st. paddy's parade

 

When I wrote the dates for the Sisters' Trip 2013 down on my calendar and realized we would be traveling together on St. Patrick's Day, I decided then and there that we would need proper gear to wear for the occasion.
A quick down the dollar aisle at Target and we were in business. I spent the better part of a twenty dollar bill stocking up on scarves and hats to be worn on our trip and at my girl's annual St. Patrick's tea party.
I did not know for sure where we would be "wearing o the green" but I knew we'd be on our trip and be together so I couldn't resist the opportunity for a little sisterly dress up. After all, playing dress up with these girls has been one of my favorite things to do for more than a half century.
I mentioned to the Baby Sister at one of our planning lunches that Natchez might just have a St. Patrick's parade. I knew that there was a fairly large population of Irishmen who settled in Natchez, Frederick Stanton, who built Stanton Hall being one of them.
Sure enough, when we go to the visitor's center to pick up our Pilgrimage tours tickets we also pick up our travelers guide and learn there is a St. Pattys parade right downtown on Saturday night/St. Patrick's Day Eve. The time: immediately after mass (which we were told would be "6'ish.") The route: from the Catholic church downtown to the gazebo on the River.
We'd regretted all day missing a wedding in the Pergola at Monmoth the evening before. We were not about to miss another Natchez event. That evening, we were sitting curbside, in full St. Patrick's regalia when the parade rolled through.
At the corner where we parked we discovered a darling little children's shop that we decided we had to come back to before we departed on Monday. We also discovered how easy it is to chat with folks, admire their children and their pets at a St. Patrick's parade in Natchez, Mississippi. People to pictures of us and we took pictures of them and we even took pictures with some of them.
One of the sisters posted pix on Facebook. There were lots of funny comments made about our hats, especially but one of the comments was not funny. It was from one of my handsome Louisiana nephews who lives in Baton Rouge. The message said that if I was in NOLA or anywhere close to it and did not call him, I was on his bad list.
So what's an auntie to do? I was already on the bad list of several friends and relatives, some of them very close ones, who wanted to know why I didn't call or otherwise make plans to see them. I could not stand the idea of being on any more of those lists and besides this one had planned a big reunion last fall that we were unable to attend for work related reasons so I was already on his list. That, plus the fact that I love him more than my luggage, as they would say on "Steel Magnolias."
I called him. Immediately upon his message being read to me by one of my sisters.