Shocking Fever Outbreak......

There is a fever that has hit my city.
It's shocking actually.
I haven't seen anything like it here...not like this.
I have seen small outbreaks of it from time to time but nothing of this magnitude.

The store shelves are stripped, people are dazed and walking around not much unlike those with "Dingue fever."

The traffic has been horrendous too. I didn't expect or for see this happening but here it is and it's amazing what has happened to our city and the surrounding areas. But I am now understanding what is going on. And it is amazing.

Yesterday, Miss Priss and I made a "quick run" (right) to a store to pick up a few groceries and other items. We drove to a store that we normally don't go to because it's a tad further away than our neighborhood stores which I always try to support but I needed to look at a few things that they don't carry.
Important and crucial "life" things like...."glitter and ribbons and such."
Hummm.

Off we went down the little Highway....it's not far actually from us....I just don't like going there for other reasons so I haven't been in months. However it's just over our Parish (they call "Counties" Parishes here) boarder and just outside of the city limits. Maybe 8-10 miles from our house.

I was shocked at the traffic. Which I wasn't expecting at 3:30 in the afternoon. But....whatever. Once we got to the store..it was overwhelmed by people. Again....shocking.

Of course like I mentioned yesterday it was WARM here...we got up to about 83 degrees so everyone had on flip flops and shorts and Capri pants...they were on motorcycles like a normal summer or spring or WINTER day here in LA.

Then I noticed what was in their carts and how people were dressed. Massive amounts of "Purple, White and Gold" clothing was being worn by everyone. Well...in fact....I had on a brand new "Purple Shirt" myself I had gotten for Christmas.
Which while shopping I received MANY compliments on. HA! Funny.

But the shopping carts were FILLED with snacks of all sorts and MASSIVE amounts of MEAT! Wow.

Once we got into the store...we started to notice entire aisles that were STRIPPED of all the "Chips" and the "Salas were out" and the "SODA was gone" you could just forget buying a "store brand" 2 Lt. we had to buy canned sodas.

The store looked as if .....there was a "Hurricane coming".....I'm not joking. I've seen these things before so I know how it operates. Right before a "storm" everything gets "wiped out."

But I know we don't have any hurricanes in the Gulf right now so it had to be something else going on.

Later I had to run with my son Luke to Target for a dresser he wanted that they had on sale for his room.....and there too, the SAME exact thing was happening. People everywhere...plus the traffic situation was WORSE...this was nearly 7:30 on a Sunday night. Amazing.

On our way home.....we had to make another grocery store stop to drop off some movies in the "RED BOX" that we had rented. That store was over run too. I went inside and bought a special "Cake."

I mean if there is a "fever outbreak"......we had better have cake to eat....that's what I am saying. Hot Tea and Cake always help fevers.....don't they?

Well..Hot Tea maybe. Ooops.....we aren't even having "Hot Tea".....ummm.....we are going to be drinking the classic drink of the South tonight....."SWEET TEA!"Ummmm.....!

Not sure on the cake bit regarding fevers...but it sounded right for the moment.
It was that "Feed a Fever, starve a Cold thing"....Plus this one was a prettily decorated one.....in "Purple and Gold" with some lettering on it. Interesting.

I have now learned the name of this outbreak.....it's the
"Tiger Fever!" Which is possibly similar to "Cat Scratch Fever" in many ways.
This "Tiger Fever" though.....has hit this state in a big way and our town has got it some BAD!!!

Which is okay. We need some "positive" things to happen after so many years of some bad things happening. Our state has been in a SLOW process of "recovery" for a few years now...even before the two hurricanes.

People need good things to keep them going from time to time.
It helps them to refocus at times and I realize the great importance to everyone in this fever matter.....

It's not every year that your town's State University goes to the "National Championship" Bowl Game.

I don't want to say alot about this because I am not wanting to sound or even to be "prideful" about this game....but I am happy for our University and our Football team which has many good and fine young men on it. They have worked hard this year to get to where they are at.

There is a sense of "unity" that is taking place in the city and the state.....everyone is on the "same page" for a cause that isn't evil or dark....it's just for fun.
And everyone is anxious and excited and feverish.

My family has the FEVER too.....and has all season.
I know it seems silly. I think it's totally silly as well but it's like you can't stop it....it overtakes you.
Like a rash. This crazy fever....It IS "Contagious!" Really it is.

