It's Warmer . . . I Can Get Some Projects Done . . .

7AM Friday
Finally, finally, finally yesterday dawned, the sun was shining and it got up to about 70F.  It was so nice to be able to open the door and windows for some warm and fresh air.  I felt like we'd been breathing the same air over and over for days!

I spent the whole day here in Floribunda doing a major reorganization of the outside storage compartments.  When I bought her in June, the previous owners had left things they thought I might be able to use in the exterior storage compartments.   Rather than discarding something I might need, I decided to live in Floribunda for awhile before tossing or giving away.  I  thought this would be the place to do it, as I'm here for six weeks and it was supposed to be so comfortable, weather-wise.  I've put it off for various reasons:  weather, engrossingly good book, touring, etc.  Now I'm into the last half of my stay here and don't know when I might be staying someplace long enough to tackle the job; so, yesterday it was.

When I started emptying the outdoor storage cabinets I discovered several indications that I have uninvited visitors sharing our space and extra pantry supplies like flour, dog and cat food, cardboard, etc.  Yikes!  I ran out and bought a rat trap (I'm pretty sure it's a rat) and some moth balls.  I started to set the trap and realized I'm not wanting to kill the little bugger.  I just want to have him move out of our house!  My neighbors gave me advice at happy hour last evening and I returned home thinking I'd do something about it this morning.

I was working on the computer when I heard a very distinct moving-around-sound coming through the vent under the refrigerator.  Oh no!  I couldn't wait 'til this morning.  I poured several mothballs into plastic storage containers and deposited one container in each of the outside compartments (working in the dark).  I came back in and settled down to read; voila!  No more noise; the little rascal(s) had fled.  Of course, I can smell the pungent, sickly-sweet odor inside as well as outside Floribunda.

Today, I'm going to buy lots of dryer softener (Bounce) sheets to use instead of the para-dichlorobenzene (PDB) that is now used to make mothballs.  There's controversy as to the effectiveness of using Bounce but it's worth a try.  Any personal experiences and / or suggestions appreciated.

By the way, how do mothballs work?  They work by a process called sublimation, meaning that they evaporate from a solid state directly into a gas; and it's this gas that is toxic to moths and their larvae and repugnant to mice, rats, squirrels, etc.

7PM
I got a little waylaid today; but it was all good.  Marvin, one of my Betty's RV Park neighbors, an Acadian, born and raised in Louisiana, came over about 10 volunteering to help me out with several projects that are in process.  This morning he pulled my old picture tube TV (old for TVs these days is anything over about 5 years!) out of the cabinet over the dashboard.  It's been sitting there since I bought the rig last June and it works, but I've never hooked it up.  A couple of weeks ago Marvin, Jay and Tom, other neighbors, tried to get it hooked up to the roof antenna but were unable to get it completed; none of us is sure why!   Then we started talking about hooking up my Panasonic flat screen (that I've had in the bedroom TV cabinet, also not hooked up to any reception aid) as it appeared it would fit in the cabinet.  Long story short, Marvin and I decided today that what I really need is a mounted bracket and swing-out arm so I can direct the screen to wherever I'm sitting for watching TV.  So, off we went to our trusty Walmart to buy the wall mount; along with sundry gadgets in the RV section of the store.

I forgot to mention that on our way to Walmart we took all kinds of STUFF to a place here in town called The Ark - from my clean out of yesterday and today.  I've been taking some things over to Betty's office and leaving them on a table for whomever wants them.  They're things that are in good condition but I jut want to pare down unnecessary STUFF in my little house on wheels.

By the time we got back we were both needing a little relaxation time; so that's where the project lays right now.  I did have Marvin over for dinner late this afternoon; I thought it was the least I could do after all his handyman activities of the last couple of weeks.  Thank you, Marvin.

One of Merriam Webster's definitions for PACK RAT:  a person who collects and / or hoards things that are not necessary.  I want my life to be simpler and one way to accomplish that is to get rid of STUFF I'm not using.  I started this adventure last July and I figure if I haven't used something within this period of time, chance are good that I don't need it!

Should Posts Be a Mish-Mash of Subject Material?

I've found that when I publish more than one post in a day, the earlier of the entries gets NO COMMENTS.  I love comments and encourage them everyday.  So I'm now thinking maybe MISH-MASH posts are the way to go.

1)  This is from "Seasons of Grace" blog I follow.  I'm giving the link to the blog because when I found
      the video on YouTube it's in Dutch . . . I love coming upon this type of GOOD NEWS . . .

      Holland's Got Talent, 9-year-old diva sings Ave Maria Link  This is a must listen in my
      book.         

