By Kevin Chiri

Thanks to Trudy Torres from IberiaBank who dropped by our office on Monday trying to help everyone pull out of the “hurricane blues.”

I was standing by our front desk and saw Trudy getting out of her car outside in our parking lot.

A young lady working at our front desk was asking who it was, and before Trudy even came in, I told her that it was a friend of mine who was probably bringing something nice to us to spread a little cheer after the storm.

Honestly, I did think that. And why? Because that’s the kind of stuff Trudy does.

And sure enough, Trudy came in with a big smile as usual, and passed out a little basket with some candy, cookies and other goodies.

Pretty nice, huh?

I think we all needed a little boost on Monday to try and start getting back into a normal routine. No doubt this hurricane business has pushed everyone to the brink.

Whether you have problems personally, at your home, or for those of us trying to get the business going, these storms are what I keep calling, “STUPID!”

My wife finally told me on Sunday to quit going around exclaiming, “Stupid Storms!” And she was right. I’ve been saying it a lot.

But then, I know I probably have had plenty of company from all you guys who have had your fill of these things.

Hopefully we have seen the last of any threats for our area this year. We’ve certainly had our share of headaches from them.

Not only did we have the big hit from Gustav, but just as we are all breathing a sigh of relief because Ike wasn’t supposed to hit us, we get this incredible mess around here with high water from the winds Ike sent far, far away from its center.

The water was so high in the ditches out where I live that when I got up on Sunday morning, I saw a wild turkey walking around in my backyard, obviously run out of the forest area by the high water.

And then I had some kind of animal decide that during Gustav it needed a little better protection, so it dug some deep hole under a corner of my house. I’m hoping the animal is gone, but I can’t even tell since the hole was so far up under a corner of the slab.

I went ahead and filled it in, and put bricks and all in the entrance to the hole, but as of yesterday, nothing had moved, making me pretty sure that the animal had already vacated its temporary home.

Then on Sunday when my family took a ride to Opelousas to visit one of my daughters and our little grandson “Baby Jerry,” we hit this incredible bad smell just as we were coming off the Atchafalaya Spillway.

When we were coming home, we smelled it again as we got up onto the Spillway, and upon looking down into the water, saw the most incredible fish and bird kill you ever saw.

Really nasty, let me tell you.

So yea, Trudy had the right idea on Monday. We all need a little something positive to get us going, and I hope you think like Trudy, and try to do something nice for someone this week.

Looking for some financial help in these tough times after the storm? There is actually a website that can help give you some free gas assistance for using your car as a place to advertise.

Sure,  don’t imagine this is something most of us want to do, but you might want to check it out if you are interested. Go to “freegashelp.com” and look into the site that puts drivers together with advertisers. To qualify for the program, you need to drive at least a thousand miles a month, your car has to be in good condition, and you must be the registered, fully-insured owner.

The advertiser supplies the ads – everything from bumper stickers to door magnets to complete car coverage – like those giant shrink-wrap pictures plastered on city buses. And just for driving your rolling billboard on your commute or to run errands, you can get up to $200 in free gas a month.

Mike Amico, a demolition contractor in Brooklyn, New York, turned his Hummer into a giant ad, and gets a monthly gift card for his favorite gas station. He points out that NASCAR drivers splash sponsors’ ads all over their cars, so why can’t he?

So, what if you don’t want ads all over your car, you’re not completely outta luck.

Several hotel and motel companies have free gasoline offers, too. For example, if you book multiple night stays through “Hotels.com” or “Bed and Breakfast.com”, you’ll get a $25 gasoline rebate.

Kevin Chiri is Publisher of L’Observateur and can be reached at (985) 652-9545 or at kchiri@bellsouth.net