This year our Christmas photo was of my kids....in the SNOW.....while we were in the Midwest for Thanksgiving.....wearing all LSU garb. It's cute actually and everyone has loved it. Well pretty much. Not all our family. HA!

That's because their teams didn't do so well this year.
Oh well. There's always next year...besides you all are getting one of our coaches from here to take over your entire TEAM so calm down okay??? :~)
Again....it's just a game.
Besides...your people had their chances in the past and one year you all WON their National Championship.

This LSU team never has...well they won a few years ago under another coach but not this team under this coach.... and I LOVE it when the underdog gets an oppertunity to win.....no matter what team they are. Hence....MISSOURI and KANSAS!!!
There have been some GREAT bowl games this year!

I know that other cities have had it before.....and I know it will reside.....after tonight. Ugh! IF we can just make it through the evening without suffering heart attacks and fever relapses.

I must get started on that "Velveeta Dip" my husband loves and thaw out about 500 "Chicken Wings" and begin to "prep" other such "delicacies" that one eats when they have the "Tiger Fever."

There are a few errands I need to run today but....I may wait until tomorrow because of the rampant fever outbreak out there....

Plus I need to check my temperature and see how I'm doing as well. My husband just called a bit ago to check on me...and the "Chicken wings"..making sure all was "well" with them. I mean me.

I'm feeling a bit "clamy".....I may need to go lay back down for awhile.
I think it's going to be a LONG and stressful night. Ugh.

For now...I'm going to join in with "Scarlett O'Hara" in thinking....
"I won't think of it now. I can't STAND IT NOW. I'll think of it later. "GEAUX TIGERS!!!

“Must stop playing and get serious”

It's New Years Eve Day, and the the weather has been GORGEOUS outside...it's 70'ish right now...hard to imagine for the LAST day of 2008.

And although I feel like I have so many emotions and thoughts running throughout my mind....I've been doing CRAZY things all day long.

Like.....taking Miss Priss to get a "root canal" this morning at 9:00am...usually I can't even MOVE at 9:00 but today was a real "GIFT from God" to me so... off we went.
Amazingly.....I was up at 7:00 and getting ready to run for the day.
Good. Very good.

Once getting Miss Priss settled and after chatting with our dentist's wife.....who is a friend of mine....I "ventured" up Perkin's road which is NORMALLY a "nightmare" road here in B.R.

Ugh.....HORRIBLE construction...widening of the road..etc. etc....and then once you get close to Bluebonnet....it's like "PULL MY HAIR OUT SOMEONE PLEASE" because the traffic is so horrible...add in the construction on a major new "UPSCALE" Mall "Perkins Rowe" and Condo's AND...road construction.

The Baton Rouge city "planners" are nuts, I must say.

I know about these things because we lived here for 8 years...before moving away for 7 years.
Then we moved back and the city's "infrastructure" still was BAD.

Then....South Louisiana got hit by TWO not one....but TWO "Category 5hurricanes" within ONE months time of each other.

Baton Rouge was overwhelmed by Hurricane Katrina evacuees already....and I mean....thousands.....and thousands.....by some estimates......our city grew by 300 thousand people OVERNIGHT. Then add in some Rita evacuees.....

I'm not complaining about people fleeing and coming here to town.
God bless them I would have done just what they did and we all were very welcoming of them all coming.

The thing I'm talking about is an already "busting at the seams" over-CROWEDED city......cramming more people onto the roads.
Roads are just part of it....the schools have been hit hard too but that is another subject for another day.

Lord have mercy. It's been crazy ever since.
Not as bad mind you as those first days after hurricane Katrina but it's never, ever, been the same. Nor do I think it ever will be.

Traffic has always has been pretty bad in this city.....but now certain areas are even MORE wretched.

This area I was in today....I normally "boycott"....but I took a chance at traveling into that "zone" because it was already after the "8:00am work traffic".....today it is New Years Eve and people are off work...AND I had some spare time that I had to burn in that part of town.

First thing I did was......I checked out the brand new grocery store called
"Fresh Market" and it's lovely. Very nice and new and prissy.
It has a "to die for" Deli. Absolutly impressive.

However...I thought this store was going to be like another "Whole Foods" which I LOVE to shop at.

In fact, it's not similar to them at ALL. But they had some fine "Classical music" going on in there. That was nice.

