Loose Leaf Notes

1. Nine months after Helene hit Marshall NC hard, my son’s Old Marshall Jail hotel is back open and Zadies restaurant is up and running.

2. But there are still so many signs of the floods destruction and the emotional toll it took changes people.

3. Joe and I, Josh’s brother and two nephews went to visit for him for his birthday. We had dinner at Zadies.

4. And breakfast on Josh’s birthday at Zuma Café where Josh got sang Happy Birthday to for the first time that day.

5. Later that day, we got in the river for some white-water rafting. I felt like we were going to war with all our gear and protective uniforms.

6. I claimed myself as the mascot. The picture above reminds me of the time we filmed a music video in Key West to Stop in the Name of Love. We called ourselves Colleen and the Funky Bunch.

7. Of course, there was blueberry pie, Josh’s favorite birthday desert, and another pie baked from an old time recipe by Josh’s 5th grade teacher that I won as a runner-up at a Musical Chairs contest. More singing.

8. Of course, there was someone else with the same birthday date as Josh celebrating with friends at the Old Marshall Jail.

9. Friends came for the occasion.

10. Josh got some Chantal coffee with labels custom made just for him by our friend Rowan.

11. We visited Josh’s clay compound and pottery studio.

12. Josh was on CNN. It aired on his birthday. He also heard that his name was called out when NC governor Josh Stein was on Stephen Colbert talking about Marshall’s recovery but it got cut out.

13. The moon was full that night.

___________Thirteen Thursday