Words to GREAUX by

THE PEGGY MARTIN ROSE: A LOUISIANA SUPER PLANT FOR 2023

The Louisiana Super Plant program is a fun way to learn about new plants that work well in all Louisiana landscapes. The retail consumer gets to purchase an easy to grow plant for their landscape, the local producer creates easy to grow plants to sell, and LSU AgCenter Extension Agents promote these locally produced plants and educate consumers on their installation and use. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.

Will Afton

Covid-19 changed the gardening landscape (pun intended) by adding millions of new home gardeners into the industry. As people transitioned to working from home, they also started remodeling their backyards and personal spaces. This created a huge demand on landscape plant material. Garden centers and nurseries were selling out of almost everything. Wholesale producers tried to keep up with demand, but when your product is a living plant, you cant expect the shelves to restock overnight. Due to this level of demand, the LSU AgCenter and Louisiana Super Plant Advisory Committee chose to highlight plant groups in 2022 to mitigate high demand on a single cultivar. Well, we are finally back to normal with the 2023 Louisiana Super Plant Selections.

Four plants will be promoted as Louisiana Super Plants this year. You will see three more plants discussed as the growing season plays out. The first Louisiana Super Plant for 2023 is the Peggy Martin rose.

The Peggy Martin rose was one of the only plants that survived 20 feet of Gulf water during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Plaquemines Parish, across the river from New Orleans, LA. It is this reason that is also goes by the name, Katrina Rose. It’s a considered a rambler type rose which isn’t much different from a climbing rose. Ramblers tend to be a little more vigorous, have slightly smaller flowers, and usually flower just once when compared to climbing roses. The bloom color is a gorgeous pink color, and they are very prolific, lasting several days before degrading.

Like all other roses, Peggy Martin roses need at least 6 hours of direct sunlight to produce a good crop of blooms. They will also need something to grow on like a fence, pergola, or some-type of trellis. Weave the long wispy stems into the trellis or use plant ties to attach them. Provide consistent irrigation water for the first year to encourage a healthy root system. Fertilize in late winter and again towards the end of summer to maintain good plant vigor throughout the year. The Peggy Martin rose doesn’t have many plant pests but keep an eye out for anything unusual. If you can catch a pest issue early, then you might be able to do something about it.

Roses are great starter plants for most garden-minded folks. There’s a lot of history growing roses in this country and the history behind the Peggy Martin rose hits home for everyone around South Louisiana. Start asking for this rose by name at your local garden centers and plant nurseries. Whether you’re looking to add a new plant to your garden, or you need a gift for one of your plant friends, Louisiana Super Plants are always a good choice and you can’t go wrong with a Peggy Martin rose!

-0-

Well, the women’s basketball team had a setback against the University of Tennessee in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament. However, even with a victory the Lady Tigers were not going to get anything higher than a 2nd seed in the NCAA Tournament. What I do like about this loss is that it gets the team refocused for the tournament games that count and not just a conference title.

As far as the men’s team is concerned, we won’t talk about them except to say that they made the conference tournament. I will give them a mulligan for this season and see what happens with another year under the current regime unless a change is made and more specifically one that would bring General Wade back courtside. Hey, one can dream a little bit , right?

Now as far as diamonds are concerned, well it seems they are not just a girl’s best friend but the guys as well. With combined records of 30-2, the LSU baseball and softball teams are so far living up to all expectations and then some. Sure, the Tigers lost a game against Iowa but we were not expecting them to go undefeated, were we? This journalist surely wasn’t and if anyone listens to Ben McDonald than you know he was right in stating, “It is harder to hit a pitcher that throws 100 and not knows where the pitch is going than one with the same speed that has pinpoint accuracy!” Plus, the Hawkeyes are a good team that will make the NCAA tournament.

This baseball team is currently hitting .333 as a team with 99 rbi and a slugging percentage over .500. Compare that to their opponents who are hitting .184 with 31 rbi and a porous .289 slugging percentage. The crazy thing is that LSU has left 80 runners on base so these numbers could be even more impressive than what they currently are. As we expected, Dylan Crews is leading the team in hits, runs, doubles, on base percentage and rbi.

While the pitching staff has been led by Paul Skenes who is 3-0 as a starter pitching 18 innings with 1 earned run, striking out 36 batters while only walking 3 and posting a .050 era! Granted, it is still early but so far this team has easily lived up to all the preseason hype.

