Shove Tuesday AKA Mardi Gras

Sorting By Color  

While I made our traditional pancakes for Shove Tuesday, Bella opted, on her own with no adult prompting, to sort her colored balls, picking out all the pinks ones and packing them into a tube. I know I’m a doting grandmother, however I think this is pretty advanced for a 27-month-year-old. I may follow up on my promise to buy Candyland and play with her.

Last year at Mardi Gras, I was crazily packing before selling our house and moving to Key Biscayne, but in 2018, I was visiting Mary in Pensacola.  If that city weren’t so far from all my family, I would have considered it as a possible retirement place. Small enough to be friendly; large enough to have a Unitarian Universalist congregation, some art and theater, plus it’s close to the beach. And there’s all the lovely knitters at Dixie Knits who gave us the skinny on Pensacola.

Glass Pumpkin Sale. 

In October, as we awaited Bella’s arrival (and Ryan’s from San Diego), Mary and I went to the annual blown-glass pumpkin sale that benefits the local art center. Those in the know lined up early, early, or bought tickets to the gala which gave them preview access the night before and the opportunity to buy one pumpkin. If you’re adding to a collection or want a pumpkin from a specific artist, I’d recommend the gala. We opted to take our chances. After comparing many pumpkins, Mary found one in UM colors, and I managed to resist buying any.

King’s Cake Doughnut 

In February, I returned to Pensacola. We ate King’s cake and doughnuts with purple frosting; we went to the day parade and the slightly more risqué one at night; and we collected beads, so many beads. I felt guilty how many strings of beads we amassed. All that plastic for just a few days of wearing. However, the people of Pensacola have another plan.

Our Loot 

After choosing a few of our favorite strings of beads, we bagged up the rest and carried them to the grocery store to be recycled. Local companies hire people to sort the beads which are sold back to the krewes that create the floats for the parades. Very clever.

A Few of My Favorite Beads  

The Krewes’ Award Party