Yesterday's severe weather allowed me to view the new painting by Terrance Osborne! I took off my shoes to wade to my car, which was fortunately on a slight incline. The hour long down pour left Oak Street and Carrollton quite flooded. I decided to ask the local frame shop owner how long this normally took to recede.
I was told by a very nice man, that it usually receeded in 1/2 an hour. I opted to wait it out. He said, "Look at whose painting we just got to frame."
I turned to see a 14 foot tall, by 4 foot wide group of Preservation Hall musicians pouring out of one of my favorite haunts from high school. I love that the music is pouring out of this 100 year old establishment! It is so true of our cities musical heritage. It certainly seeped into my bones. It is the stuff that keeps these bones moving and happy.  I remember Sweet Emma with her hats playing on that old piano. We sat on the floor and lapped up the sounds, unafraid of the flood of cords resonating in our brains.
Our flooded cerebral cortex crammed full of sweet sounds. I returned week afer week for more of this delicious elixir. Now I have a job very close to those same doors. How sweet it is!
Mr. Osborne had just left the original to be framed for its new owner. What a delicious treat on a stormy day!
Normally, I park on a side street with no elevation. I was very fortunate to get to fill in at a cancellation at my chiropractor's office on Oak St. As I drove up, I noticed this elevated , parking metered space, the wiser part of me selected that spot. Am I grateful! Had I not parked there, I would have had flooded carpet.
Yeah Terrance Osborne, and yeah un-flooded cars!

http://www.art4now.com/cgi/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=ST-20140102

A Letter from the FLU

A letter from the flu

"Don't let me catch you.

You'll do more than AC--HOO!

I'll take away your appetite;

Break your ability to fight.

Infect your partner;

You two will crawl from bed to couch

And back again.

With no production possible.

Drag yourselves  to Urgent Care

'Yep, strain B Influenza!'

Proclaimed  from across the room.

You'll take refuge in tamiflu, hot teas

Cough drops, tylenol, mucinex, and zertec!

While no one dares to visit.

You'll stew in your own juices

Unable to smell..

Spring which assaults your nose

Oh, you'll be sorry:

No amount of purell will stop me

I've come to get you

I'm your unfriendly flu

Next time:

Take the shot!"

ACHOO....

"But, I did..

You mutant  virus...!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Last week at New Orleans Museum (NOMA) of Art, flowers were evident inside and outside of the building. Each year NOMA sponsors a wonderful wake-up to the spring season by inviting gardeners, artists, and designers to create floral arrangements that match or complement the art work. Some of these creations are as memorable as the art works.

This Crystal sauce arrangement could easily have been an accessory to the Rose Bowl Parade! I am astonished by the beauty and the creativity of the participants. Longue View Garden geniuses created a garden table and chairs that looked like it comes right out of the mind of Jim Henson.
The table was covered in moss and the chair braces were made with crossed gardening sheers.(See picture below)

The floral artists are challenged to create an arrangement to mimic a painting. The next one certainly met this challenge. You can see the impressionist painting through the flowers.

Be sure to mark your calendars for the next Spring Art in Bloom Exhibit. It only last for three to four days, so don't miss it!
Check out the New Orleans Times Picayune for more pics.
http://www.nola.com/arts/index.ssf/2014/03/art_in_bloom_2014_floral_creat.html

St. Joseph's work continues

https://www.google.com/search?q=st+joseph&client=firefox
This father, carpenter, patron to unwed mothers, fathers, husbands, and families is well celebrated today. The Sicilian immigrants brought their devotion to St. Joseph along with them to this seaport. New Orleans, like Sicily, has had its share of man-made and natural disasters. It is no surprise that the tradition honoring St. Joseph's intersession in times of crisis continues on these shores.

I made the rounds to ten different altars each one assembled with a great deal of love and devotion. I watched several men, on Napoleon Ave. at St. Stephen's Church, setting up a large tent to shelter those who would come at noon to share a free meal.

I was ushered into Mt. Carmel Academy's cafe by two young ladies with a great number of medals on their uniforms. I saw several moms coordinating and refilling devotional candles, cookie baskets, and petition request onto well decorated tables, while traditional Italian music played in the background.

Brother Martin's altar displayed several beautifully sculpted bread items: a large saw, a ladder, and a very large alligator. I am not sure that St. Joseph was plagued by alligators, but it was very well executed.

The St. Jude Shrine devotees handed out colored fava beans: silver, red, and green. I was blessed by a woman who was leaving her parking spot and offered her unexpired parking tag to me. One little blessing from this Saint and a kind soul. The aroma of lunch drifting onto Rampart Street assisted me in finding their St. Joseph. As I left, I saw a woman refilling her water bottle with holy water. I pray that she is healed.