The lone loss for the Lady Tiger softball team came by one run at the hands of their arch nemesis University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Who the very next day were shut out by LSU in a revenge game. Coach Beth Torina has seen her girls hit at an average of .342 knocking in 132 rbi and still leaving 116 on base. The team is led by Junior 3rd sacker Danieca Coffey, who is hitting .471 with 33 hits and Junior shortstop Taylor Pleasants who is hitting .358 and leads the team in home runs with 8 and 32 rbi what is 15 more than the 2nd place team player.

The pitching staff is led by graduate student and Ace Ali Kilponen who is 6-0 with a 1.58 ERA and freshmen phenom Sydney Berson who is also undefeated at 7-0 and carrying an even more impressive .63 ERA. Both ladies have combined for 86 strikeouts with only 23 walks in in 88.2 innings pitched as they both have logged 44.1 innings each.

With the basketball season almost finished and the Kim Mulkey led Lady Tigers set to make a bit of noise in the tournament, the focus will be squarely on these two teams who have a lot of season left that should both most likely end in the College World Series.

The theme of good pitching and solid hitting makes these two teams some of the best in the country. Don’t forget, you are invited to check out our sports only podcast. You can find us online under https:// anchor.fm/flablete or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or may other platforms. As always, if you have an idea or certain people/teams you would like us to cover or if you just have a question… please shoot us an email at flablete@gmail.com

-0-

By Paula Johnson

Hi, Everyone! email me! PaulaJ3036@gmail.com

Crafts for Everyone!

Well, looks like we have flown through February and already gone through the first week of March. I am so glad I did the first St. Patrick’s Day piease the last time. As promised,the second one is done! He was so much fun to paint. I ordered the wood surface from a supplier in Oregon. It does take a little while for the wood to arrive, and of course the wood and shipping has increased greatly. But, all in all I feel like the cost and wait are well worth it. Be on the lookout for this wood piece to be sporting an October, November, and yes even a December colors.. I know I am very anxious to get those started.

St. Patrick's Leprechaun

Paula Johnson

But I will just have to wait on those and for now tell you about this little guy. Didn’t really have a pattern for him, just follow where the wood is indented for the brim of the hat, the beard, hands, and even his shoes. The hat is base coated with Avocado, shaded with black green, highlighted with foliage green and then the lightest green you have. His beard is spiced pumpkin, shaded with burnt orange. The face and hands are coral blush and shaded georgia clay. The shoes are avocado. I found the little wood clovers at Hobby Lobby and thought they would make a cute accent for his hat. I added a couple gold coins to this lucky fellow. Hope you like him. Well, that’s it for this time. So what will your next project be? Mine......Not really sure as I am waiting on more of these wood surfaces. But, I know it will be lots of fun. Sincerely, Paula Johnson

Tony Onellion

Tony's Take

NIL FOR YOU MEANS NIL FOR ME

2023 will not see me in Tiger Stadium for LSU football. My long-time season tickets are gone, sold to some delighted fan who has been dreaming of this day. This is not a decision taken lightly. I have enjoyed hundreds of games in Death Valley and dozens more with the Tigers on the road. However, age, greed and uneasiness have brought on this action. As I approach 80 (really!?), my mobility is not what it used to be, enough to have me to reconsider the navigation of the narrow rows of bleacher seating in the South end zone of a 103,000 capacity stadium. The 90-minute trips, each way, have become tedious even without the never-ending roadwork east of Baton Rouge. To get a decent parking space means a 12-hour day from leaving my home to returning, hoping that weather or traffic doesn’t interfere.

Then there’s a slow disintegration of the safety factor in Baton Rouge. Leaving the stadium, especially after night games, will become more dangerous as the city continues to erode and city officials won’t care much if an assault or two on LSU fans is the price to pay. Baton Rouge isn’t New Orleans yet, but it’s getting there quickly.

Speaking of not caring, I harken back to a dozen or more of my articles during the past several years referring to the Ponzi schemes of LSU marketing. Only last year, an encyclopedia of remodeling plans for the stadium’s seating, half of which don’t exist in reality anywhere in the world, had fans salivating for acceptance of one of the options. However, as was not done for specialty food selections and kiosks, a fan advisory committee and requests to have the old dorm rooms repurposed into something more tangible for the fan that have been relegated to the dust heap, this, too, is a pipe dream. Only the dream requirements for players and coaches really matter at the Old War Skule as administration and fundraising powers continue their con game of the Purple and Gold fan base.

