PAAS Goes Camo!!!

Are those camouflage stickers and PAAS coloring?? YES!! I've colored a lot of eggs and seen a lot of PAAS packages in my time. Now, some background information: I cannot begin to explain or understand why "camo" print is a fashion statement [er, in some huntin' camps]. You can find jackets, pajamas, journals, rugs... it
even comes in pink. But this was the first time I discovered and bought me some CAMO colors and stickers. I tried to make a joke with the lady at the Wal-Mart check-out, asking her when PAAS come out with the CAMO edition, and how are you supposed to find them if they're in camouflage!!... She said, nonchalantly, "Oh, they've always had that one." "Not where I'm from, Lady! Boy, have we been missing out!!.." As of late, I've been catching myself giving voice to my internal monologue. Dangerous.
Before you get all excited about pre-ordering your PAAS "CAMO" for next year, the stickers didn't stick very well and the colors were more or less the same. It was just clever branding of a traditional product for a specific market. Those PAAS people are geniuses.

We also did some PAAS "SPORTS" eggs for variety. Note that when I say we, I mean the girls and Brian, and when I say the girls and Brian, I mean just the girls. I was fixing our Easter lunch and forgot to put in an order for a PAAS Shrink-Wrapped baseball and football.

Hoppin Into Spring Break Mode

Spring Break for Rachel and Danielle officially kicked off on Good Friday. Is it almost over already? We had fun where we can: colored eggs, I made them watch the MGM classic, "Ben Hur" starring Chuck Heston, did a little golfing, watched some WGN baseball and celebrated Tax-Day by going to the beach (a year ago, it was snowing on April 15, and a year before that, it was probably snowing on April 15).

Danielle explores "greener" modes of transportation.

Gretchen waits patiently for the other half of my $5 foot-long.

Brian and the girls show off their PAAS creations.

I tried to talk one of our lunch guests, 92 year-old Bettye Kellar (not pictured), into coloring an egg, but she was having more fun sitting on the rocker, reading the April issue of Rolling Stones, and enjoying the sunshine. She's also Jewish, not that it would have stopped her. She's 92! She does whatever the %$#@ she wants.

Gretchen and I were psyched for [the rescheduled] Opening Day. White Sox had a great start to their season, which lasted as long as Gretchen's baseball.

Spring Abounds!...One Mississippi… Two Mississipp---BOOM!!!!

I thought April showers were supposed to bring May flowers… not rip the heads off them. It’s been a soggy and stormy last two weeks. Last weekend, so much water had collected, the houses on our street looked like they each had their own Medieval moat around their property. Just in time for mosquito season, alright!

Today’s weather activity culminated in tornado warnings, wind advisory alerts, a flash flood warning and severe thunderstorm warnings, you know: the usual. In the last hour, the sky has gone from the color gray to gray-green to black to gray to an almost blinding white. The sun has tried to peak out from the clouds a few times. But that was in between tornado warnings. The coast is clear for now. But for a while, our local NPR station was giving storm updates every two minutes, each one book-ended by that sharp high-pitched eeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrblllppppgppplllggllp eeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrpppllllggghhggg. Then, as the storm was lifting, the station happened to be playing Claude Debussy’s Clair de Lune, as if the clouds were choreographed.

But I don’t mind a little rain now and then. As the local gardening radio show host would say, “A little rain is what separates us from West Texas.”

In the last six weeks, the most beautiful canvas of azaleas has been blooming all over South Mississippi and Lower Alabama (L.A.). I’m learning, slowly but surely, all the different vegetation around the area. Thanks to the patient advice of a good friend and horticulturist, a few neighbors and the nice lady at Ace Hardware, I almost have everything in the front yard identified and didn’t have to do too much experimental “prune first, ask questions later.”

I even filled some planters with a modest crop of fresh herbs, tomatoes, onions and arugula, just in time to find out that some of the herbs and all the lettuce won’t make it to July. But boy, they sure are tasty now! It’s funny to think a year ago today, we were still shoveling snow. Mmm, memories.

