in da 'hood

This is the view from my stoop. The house was light yellow with burgundy trim when I left, and this is what I came home to. We chatted it up yesterday, and she said she never liked the burgundy, and since her mother says she's not coming back (it's her mother's house), she's changing it to how she wants it. She says the inside is already done - purple and lavender in the master bedroom, and many other great colors. I'll go check it out fo sho. Mardi Gras colors all the way!

This neighbor (whose name I can't remember and am too embarrassed to ask again) is very nice to me, so I'm always startled when she yells at her grandson who sometimes locks her out of the house. "Open the fuckin door you little fucker! When I get in there I'm going to whup yo fuckin ass!"

It's an eternal mystery to us why he doesn't open the door immediately.

Also not much of a mystery is why her son moved to Hollywood. I'm sorry I missed him - he was visiting while I was gone, and he came and did a lot of the painting prep and tricky parts for her. She said her brothers lived there and he went to visit years ago and stayed, saying he loved it. And I have to say - as a Black young man in New Orleans, leaving can be one of the best options unfortunately. Like Hustler's brother Ernest who left in his early 20's, and now is back with a good job because of all his years elsewhere - he said there just wasn't much opportunity for him here. And it's so damn dangerous for young Black men here.

The mail carrier just stopped (he's way hot) and asked if I wanted to take a package for my neighbor Carolyn. Sure. Did he ask because that's what we do in this neighborhood? Or because we're the only white folks around and he assumes we're friends and have keys to each others' apartments (true on both counts, but not because we're both white)? Shrug - who cares. Helping each other out is what we do here.



Here's the sushi she made me the day I got back - after providing me with a strawberry-banana-protein powder smoothie right after we got back. That's just darn nice.