Now….the really important reason. I came out in support of the NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) movement several years ago when it was proposed by a group of Wisconsin University athletes. Many young athletes are under financial strain to maintain what amounts to a full load of classes, a possible family situation and the full time occupation of being a major college athlete. At face value, NIL income should help the average athlete ease their financial strain without tempting them to leave school early for a professional sports career or sacrifice integrity for some under-thecounter job or offer to help them get by. But NIL is becoming the over-the-counter scheme to make college athletes professional from the get-go by offering individual players six and seven figure income deals to promote their products and services. Some schools and associations have put limits on the NIL slush fund but it won’t last long as the super conference movement continues. Add the NIL to the thoroughly irresponsible transfer portal and you have the beginning of the end of competitive Saturday college football on any type of amateur basis. The NIL can easily become the NFL and the gullible college fan will continue to be bent over the financial chair by greedy schools wanting and getting paid with special loyalty fees, association dues and hardly exclusive clubs for the right to hobnob with other naive folks with more money than common sense.

Not for me, when I can watch the new Super SEC with 16 teams from three regions of the United States play each other from my home. If I had kept my seats, I might never have seen Auburn, Arkansas or Mississippi State in person for as long as eight years as the new SEC only allows three permanent opponents every year. That means LSU fans will only be able to see Alabama, Ole Miss and Texas A&M on a regular two-year cycle if the early reports are accurate. All other teams would rotate on a nine-game league schedule. 12 teams, 6 every year, half at home. Do the (old school) math. That’s seeing Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Auburn, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Kentucky once at home every eight years. Whoopie do! Even if all the games convert to pay for view, the tariff will be much more reasonable. But competitive television should assure free viewership for many years to come for most games and listening to the continuing deteriorating music and narrative at college football games in person won’t be missed. This doesn’t mean I won’t ever attend another game in Tiger Stadium but unless it comes with a courtesy press box invitation (of which I’ve had several) and the security and convenience of a close-in parking space and being accompanied by competent others to and from the game, I can’t see it happening.

Nil means nothing, empty. It will be partially that way for me this year as I adjust to a full year of no in-person LSU football. But, wait! Didn’t that happen in 2020 and for a couple of years earlier for me when I sold my tickets to a friend whose kids were attending LSU and I had a brief love affair with season tickets with the San Francisco 49ers? Sure did! Maybe this won’t be as hard as I thought.

NOLA on Tap & Adoption Center Closure

NOLA on Tap is coming back this year on March 18th at Lafreniere Park thanks to Yeah You Right Events. NOLA on tap has grown to be one of the largest beer festivals in the region and the Louisiana SPCA has partnered with Yeah You Right Events to help our homeless pets and keep the fest rolling!

The proceeds from NOLA on Tap will be going to the Louisiana SPCA and we could not be more thankful. The event will feature as always the largest homebrew competition in the South! New this year, there will be a doggie drag show in support of the LASPCA as well as other entertainment throughout the day. You can expect musical acts across 3 live stages of entertainment, Brewtality Wrestling, New Orleans’ food trucks and some Louisiana SPCA adoptables!

You can purchase your tickets online at nolaontap.org for a variety of experience options. General Admission tickets will have access to the event at 3pm and unlimited craft beer and homebrew samples. VIP will start at 2pm with exclusive access to St. Pawstrick’s Day VIP area and will include a premium open bar presented by Jameson, unlimited crawfish boil by Clesi’s Seafood, private restrooms, shaded tents, additional entertainment and specialty brews by Guiness and Jameson Caskmates. There is even a designated Driver ticket for purchase that has access to the live entertainment and food trucks but with all of the sober fun! Ticket levels have changed to be all inclusive and prices range from $15 to $125 dependent on the experience you choose to purchase. Please come out to support the Louisiana SPCA while also enjoying live entertainment and a variety of of beer in a gorgeous and easily accessible location! Fundraising events like this are so important to us because it aids us in homing more pets in our shelter. It is especially important right now because as of March 6th our adoption center at the Mardi Gras Campus will be closed due to construction. We will be loosing 22 dog kennels during this expected two month time period for construction which means we have had to move our dogs to our main animal sheltering building on campus. To encourage the community to adopt dogs, we have waived ALL adoption fees for dogs 6 months and older.

Every day we take in an average of 9 dogs because we are an open admission shelter that cannot turn away any animal that comes to our doors in need of help. The Plaquemines Parish Campus is a fourth of the size of our main campus and is already being affected by high intake rates and low adoption rates. That is why we need our community now more than ever to adopt our amazing dogs or even offer them a home through the Foster Program while we navigate these next two months. Please go online to www.louisianaspca.org/adopt to view all of our available adoptable animals. If you are interested in becoming a foster please fill out an application form at www.louisianaspca.org/foster.