal government and President Biden are seeking the same thing to individual states. Vote against the President and you won’t get your share of entitlements.
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JT did not watch the Grammys. That didn’t matter, he’s seen lots of pictures and comments on social media concerning a rap and dance by one entertainer. In a day where Dr. Seuss and Pepe’ le Pew are under fire for being inappropriate, how in the world is the national media not offended by the content of the lyrics of the song performed, not to mention the actual performance on the Grammys? Not a word though! Some say it empowered women, some say it was freedom of speech, some say it was art. JT thinks it was nearly porn and completely inappropriate. He’s glad he didn’t watch. JT was raised when morals were considered a good thing.
He, personally, thinks the performance was degrading to women. He asked a couple of his women friends and they thought the same. A woman should never have to sing about her W.A.P. (if you don’t know what that means then Google it) or slither across a stage in a provocative manner to be empowered. JT thinks being empowered as a woman is being respected and having a bit of decorum. But like JT said, he is old school, but still thinks the hijinks of Dr. Seuss and Pepe’ le Pew, Mr. Potato Head and others are far less demoralizing than that nationally broadcast “performance.”