B[ur]P: You're Feastin' on Oil, Gulf Coast!

Besides preparing for and hosting a prenuptial feast at our home and making sure that the big day for Daughter and future (now) Son-in-law proceeded "without a hitch" (except for the ultimate one, haha), not much has been going on here lately for me to write about. Well, except for the usual odd thought or two. I couldn't help but wonder about the incredible amount of traffic going to and from Pensacola Beach the past couple of weekends. The normal 40-minute drive to and from home became a much-extended (try twice as long) time for reflection and counting of blessings. What could be enticing these hordes of people to nothing more than a long stretch of sand held together by saltwater on one side and big buildings on the other? After all, aren't there still tar balls floating around after three years?

Pensacola Beach in much happier days (January--when the tourists were not here yet)

Was it just the long, stormy, and very snowy Winter making everyone and her brother ache to fly South and escape the cold and darkness?

Shrimp expertly prepared and arranged by Steven's Market Deli and Catering in Pace

Or was the promise of seldom-seen and tasted seafood delicacies like these succulent shrimp just too much temptation to resist for those unfortunate enough to live inland? Actually, that last bit might be closer to the truth. You see, BP money has been spewing its way all across the Southeast and even farther north, enticing people with "slick" advertising to come and visit the Gulf Coast and forget all about Winter...and tar balls. Oh yes. Those pesky little things.

Walk2Write's Famous Meatballs--not tar balls

Well, for the most part they now exist only in the bellies of certain bacteria that love to feast on oil and in the minds of some attorneys who probably keep them in jars or maybe in mothballs as evidence for future litigation. Because billions of dollars might not be enough to satisfy so many businesses hungry for more tourists and the money that they spend. How many businesses? It's hard to say for sure. According to one law firm (above link), "businesses do not need to be located on the Gulf Coast to file a BP oil spill claim. Any business owner who can show that their operations experienced a revenue decrease in 2010 may qualify for compensation from the settlement fund." Apparently, the fun(ding) may never end, or at least not until BP does.

If only there were more weddings instead of drilling disasters keeping the economy going. I happen to know a couple of weary wedding planners who nevertheless do a great job of mixing things up and noting little ironies--like, how weird is it that the bride and groom's seemingly random pouring of sand for part of the ceremony yielded an image remarkably similar to one of yin and yang? Very. Weird.

The Day After No(e)L, Yes, 'E' and 'L': Counting Blessings on the Gulf Coast

Yes, "E" and "L"

It was the Day; it was Christmas
And all through the night
Not a spoon still was stirring
Those meatballs--they had tasted all right

The kids and the Grand safe at home with their gifts
(SAM and I were now alone except for the cat)
When what should appear in Mobile, Alabama
But a funnel (tornado) that lifts
Lots of trees, roofs, and cars in the air
And then they did splat

Old Man Winter clashed with Warm Gulf Moisture
And stirred up some trouble
Still, SAM and I kept our cool
Though our stomachs with too much food and anxiety did bubble

The weather scenes on TV were looking quite bad
But no one was hurt, at first reporters did say
The flashlight and candle were made ready
In case of power outage so a Scrabble game we could play

The game was begun with "slob" in the middle
And by the time it was over the last word was "if"
With tiles all gone and points added up
SAM had won fair and square though he did manage to miff

My "qi" would have been "quiet" if not for his "mod"
The U in my "human" was placed for the kill
But SAM was the cool one with sharp wit and honed skill
His "slob" in the middle the game had begun
By the end of the game I was "upended" by SAM's "if"
And he had won

Though the wind still is blowing
The storm's worst now is past
By light of day Mobile's damage will be showing
But the damage will not last

Last night on TV the people kept on saying
Through the storm their spirits were lifted by constantly praying
With them, we prayed too while the game we were playing
That the people we love with the Word that is right
Would be safe and at peace through the storms of the night

Look closely at the game board and you will see
That the "bib" that SAM made with "B," "I," and "B"
Was finished by me with an "L" and an "E."
The comfort we find to keep going through strife
We find in that book; yes, "E" and "L" with an "if" become--

"LIFE!"