Pinetop Perkins RIP

Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins

It is with deep sadness that we announce that Pinetop Perkins passed away on Monday, March 21, 2011 at his home in Austin, TX. Arrangements are pending and will be announced as soon as they are formalized. ENTER SITE

©2011 Onnie Heaney - Cruzin' the Bluz

History of the King Cake

History behind the King Cake...



As part of our Christian faith, the coming of the wise men bearing gifts to the Christ Child is celebrated twelve days after Christmas. We refer to this as the Feast of the Epiphany or Little Christmas on the Twelfth Night. This is a time of celebration, exchanging gifts and feasting. Today, the tradition continues as people all over the world gather for festive Twelfth Night celebrations. A popular custom was and still is the baking of a special cake in honor of the three kings called "A King's Cake."



Inside every cake is a tiny baby (generally plastic now, but sometimes this baby might be made of porcelain or even gold). The tradition of having King Cake Parties has evolved through time, and the person who receives the slice of cake with the baby is asked to continue the festivities by hosting the next King Cake party.



Originally, King Cakes were a simple ring of dough with a small amount of decoration. Today's King Cakes are much more festive. After the rich Danish dough is braided and baked, the "baby" is inserted. The top of the ring or oval cake is then covered with delicious sugar toppings in the traditional Mardi Gras colors of purple, green and gold.



In more recent years, some bakeries have been creative with stuffing and topping their cakes with different flavors of cream cheese and fruit fillings.



January 6, the Twelfth Night after Christmas, is also the day our Mardi Gras season begins. Mardi Gras Day is always 47 days prior to Easter Sunday (Fat Tuesday is always the day before Ash Wednesday).



So, in Louisiana especially, Mardi Gras season and King Cakes go hand in hand with literally hundreds of thousands of King Cakes consumed at parties and office lunch rooms every year.



Ordering King Cakes over the internet has now become an annual tradition by consumers all around the world - and many of our bakers offer them year round. After all, you can't have a Mardi Gras party without a King Cake!

"RIP Ginger" GG

Good-Bye, My Friend 



Oh, Ginger, do you recall,

When you made this house your home?

You were just a ball of fluff,

Not even halfway grown,

You stumbled when you learned to walk,

It was hard to steer four legs;

you learned to sit, and stay, and come,

And, of course, you learned to beg.

You loved those walks we used to take, 

you never left my side;

And if I got my car keys out,

You were ready for a ride.

You sensed when I was happy,

Or was feeling kind of low;

You'd rub up against my knee,

You always seemed to know.

You'd fetch a ball or get a toy,

Without even being told;

But, was you face crestfallen,

If I felt the need to scold.

You found the outside world exciting,

Do you remember your first snow?

You'd not come back inside the house,

Because you loved it so.

Going to the vets for shots,

I guess was your greatest fear:

You seemed to know each scheduled date,

Though you went but once a year.

I never once felt lonely,

As long as you were here;

You were at my feet or at my side,

You constantly were near.

Oh, I am going to miss you,

No question about that;

But, Ginger, for your pain to go,

I had to send you back.

You're going back to heaven now,

From whence long ago you came;

You'll be welcomed back by God, Himself,

Who knows your doggy- name.

I think there's blue hand balls up in heaven,

And rubber, squeaky toys;

And angels who will play with you,

And little girls and boys.

But, there won't be any thunderstorms,

And no vets with shots up there;

You won't even need a leash,

You'll run freely in God's air.

And when my time on earth is done,

And at heaven's gate I'm near,

I don't want any harps or horns,

Just... happy barks to hear.

So, see you later, Ginger,

I'm glad you're now pain-free;

And I'm glad you're sitting next to Jesus,

Now... you wait right there for me.

     

 

Update to Hambone's Mexican Christmas Party

I recd a thank you note from Linda Love today...(the girl that the Christmas gifts went to for her grandchildren, from Nabors Chev) As I told ya'll, the morning I delivered the gifts to Nabors, she started crying and said that that Hambone was still here taking care of her. I could feel his presence there with me that morning.


