Spring, Festivals, and the New Normal:
My husband and I love our Louisiana festivals. COVID robbed us of our festival-going for two years, and we hailed the return of Jazz Fest, Bayou Boogaloo, and Greek Fest. We munched on Louisiana delicacies like crawfish Monica, oyster patties, crawfish bread, and fish tacos at Jazz Fest and Boogaloo. During Greek Fest, we ate Greek salad, souvlaki, and lamb. (Well, my husband loves lamb. I can’t eat it without thinking of the lamb I raised as a child). We drank Mavrodaphne wine and watched the sun set along Bayou St. John.
This first weekend in June, we journeyed to Flowood, a town outside of Jackson, Mississippi to enjoy the Celtic Festival. We heard wonderful Celtic music, participated in a whiskey tasting, and gazed at amazing work by talented artisans. The foot-stomping reels and heart-rending ballads spoke to my soul, returning me to the land of my ancestors.
No, life is not quite normal. Tomorrow, we will take our COVID tests to see if we are safe. We have come to realize that life will never be the same as it was three years ago; however, we have each other, and seeing the smiles as well as the joy of others as we all participate in life provides the sense of community with others we’d so missed.
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I am thrilled with having a new new normal. I’ve attended five plays this year. And it was wonderful. We had to show proof of vaccination and be masked but it was so worth it and felt so good to see the live theater again. I have yet to go in to any festivals. But I am flying to Canada tomorrow to do a movie. And that’s so thrilling. Enjoy your festivals!
I’m just glad to see people again!
My BIL lives in Jackson. Wish I’d known about the festival nearby, as both my husband’s and my family are part Irish! We saw HAIR last week and a few gathered at my home prior to the play. We all had tested and then the theater asked for vaccination cards of proof of negatives. Everyone in the audience wore masks. It’s been 5 days and I feel fine……stay safe!