The basement of Andrew Williams Marengo St. home is nicely suited for the family created display.
All of these altars demonstrate love, devotion, dedication, and effort. I am grateful to be a part of a city that honors our modern and ancient ancestors in such a creative manner.

Last night, as I entered the cafeteria at Trinity Episcopal Church, I found another altar. This one surprised me. It was not advertised in the paper. We were allowed to take the cookies and fruit from this altar lovingly assembled by Mary, a volunteer and former Catholic worker. These cookies were purchased from Brocata's, a long standing dessert establishment and were excellent. http://www.angelobrocatoicecream.com/

The Italian Saint celebrated at Tony Angelo's

Bobby and I are lucky to be able to celebrate both our wedding anniversary and St. Joseph's Day together. There is one place where we like to do both: Tony Angelo's Restaurant on Fleur des Lis and Harrison Ave.
 http://tonyangellos.com/our-menu/
This new Orleans' landmark has been opened since 1972, except for the post Katrina rebuilding. We love to have our favorite waiter, Ronnie, because he serenades us with old Italian songs. Last night we were favored with two traditional songs.

I love the eggplant parmigiana and the minestrone soup, both were delicious as usual. Bobby had the special baby drum with crabmeat topping. We missed the neighbor who drives his golf cart right up to the front walkway. When we were here a month ago, we were told that," he must have be drunk, he usually parks on the street; not the side walk!"

We also missed Tony, the owner, who often stands guard over the main dining room. One evening, we were serenaded by three opera singers who happened to be there honoring a relative. That was the best version of " Happy Birthday" that we have ever heard!

One never knows what delights may be stumbled upon when dining at an old traditional New Orleans Restaurant. Come and join us for a memorable evening.

Two Saints annually visit the city after Mardi Gras

Lenten penance is quickly replaced with the green of the two famous saints of the uptown crowd: St. Patrick and St. Joseph.  We have barely removed all of the tri-colors of Mardi Gras when we replace them with the tri-colors of the Irish and the Italians.

Purple, green, and gold is boxed for next year and rests among the many street treasures collected from float riders and marchers, when we bring out the red, white, and green of the Italians and the green, white and orange of the Irish.

Bobby hung up my Italian flag the Thursday after Ash Wednesday. My Italian neighbor, with an Irish wife, hung out the orange, white, and green.

Does this create rivalry? Of course not! There are separate parades for these groups and one ecumenical group that combines both. If you get to the Irish parade you may return with a bag of cabbage, onions, potatoes, and carrots.  I remember carrying home a 5 lb. sack of cabbage from one March event. Now I like cabbage, but not that much!

The Italians march through the French Quarter tossing out special doubloons, necklaces and panties.
The Irish do the came, but they add the more practical editable items.

Tomorrow we will be viewing the St. Joseph day altars around the city. The Sicilian's honor and appreciate the Saint associated with saving them from many natural disasters and starvation.

The altar pictured below is one of the largest that I have ever seen. It is on the West Bank of our city in an old St. Joseph's Parish cafeteria. We of Sicilian ancestry MUST collect a fava bean to keep in our purses or pockets to insure that we are never without money. I have one from last year, and it works!

Come and join us for yet another festival.

http://www.iamcnola.org/iamc-photos.html

Iris Queens at Clancy's 

Allan in his Tiara

Hold on... I know that this may sound a little off the wall, but here are pictures to prove that my Father-in-law was crowned by the former Queens of Iris at an old uptown New Orleans Restaurant., Clancy's.

My husband, Bobby, a member of the Jefferson City Buzzards (see March 25, 2013 post) hosted a celebration for the Buzzard's Grand Marshall, Jim Parsons at Clancy's Restaurant on the Friday before Mardi Gras. He invited his father, shown above in the tiara, his mother, brother, sister-in-law, and of course, me.

We toasted Jim, and we toasted the former Queens of Iris, who have met here for 10 years to celebrate on the Friday before Mardi Gras.  After exchanging several trips from table to table, Allan decided to let it be know that as a child he never received any throws from the Ladies of Iris.

That was rectified when one of the ladies crowned Allan! Not in the cartoon way, she bestowed the crown on his head and insisted that he keep it, which he did. Only Allan would continue to wear his prize both in and out of the restaurant.

Now how many of you have a story to tell like that?
Post these. Lets exchange funny and memorable stories. We all have some to tell; if not, make one up.

https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=425523234492011966#editor/target=post;postID=4531805116335590689;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=100;src=postname

http://www.clancysneworleans.com/