A Funny Observation

Since I am a Harry Potter fan, I was looking for Harry Potter news recently, and saw that J.K. Rowling had wished Hermonie Granger happy birthday on September 19th, the exact same day as Pippin's birthday! My very own cat happens to share the same birthday as one of the main characters from the famous Harry Potter books. Hermonie herself had gotten a cat in the third book of the series, and she and I both love to read. Earlier, I hadn't thought much about when Hermonie's birthday was, but now it is easy to remember! I could have chosen any kitten available nearby, and by fate, the one I chose shares one of my favorite character's birthday. It is an interesting thing to think about, seeing that I am a budding writer myself, and look up to J.K. Rowling for inspiration.

My Pippin Art

I had done this computer drawing of Pippin's face, and I wanted to share it with everybody on Pippin's birthday. He and I had a nice time outdoors today. I would love to take more photos of him, but it's kind of difficult without a camera handy. I know this is not really big, and there seems to be a lot of empty space down below, but you can click on my picture for a closer look.

Today is My Cat Pippin's First Birthday!

I had this post published yesterday, but after I tried to edit it last night, it went away, so here it is again, a bit updated.

My sister Hazel gave me a kitten of my choice for my 26th birthday, which was the end of Feburary, and yesterday was the last day I could call him a kitten. His vaccination information listed his birthdate as 9-19-07, so Pippin has now turned one year old! I think back when he showed up with his foster mom just before my party on March 1. Pippin was just getting to know me and my house, when friends and family started arriving. I was still nervous getting a kitten of my own, not knowing how easy it would be to raise him by myself. Upon choosing him among other kittens, I was just going by his description and photos online, not having met him until he came to my house. Pippin was on the couch a lot, getting to know my friends and me as the party was going on. This picture below shows the some of the first bonding between us. I was looking at a mystery novel I had received as a present, and Pippin came right up to me! Even with the hand going across the camera, I think it's a wonderful picture of him and me together. Hazel was sitting beside me at that point, checking out this early encounter as I petted him.




Earlier, Pippin had come to my friend Mary Harrell, who was sitting on the other side of the couch, and I loved it when Pippin sprang up in front of her and made it appear that they were kissing.




Here is a picture of Pippin eating his first meal in my house.





During the first couple of months I had him, I wrote a poem about our relationship. Even though he's officially grown up and is no longer a kitten, my poem is still a nice one to share.


Pippin, My Kitten

For my birthday, I got a kitten,
Whom I have named Pippin.

Pippin is rather curious, I think.
He climbs into cabinets and the sink.

Now, Pippin can be very naughty,
But he is also quite sweet to me.

He asks for me to stroke his back.
He thinks houseplants are a tasty snack.

Whether he is being bad or good,
I love him just as a mother should.

I both play with and comfort him,
For he is my very own Pippin.

An Art Example by Me

Here is one of my own works of art, done in the fall of 2006. The thumbnail image makes it really hard to read the poem, and if you click on the image, it becomes extremely huge, but you can see good detail that way. Here is what the owl is saying to everyone:

Come, let's dance and play together,
No matter what our differences be.
As long as we truly love each other,
Happiness will bless both you and me.

I was doing this artwork in honor of the Celebration of Arts at Union Church. Later on, I had professionally printed cards out of it. Besides using them as Christmas cards, I sold some of the cards at Christmas Country Dance School in Berea, where they were quite popular. I also sold a framed print of it at the silent auction at Christmas School. Heavy competition went on for this artwork, and it finally sold for $110! Since then, I've made more of my drawings into cards, and sold another piece of artwork at Christmas School's silent auction. Look for more of my artwork to appear on here!

Camping With My Niece Sage and Family at Padre Island

As Hurricane Ike roared up onto the Texas coast, I watched in fear and sympathy, having just been camping on the coast myself this summer. My family spent a part of this past camping trip being on the Texas coast at the end of June after having visited Austin and San Antonio. We went to Padre Island with my sister Hazel, her husband Aren and their daughter Sage, who was then sixteen months old. After that part of the trip, my parents, my sister Emma and me went on to Galveston by ourselves because Hazel, Aren, and Sage had to go home. As I worry about all of those who are currently flooded, especially in Galveston, I wanted to share happier times on the beach, before the area was hit by Ike, Dolly, or any other such storms.