2)  I absolutely appreciate the work that went in to the "Truths For Mature Humans" that I read this
     morning . . . Am I Going Places

3)  Education / Entertainment . . . I'm an Internet junkie.  I could easily spend most of the day surfing
     around - reading and learning interesting tidbits at my own speed and interest level.  Here are some
     of things I'm pursuing currently:
             a)  English Grammar and Vocabulary . . . Daily Writing Tips I started reading their emails
                  and decided to get their exercises, too.  It's a daily study.
             b)  Geography . . .  Matt Rosenberg . . . Boy, does he know his Geography.  I receive a
                   weekly email and also do some of the Ask.com quizzes
             c)  Fountain Pens . . . Brad Goulet . . .  I'm renewing my love of fountain pens and am, once
                  again, beginning to keep a personal journal . . . just for me!
             d)  Language Study . . . Benny Lewis . . . I started following Benny, the Irish polyglot, when I
                  was in Guatemala  studying Spanish.  Now I just like to keep up to date with his 'conquests.'
                   I do still study Spanish by reading books in Spanish and memorizing new vocabulary,
                   mainly verbs.   I've also renewed my interest in French now that I'm in Cajun Country.
             e)  Animal World . . . The Featured Creature.  I don't remember how I found this blog but I
                  reading her posts on creatures of the animal world.  I don't quite get her pictures of herself -
                  I guess it's advertising!
              f)  Starting to use Enotes to organize all the post-it notes of my life - I can sync my computer,
                   iPad and iPhone.  It's great so far . . . shopping lists, to do lists, vocabulary lists, gift idea
                  lists.

Okay, so that's enough of a mish-mash for one day.  I hope everybody has a good day and a warmer day also - Happy Wednesday from Abbeville, Louisiana!

These good ole boys rock!

A little cooler right now!

Brrrrr! . . Not Too Much Happening . . . Outside, At Least!

I haven't written a post for a couple of days as I haven't done too much in this freezing weather.  As I've read all the blogs I follow t appears that almost everybody in the southeastern US is suffering as I am.

Yesterday, I took the retiree's prerogative and drove to Lafayette, about 20 miles, to see "Saving Mr. Banks" Link with Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks in the middle of the afternoon.  It was an interesting story about P.L. Travers  Link (played by Emma Thompson) who'd written the book, "Mary Poppins," that was the incentive for  Walt Disney(Tom Hanks) to create the movie of the same name back in the 60s.  I'd expected it to be light and Mary Poppins - ish; but, it's a serious biography of Mrs. Travers and the difficulty Walt Disney had in talking her into allowing his use of the book to create the movie starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke in 1964.

Thinking about my own experience with the movie - in 1964 - I recall that we took Jeff, aged 3, and Kari, aged 2, to the theater, which was a rarity in those days.  Jeff was enthralled with the movie and the whole experience, sitting in his seat, eyes glued to the screen.  Kari, however, was much more interested in the movie theater itself and spent most of her time wandering around the theater with me in tow.  We tried reasoning with her to no avail; she's always been a people lover and the audience was much more interesting for her than the movie!  It seems to me that kids are so much more 'sophisticated' now; they begin going to movies early on and I don't notice lots of parading around during the feature.

Thoughts of movie theaters bring up lots of memories.  One is about Holland (almost 20 now).  She and her older sisters were spending a few days with me in California while their mom and dad were enjoying a little vacation.  Kari had included the video "Titanic" with their clothing and toys for the visit.  Holland, who was a little under two, loved that movie; but didn't want to sit to watch it.  She stood right in front of the TV throughout the whole movie and cried every time it got to the end.  So, we'd just rewind it and start it over again.  I'd estimate that in those three days it played about 30 times!

Here's Holland in December when she visited my son, Spencer, in Aix-en-Provence, France

Spencer is my World-traveling son, currently in France.  He's been traveling for over ten years.

Just returned from a short and very chilly morning walk with Lacy on a lawn here in the park.  I've noticed these holes that seem to pop up all over the lawn and any area of soil.  My neighbor, Kristi, was  also walking her dog and I asked her what these little mounds are.  "Crawdad holes," she replied.  I've not seen any crawdads (crawfish) anywhere around the holes, but I just read that the crawdads rarely come out during the day - maybe they're crawling around my feet when I take Lacy out for her evening walk!

This is our Louisiana sky this morning - un-retouched photo.  Pretty incredible but doesn't indicate the current temperature, which is 34F

Have a nice day!

Doesn't Everybody Go Out For Cajun Music on Saturday Morning at 7 AM?