A March In Memory

This March has come in like a lion and is still roaring. I was initially going to write about "the March of the Parents," how my mom and step-dad drove down for a few days, and then Brian's parents came just last weekend to stay with us to see Rachel's performance as Mrs. Peterson in "Bye Bye Birdie." And then I was going to write about the Vagina Monologue performances and the five stages of VM cast bonding, but we became busy again prepping for the Bergeron family visit and Rachel's play. Before our Saturday night VM performance, Rachel and I spent the afternoon costume shopping for vintage hats and tacky garden party dresses for her character. So much fun. So much theatre! As Brian put it, when asked if he likes going to see plays, "I've spent five nights in the last seven days in a theatre. What do you think."

But between all the excitement, there has been a steady undertone of sadness and suffering. Brian's closest friend passed away on the Ides of March, ending the chapter on a valiant battle against pancreatic cancer. He would have been 62 next month. Nothing I write will be as poignant as what Brian has already written below.

Friends, If you have not already heard, I am sorry to inform you that my dear friend, Murray Kellar, passed away on Sunday, 15 March. Murray was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer this past summer and fought a good fight until last month when he finally experienced Liver failure. Murray made the choice to die at home with his family under the care of hospice. Dolly and his family were with him till the end and he was/is surrounded by love and affection. Murray was lucid and even funny at times till the last few days of his illness and was able to enjoy many visits and notes from loved ones. Dolly has asked that should anyone be inclined, to please donate to the American Cancer Society in Murray's name, in lieu of flowers. A memorial service will be held this week at the VA Chapel where he served as Director of Dental Services and Hospital Dentist, following his military career. I will try and forward the memorial service details as soon as available. Dolly is currently overwhelmed as you can imagine, but holding up well considering the circumstances. Should you wish to share condolences, written letters/cards might be most appropriate, at least until the memorial service has been held and things have settled down a bit for her and the family. Please pass the information along to anyone who might have been inadvertently missed, especially those who have retired from his USAF, VA, or Hospital Dentistry families. Thanks to all of you for being good to Murray and his family in their time of need. Please tell someone close to you that you love them; and if you can make them smile or even laugh in honor of Murray...Lord knows he did that for all of us on a regular basis.
God Bless,
Brian

*****
The memorial service was yesterday, and the chapel at the V.A. Hospital was packed wall to wall. Brian gave one of the eulogies, and in five minutes, had the entire room laughing, crying, remembering and celebrating a life well lived.

Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with his loving family.

Visit the guest book link above to get a taste of the legacy of heart and humor that we will all miss so dearly. http://www.legacy.com/sunherald/GB/GuestbookView.aspx?PersonId=125207832

Or read the comment below, Murray's response to my story in the Anchorage Daily News Paper about pre-wedding dance lessons:
(original story: http://www.adn.com/life/story/423619.html)

Battle Cry for the Bachelor
Posted: June 2, 2008 - 11:22 am
Submitted by Murray Kellar, a "Concerned Friend" of the Fiancé, (In response to 5/25 posting, FACE THE MUSIC AND LEARN TO DANCE)
I've watched enough science fiction flics to know that you are not the "Real Brian." I also know that by speaking out like this, your alien friends will be swooping down on me before I've even finished this memo. Too late Yoda. I anticipated your moves and am already gone. You'll never catch me, and I'm going to discover your weakness and hunt you down like the dogs you are for what you've done to the Real Brian. Do you think all humans are idiots? I know Brian would never take dance lessons. Brian is (was) a man and he played golf and poker and had guns and stuff... "Dance lessons"...??!! Do your homework next time, Mr. Spock, before you try to pull one over on good ole homo sapiens. I'm outta here, but you'd better be looking over your shoulders or tentacles or whatever passes for a head in your slimy world, cause me and the boys are comin' for Brian, and we'll be using the "Raid" on any of your insectoid vermin who gits in our way!!!!

Here was Murray's response when he found out his comment was posted to my blog:
Musta been a pretty slow news er "blog" day... Well let me know if you need any other good blogs. I once caughta fish and have been thinking of writing a book on fishing techniques.

Mardi Gras Mambo

Here are photos of decorations around town and from the Ocean Springs parade on February 7. The Mardi Gras party atmosphere starts here around late January. Haven't seen anyone topless. But with all the beads you collect, it sort of works as a halter top.

My brown bag says, "Hope your Tuesday is Phat, like yo Momma."





