And to think the most exotic thing I’ve ever seen in Walmart were guppies and those betta fish in plastic cups. Out in Cajun country, shopping is more of a safari. From the Abbeville (La.) Meridional (courtesy of our friends at The Independent in Lafayette) comes this tale of a woman suing the discount retailer after a traumatic nutria encounter in the vicinity of the soft-drinks aisle:

According to the lawsuit, Rebecca was in the grocery aisle shopping on Oct. 11, 2008. Her basket was full of food when suddenly and without warning, a large nutria came from behind the Coke rack and ran straight towards Rebecca, the lawsuit said.

Rebecca, fearing for her safety, pulled the shopping cart towards her to protect her from the nutria and as she did, the cart rolled over her left foot causing her to stumble and causing her to suffer an injury.
Wal-Mart’s employees came to assist her and told Rebecca that, “she had an encounter with Norman,” a name the employees had given the nutria, the lawsuit stated.

Norman … is that you?

As Jazz Fest approaches, Dr. John is throwing down with one of the festival’s corporate sponsors — Shell Oil — in the above YouTube video and in an email message that’s been making the rounds:

Dr. John here from my backyard in Nawlins. I like sittin’ here and I hate havin’ to evacuate to some place I don’t wanna’ be. We never even heard that word growing up here. That’s because we used to be safe until somebody stole our wetlands. That’s the only thing been protecting us all these years and we gotta’ put ‘em back out there so I don’t gotta’ get up and go over and over again.

I tell you, the good doctor’s got a cure for fixin’ those wetlands…collect the money from the oil companies who destroyed over half of them, and use it to let our mighty Mississippi do its thing, build land, au naturale.

For some reason though Shell and their friends in the industry don’t think they owe anything, so we gotta’ let them know we’re wise to ‘em and want action now. A good place to let them know is at this year’s Jazz Fest. Shell acts like it’s their fest now, but our Jazz Fest did just fine for decades without ‘em.

So we gonna’ be flying a plane around the Fairgrounds draggin’ a banner “Shell Hear The Music - Fix The Coast You Broke!” Come on out to the Fest and wave at it with me. I’d appreciate if you’d contribute to keep the plane flying as long as possible at http://www.healthygulf.org/shellpays Every single tax deductible dollar will go to more airtime for more eyeballs. So join me and Mr. Bill and Gulf Restoration Network and many others to send this message to Shell. I’ll be tossin some of my gris gris on the grounds, too.

Love and posterity for all y’all,
Dr. John

If you’re interested in helping sponsor the doctor’s efforts, every $50 donation will earn a T-shirt reading SHELL: HEAR THE MUSIC. Go here to donate.

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All photos by Jonathan Bachman

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Anyone who was watching NBA Shootaround last Friday before the Hornets game against the Celtics may have seen excerpts from this video of Tyson Chandler hooking an 11-pound red fish. Yes, that is yours truly behind the video camera, intrepid Gambit photographer Jonathan Bachman taking pictures, and former Gambit Editor Clancy DuBos telling Chandler to keep his fishing pole up while snaring in his catch.

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You can find the full story here, though that ESPN story omits the fact that Tyson’s brother-in-law’s name is Brown Andrews and that the “other local writer” is in fact Clancy. Other tidbits, and a slew of pictures, after the jump.

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Gustav, Ike… Frosty? My kids have now seen snow come down twice in New Orleans and my oldest is only 7. So much for “it never snows here!” Global warming will be a tough sell for them too.

Aside from the kids going completely bonkers over the weather, the best image of the day was my neighbor HOSING the snow off his car this morning. Which is just about as clever as putting out a fire with a blowtorch.

No need to decorate outside the office….

And out on Bienville Street, a sight not often seen….

Unfortunately, it’s now all turning to sleet and the pain begins (the I-310 and the Huey P. are both closed). Be careful out there.

This morning’s snowfall has turned the entire staff into seven-year-olds (even more than usual).

There will be no work done today. Unless you count snowball fights in the parking lot and everyone posing for photos with our staff paparazzo, classified ad rep Huong Nguyen:

I confess to having gushed about Red Lodge, Montana, during my annual “sanity break” these past two weeks. It happens every summer, but this year I’ve been more enamored of this quaint little mountain town than ever before.

For those who didn’t mind reading about mountain trout and/or the Cascade Fire, my sincerest thanks. Now, as I return the swamp that I’m proud to call home, and with apologies to David Letterman, I offer one last blast from Red Lodge: My Top 12 Reasons for Loving Red Lodge, Montana (Ten is Not Enough).

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One of the greatest joys a father can have is seeing a son grow up to share some of his passions. In my case, both my sons share my love of fishing — coastal fishing for specks, reds and flounder in Louisiana and fly-fishing for mountain trout in Montana.

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 And that’s a good thing.

I awoke this morning to the sounds of local farmers setting up their tables and tents on 12th Street just off Broadway Avenue in Red Lodge, Montana, as if it were just another Saturday. As if there weren’t 10,000 acres of national forest burning less than 6 miles West of here. When I opened my bedroom window — I’m staying in town for the first time, in a beautiful 19th-century, second-story apartment above that same corner — I could barely smell the soot and smoke from the Cascade Fire. Or maybe I’m just getting used to it.

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RED LODGE, MT — The continuing downward spiral of state Sen. Derrick Shepherd has not caused a ripple out here in Red Lodge, except among the small contingent of former south Louisiana residents who have moved here in the past 20 years. That’s only fair, I suppose. The nearly 10,000 acres of national forest that are burning a mere 6 miles west of this cozy mountain town have not grabbed any headlines in New Orleans.

The Cascade Fire, as this blaze has been dubbed (investigators suspect it was started by an unknown camper near a campground known as Cascade), has hit Red Lodge much the same way that a hurricane in the middle Gulf affects New Orleanians. Everybody hangs on every word from the people in the know, hoping for good news. Folks here, however, much more so than those in New Orleans, have a healthy respect for nature … in ways too numerous to count.

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