Almost over!

Mardi Gras ends on Tuesday, but tomorrow and Sunday are really big parades. I just hope I have enough throws plus I've been invited to ride Tuesday night in the final parade of the season. It's a small one and we are only entering our children's float. The big float won't fit where this parade rolls.

My dad finally came down with what all the rest of us have had....Mom and I twice! He's pretty sick, but it isn't the flu...just a bad cold.


This weekend is a big weekend in Minden. It's totally devoted to raising money for St Jude. I will be gone all of Saturday and Sunday, so I got all my pledges in today. They actually have people pledging from all over via the internet. Go here and check out all the things that a $5 or $10 one time pledge could possibly win for you. ALL the items are donated, so ALL the money goes to St. Jude. It's a wonderful thing.I have already dropped $300, but St. Jude is my favorite charity and $100 of that is for the grand prize, which is a Denali or a Mercedes.They only sell 2000 of those tickets.

Be Afraid....be very afraid!

Lady Liberty did not mean every freakin' Mexican that wants to cross over the border to come on in. Follow the RULES! Come on. We welcome you, but just do it right. John McCain and I are not on the same page with this issue. I just don't know if I can support him if he does get the nomination. I'm sure he would be better than the alternative, but still....NOT MY CHOICE! In fact, I can't find anyone I can really get behind. We should ALL be very AFRAID! I'm not usually cynical, but I am afraid of Obama. He was raised in a Medrasa. Who's to say he was not a part of the Muslim plan and being groomed to be President of the USA!! The Muslim plan is to take over the world.

DAYUM!

I am so freakin' tired of coughing. Sometimes I cough so hard that it makes me throw up! All my cough muscles are so sore now. I have taken both kinds of "way expired" prescription cough meds that I have. Finally, a while ago, I took both at the same time. Still doesn't help! I am no fun to be around.

My cousin and her husband from Virginia came by for lunch. I invited them yesterday because I knew I had some frozen taco soup. We had taco soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, both of which were good...well, at least the soup was. I didn't eat a sandwich, but I know they are good made on the George Foreman Grill. I gave them a Hershey's kiss for dessert. Cooking was just out of the question today, but they have done so much for me. Every time I have been to Virginia, they have treated me like royalty and shown me so many sights that I would have never seen any other way.

Sick AGAIN!

I used to NEVER be sick. Now....it seems every few weeks I am sick again. Friday night my mom told me she thought she was getting sick again. Saturday, I woke up being sick again as well. Even though I went to the hockey game, I was sick and had fever when I got home. I have coughed and coughed and coughed until my muscles are sore.I am tired of not feeling up to par. This has been the case since before Christmas when we all got sick, then I had my bout with gout...now the whole sore throat, coughing, fever thingy all over again. Next weekend is two parades that I cannot miss. Not only will I not miss them, but I want to feel good Saturday and Sunday. After that, I don't care!

I did manage to go celebrate yet another friend's birthday at Ruby Tuesday's Sunday night. That's two Sunday's in a row for us there. We like their food! Their crab cake is to die for. It's on the appetizer menu, so it isn't too big...but it is also not filled with bread crumbs and other fillers. It's just GOOD!

Hockey mania

Last night I went to a hockey game.....only the second one ever. I went to one when I lived in Texas, but here it is a different story. There were over 7,000 people there and they were having a ball. I enjoyed it as well, but there is a lot to learn about it in order to understand it. Fortunately, I had my cousin next to me who holds season tickets to the Washington Capitols.

On my way home, I got stopped by the POLICE. He said I was weaving and he thought he had him a DUI, but that was not the case. I didn't know I was weaving, but he said I was going over the SIDE white line. WTH! There aren't any cars over there! I told him I had been to the Mudbugs game, but had not had any alcohol. Thank goodness I had not! Even if I had it wouldn't have been more than one beer, but I probably would have smelled like beer and would have had to take one of those breathalizer tests!

Too freakin' close!!!

BRRRRR!

The temperature has not risen above 34 all day and it is raining. We are thankful for those 2 degrees above freezing because ice would not be welcomed. Actually, due to the rather elevated slope of my drive way, I would be stuck at home because I would not be able to get traction on an iced over driveway. I had some icicles earlier, but they have melted. This morning I went to get some meds for Mom at Wal Mart and took them to her. When it is this cold, they stay at home and have it way too hot for me. Mom can hardly stand it either, but Dad has to have it really, really, warm. It's stifling to me. He doesn't understand why everyone doesn't want to be that warm!! Yesterday, he had a little damage done to his truck because he met a log truck on a bridge and he got a little too close to the concrete sides of the bridge. He knows he should not be driving, but it's hard for him to give it up. His macular degeneration has really affected his vision. I feel sorry for him.

Soul food

Yesterday I went to Mom's and picked some collards for her to cook today. She did that along with some fried fish and hot water cornbread and baked sweet potatoes. Yes, it was delicious. She can still cook collard greens. I guess the most surprising thing is that I grew them!! Yes, I did. So there!

Voila!

Mission accomplished! I now have a DVR and it is working properly. The cable company told me they would be here between 8 and 10. He showed up at 9:50. Good thing.....because I was about to lose my cool. I don't know why because I had not another thing to do today. It's just the principle of the thing. Be here when you say you will be here. They escaped my wrath! I bet they were scared.