That's what we did Saturday morning.  I had to set the alarm as I'm out of practice getting up at 6.  Of course, I've not lost my innate ability to wake up two or three times during the night to see if it's time for the alarm!  Geesh!

A group of us left Betty's right at 7 for the 80 minute drive northwest to Mamou (that's Maaa- Moo).  Louisiana is a maze of state and county roads; there aren't a lot of freeways like we're used to around larger cities.  It's fun to drive drive through Cajun Country; it's almost a little like being outside the US - and I don't mean that in any negative sense.  The Acadian - Cajun culture is alive and well.

Our first stop for this outing was Fred's Lounge in Mamou

We'd been advised that if you want to find a seat you have to get there by about 8:30.  The Cajun Radio Show (KVPI 1050AM) begins promptly at 9

 The band members play:  fiddle, accordion, two guitars, drums.  Here they are warming up

 The radio announcer is a young Cajun lady who makes all 

the announcements in Cajun French

The band got started right on time.  It's absolutely impossible to resist 

tapping your foot when that sound comes up.  And, the audience dances a kind of 

Cajun two-step. When they very first started to play this gentleman, Jack, asked me to dance - Yikes, I didn't have a clue what I was supposed to do.  But, it was fun and he came back about four times, so I guess I didn't annihilate his toes too badly!

We kind of had to spread out so this is just part of the group - L to R:

Jay and Vicki (Washington state), Sharon and Wayne (Iowa).  Wayne's to the right of Sharon in the cowboy hat.  Next to Wayne is Doe-Doe, forgive my spelling (Kalispell, Montana) and in front of the table are Bobbi and Jim

 Here's Vicki dancing with a gentleman (88-years young with his VFW hat on) who 

walked in using a cane, so Jay gave him his seat; and what did the guy do?  He asked Jay's wife,

Vicki, to dance with him!  No cane!!

 Well, Vicki thought that was fun so she got Jay to dance the next one with her

 Sharon and Wane weren't going to be left out, so they

'cut the rug' with an Iowa version of the Cajun Two Step

 This little lady is Fred's widow.  Her name is Tante (French for "aunt") Sue.

She is alive and well, all made up and ready to be the hostess with the most-est

She has  a Guest Book and she carries it all around the place to make sure that 

every single person signs it.

Jay di get into it and let us know how they do it in Washington

Here's most of the group - except the drummer.  And, the announcer is just 

waiting for the set to end - to do a commercial and make announcements

 There were several biker dudes that rode on in on some heavy duty motorcycles - all

togged out in biker duds - to the hilt

Here's Wayne doing a little solo - he's an auctioneer in Iowa and 

we've had an opportunity or two to hear his auctioneer jargon

Well, we were sorry to leave but there was more to see; we left Fred's and stopped 

at Charlie's Meat Market for their special "boudin" (that's pronounced: BOO' DAn -in French).
Boudin describes a number of different types of sausage in French, Belgian, German, Québec, Acadian, Creole, Austrian and Cajun cuisine.  The main type in Cajun country of Louisiana, I understand, is Boudin Blanc (white sausage).  There are as many variations as there are Cajun cooks, I suspect.

In doing a little online research, out of about 200 contestants, I found that Charlie's Meat Market's boudin is rated "A" which is VERY GOOD.

Meat counter - click on photo to enlarge

Cracklins (fried pork skins) - often served with boudin

How about some pickled quail eggs to go with?

And, for other recipes, how about some roux for the gravy/sauce?

The seasoning section of the market - salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and seasoned salt - that's all they sell and it's all you need!

From the market we drove to Lake Front RV Park, in Eunice, where Jay and Vicki have moved, to check it out and have lunch.

Here are Sharon, Wayne and Ray (in foreground) devouring their boudin and cracklins

This is serious eating!

We didn't want to waste any 'Cajun music time' so we headed over to the Savoy Music Center

Link

Link
Savoy Music Center is owned by Marc Savoy (pronounced SAA-VWA)

They have a Cajun music jam session every Saturday morning where the old timer greats of Cajun music jam and invite newcomers to join in.  Cajun music is alive and well.  Check out the younger jam participants.  The jam session is not for criticism but for encouragement for young musicians a regular opportunity to practice and play with the greats.

I counted 19 participants in this session.  The fiddler in the navy blue and white shirt on the left of the photo is Fred LaFleur, one of the original members

Here's another old-timers.  I didn't get his name but I heard him mention that he's 99 years young!