Here is our campsite on Padre Island. The ocean was just beyond the grassy dunes, but we just saw glimpses of it from where we camped. Mommy was standing on the dunes on the other side of the road to take the picture. I am right in front of the camper. The pelican flying by in the picture was one of many who loved being on the beach. They hung around our campsite sometimes. There were no electrical hookups on the beach, so we were largely free of other RVs. We didn't mind making do with lanterns and flashlights. During the evenings and nights, the wind became very strong, but I still loved seeing the clear view of the stars at night and taking walks along the beach. Having felt the intensity of the wind blowing on normal evenings, I imagine what the wind must have been like when Padre Island was feeling the effects of Dolly and Ike.

I enjoyed time with family on the beach. The waves were nice and peaceful at that time, and the beach had just a small amount of people on it, being quite isolated and having not many campsites by it. Hazel and Emma dug a hole for Sage, so she could splash around in her own pool of water.

Being with Sage was fun as she played in her hole. Here she is enjoying water being poured down. This was her first time on the beach, so this whole experience was quite new to her. I loved spending time with her, often standing by as she played, and remembering what it was like to play in such pools of water. We both enjoyed wading out into the ocean waves, with Sage holding the hand of her mom.

Here Sage and me are seen by ourselves, enjoying a walk along the beach, with the boardwalk behind us and tents of those camping right on the beach. As well as big family pictures, it is nice to see just the two of us, enjoying some quality time together, even with other family nearby. You can see more beach pictures of Sage on Padre Island on her blog link on the side of this page. I love looking at those pictures as well as these, and remembering the beach times together. I also like seeing the other pictures on her blog and being able to get together in person. She continues to grow up!


I really hope Padre Island and Galveston will make it through this latest disaster that Ike produced, plus I support everywhere else that had been affected by Ike. It had been hard seeing pictures of flooding and destruction in Galveston, having just recently been there myself. I also know what New Orleans has gone through, having visited it in the same trip, and later on paying attention to Gustov threatening it. So many people stayed behind in Galveston despite the mandatory evacuation, and I am thankful that they are being rescued among the flood waters. While we were camping in Galveston, Mommy, Daddy, Emma and I took a drive with the ocean on one side and the city buildings on the other, with fancy hotels and restaurants bordering the city. Such an experience makes the destruction from Ike quite personal. We had also enjoyed seeing multicolored houses along the coast on the way into Galveston from the campground, and I have now been imagining the waves crashing into them. At least they were high off the ground. I wonder about the fate of the laundry mat we used near the campground, plus the state park itself. The state park was full of RVs when we were there. I believe the campsites were vacant before Ike arrived. Hurricane Ike is certainly not the ideal kind of weather to camp in!

We will see how Galveston and the other areas recover. My hometown of Berea, Kentucky has now been experiencing some of the winds from Ike, quite apparent when I see the trees moving rather heavily in the wind. I have been thinking of the hurricane as I ate with my family out on our back deck and felt the big wind blowing on ourselves. Most of the remnants of Ike are going north of us however. So far, it seems like the places that my family visits on the coast have not long afterwards been hit by hurricanes or tropical storms. I hope that trend doesn't continue. It makes it appear that my family brings bad luck wherever we travel. At least not all places we visit suffer such storms.

The Full Picture of Me at Jackson Square

This is the full picture of me standing at Jackson Square in New Orleans, as compared to the current blog title photo. You can see more of the cathedral behind me. It is interesting how much the cathedral resembles Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World, though with not as many turrets and more of a cathedral shape. The colors help make them look similar. This picture and the picture of me at Fairview Riverside State Park on the previous blog post are my two favorite pictures of myself on this past camping trip. This picture shows more of a city scene, giving honor to the historic part of New Orleans, while the other one is purely in natural settings, with the water and the lily pads behind me. Both pictures have nice greenery in them.

Taking a Walk at Fairview Riverside State Park

We camped at Fairview Riverside State Park across Lake Pontchatrain from New Orleans, and I loved being by the water. Here, I was taking a walk with my family on a short trail by the swamp area, which I had earlier only seen illuminated at night. When the road came to the swamp, the trail led off underneath a beautiful moss covered tree that stood by the swamp. I loved the sight of the swamp at night time, with the tree directly lit by the electric lampposts, and I was the only person around who was still up. I could imagine storybook characters walking along the trail and passing underneath the tree. I also loved standing on the dock by the river that was located behind the bathrooms. It was further away from the electric lampposts, and it was nice to relax and look out at the shapes of trees and bushes nearby, plus view the stars overhead and the dark river rushing by. I was taking nightly trips while the rest of my family had already gone to bed.

