It’s Mardi Gras Season! - #126

Right after the winter holidays and new year celebrations have passed, the trees and decorations come down and are packed away, we turn the calendar page to January … and voila! - we get ready for Mardi Gras season! 

So a little background about Mardi Gras for those unfamiliar:

Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday”. It is a vibrant festival of feasting, parades and revelry that marks the final days before the Christian fasting season of Lent. Much like Christmas, - everyone - regardless of beliefs, loves to take part in this fun, quirky, sparkly, colorful, exciting block of time in the south. The Mardi Gras colors are Purple ( representing justice) Green ( for faith) and Gold  ( for power). It is everywhere! Costumes and masks? It is said originated from European Carnival traditions - allowing people to “go a little crazy” without being recognized. And although New Orleans is known as Mardi Gras central - the first celebration was actually hosted in Mobile, Alabama in the early 1700’s. 

A centerpiece for most Mardi Gras celebrations is the “King Cake”. It is a festive, ring shaped pastry - like a cross between a giant cinnamon bun and brioche bread.  It is typically braided in a circle, the hollow center to resemble a crown and covered in icing and sanding sugar in the traditional Mardi Gras colors.  But the most unique feature of the King Cake is the plastic baby that’s hidden inside. Getting a slice with the baby means good luck or you’re in charge of bringing the next King Cake to an event. I have always wondered if anyone ever choked on that baby! But honestly- I’m not a big fan of the cake part of the King Cake.  

The hidden baby brings to mind a story about my first husband’s (Bob) grandmother. Her name was Bertha - a tiny lady who made me feel tall! Bertha was in her late 80’s when I met her, still lived alone and was president of her local B’nai Brith chapter. I never had a grandmother growing up so she was a real treat to have in my life. (My daughter Brooke was named in her memory). Whenever a new person would be joining the Schwartz family through marriage ( she had 8 grandchildren) and attended their first traditional Jewish dinner at her home, Grandma Bertha would make chicken soup with kreplach (dumpling) and replace the meat in the dough of one kreplach with a piece of “cotton” into the unsuspecting newcomer’s bowl.  Lucky for me my fiancée let me in on the secret otherwise I probably would’ve swallowed it whole! 

Continuing on with Mardi Gras… parades are prolific in this area; you can find one in just about every town along the Gulf Coast. These processions are actually organized and privately funded by social clubs called “Krewes”.  The clubs operate all year to plan elaborate themes, create floats and events that lead up to Fat Tuesday. 

So what’s the deal with throwing beads? Throwing and catching colorful beads (plus many other items) creates interaction between the “riders” ( revelers on the floats) and spectators but it also is considered a blessing at that moment of connection . My first experience watching and participating in our local parade culminated in a black eye for me - after getting hit in the face with a big heavy charm dangling from the end of a chain of beads! Not such a blessing but a good lesson to stand further back from the line of fire! Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!       (Let The  Good Times Roll) Baby!

Looking Back At 2025; Onward In 2026! - #125

2025 was a good year but definitely had its challenges. At this point, we have to appreciate every year we are given to spend with those we love. 

We had a wonderful start to 2025 in Bay St. Louis with great camping friends whom we sorely miss this year. Charlie and I both celebrated special birthdays - him 77, me 70 - and our 27th wedding anniversary to boot!

Our kids visited during the February school break and we created more memories with the littles. 

We left our trailer down in Mississippi mid April and traveled to southern Florida to meet up with the family for my mom’s unveiling and to spend time together. 

We then headed home north from that point. Home in Massachusetts we had lots of dr visits. I had a few issues this year. Arthritis has made its way into my body; at first only affecting my left knee, but now in my back. I was also apparently bit by a tick at some point and contracted Babesiosis, similar to malaria. Charlie has encountered some physical limitations as well. It ain’t easy getting older. We both are trying to work on ourselves to improve the quality of our lives as we age. 

We had a fantastic family trip in August to Montana and Yellowstone, WY. We really loved our time at Parade Rest Guest Ranch! 

Then, a few weeks after returning, we were packing up and and getting ready to head back to Mississippi at the end of September. Our camping plans didn’t go exactly as we planned but we are on track now in a nice new campground. We still have almost 4 months before we trek back up to the Bay State. And the cycle continues…

So what does 2026 look like for us? We will be enjoying our time in BSL until mid-April and then heading home. 

Our campground manager and her family are a young enthusiastic, hard working bunch and are creating all kinds of activities and get togethers for us. Tonight, we had a wonderful impromptu fish fry with all the fixings and played Left-Right-Center afterwards! It was a great evening!  Many more fun events to come! 

The kids may come again to visit in February and should be here right around Mardi Gras time. Again, we will make plans for our trailer to spend the summer down south; traveling is easier, faster without towing. We have tons of doctor appointments upon returning home. We’ve already booked a bus tour trip to South Dakota in mid-June; visiting Mt. Rushmore, Black Hills and many other landmarks to and from on this 11 day trip. We hope to enjoy the new pool Brooke and Rakib had installed late last summer and being home, seeing friends. In August, we are planning a family get together in France, staying at Holly and Gregg’s place. And then before we know it - packing up and heading back down to the Magnolia State. Lots of good things to look forward to!  Happy 2026! 