Her Note:

"I really am grateful and hope that you know how happy I am to be telling you so."

She wrote::::It is with a sincerely grateful heart that I thank you for the loving gift you gave my family for Christmas. This only goes to show that Christmas is still about Christ and is in your hearts. I pray for you a bounty of blessings and may God always keep you in his hands. With love, Linda Love and Family



She said it was the best Christmas those children had ever had.....I thank all of you, too. Love Patsy

ps...she laughed and told me that a stray dog has shown up at Nabors and she just knows that it is The Hambone, ha



PATSY HAMILTON

TAX DEPARTMENT

INFOLAB INC CLARKSDALE

patsyhamilton@infolabinc.com

Blues Harmonica Jam Camp

Gindick's Blues


HARMONICA


JAM CAMP NEWS

"Information, Experience, Inspiration"

 

@

 

Hopson Plantation http://www.hopsonplantation.com/
       
March 22-26 2011
May 24-28 2011
September 27-Oct 1 2011
                                                                              
So Much to Share!/

I hope that you are happilly harping and jamming

and pursuing your musical dreams.

Please remember that my business is helping you

get better on harp. Don't be shy.

Check out my websites and see your many options.

http://www.gindick.com/

http://www.bluesharmonicajamcamp.com/

http://www.musically-hopeless.com/

http://www.youtube.com/jamcamp06

http://www.jongindickband.com/

http://www.sonnyboyclub.com/



Damn I've got a lot of websites!





I am very happy to report that we have gotten the Sonny Boy Club

off the ground and in two weeks we have raised over a thousand dollars.

Please check out the website I built (all by myself I might add)

and also the Tutwiler Health Clinic Website.

It's a tremendous opportunity for harp players to make a tangible difference

in the lives of Sonny Boy's people.

Please if appropriate, make a contribution spread the word.

Here's the basic idea.



MS Blues Trail

Check out the MS Blues Trail. MDA will now be starting to work the Country Music Trail.
www.msbluestrail.org

Mississippi Blues Trail License Plates

MISSISSIPPI BLUES TRAIL LICENSE PLATES ARE NOW AVAILABLE

INDIANOLA, MS - After working for almost two years to get Mississippi Blues Trail license plates approved by the state legislature, pre-sold to meet the required minimum, in production, and available at the local tax assessors' offices, members of the Mississippi Blues Foundation can finally see the fruits of their labor. "We had a Blues Trail marker unveiling in Benoit this week, and it was a great feeling to see several vehicles there with the new tags," said Janet Webb, a member of the Miss. Blues Foundation. Luther Brown, who is also a member of the Blues Foundation and a major proponent of the license plates, attended the unveiling and echoed the sentiments of Webb. They explained that it had not necessarily been an easy sell early on when they were trying to get people to commit to purchase a tag, not knowing exactly when they would reach the magic number of 200 to satisfy the minimum requirement. There were also people who wanted to wait until closer to the time that their current tags would expire.

These specialty tags cost $31 extra, with $24.50 of that going to the Miss. Blues Commission to help fund its projects, including aid for older musicians as well as helping with expenses of the Miss. Blues Trail marker program. Brown, who is the director of the Delta Center at Delta State University, conducts many bus and blues tours throughout the year and knows how important the exposure of the Blues Trail is to visitors to the state. "It's like a miniature billboard," Brown said. "Someone may see the tag and start asking questions about the Trail, and it gives us a great opportunity to tell the person about our musical heritage and how proud we are of that," he continued.

Now that the license plates are in production, anyone interested in having one can order it from their tax assessor's office. It typically takes from seven to ten days to receive it after the order is placed. Webb thinks that the final product was worth the wait. "I've had many people call me and tell me how proud they are to finally have it on their car," she said.