This grocery store is mainly "Gourmet" type foods......which wasn't what I was looking for.
I was looking for the "Organic...Gluten Free....Natural" stuff...and that's not what they are all about...so I was in and out in a flash.

I spent an entire $4.00 there...I purchased some overpriced Banana's because I needed some at the house and some discounted German Chocolates, Truffles and such to eat tonight....yummmmm.

I remembered that they had just built a brand, spanking NEW "Barnes and Noble" store beside one of my MOST favorite restaurant's in ALL of Baton Rouge...."Le Madeline's"...so it was either go to Le Madeline's and EAT or go to Barnes and Noble which was open at 9:30am.....so since I had JUST ate one of my newly purchased Banana's....I choose Barnes and Noble.

Now I LOVE a good book store. I could NEVER work in one (unless I owned it) because I would spend MORE than what I could ever make working there.....inside the store.

I rarely go to Barnes and Noble here in town because the one we had is so far away from me and I don't like it that much.

I always go to Book's a Million.....it's not as upscale but their discount card is a greater discount and they have a decent coffee shop, etc. AND it's close to where I like to shop at......so I go there ALL the time.

But I have to say......this new store...."took my breath away"....I felt bad for my sad, dumpier looking "BAM store." I felt like I was "betraying" them.

I FORCED myself to "behave" in there...and put some things back on the shelf.....and only bought "discounted" items that I found for 50% off. Good girl.

Although I do plan on going back though one day with my friend Nora and we might as well do lunch next door too.
Yikes!!

Poor Miss Priss called......she had so much drainage and infection in this tooth she was having fixed that they couldn't really complete it. Ugh!
She has to go back in a week.....after another ROUND of anti-biotics she's started today.

I went back to get her at the Dentist then we went to another plaza area....and returned a robe....bought Miss Priss a purple scarf...and a greatly discounted.... "Red wooden box" chock full of "Godiva Chocolate" products and some nice "Lindt Chocolates in a very sweet, little tin that I will keep and use as well.
I would have just bought the very CUTE box for the money but the Godiva stuff was a bonus we figured.

Next...we had to drop the prescription off and get some groceries....in FACT..I bought enough groceries to get us through a "Midwest Blizzard"...what's up with that?
As if there won't be any food left in town tomorrow?
That was crazy.

Then we grabbed some "drive through" lunch.....not good. Then rented some movies to watch tonight, then went to the bank.

We drove home and ate....I checked my e-mails....and then Miss Priss took a nap.....and I left and went to TWO more shops!

What is this "Shopping madness" today??

I have other stuff I need to do important stuff....like "reflect".....which I have done and will continue to do throughout the afternoon and evening.

For now...I am "playing"...I went out into the yard and snapped this photo of one of my rosebushes that is going WILD....it's a climber but it's been blooming like mad since Christmas Day!

Don and the two boys were home very early and were getting in on the crazy day themselves by "lifting weights" on the back patio.
That was crazy.
Even my husband was doing it....his poor face was so red and I was afraid he might have a brain aneurysm....but he said..."let us be MEN!"....

To which I said....."Booooo RRRah...you GO for it guys!"
And then left them to continue to flash their testosterone around like cave men.

Since the weather is sooooo wonderful....people in our neighborhood are mowing and raking and taking down Christmas decorations outside.
OF course..I started to do that too.

I just took down my little outside "yard flag"....the Christmas one....and replaced it with a "Valentine's Day" one.......hummmmm.....that feels WEIRD.
Sort of early huh?? It's only December 31st. I keep forgetting.

Today I bought all the ingredients (and more)to make that "Mexican fifty thousand layer bean dip" for tonight while we are watching the movies I rented.

My house is cluttered...I'm scattered as "Buckshot" today for some reason....and I have a million things I COULD be doing...yet here I sit typing my brains out.

I "MUST stop playing and get serious!!"
Does that sound like "Bridget Jones??"

My Cousin put that on her blog the other day and she wondered if it was a
"Bridget Jones quote." But I sort of checked into it and I don't think it is actually from the movies.

Although I am not a Bridget Jones authority.

We are going to ponder that Bridge Jones stuff a bit more later.....because I have a few "thoughts"....hummm so stay tuned.

Possibly if there is too much Mexican bean dip happening around here...because that's as wild as it's going to get at our house tonight...and I don't make it back on here to say so....
MAY you all have a HAPPY AND BLESSED New Year.
Cheers!
JM
See you next year!
I hate when people do that. HA!