Current Situation

My current situation — kitchen table, cross stitch, book, tea and cookies.  This is what I will be doing today.  It is a rainy sort of day although I think it is supposed to clear up later this morning.  I am tired because I didn’t sleep well so this is what I am doing after my chores.

I thought this would be a good day to share with you some more of my souvenirs from New Orleans. We are book people so books always come home with us when we travel.  My husband had been to New Orleans years ago and brought home some books on the area so I chose something different than the usual factual travel type books.

The book that is going the wrong way “Fragile Grounds” is a book about the historical and unique cemeteries in NOLA.  Being below sea level poses a distinct problem for people living in the area that want to remain in the area after they have gone to the great beyond.  Here in Texas burials are pretty straightforward and run of the mill — you open the grave, place the casket or urn, and cover it up.  Not a lot of fuss unless your cemetery is on rocky terrain like our family cemetery in Harper, Texas and then dynamite is involved but for the most part there is little complication.  New Orleans isn’t quite that way — all the graves are above ground or they sink into the ocean.  There are many of these little tombs for families or strangers or both.  There is a process.  It is gross.  I won’t go into it here.  If you are curious do a google search.  I am glad I live in Texas.

The second book is a paperback called “The Last Madam” about the life of French Quarter legend Norma Wallace.  It is the portrait of a time in New Orleans French Quarter that is full of charm and decadence.  It is a non-fiction read but I am hoping it is interesting and historical — I loved it there and I would like to know more about it although I am not particularly interested in bordellos.  Or tombs either, actually, but the whole place just smacks of glamour and a bit on the wild side.  I took a photo but it didn’t actually turn out probably because the dog was trying to be involved in the picture taking.

Aunt Sally’s  Creole Praline Shop was a delight in itself.  I bought the books there as well as the little prints I showed in a previous post.  It was full of pictures, pottery, books, souvenir pencils, magnets, Mardi Gras beads and, of course, pralines.  I grew up eating pralines that were commonly sold in Mexican restaurants and I wanted one so badly but it seems that in my senior years I have developed an allergy to pecans so I didn’t get one.  I wanted one though.  But, I was already having enough trouble walking I certainly didn’t want to end up with an allergic reaction!

So, that is the most of the souvenirs.  I have one more to show at a later date but it is small and rather inconsequential.  

I am now off to my little space at the table to work on my cross stitch.  Opps, I did say AFTER the chores, didn’t I?  My bad.