Can I Keep It?

Fiddy-one

Yesterday was my birthday!  

I turned the page on fifty and became fifty-one at six thirty-two in the morning.  I'm one of those people who rejoices in their birthday, always happy to be older.  I'm quite sure that at some point in the coming year, I will start referring to myself as fifty-two.  Yes, I round up.  It started on my thirty-ninth birthday.  As my age came up and I told it, the person asking would respond with a wink, "How many years will that be?"  BAHAHAHAHAHAHA.  You' re a laugh riot.  So I started saying that I was forty.  The reply was always swift and always the same, "OH!  You really don't look it!"

Le sigh.

So I round.  I round up.  It's my thing. Pretty soon, I'm going to start saying that I'm sixty.  'Cause I look unbelievable for sixty! Hey!  I look awful for twenty-eight.  But sixty?  Hawt.

I like to do new things on my birthday and this year, at the Memphis Zoo, they have a new temporary exhibit, Sting Ray Bay.  Why would I go to the zoo when I live in one you ask?  They have animals there.  Duh. As one of the few animals I have never touched, we went to feed the sting rays!

Scary right?  Okay.  True confessions?  I have a fear of large fish.  And some of these were three feet in diameter.  Because they are trained for this, these animals loved to be touched. They fly around the edges of the tank, gliding under your outstretched hand.  Surprisingly, the sting rays weren't sand paper-like as I expected.  You know, like a shark's skin.  They felt soft and fleshy.  A baby's butt.  Very unusual.  The luck of my birthday had us arrive at feeding time!  (11:00-12:00 and 2:00-3:00, I believe)

I screwed my courage to the sticking place and bought a cup of sardines and shrimp.  You place the fish between your fingers in the middle of your palm and hold the palm flat.  Stick your hand into the water and they swarm you as they smell it. The one who wins the prize is the one that reaches you first, slides up your palm and sucks the fish out of your hand!  It's thrilling and frightening and ohhhh! I can't wait to do it again!

As a bonus, the bears were all very active and enjoying the weather.  The pandas were in the outdoor enclosure for a change. Instead of snoozing indoors, reared up on a pile of bamboo, looking like they need a beer and a remote in either paw.

I know.  He was walking around and everything.  Exciting.  You just don't understand.

And the grizzlies were catching trout in their river, play fighting and eating.

He was ginormous.

We went to one of my favorite places, Dejavu and had the boudin, Big Easy Pasta and Bananas Foster  Cheesecake.  Let that sink in.  Bananas. Foster. Cheesecake. To die for.  Then we headed on over to the movie theatre in midtown and saw Silver Linings Playbook.

And Hud gave me a little diamond Eiffel Tower to waer around my neck to remind me that we'll always have Paris.

Fifty-one may not be so bad.  I might call it for the whole year. 

Happy Saint Valentine's Day!

Here's a little something for you to love...

Enjoy the day with your loved ones!

Nous Allons a Versailles

Gah!  Things have conspired to keep me from journaling my trip to Paris!  Zoe's had an edema problem in her cancerous leg.  She's fine.  The leg weighs about fifteen pounds, though.  I wish I were being hyperbolic.  *sigh*  Poor baby.  She's happy and still chases the ball every morning.  She's my hero these days.

Back to our regularly scheduled blog post.

We got directions from our concierge.  We'd never travelled the RER.  Funny.  It's not like the regular Metro. There are monitors to tell you which train to take, but all of them go to different destinations.  Long story short, we got on the wrong train.  Humph.  But fortunately, we found a couple from Brazil who spoke english, headed to Versailles as well!

Our saviours, Raphael and Mariana!

They got us to our destination.  Well, after having to ask several other travellers.  Really.  How many foreigners does it take to navigate the RER?  Yeah.  Four.  It takes four.

Versailes!

It took a whie to get in, as do all the great sites of Paris at Christmas.  We got in the queue with the other tourists.  In the rain.  And trudged forward, delighting in the beautiful ironwork, statues and facade of Versailles.

You know, everywhere we went in Paris, we heard a rustling of

"Bacon et Oeufs!" all around us. Heeee.

IT took a while to get to the front gates to pass through the doors...

And finally, we were in!  And oh, was it glorious.

Really.  I'm going to have our entry remodeled like this.  Too much?

And that's when we were told we couldn't use flash.  Hud was unfamiiar with my little camera.  It took him a bit to figure out how to get the flash off.  Don't ask me.  I know it's my camera.  But I have a shake in my hand from nerve damage so I keep it on this one setting that captures natural light and does a flash.  So we don't have any more from the interior.  Oops. Pretend it's the Reign of Terror, we've come to Versailes, but it's already been looted by the rabble. Quelle dommage!

But Hud figured it out by the time we got to the Trianons, so you'll just have to wait.  Marie Antoinette and Louis had some nice digs.

We're Baaaaaack!

Winterarts is back for another smashing season!

Just a line to let you know that WinterArts is back at Saddle Creek, South, with six new artists and exciting new things from those returning: if you think you've seen it all, head to WinterArts and prepare to be amazed.
 
WinterArts is open 7 days a week, and we stay late on Friday evenings (come join us for a glass of wine, any Friday between now and Christmas).
 
Looking forward to seeing you soon! (& bring a friend who has not yet experienced the wonder of WinterArts ;) 
 

WinterArts 2012 –The South’s Premiere Holiday Artists’ Market presents exceptional & unique hand-crafted gifts by the region’s finest Craft Artists: works in glass, metal, wood, fiber; plus, functional and sculptural ceramics; jewelry, and more! Open daily November 24 through Christmas Eve, at 2055 West Street, in The Shops of Saddle Creek, South, Germantown, TN.  Hours: M-TR & Saturdays 10a to6p; Fr 10 to 9p; Su 1p to 5p. Frequent Food Trucks. For more information: www.winterartsmemphis.com

 

(WinterArts is staged by Artworks Foundation, a non-profit {501(c)3} dedicated to encouraging public awareness of the importance of a vibrant and active arts community.)

 

Turns Out...

I did have one picture of our stay in Gatlinburg that did not include my dear little Zoey.

Just the river from the back steps and my happy monkey feet!

Thanksgiving Love

This  is who I had Thanksgiving with this year.

There is a rumor that the room was filled with 27 people and the world's cutest baby.  I wouldn't know. I only had eyes for Zoey.

Who the heck photoshopped in that man with Zoey?  

Oh, yeah.  I guess we ate something.  We were in the gorgeous mountains in Gatlinburg at the home of my college room mate or something.  Stayed at their River House right on the water or something.  Drank a bunch of moonshine downtown or something.  Did I get any pictures of those? I don't remember.

I miss you, Zoey.  Sigh.

Once Upon a Time...

Fifteen years ago, my dreams came true...

It was a beautiful day, just like today, filled with promise and happiness and love.  And a little mischief.

I thought all of the photographers were in front of us.  But with twenty-seven of them there?  This shot was on the internet by the next morning.  Heeee.

Happy anniversary, Hud.  I love you more now then I did that day.  What do you say we make it another fifteen? 

Fiddy

Yesterday has come and past.  I am well into the second day of my fifty-first year.  That's right.  Yesterday was my fiftieth birthday.  The celebration of making through my fiftieth year on earth.

Yes, I wore my tiara.  Shut up!  If I can't wear it that day, when can I?  Okay, well I do have the tendency to slip in on every now and again to vacuum. 

Hud took me to the Beauty Shop in Cooper Young for lunch. 

We started with some guacamole.  Hud had the pasta special.  A succulent four cheese raviolli with artichoke hearts and spinach.  I know.  Hud.  Requesting artichoke hearts since I forced him at knifepoint to eat one in 1998.

I had the duck cobb salad.  Crispy duck, eggs, and other tasty vegetables served with Green Goddess dressing.  Devine.

The kids were on their best behavior.  Simone even snuggled up on one of the beds in the office with Boudreaux.  She's been cautious with Bou.  He's still a wreckless puppy with a tendency to smash things that land under his feet.  It was a milestone.

Later came Zali's favorite part of the day.  Presents and CAKE!  And my favorite, a lovely bottle of Proseco given to me on Sunday by my friend, Jamie Flowers in honor of my breaking the half century mark.

Simone helped me blow out the candle.  I think it was less of an effort to help than to get to the cake cutting. 

WhyIsThereAllDisStoopitSinging?There'sCAKEOnTheTable,Mommee!

I've always loved birthdays.  To the extent that, as a child, I still thought it was my birthday as long as there was cake left.  My poor parents had to drag out the candles and sing to me every night until it was gone.  And I was stingy with the portions.  I could make a cake drag out for a month.  Easy.

But this one was truly unique.  I feel like I've been celebrating all year. 

Thanks, Hud.  For making me feel so special. 

We'll always have Paris. 

Mona's Creole Cuisine

This year, we celebrated Mona's Creole Cuisine for the Mona Lisa and Moon Pie Krewe parade in Slidell.  I cheated a bit and recycled last year's frog outfits.  We went as frog legs.  I stitched together a couple of pairs of legs for us to carry.  I wish I could have found a wheel chair to push us around in, but alas, that didn't pan out. Charlotte decorated a stroller for us that had a huge plate, knife and fork.  And a ginormous fly for us to eat!

I wasn't the only cheater. Charlotte's son Lowry, repackaged his nutria costume as nutria stew.

He had a giant pot around him for the walk painted with flames.

Charlotte's nephew, Christopher, is a chef.  He runs Christopher's on Cary across the street from the Arcade where we have the Red Beans and Rice Ball after.  His costume, as well as his parents' (Brenda and John) costumes, were a given.

Brenda's Moon Pie cart was tarted up like a dining table.

And Charlotte was a fabulous blue crab.

Charlotte's friends, Addy and Amy went as Wild Rice.

While Amy's dad travelled on his Hov-a-round as a crawfish.

The back of his chair was made up like the shell of the crustacean.  Really cute!

This was the Cereal Killers Krewe.

Of course, they were all properly outfitted as the cartoon characters from the box illustrations.  There was even a Capt'n Crunch, but we failed to bring batteries for the camera.  Waa-wa.

Always dark when we begin, the Flabeaux light our way. Lowry's buds comprised the majority of the torch bearers.

Moon Pie! MOON Pie! MOOOOON PIIIEEEEE!!!  Is still ringing in my ears.

It poured rain all day.  Fifteen minutes before we lined up?  It vanished, leaving a cool night for tossing Moon Pies to the cheering crowds. 

Can't wait until next year!

 

Never Gonna' Give You Up!

True confessions?  I love, love, LOVE the Christmas Holidays.  So much in fact, that for the first time ever at the Hudarosa. I haven't taken down two of my trees.  I KNOW!  But in an effort to remain timely, I flipped them to Mardi Gras trees!

I changed out all the ornaments  and lights to purple, yellow and green.  And hung masks all over them.  This one is in the bedroom.  Yes, the weather has been unseasonably spring-like, so the window is open.  In January.  Blowing warm breezes on my Mardi Gras tree. 

What?

And here's the one in the den.  You're right.  Even the kids are over me.

YouHaveSeriousFweakin'Issues,Ladee.

What?  Oh, look!  Ze grenouilles are sweeming!

But in other news, I finished a GIANT commission that I've been slaving over for months now.  24 pets at a pool party.  Over thirty characters in all.  Hud and I delivered it to its new home this weekend.

Whew.  Now maybe I'll have time to go shopping for the ornaments for the Easter trees.

What?