Wednesday, February 24, 2010

R.I.P. Daddy

Since recently losing my dog of almost 13 years, I am saddened to hear Cesar Milan lost his beloved Daddy.  As a fan of the show, I have watched Daddy rehabilitate numerous other troubled dogs and am reminded of my Maxwell.  You see, Max didn't exactly "rehab" dogs, he helped us TRAIN the dogs we have added to the family.  He trained an Irish Setter, two goldens, and "babysat" a yellow lab belonging to my daughter.  Believe me.... the added dogs new their place and the rules because of Max.  We are now down to one golden.  The Tank.  Tank just turned 3 this past January and is remarkable.  Ok, maybe not the sharpest tool in the shed.... but well behaved and knows the rules.  Thank you Max!!  And RIP Daddy.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Happy Fat Tuesday

Beyond Masks, Beads, King Cakes, Food, Parades and whatever other Frolicking you would like to imagine…. There is an interesting history about Mardi Gras. Also, a MOST interesting tidbit not mentioned in this, is the fact that our very own midwestern city of St. Louis, MO has one of the most fantastic Mardi Gras parades and celebrations ever!!! This I write from experience :)

In French, "Mardi Gras" literally means "Fat Tuesday," so named because it falls on the day before Ash Wednesday, the last day prior to Lent...a 40-day season of prayer and fasting observed by the Roman Catholic Church (and many other Christian denominations) which ends on Easter Sunday. The origin of "Fat Tuesday" is believed to have come from the ancient Pagan custom of parading a fat ox through the town streets. Such Pagan holidays were filled with excessive eating, drinking and general bawdiness prior to a period of fasting.

Since the modern day Carvinal Season is sandwiched between Christmas and Lent, with Christmas Day being December 25 on the Gregorian Calendar as set by the Roman Catholic Church, this means that other Holy Days are "floating" in nature. Easter always falls on a Sunday, but it can be any Sunday from March 23 through April 25, its actual date being the Sunday which follows the first Full Moon after the Spring Equinox. Mardi Gras is always 47 days prior to this alloted Sunday (the 40 days of Lent plus seven Sundays). The beginning of the Carnival Season itself, however, is also fixed...being January 6, which is the Feast of the Ephiphany, otherwise known as Little Christmas or Twelfth Night.

Since the date of Mardi Gras thus varies, the length of the Carnival Season also varies accordingly from year-to-year. The origin of the word "Carvinal" is from the Latin for "farewell to the flesh," a time when one is expected to forego earthly pleasures prior to the restrictions of the Lenten Season, and is thought to be derived from the feasts of the Middle Ages known as carnis levamen or "solace of the flesh."

The first American Mardi Gras was celebrated near modern-day New Orleans on March 3, 1699. It wasn't until the mid-1800s did official parade organizations start to form with the Mystick Krewe of Comus in 1856 and the Krewe of Rex in 1872. The tradition is still carried on in New Orleans with many other krewes represented on floats in a myriad of parades.

The traditional colors of Mardi Gras are purple (symbolic of justice), green (symbolic of faith) and gold (symbolic of power). The accepted story behind the original selection of these colors originates from 1872 when the Grand Duke Alexis Romanoff of Russia visited New Orleans. It is said that the Grand Duke came to the city in pursuit of an actress named Lydia Thompson. During his stay, he was given the honor of selecting the official Mardi Gras colors by the Krewe of Rex...thus, did these colors also become the colors of the House of Romanoff. The 1892 Rex Parade theme ("Symbolism of Colors") first gave meaning to the representation of the official Mardi Gras colors. Interestingly, the colors of Mardi Gras influenced the choice of school colors for the Lousiana arch-rival colleges, Louisiana State University and Tulane University. Whe LSU was deciding on its colors, the stores in New Orleans had stocked-up on fabrics of purple, green and gold for the upcoming Mardi Gras Season. LSU, opting for purple and gold, bought a large quantity of the available cloth. Tulane purchased much of the only remaining color...green (Tulane's colors are green and white).

So I bid you Happy Tuesday and…. Laissex Les Bons Temps Rouler!!

Monday, February 1, 2010

Monday... February 1st 2010

Oh my.  What will I do if the groundhog sees his shadow tomorrow???  I will add more MUFAs to my diet.  That's right.... I am on a MUFA kick.  This is the 3rd day and so far so good.  Nuts, seeds, olives, oils, chocolate, it is my kind of diet.  I ate my first portabella (sp?) mushroom burger last night and liked it!  I also tried feta cheese and, you guessed it, I liked it.  I baked a cranberry walnut scone... delicious! 

It won't replace the sun and spring on its way, but hey.... something to focus on!  Happy Groundhog Day!