Country Cowboys

So lately, I have developed a hankerin' for autobiographies of country music stars. This new habit was born after reading Dolly Parton's book and now I am the proud owner of George Jones', Loretta Lynn's, and Willie Nelson's autobiographies. Tammy Wynette's is on the way too, hehe. Well, if you love music and great one liners, I recommend you check these bad boys out. Here's a quote from Dolly Parton's book, "If you talk bad about country music, it's like talkin' bad about my momma, them's fightin' words." Another one of my favorite quotes is her answer to the question whether she and Porter Wagoner ever had sex, "Yea, we have had sex a thousand times, just not with each other." So, ya'll check these books out, they are dirt cheap and worth the read. These Opry heroes have lived some heckuva interestin' lives.

Mo' Mondays, Mo' Problems

HI-----DEEE yall!

Been one heckuva week! This little cowgirl got two big ole flat tires. Karma caught up with me for all the heart breakin' and whiskey drinkin' I have been doin' of late. However, I am all patched and fine and better than for the wear. So, let me recap on my weekend for you lovely folks. I was a trophy girl for a beard competition here in the Red Stick. I got to be the lucky gal who got to hand out trophies and prizes for a bunch of fine looking bearded men. I also competed in this said competition, now worries, in the fake beard contest! (Ya'll all know I do have an extra lush beard, haha.) Well, being that I'm not the craftiest filly in the herd, my beard was made by a friend. I rocked that baby with pride though, I managed to strut myself into a finalist position. However, I failed to win. I don't really know how I manage to get myself in the adventures I do. The rest of the weekend involved a homemade crab bisque, watching Feufollet and Brass Bed at the Spanish Moon, and an Earth Day Festival downtown! I decided to stick around the Red Stick for the whole weekend, in order to rest up for my big upcoming weekend...NASHVILLE 2.0! Here's a few of my classic favorite things.


1. The Baton Rouge Levy.

Picture of the Mississippi Bridge in Baton Rouge

I love me some rivers, especially the Mississippi. I finished out a perfect Sunday (full of beer, good food, a funnel cake, Horace Trahan, zydeco dancin', and friends) on the levy watchin' the sun set. Nothing beats the Mighty Mississippi, nothing dammit.

2. Mint Juleps

So, being a Kentuckian, I naturally can make an amazing mint julep. Since it is nearly Derby time, I have already pulled this recipe out of my pocket. Simple syrup, fresh mint, bourbon, and all together over crushed ice makes this gal very happy. Being well raised like I am, if you come to see me, I will even serve your julep in a julep cup, like a proper, Bluegrass woman.

3. BBQ

One of my favorite BBQ places

When summer approaches, I cannot help myself when it comes to BBQ. I swear I think I could just roll around in a good, homemade BBQ sauce. Nothing reminds me more of summer than the smell of a BBQ pit. If you are meat eater, go out and get yourself some BBQ today! It's what keeps me so pretty!

Here's some pictures from the beard competition.

Wild, Wacky Wednesdays

Tip of the day: Just because you are wearing a ten gallon hat and I am wearing cowboy boots does not mean I wanna be your lady.

Mondays, yall!

Hiya folks,

Been a crazy couple of days for me. Went to Nashville and raised a little hell. One night involved whiskey drinkin', New Orleans funk music, two steppin', teachin' an entire bar to two step, stealin' and returnin' a washboard, playin' an Alaskan's banjo, and singing old bluegrass tunes. The other night involved two Alabamans, a dive bar, red cowboy boots, red lips, a brief love affair with a guy from Hank III's band, a camouflage hat, Laylas, flowers, Montana boys, and a love note.  Hot Damn! Good thing I was only in town for 48 hours! I tell ya what ladies and gents, you give me three days and I can take over a dang town.

Well, more details will follow later, but for now here are some of my favorite things from last week:

1. The Reneaus'

I am lucky to have a lot of really, really talented friends. My friend Ashley Cooper Winn is a badass singer/songwriter who just released her first cd. Check it out on ITunes tomorrow. I swear it's pretty dagum good. She writes all her own stuff and has a great band of some of my favorite Kentucky musicians backing her. Watch out for this one, she's good and real purdy.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/TheReneaus

2. FooBar

I grew up not too far from Nashville, yet, I have found a new place. The FooBar is a bar in East Nashville with cheap drinks and good tunes. My friends' played there on Thursday when I was in town---a ragtime band called Woody Pines. There was no cover and it was also four dollar Jamison night. Check it out yall!

http://www.myspace.com/thefoobar

Also, yall, here's a video of Woody Pines playin'. Check em' out.
http://www.woodypines.com/
And here's another, too many to make up my mind!

That's all for now folks. However, one valuable lesson I learned this weekend was cowboys from Montana are tougher than I ever thought, especially to be a bunch of Yanks.

Honky Tonk Heartbreaks

Hiya Folks!

This little lady is headin' North! I am going to Nashville for the weekend, to see some friends, play some tunes, and honky tonk til I fall down. This is one of my old stomping grounds, so watch out Nashville, you better lock up your menfolk. Cannot wait for this little adventure I am taking. I have routed my trip out so I will be stopping to hang out with the Devil in Clarksdale, MS, and then meeting some friends in one of my favorite little hide-outs, Oxford. Finally, I will be resting in Nashville. These are my three favorite places in Nashville.