My Visit to New Orleans

I have been following up on Hurricane Gustov's approach to Louisana and New Orleans with concern. I had just been to New Orleans at the beginning of July as a part of a three week camping trip to Texas and the Gulf Coast. My sister Hazel, her husband Aren, and their daughter Sage had been camping with us during the first week of the trip, but had to go home, while Mommy, Daddy, my sister Emma and I continued camping, including paying a visit to New Orleans and our friend Daron Douglas who lives there. It was my very first time in New Orleans, and I enjoyed it very much, but my mind kept thinking of Hurricane Katrina hitting New Orleans three years ago. I was fascinated with watching the city's recovery process, and now unfortunately, Hurricane Gustov has started to make its fall upon New Orleans, though thankfully most of Gustov landed to the west of New Orleans. I wrote a poem shortly after my return home from my camping trip, telling about my visit to New Orleans. Now it marks a point in time shortly before Gustov formed, when New Orleans was once again full of life in its streets, marking rebirth amid disaster. May New Orleans once again start to recover, this time from Gustov.

Visiting New Orleans Three Years After Katrina

By Rachael White

What is New Orleans like three years after Hurricane Katrina?
I travel there with my family and find out for myself.
We cross the very long bridge over Lake Pontchatrain,
And take in the first glimpses of a city that was once flooded.

My perspective is from someone who has never been here.
But my parents were in the city just the January prior to
Katrina lashing out at New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.
Now we are witnessing the city’s recovery together.

Our first destination is a house of a friend not far from the lake.
After being welcomed inside, we hear the story
Of the house being flooded and damage being done.
I look around the living room and imagine the water coming up.

Being right there is different than reading about it on the news.
The whole thing becomes more personal and easier to understand.
Outdoors, we see a FEMA trailer still parked by a house,
Symbolizing all the trailers that had served as a home.

Just a block away, the houses are looking shabbier,
With bits of disrepair showing and red Xs on the walls.
This is a reminder that the city hasn’t totally recovered,
Containing houses that are unsafe for people to live their lives.

Thankfully, most houses that I see are looking fine,
As we drive through the neighborhoods towards the inner city.
Looking out of the car windows in fascination and sympathy,
I see damage to some of the big buildings too.

During our stay at New Orleans, we are often walking around,
Going into shops in the French Quarter and seeing the famous sights.
Along the way, we hear personal stories of the hurricane,
As we get to know some of the shopkeepers we meet.

The rain comes rushing down all of the sudden,
As we are walking along the sidewalk one day.
We quickly get under cover of the shop overhangs,
With my mind still on Katrina flooding the streets.

We eventually drive past the Superdome itself,
With me not realizing what it was until we had passed it.
I look back at it, thinking of the people who stayed there
When their very homes were flooded over.

I also spend time with my family at the Mississippi River,
And take a ride aboard the historic Natchez Steamboat.
After I eat a Mexican dinner on the deck by the railing,
The boat takes off just as thunder and lightning appear.

I’m fascinated watching the lightning from the boat,
As I listen to the commentary over the speakers.
The storm calms down as we move away from the city
And see some of the sights that are nearby.

The steamboat soon turns around to my disappointment,
And we head on back towards New Orleans,
I break away from my lookout to tour with my family,
Including watching the red paddlewheel as it rotates, splashing water.

We head to the front of the steamboat and look around
As we pass by the dock we started from.
The city of New Orleans is once again in clear view,
The French Quarter being a contrast to the modern skyscrapers.

That evening, we head over to Preservation Hall,
And listen to one of New Orleans’ jazz bands.
Though I’m not extremely fond of that type of music,
I find it to be a symbol of New Orleans coming back to life.

Stepping onto Bourbon Street, I find it to be full of people,
Now that it is after dark and the street is closed to traffic.
The big crowds and music playing in various places
Fill me with fascination as I think back to the hurricane.

What I have seen gives me hope that New Orleans
Will rebuild itself even more as time goes on.
There’s still work to be done in the hard-hit neighborhoods,
But as long as the spirit remains, New Orleans will too.


I still have the hope that's mentioned in my poem. I'm worried about New Orleans and other areas that have been hit by Gustov, but I know there's people willing to help. I'm currently on my laptop computer, which doesn't have access to my family's photos of the trip, but the photo on the title bar on top of the page shows me in front of Jackson Square in New Orleans. I'm planning to put more photos and descriptions on my blog, recounting my experiences and showcasing my creative works.