La Fin de Semaine

 vendredi le 4

duty on the Gallery, mass at 8 am to welcome two Religious of the Sacred Heart back to Grand Coteau, gouter of chocolate chip cookies under the link afterward. 

samedi le 5

workshop on vineraire at Monique's prairie land, Birria pizza and Horchata in Opelousas with the boys

dimanche le 6

taught a Louisiana French class online, Monique's party, painting, Creole Renaissance Festival in Rayne to see J. Paul and the Zydeco Nubreeds and Keith Frank and the Soileau Zydeco Band

lundi le 7 

two neighbor women called for herbs, I gave them freshly dug lizard's tail from Frozard Community Garden, elderberry pith for the eyes, manglier, sweet olive flower oil, vineraire

Prairie des Femmes Earth Pigments

​I spent this Labor Day weekend here in the Prairie participating in Monique Verdin's annual land celebration here at her land in the Prairie. 

On Saturday I gave a workshop on vineraire to a group of women and we made smudges and drank iced mint tea. 

On Sunday we had a party with lots of good food. Joey made white beans and sausage on the braise and there was so much watermelon and fresh boiled shrimp I ate until I couldn't anymore. The most special part besides the superlative group of herbalists, artists, writers, producers, professors and generally lovely friends Monique brings together so often was the earth pigment paints hand made and provided by Tammy Greer. Like Monique she is a member of the United Houma Nation and specializes in making paints and dyes with natural materials. She generously allowed us to paint with her assortment of powders we reconstituted with water. There were red and yellow ochres and pink clays from far north. We used blue butterfly pea powder, charcoal, smilax, elderberry, prickly pear, hibiscus and yellow dock.