01/05/19, Saturday

Wow, that seems like a bigger offense than nice jeans!

Now I'm wondering what I'm even doing in life, as I do not have a ballgown or occasion to wear one! I do have a few snazzy ****tail length dresses(one with it's own petticoat!) that I have worn to a black tie optional gala. (Where the ladies generally looked very lovely, but there were gentlemen who believed black tie optional meant crew neck sweaters and kaki Dockers. This probably would not fly in NOLA)

Oh yes ... ball gowns are a NOLA wardrobe staple. And last night the men didn't wear tuxedos, but tails! As my friend explained, all men down here own tuxedos, white dinner jackets, tails.

BTW, yesterday afternoon at a consignment clothing boutique I looked at second-hand ballgowns and realized that is definitely the way to travel down here. Buy one, wear it, turn it back in for cash or credit when someone else needs a ballgown cheap. ;)

Greetings 12th Night Revelers

Jeez, I didn't know Mardi Gras started so early - Ann caught without a ball gown. That would be me - I own nothing fancy. What I used to have was fat stuff and that's all gone. But Ann, it sounds like you are getting a lot out of NOLA and we love hearing about it.

Forgot to weight. Just as well - two slices of a small veggie pizza last night. I felt pretty stuffed. Gallery duty this afternoon and the rains have just started. There is supposed to be a big storm all weekend. Hope we don't lose power - spoils all the tv watching.

For some unknown reason I bought some Jimmy Dean sausage muffin breakfast sandwiches. I am sick of gy. But I ate one (minus half the bread) and hated it. If DH doesn't like them they go in the trash.

BB your food ideas sound great. I am not much up for cooking these days but will do chicken soup for the football game monday.

My brother came through the surgery for his leg ok just now. My SIL has no idea how long he will be in the hospital or where he will go to rehab. She just waits for someone to tell her stuff - doesn't seem to occur to her to find out. There is a pretty good rehab place near their house so I think she should get after it to get him in there. I found out he broke his leg slipping on ice at a gas station.

My DH will have his hernia repair Jan 18th. Glad it's scheduled.

Well maybe more later. Gotta get ready for gallery duty. Its going to be cold up there. Wish I had Cecily's heated throw. For years I had electric blankets and so loved them. Then I got married.

Hugs all. Diane S

Ha, bought those Jimmy Dean Light Breakfast Sandwiches too. I don't know what possessed me, because since WLS 6 years ago, I don't generally like processed foods like that. Anyhow, my son and his roommates were the recipients of a big Costco sized box.

I kinda like those for some unknown reason!

Well I like egg McMuffins and these were on English muffins so I thought they would be similar. Not so.

and I think jeans may have accompanied the bowling shirt. My friend and I howled about that cruise for years.

Hello,

I snowshoed today, but it was in the Cascades instead of Mt Rainier. Rainier is inaccessible because of (drumroll......) the shutdown! Gates are left wide open but no snowplows so the roads into the park are blocked.

Onward.

Cecily, you asked about weight vests. I increased to 30 lbs in a standard weight vest this last week. With little 3 lb weights strategically placed in front and back and walking in my neighborhood, this felt aok. Also last week, I increased the weight in my backpack to 24 lbs.....it was all just sitting at the bottom of the pack. Going uphill my shoulders complained. (My whining self insists on pointing out that my usual pack weight adds another 7 lbs to the load.) Next week I'll go to somewhere around 28-30 lbs in the backpack (plus that stinkin' 7) but I'll figure out a way to spread the weight better.

A few pics below of the snowshoe. The bottom on looks black and white but is really its full color. (This is why we need trees or our whole world would look black and white.)

I learned today, by the way, that the moss in the trees is the same spanish moss that is NOLA. Random tangent: I had a student once that was getting married and her "flower" was moss. Very, VERY Pacific Northwest wedding!

Did NOT know that about the Northwest and NOLA mosses being the same moss. I'll spread that information around down here today.

Somehow I think that must feel heavier than if you weighed 30 pounds more. Maybe the weight distribution is the key? Lovely pics! As much of a bummer as it is to not get into Rainier, hopefully that means the park isn't getting trashed like so many of the others with no park staff around!