This young piano player has been blind since birth but is a virtuoso of Cajun piano playing

There was a gentleman and his son sitting behind me.  The 7-year old was keeping time to every piece on his triangle.  I turned around and asked his father, "Can he go up and jam with the group?"  His father suggested it to the boy and away he went.  He stayed up there with the group the entire time we were there.  I mentioned to his dad that he sure did have the Cajun music bug and his dad said his son had received an accordion for Christmas, but that his real love is drums.
Here's the little guy with next to a talented teenaged accordionist and behind Fred LaFleur, fiddler.

What concentration!  And he didn't miss a beat!

What a wonderful experience we had.  It was truly what I'm looking for on this North American adventure - learning about these magnificent places we call HOME.

Later in the day, at happy hour, a group of us got into a discussion of the word CREOLE.
Here's what I found in the dictionary

Cre·ole  (krl) noun 1. A person of European descent born in the West Indies or Spanish America. 2. a. A person descended from or culturally related to the original French settlers of the southern United States, especially Louisiana. b. The French dialect spoken by these people. 3. A person descended from or culturally related to the Spanish and Portuguese settlers of the Gulf States. 4. often creole A person of mixed Black and European ancestry who speaks a creolized language, especially one based on French or Spanish. 5. A Black slave born in the Americas as opposed to one brought from Africa. 6. creole A creolized language. 7. Haitian Creole. adj. 1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of the Creoles. 2. creole Cooked with a spicy sauce containing tomatoes, onions, and peppers: shrimp creole; creole cuisine. [French créole, from Spanish criollo, person native to a locality, from Portuguese crioulo, diminutive of cria, person raised in the house, especially a servant, from criar, to bring up, from Latin crere, to beget; see ker-2 in Indo-European roots.] That's all for now y'all!

January 3rd and It's Cold in Abbeville . . .

Last evening a large group of us at Betty's RV Park went into downtown Abbeville to River Front, a seafood restaurant.  I guess our group had about 16 people.  The waitress came around the table to take each order and asked if we were alone or in a couple; she asked me and I said "Single."  Then she asked for my name and I answered, "Mary."  well, the rest of the evening she called me "Miss Mary" - a very southern honorific appellation.  And, she never forgot to call me that all evening - pretty nice custom, I'd say.  

Kristi and I shared a crab cake appetizer, followed by Grilled Shrimp Angelo - grilled shrimp on a bed of angel hair pasta.  I had a nice bottle of O'Douls along with my dinner  The restaurant is right on Vermillion River and directly in front of the dining windows is a draw bridge that was put to use as we ate.  I ran out to take some pix with my iPhone; they're not good but I was excited to see the bridge in action.

This is a little different type of draw bridge from what I've seen before.  The center section lifts up quite high but remains parallel to the surface of the water

 The barge was very long with the spot light located on the bridge (of the barge).  The really long flat looking area preceding the bridge looked like it would be for carrying rice or the like

I just couldn't stay out there to watch it go all the way through; it was cold and I wasn't dressed properly

Betty had given me the name of a dog groomer right here in tow; so I made an appointment for Lacy for this morning.  This picture doesn't do her 'doo' justice but she looks very pretty and was a hit at the grooming shop.  They only charged $40 for the whole works; she smells like a French perfume company and always seems to know she's hot stuff after she's 'suffered' through that phoo phoo-ing

Also, today we had to say 'good-bye' to Vicki and Jay and their dog, Athena, who live in the State of Washington when they're not adventuring around the country.  They traveled all of 50 miles north of here to another supposedly great RV park.  I may even have to check it out.  It is quite a production when they move on.  They have a monstrous semi- rig - you know, the ones with the little apartment behind the driving area.  Then behind the huge truck they actually have a storage building built on the truck bed - In the storage building they carry their vehicle.  So, while they're parked they don't use the huge truck at all.  We all headed out to watch them get everything hooked up and sent them on their way with hugs, cheers and lots of waving.  The whole rig and fifth wheel trailer measures 73 feet long! Now, that's just about enough room for 3 Floribundas!

We've had quite a bit of rain in the last few days, but today dawned sunny with clear skies; but it's cold again.  Right now, it's about 30F outside.  Ch-ch-chilly!

Tomorrow morning we're all gathering at 7AM to car pool to a town called Mamou, Louisiana, about an hour and a half from here.  We're going to sit in the audience of a live Cajun radio Saturday morning show.  Those in the know say we have to get there early to get good seats.  Sounds like fun and I hope to have some photos.

January Second . . . and New Year's Resolutions

It's January 2nd . . .
January 2 is the second day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 363 days remaining until the end of the year (364 in leap years). 

