The Writing is on the Wall

Government employees seem to crave guidance for everything, and the spa proves to be no exception. I got these fun letters at the Cinnamon Tree in downtown Vicksburg. Now is a great time to remind all the locals that this Thursday, April 2 is Hit the Bricks! 5:30-8 p.m.

Poutine in Mississippi? Must be a mirage...

The menu called them "sloppy fries" but there was no fooling me on this one. For those of you who are still skeptical, check out this link.

Only in the South

For the Love of Spicy Crustaceans: Part I

After the parade, we retired to the backyard of our hosts for more good times. Crawfish were boiled, beer pong commenced despite recent (and false) warnings. Although our lips were burning from the spices, we definitely enjoyed ourselves.

St Paddy's Parade + sunny weather=GOOD TIMES

Thanks to the diligence of our dedicated hosts, we had a great spot on the parade route, much better than these folks, hanging out of the building windows. Though they probably had better bathrooms.
Not everyone was dressed in their SPQ finery, these guys danced their way down the street.

These ladies did their best SPQ imitation as KUDZU. If you are going to live here, might as well accept the invasive species and adopt their adaptations.

Thanks to our gracious hosts: Kurt & Wendy!

Whirlwind Trip to Tennessee

I dashed home to TN last weekend to coincide with the arrival of two of my great aunts and uncle from Western Kentucky. My grandmother's sisters might have be rock stars for the crowds that braved the rough weather to see them. Samantha and Jeffery came down from Clarksville with Mya and Brionna. This was my first visit with my new niece, and she is adorable. Lots of dark hair and a sweet face.
Mya was in full form, making sure everyone knew she was there. Loud is not the word for her.

And the dynamic duo shown here, Donovan and Mya always enjoy seeing each other. The concern on Donovan's face is related to my having the camera and not him. If you are interested, his photography portfolio is shaping up nicely, with a bit more of an abstract slant for floors and ceilings.

Taking it to the Bridge & Dancing with the Stars!

The spring weather meant a lot of time outside this weekend, including a Saturday night gathering on the bridge at the Ware House. I will attempt to point out a few of my favorite things about this picture.Rob and Olivia are dancing the Cupid Shuffle, thanks to LaToya and Angela making sure we could hear the music outside. Although Rob is blocking Olivia, but you can see her hip popping out, indicating some serious dance moves. Note the fabulous fuschia dress and navy pashmina in motion. The gentleman to the left of the picture was a new addition, named Daniel, but managed to get renamed "Vanilla" by the end of the evening/morning. Note Todd in the right corner, with what appears to be a pout, maybe he wanted to dance! Not shown well in this picture are Lauchlin and Richard. The latter member of our gathering managed to fake a car alarm as an excuse to leave. Brilliant. Thanks for a great night!

Time to go Topless

If you are interested in getting noticed, this car takes it's top off, so you don't have to. Contact me for more information.

Happy #1 to Jack & Deb

Taking the Long Way

I received a notification last week that I had a package at the Post Office. Nothing strange about that, except it indicated that if I didn't pick it up by March 2, it would be returned to sender. This seemed a little harsh, since it was the first I had heard of it. I was expecting a package from DC, but it had just been mailed the week before. I pick it up on Friday and discover a gift from Liz across the world! Note the dates marked on the box, the first of which was December 27--am I THAT had to find and notify? Did the USPS keep it on the shelf for 2 months in case it contained live animals/plants? Very strange. I was also amused at the packaging of the ornament she sent. Not only bubble wrapped, but packed inside of this 3" pipe. I would make a snarky engineer comment here, but it did arrive unharmed and unbroken. Very cool--thanks, Liz!

Respect the Roux

Growing up in the South, I have made gravy many times, which starts with some type of fat (oil, pork fat) and flour, which is browned before adding milk. But I had never made a roux for gumbo until I moved to Mississippi. Mardi Gras celebrations have introduced me to a number of new dishes and techniques. I started rethinking my approach to gumbo after watching the Top Chef Final Four descend into New Orleans a couple of weeks ago. So this weekend I made gumbo, and spent around 30 minutes browning the roux, which was scary, because I was worried it would go to black and burn I made it a few shades darker than this, and I have to admit it made all the difference to the final product. This is the recipe I used, although I subsituted turkey smoked sausage and a lot less chicken than he recommends.