* Happy birthday to Wilford Brimley, actor and Oatmeal intake encourager.

*The GUARDIAN published a Katrina map which showed Mississippi mis-drawn and labeled as "Arkansas." I understand they corrected the map the next day but not before school children learned that Arkansas is on the Gulf of Mexico.

*Thank you, John Grisham, for your essay in the Sunday New York Times about the strength of Mississippians. I read the essay twice for encouragement. He's correct, we Mississippians will "not just endure but will prevail" (quote related to Wm. Faulkner)

*I'm getting shots today so I can return home. Is that grim or what?

*Your kind comments mean a great deal to me. Many thanks for your prayers and concern.

*I drove to see an older pal in another county yesterday. She's an evacuee from my area. We clung to each other in greeting. We talked about mutual friends who lost homes, ruined businesses and what is means to be displaced.

*I hope Mississippi isn't forgotten in the re-building of the Gulf Coast. Our state leadership has a history of ignoring our needs.

*St. Casserole