I didn't even think about making a New Year's Resolution until yesterday afternoon and I haven't read too much about anybody else making resolves for 2014, either.  I decided that I'd change the word 'resolution' to 'goals' and here are a few of mine:

1)  Manage my health and wellness by consciously eating healthily and getting to (and 

     not advancing beyond) a maximum weight goal

2)  Continue work progress on a sustainable budget plan and maintain a written status

3)  Write creatively every day, with some 'forgiveness' for days off(!)

4)  Continue foreign-language study by listening, reading and taking advantage of

     possibilities for conversation in French and Spanish

5)  Continue daily English grammar study Daily email 

6)  Continue travels and adventures in Floribunda, etc. 

7)  Tick off Bucket List items - mostly having to do with traveling in North America and 

     far-off places

8)  Etc., etc., etc.

I've done my share of 'promising myself' to think, feel, act better in the new year - maybe 55 or 60 times in my life.  In doing a little reading about New Year's Resolutions on my favorite 'encyclopedia' Click here, I've learned just a little more of what I already knew.  In a couple of words, they usually don't work - the resolutions, that is!

However, of the about 55 or 60 New Year's resolutions I've made throughout my life, I happily recall one that did stick . . . In December of 1979 I resolved that from the time I woke up on New Year's Day 1980, I would never smoke again and, I haven't!  Why it stuck I can't be completely sure; but, I know I decided to break the resolve down into what I imagined to be manageable increments of ONE DAY.  So, on my new 1980 calendar, displayed prominently in my kitchen, at the end of each day I crossed off another successful day.  After about three months I stopped feeling the necessity of X-ing out each day; however, that didn't put an end to those dreams (more like nightmares) that came along every so often - smoking dreams.  Yikes!  In the morning I had to tell myself it was only a dream!

So, now in my 35th year of smoke-free living, I admit that I still feel very pleased with myself, but I never forget that it is a day by day choice.

On the topic of New Year's resolutions I looked to see what some of the most popular "promises to myself" are: Resolutions

Do you believe in New Year's Resolutions?  

Have you made any for this year?

I'd love to hear from you.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year . . .A Little Recap of 2013

December 31, 2013

Just a short recap of this wonderful year of mostly adventuring "moving-house" style.  I actually started my adventuring before the new year began by adopting two rescue kitties from Fat Kitty City in El Dorado Hills, California on December 16, 2012.  Lincoln and Eleanor joined Lacy and me right at the beginning of our new lifestyle.

We spent Christmas with kids and grandkids in California and attended a wonderfully fun New Year's Eve party at Judy and Bob's ranch in Loomis, California.  What fun we had dressed in our requisite PJs and slippers for an evening of food, fun and games in the comfort of Bob and Judy's newly remodeled ranch house.  I even stayed overnight in their guest room.  This particular group of friends has a tradition of playing Mexican Train Dominos as often as we can get us all together.

I left their ranch on the 1st to head to my sister-in-law's home in Redding to begin the last minute preparation for our trip to Mexico.  Since it would be my first longer-than-a-week adventure, I'd asked for pointers from Barb and her long-time boyfriend, Fred, regarding getting insurance, pet papers, supplies, etc. ready for our trip.

We headed out a few days later and made our way south in California, then over into Arizona, and entered Mexico through Nogales.  Barb and Fred are 'old hat' at Mexican travels; this trip was their 14th I think I remember.  In January we visited the States of Sonora, Sinaloa - where we spent the month of February in Mazatlán.  From there we headed into Nayarit where we stayed a couple of weeks at Sayulita, visiting friends and relatives.

Then Lacy, the kitties and I headed out on our own and visited Jalisco, Michoacan, Guanajuato, Queretaro, Hidalgo, San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas, Coahuila and finally Nuevo Leon - where I crossed back into the US for the trip west around I-10.  We visited Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and headed north through California, arriving home on the 31st of May.

I spent some online research time at home and, in short order, bought our Fleetwood Flair, Floribunda, in June and started living in her while parked on great friends, Judy and Bob's ranch in Loomis for the month of July.  During that time I bought  our Smart car, Petunia.  Then we were ready for a one to two-year adventure around North America.

We headed north to the Redding area for some time with my son, Jeff, and his family.  We set out mid-August from there: north to Oregon with some unfortunate interruptions / changes in plans due to Petunia problems, then into Idaho, Utah, where we had more interruption with Floribunda furnace issues, south through that incredible state into Arizona and New Mexico, east to the Texas panhandle and into Oklahoma, then south back into Texas and now in Louisiana.

Just received this from National Geographic

National Geographic 2013 in Review