This is a Throwback Post. The Wild Rumpus of Mardi Gras is over. Things are hectic around here for Mardi Gras, then
there’s the extended recovery period afterwards, plus I had my winter bout of bronchitis. So, it's been awhile between posts. A little catching up....
Ricky and I traveled to New Orleans in February to visit friends and celebrate
my birthday and Valentine’s Day.
 |
| Ricky and our friend Elizabeth on porch in New Orleans |
We were lucky that it was the weekend of the Krewe
du Vieux parade, the satirical and
crudely funny parade that pokes fun at everything NOLA—nothing is sacred—no
politician or issue is off-limits. This year's theme was Where the Vile Things Are.
 |
| Street Scene at Vieux Carre parade with Krewe King, Author John Barry |
Led
by Krewe King, Author/Historian/Activist John Barry, the mule-drawn
or people-powered floats featured a giant smoking paper mache bong to tout the
case for medical marijuana; and a take-off on the popular movie Beasts of the Southern Wild except this
was Breasts of the Southern Wild, with, yes, giant boobs. Continuing the anatomical theme was the spoof
of Obama Care, Pajama Care, with giant buttocks and a rectal thermometer in
use. The Disney Landrieu float was a
critique of some of Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s recent decisions that have been
interpreted as trying to Disneyfy New Orleans; and a personal favorite--a
life-size caricature of Louisiana Governor and aspiring presidential candidate
Bobby Jindal twerking as he held onto a railing and looked out on parade
goers.
It was hard to get good photographs from where we were
standing, but Ricky snapped this picture of the Let Me People Go-Cup float from
the Krewe of Mishegas, when it stopped in front of us. The Krewe of Mishegas, the Yiddish word for insanity
or craziness, took aim at some efforts to prevent people in the Big Easy from
drinking on the streets as long as the beverage is in a go-cup, the current
ordinance.
 |
| Let My People Go-Cup Float |
The floats were interspersed with neighborhood brass bands
and marchers in outlandish costumes and make-up. It is one of the most unique of the New
Orleans Mardi Gras parades.
Each year our New Orleans friends collect large bins of beads for us to haul back to Shreveport. Thus, we left there with barely enough room for us in our SUV and once we got home in Shreveport, we distributed the beads to folks who were riding floats in our
neighborhood parade put on by the Krewe of Highland. Then, we started in earnest to
prepare for our large open house and Mardi Gras party that we have each year during the Highland
parade. The house is decorated for the
affair with, what else but--bins of beads!
This year’s menu consisted of turkey and seafood gumbo;
red beans and rice; shrimp and grits; jalapeno, egg and cheese squares; Rotel
dip for nachos; baked brie with cranberry topping and crackers; chips and spinach
dip, topped off by multiple king cakes from our neighborhood bakery, Julie Anne’s. Then friends added to the bounty so every
inch of multiple tables ended up covered by food.
For the first time ever, this year’s parade was
threatened by severe weather predictions so it started an hour earlier than initially
scheduled. This cut down on the number
of people who came to our open house but we still had between 75 and 100 people
stop by to visit, eat and watch the parade. Usually it’s more like 150—200!
Video of the Blanc et Noir Marching Society
Some of the folks who braved the weather to attend the Highland parade!
The rain held off until the parade was past our house but
later on the route, things were a bit damp.
The party started in heat and humidity and air conditioning and ended,
after the strong cold front blew through, with my dispensing hot tea to wet
parade goers who huddled in the warm kitchen where my vintage Chambers range had
kept things toasty.
With this front, winter roared back after Mardi Gras and,
since I was too tired to remember that we put all our potted plants out on the
patio for Mardi Gras, my container plants experienced some temperatures in the
20’s. I’m now waiting to see if any of
them weathered the winter, or if I have to replace them all this spring. I’m
not complaining, our winter was nothing like the real winter and deep snows
endured by many friends and family further north. In Louisiana, the Cedar Waxwings have come and gone, stripping the holly tree and all shrubs of their winter berries, now the flowering quince, the native bridal wreath from the Caroline Dormon Nature Preserve, and our old camellias are blooming.
I am so glad to see the advent of spring in Louisiana, but who can complain about winter when you
have carnival to celebrate!
 |
| Cedar Waxwings stripping our bushes of berries! |