Good Times Rollin'

We rolled at 5 P.M. yesterday (that's Mardi gras talk) in my first ever parade. It was sooooo much fun and I can hardly wait the two weeks until the next parade that I will ride in. Throwing those beads was so much fun, but it was way too short. Afterwards, we all got together at a local restaurant for a few beers, good times, and good food.

Tonight I was the designated driver for a birthday celebration for one of the ladies. We went to Bossier to Ruby Tuesday's and had a great time. I have made some really good friends since I moved here. They really make me feel a part of the group and they have been together for years.

This is interesting!

It's SNOWING!...

.....but it isn't sticking. It is going to be so cold on that Mardi Gras float tomorrrow at 5. Thank goodness, the Minden parade doesn't last very long. We cannot wear overcoats. We have to wear our tricked out tux jackets, white shirts, white gloves and our top hats. I had to go buy some ear warmers today and some gloves that I can wear under the mandatory thin white throwing gloves. It will be fun. The next parades that I'm in aren't until Feb. 2nd and 3rd. Who knows what the weather will be like then. It could easily be HOT or COLD!

All is well!

• My foot is much better today. I am hardly even limping today.
• My car is back in my garage to the tune of $476, which is way better than the $1200 the dealership would have charged me.
• I have clean sheets to sleep on tonight. (Don't laugh. I like clean sheets)
• The fun starts tomorrow with the float loading party.
  
  
  
  
  
  

Ouch!

The doctor's receptionist told me to come in right now when I called this morning. I always wait until I am in really bad shape before I go to the doctor. He is pretty sure it is gout and is treating it as such unless the blood tests show a different diagnosis. My uric acid is always high and I don't do any of the things that are supposed to cause gout. I remember that my grandfather had it, but I don't think it's hereditary. He gave me a shot of celestone, which is magical short term, but it also sends my blood sugar soaring. All cortisone does that to blood sugar. It's only around 200, but for me that is soaring. I also got some more pain pills, some gout meds and an antibiotic. Hopefully, it will be all better tomorrow!

On another note, once again the money is flowing from my account. My car is back in the shop getting the torque changed in the transmission. The whole transmission has to be removed to do this, so it will be expensive. They had my car all day today and haven't even pulled the transmission yet. I have my mom's car now. I wish I wasn't crippled so I could clean hers up for her while I have it. It's a mess!

I can't walk and Britney Spears is a MORON!

Something happened to my foot yesterday. Last night a knot came on top and started hurting really bad. I scrambled to locate any left over pain pills in this house and found a few. They didn't help much. I even tried a lidicaine pain patch, which also didn't help. Now in addition to the knot, my big toe has gout and the whole foot is very, very painful. It is red, swollen and hot! I have to try to see my doctor tomorrow. It's Mardi Gras time! WTH! I can't not be able to walk!!!

Britney Spears is yet another Louisiana native giving Louisiana a bad name. She's an IDIOT! I'm just sayin'!!!!!

Mardi Gras Prep

We were busy as little bees today getting all the beads sorted and ready to be loaded....1,000's of beads....many, many boxes stacked according to each person's order. Tomorrow night we do the finishing touches. Thursday night we all go out to the den to party and load the floats with beads. The floats have hooks to hang beads on and they all have to be filled before the parade, which is Saturday. The extra beads have to be stored in special zip up bags marked with our logo...no cardboard boxes allowed on the float. This is a first class organization. No riff raff here!!!

Just a sample...

of the kind of costumes worn by Royalty at the Grand Bal's. This is our queen and the king wore matching attire. Unbelievable how much money is spent by Royalty. They have to buy all their costumes (have them made), all the decorations for their respective tables at the ball, very special beads that they throw and all kinds of other stuff. It's amazing! I had a good time, but it's not an event I really enjoy. I will enjoy the tailgating, float loading parties much more when I can have on jeans and my feet don't hurt. Most of our members stay at the hotel the night of the bal'. I do not. I had one margarita and one beer in the several hours I was there. I'm glad it's over...now the fun really begins with the parades and informal parties. I'll be less uptight then.

Let the good times roll!

Last night we came close to finishing both our floats. The music was blaring from the children's float and everyone was dancing around. It's getting exciting. Of course, when that Mardi Gras song, New Second Line, is playing, it's impossible to be still. We have stacks of boxes containing beads that we ordered in the Krewe den. Tomorrow we will decorate for the Bal', which is Friday night. Sunday we finish up our floats and next Saturday is our local parade. It's the first one we put our floats in. The following weekend on Friday night, we have tailgating float loading parties in Shreveport in preparation for two parades...one Saturday, which is four hours long, and a shorter one Sunday. There are lots more parades, but those are the only 3 I will be riding in. Fun times I am really looking forward to.

"Nuf said"!

Louisiana has gone NUTS! Even the Academy store in Shreveport opened after the game tonight to sell LSU merchandise.

Whoosh!

Usually that is a sound associated with downhill skiing, but right now it is the sound of money leaving my bank account. I finally gave up my last hold on Texas after two years of living in Louisiana. Now I have a cell phone with a Louisiana number. It's charging now and I haven't set up my voice mail, but I will soon. Then I will send out the number to my buds!

O My Gosh! Ohio State already scored. I gotta go! This is serious.