December - #124

Hard to believe we arrived at Lake La Croix exactly one month ago today!  It has been a good month. Quiet, productive, warm and then cold - then warm again, busy, boring, dry then rainy.  Typical life. Yesterday we enjoyed a glorious 75 degrees with bright sun. Unfortunately, freezing temps are making their way here tomorrow; it is a little discouraging but we take it a day at a time. 

The holidays are upon us and other than partaking in local activities, getting together with camping friends- our celebrating is limited. I no longer buy gifts or send cards. We don’t have any immediate family to celebrate with down this way. I do enjoy decorating our trailer, we send good tidings - that’s about it. 

My Needles and Threads group that meets twice a month at the Kiln Library had a little party. What a nice group of intelligent, thoughtful women! We had a delicious luncheon, talked, shared and worked on our projects. I was even given gifts! And I finished crocheting my second pillow cover!

Yesterday, our campground held a cookie/snack swap. We did meet a couple of new people including Mike, one of the campground owners. I made chocolate covered pretzels and rice crispy treats. Everything came out good! I appreciate the campgrounds attempt to plan activities; eventually as the park fills, more people will attend these events. At this point, only a handful participated. 

Interestingly, while we were all chatting, Carrie, our campground manager- noticed an unusual phenomenon in the sky. Looked similar to Northern Lights - a bright blue streak with purple on either side and lots of other colors. 

On Tuesday,  we headed to Biloxi for our getaway. We purchased tickets to A Christmas Story - the musical - and an overnight at the Beau Rivage - an MGM property. The show was delightfully entertaining! We even had good luck playing in their casino!

On the way back to BSL, we visited the Maritime and Seafood Museum and stopped at Shaggy’s for shrimp!

I have good days and not so good days when it comes to pain and stiffness in my back and knee. Charlie and I have now joined Planet Fitness, just down the road from our campground. We need to exercise and strengthen consistently. Not regularly exercising since we moved I’m sure has contributed to our joint discomfort. 

I finally completed my redecorating inside our trailer. We are very happy with how it looks; calmer, softer, brighter. Still have a few more things to do but most of it is done. We especially love the kitchen area and our new area rug! It was basically an inexpensive, easy update once I got going! 

 

 

Food! Glorious Food! - #123

It’s interesting how unique one region of our country is to the next. From accent, local expressions, culture, foods, architecture…. I appreciate the differences and learn something new every year! 

But let’s face it - the most enjoyable difference is experiencing local foods. Eating, afterall, is one of the great pleasures in life!

There are many wonderful eateries wherever you roam and the Mississippi Gulf Coast is no exception. You can’t beat the bar-b-que, shrimp dishes, traditional Southern cooking, Mexican… I also do much of my own cooking and like to incorporate southern flavors.  Spending time with locals due to my activities at the library as well meeting many campers from the area, I learn a lot. 

Last year, I was given my first satsumas. This is a little mandarin fruit- juicy,  but not quite as sweet as what I am used to. In doing a little research I found out they originated in Japan. What makes them really unique is the trees don’t require cross pollination to bear fruit.

I’m a big fan of blackened shrimp and cheesy grits - though I haven’t found any place to get it just like this lately. I’ll keep looking. Charlie has been brave enough to try alligator, but me - I’m not that adventurous. He said it was good. We both love our beignets ( pronounced ben-yays) which are little doughy pillows doused in powdered sugar. (We get them free on Thursdays at the Silver Slipper but usually only go once a month.)

We’ve enjoyed homemade gumbo in the past and although probably the number one popular food down in these parts, it’s not a dish I would gravitate to if given a choice. (unless the other choice is alligator) Macaroni and cheese is a big deal in the south-  

and who doesn’t like mac and cheese! I have tried fried green tomatoes, collard greens as a side - but I guess familiarity influences my choices and again, they are not my first choice. 

I recently learned about a new type of squash. It is called mirleton or chayote (and someone else told me a third reference - alligator squash) I’ll have to pick one up at the supermarket to try. Looks like a cross between a pear and an avocado. 

Southern cooking also uses a lot of pork in everything. That is something I don’t care for as much.  I don’t like bits of ham in my green beans, creamed spinach, cooked cabbage and many other dishes they just seem to sneak it in. 

My favorite is smoked brisket. It is just so delicious, especially with a good bar-b-que sauce. I asked Charlie what he liked best - “ the buffet” was his answer! 

Other things I haven’t tried: traditional sweet tea - because I don’t like sugary drinks. Crab legs are a very big deal as well but personally- I can’t be bothered; too much work for little reward however our buffet has a fab crabmeat salad that I adore! 

Surprisingly, deviled eggs are very popular here. It is a traditional appetizer brought to almost every gathering.

We were introduced to boudin years ago in Texas and given a few pieces by a camping neighbor back in October. It is a mixture of spicy sausage meat and rice. I actually cooked it with eggs and it was really tasty! 

Our RV park sponsored a “Friendsgiving” for Thanksgiving. It was a really nice get together and we were glad to share the day with new friends. Conversation and food is always a great combination.