Elvis is alive!!

Who's the King of the King Cake Castle Now??

So, it's Mardi Gras season here, in full swing now with less than a week to go. I've decided to make a King Cake from scratch (not that Super Walmart's is bad--- It's great with coffee or when you're PMSing. But don't eat the green section- it's not ripe yet).

In my research, I found a recipe and while reading its reviews, came across this: From http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/reviews/Twelfth-Night-or-Kings-Cake-103104

"...Excellent. Just like I've had at Mardi Gras. A comment regarding two other comments; if you don't have experience working with yeast, or if you didn't make the recipe at all, you probably shouldn't review it. The thing I like best about Epicurious is that it is not a beginner's site. If you can't really cook, try Betty Crocker."

Oh snap!! I love when people talk trash in online recipe forums.

I'm going with this recipe: http://www.nolacuisine.com/2007/01/06/king-cake-recipe/

and will post MY comments when I'm done.

Don't Mess Wit My Valentine's Date!

On Valentine's Day, the Mississippi Coast Coliseum hosted the 2009 Blues Festival. I had been eyeing this event for months, thrilled that Brian agreed to go with me as our Valentine's Date Night.

First, the mmwb-pre-requisite back-story:
I love the Blues. I love Old School R&B. And now, here I am in Mississippi: the "Delta" ...the place where the Blues were born!, long before they were sung in Chicago... This is "Hard Time Mississisppi" where Stevie Wonder was "Living Just Enough for the City." This is the place Bessie Smith would moan about in "Mississippi Moan." This is the birth place of Muddy Waters, where he honed his Delta Blues sound before gettin' out of Dodge and bringing his music to Chi-Town to spearhead what would become the Chicago Blues Scene. I used to LIVE down the street from Buddy Guy's Blues Club, and now I'm in Mississipp'...and the only times I've heard some Live Blues since we moved here was when we were in Memphis, TN seeking refuge from Hurricane Gustav, and once when a very talented white man was playing for a not-so-diverse crowd in a Downtown Ocean Springs Bar. Like I said, the guitar player was surprisingly good. But, Man! Where are my Brotha's and my Sista's!!?

I couldn't believe that my daily interactions in Anchorage, Alaska had more diversity than my daily life in Mississippi. It was while listening to a late-night Blues program on NPR when it all hit me: I left the city of Chicago to ultimately end up here. What kind of inverted exodus have I made?!...

Cut to: 14 Feb 2009
I have seen it all AND satisfied my six-month craving for some Blues. I also found my Mississippi Brothas and Sistas. It was more of a Rhythm and Blues festival, but the Blues artists in the second half of the program held the show to its name. We saw Denise La Salle sing "Don't Mess with My Toot-Toot," a song she's been singing and strutting across the world, which also can be heard on the "Big Easy" movie soundtrack. Then, Bobby Rush (whose family moved to Chicago in the 50s-they're no fools!) came out all a-funkin' and a-hoochie-coochie-mannin' with two-big-bootied-back-up-dancers. He asked the audience to "Wave your hands in the air." But he stopped everything and said to two dudes in the front row, "Why you ain't wavin' your hands? Betchyou listen to that Snoppy Doggy A&^%$#-Sh*&^%. Without me and James Brown, Snoop Dawg would be Sh*&%.... Who do you think started Rap when Snoop was still in diapers..." And then, Bobby Rush proceeded to mock-cover Snoop Dogg/Dr. Dre with a full two minutes of hip-hop-hibby-hibby-hops, gins and juices and rip-roaring expletives. And his act was AFTER the "Sixty and Sexy" audience-participation dance contest, which was more like "shake your sub-gut maker." Once the 300 lb. contestant took the stage, the skinny hussies didn't stand a chance.

The night ended with Clarence Carter who sang his big hit, "Slip Away" and was fantastic! Brian, who agreed to rise up and dance with me a little, is fantastic, and a great sport, considering he was one of the few guys there NOT wearing a three-piece purple [or red or white] suite or a wide-brimmed hat. He was wearing a fleece pull-over and jeans. Even still, he alerted me that the Ladies were checking him out in the beverage line, for he was "Pretty fly for a white guy." I say, True Dat.