the crawfish have arrived

 

spring pilgrimage

Many of Mississippi's smaller towns hold an annual event called Spring Pilgrimage, when historic homes are opened up for tours and musical and other events (like Tales from the Crypt) are put on by the town. I went to three homes, all built in the mid-1800s, and all near Columbus' main street district. Though I wasn't allowed to take photos inside, two of them had gigantic gardens that were just beginning to bloom.

The house tours are usually led by groups of ladies dressed up in period costume, though I also got a garden tour by a very enthusiastic 10 year old who managed to get out of school for two weeks for doing this. I also had a long conversation with one of the ladies about their costumes; some of the dresses are indeed from the mid-19th century, but others are made out of curtains, bedspreads, and other household items. Pretty cool.

tales from the crypt

Columbus holds an annual event in the Friendship Cemetery called Tales from the Crypt. Students from the local Math and Science high school conduct research on particular people buried in the cemetery. They then write monologues from the point of view of the deceased and act them out for small groups of people in the cemetery at night.

We went last Friday, and it was AMAZING. The students had their monologues memorized perfectly, they were all dressed up in period costumes, and there were little musical interludes to keep us entertained. And there were a couple of true acting stars in the mix.

I wish I had been able to take photos/film, but we were explicitly asked not to. This shows a bit of what was going on, though:

Some more nighttime shots from Friendship:

dramatic turtle rescue

I found this guy in the middle of a busy road by our house this morning. He was a snapping turtle, and a very feisty one at that, so I had to use my umbrella to drag him to safety. Apparently, if you find a turtle in the middle of the road, you're supposed to always move them in the direction they were already facing. Otherwise, they'll just turn right back around and start over again. They're very stubborn like that.

I had to say goodbye to my umbrella, since the little guy wouldn't give it back to me. He had an incredibly strong hold on it.

it's here

The Wisteria has bloomed! Yes, it is an invasive plant down here, but it is oh so pretty. This one sprung up in back of a Wendy's.