1. Belcourt Theater
http://www.belcourt.org/

This is my favorite movie theater. It's a historic cinema that hosts shows, new releases, and cult favorites. I promise on my red cowboy boots that you will never find another place quite like the Belcourt. My favorite time to go is when they do staff favorites (movies like Pulp Fiction, Shawn of the Dead, etc.) and they have a costume contest, a themed game during the half of the movie, and themed drinks.

2. The Patterson House
http://thepattersonnashville.com/

Like speak easys? Well, I sure do. This is your modern day speak easy. There is a dress code, no cell phones allowed, and only speciality cocktails. It also is back from the road, so you feel like you are hiding out and drinking, like the true Prohibition Era.

3. Robert's Western World/ Layla's Bluegrass Inn
http://robertswesternworld.com/
http://laylasbluegrassinn.com/

Okay, I cheated a little and combined two places. I normally avoid Broadway in Nashville like the plague, but these are the only two places on the strip that will make me brave the tourists, Yankee accents, and the sea of ten gallon hats on wanna-be cowboys. Luckily, they are right next to one another! Robert's is an old school honky tonk, the music is good, there's dancin, cheap drinks, you name it. You also cannot miss it! It's got a giant cowboy boot sign marking its whereabouts. Only thing is, Robert's gets way too crowded sometimes for me. But, don't worry, that's when a smart cookie like you should just walk over to Laylas. Usually a smaller crowd, and the house band makes me a happy hillbilly. They play old school country (George Jones, Dwight Yoakam, etc) to Chuck Berry covers and do it very, very well. Check both of these places out!

Well ya'll, I'm headin' to the bright lights of Nashville. I have already shined my boots and curled my hair. The dancin' dress is done packed. I am going honky tonkin' and won't come back. Well, I will, but after I break a few hearts first.

Here's a little song for ya'll, get everyone in that Nashville spirit, the "Cowboy Song" by the Red Stick Ramblers:


Later Gators.

Ring the Triangle! It's Dinnertime!

Yippee Ya'll,


It's Springtime! My favorite time of year. I have done nothing lately, but eat myself silly because in LA in the Spring means SEAFOOD!!!! I have been stuffing myself silly with crawfish, crab, shrimp, and whatever else. I have been able to mark my days by the seafood I have been having: Wednesdays equal taco and crawfish night with my jolie blon, Sundays equal grilled oyster night, and Fridays and Saturdays are prime times for a boil. One of my friends and I were talking about the fact in Louisiana Budweiser and other beer brands run ads that are only revelent to Louisiana. Like I was doing some grocery shopping and I saw an add for a "Bud and Boil" and another "Mardis Gras Miller." Apparently, enough beer gets drunk in Louisiana to warrant its own beer ads!!!

Well, my new food highlight has to be the seafood lasuagna that my friend made. It was by far the most decadent thing I have ever consumed and we all know I am not shy to eating! He made this by adding an enormous amount of mozorella cheese, ricotta, cream cheese, crab meat, and shrimp in the traditional noodle-layer lasuagna way. HOLY MACKERAL! Talk about comfort food. I could only eat half a piece and then almost immediately feel asleep with delight in my chair. Wowza. If you want a seaside pick me up, try making your own seafood creation.

Here's some picks from a shrimp boil my lovely friends had last week:

Photo by Gavin Jackson

Photo by Gavin Jackson

Well my dear darlin' friends, I'm scooting off to see and learn more about this place. So ya'll grab a beer or your preferred drink, listen to "Louisiana Hot Sauce" by Sammy Kershaw, and eat something real damn good.  Have ya'll a wonderful week!

Past Week Favorites

Hiya Ladies and Gents,

It's Monday, so that means more of my favorite things from the previous week!

1. Dock Boggs

Dock Boggs (What a handsome fella!)

So, ya'll probably figured out by now that I am a banjo player. Well good folks, I am trying to learn to play all kinds of songs. This fine man has quite a simple way of playing, but has some crazy old tunings that makes his songs one-uva-kind. A friend showed me a tuning to one song and shucks, that got me hooked on Mr. Boggs. Been quite keen on Dock for a good time now. Here's a song for ya'll';

2. Short-alls

Being the very classy lady that I am, I consider myself a serious fan and wearer of Daisy Dukes. However, I have managed to broaden my horizons this last week with a purchase of short-alls. For all of you that don't know, the short-all is the sexy sister of the overalls. It's basically overalls cut off to Daisy Dukes length, thus, making them short-alls. Always the fan of backwoods, country wear, I obtained a pair of short-alls to help get me through the hot Louisianne summer that is impending. What's a girl supposed to do in sticky, Southern, summer heat? Show a little thigh, that's the answer.

These are a child's pair of short-alls. No worries, I have a grown-up pair!

3. Mark Twain

So, I am a little bit of a bookworm. Believe it or not, I do find time between all my adventures of drinking, music, food, and rambling around to read a good book. I have been on a major Mark Twain kick. He's my main squeeze right now. I think living so dagum close to the Mississippi River has got me a little obsessed. I am currently reading Pudd'nhead Wilson. I get kinda roped in by authors. I started my reading his autobiography and now---Shew Wee---I may be in love. Only a genius can come up with characters like Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, and Hellfire Hotchkiss. I cannot, I mean it, CANNOT recommend Mr. Twain enough. Also, you may want to start with his autobiography because his life story is just if not more entertaining than his novels.







Well, all ya'll have a wonderful Monday and no worries I will be back soon with more adventures!
Here's another Memphis Minnie for ya: