March 8: Mini Mardi Gras

The brewery hosting me for two nights is having a Mardi Gras party. Cajan music is coming in my open windows. (The high today was 81. At 7pm it's still 72 degrees, going down to 55 by sunrise.) I never had boiled crawfish before, so I tried two cooked up by Voodoo Q – along with a dozen shrimp and a glass of King Cake Brew – and am sure I won't ever be having another. Those little creatures could make me a vegan again.

I am beginning to understand that things really are bigger in Texas. The flat lands with not even a tree that go on forever. Miles and miles of cows in pastures. Six-lane highways. Bridges over rivers, bays, and bayous. In all those instances, there is pretty much nothing to stop the wind so gusts try to get my bus to change lanes. And the distances between places!! I spent most of my life in Connecticut where you could get to anywhere in two hours or less. Here, two hours barely gets you to the next county. (Trivia: It would take 48 Connecticuts to equal the size of Texas.)

I still haven't found the fix for my sink faucet, and I can't seem to keep the round mirror on the passenger's side from flopping around no matter how I tighten the bolts, when I went to fill my windshield washer fluid reservoir this morning, the gallon of blue stuff poured out onto the ground, my paper towels unrolled while I drove, and I spent 25 minutes without AC waiting for emergency vehicles to reopen the highway.

On the flip side, I discovered H-E-B Grocery stores that are now my favorite. With the huge selection of prepared foods, I'd never cook again. And while it's a Texas company, it supports Democrats ... making it all the sweeter. (Our dollars are powerful. Please spend yours wisely. Visit goodsuniteus.com before you buy.) My Aldi cart was free today (so I left it out for the next person), doors were held open for me, the Planet Fitness I showered at had hair dryers, I saw flowers, and I found diesel for only $3.29 a gallon. I gave two young children a tour of Karmalita and even put up the hammock for then to try. Now I am about to plot some beaches on a map, review my to do list, and start writing my review of a book about making Druid wands.