Good Friday Lore

Good Friday Lore

Silence between noon and 3.

Cover statues in purple or black cloth. 

 No hammering or nailing on Good Friday.

Radios not turned on, except for news - no music; no movies; no dances - of course.

Live stations of the cross, walking down the highway.

Good Friday for us was cooking fish in the woods, on the coals of a fire.

My dad always planted his vegetable garden Holy Week but never dig on Good Friday! As teenagers we were also never allowed to " go out" on good Friday. We always have crawfish stew/étouffée on Easter Sunday.

My dad used to say you did not plant (or dig in the ground) on Good Friday. We did not eat any meat (including fish) on Good Friday - Mom would make egg salad or egg jambalaya (egg fried rice). We went to mass and confession on Good Friday and attended the "Stations of the Cross" procession at the church after mass.

Cover your mirrors, preferably with black cloth, because we are in the likeness of God, who was killed that day. Do nothing where there is a risk of drawing blood--shave, cut something with a knife, etc.

The mirrors were covered Thursday night. No television, radios or work on Good Friday. No crawfish boils or party in any way! Don't even think of digging in the ground.

One year we dug up some wild mint in our grandparents' pasture, it was our last time there after they passed away and we needed to get the plant. It wasn't until later that night that I realized it was Good Friday and though the ground didn't bleed, I can't get that mint plant to grow more than one little sprig, barely two inches high then it dies. 

 My dad was a rice farmer and this was a very busy time for us with planting and everything that goes with it. The old people use to say if you dig into the ground on Good Friday it would bleed. We would try to get the day off from shovel work but my dad said get your butts in the field and if the ground bleeds you can have the day off ! And despite all of our digging the ground never bled. -KR

Avril 2013

Prairie des Femmes poem circa 2006

I wrote this poem a few weeks after we were married when my husband went on a little tour and left me alone in the Prairie des Femmes for the first time.

Moi je reste dedans la Prairie des Femmes
Les hommes sont loin d’ici
C’est ici la femme passe sa vie
Comme tous les femmes de la prairie

Moi et mon chien, Lucy
Après guetter la couche de soleil 
Tous les nuits
La crepescule
Les poules

Je fais le balais
Et j’ai des montagnes et falaises de linge 
J'après monter
Je chante les veilles chansons
J'cris, j’écris, je fais à rien

C’est que des femmes sur la prairie, 
Moi et mon chien, Lucy
On barre bien les portes 
Trop tard dans la nuit
On se dit 
Les hommes sont loin d’ici


J’ai des rêves, des tracas
Des éspoirs, des visions

Les étoiles filantes
A travers de mon front

Queen Evelyna of the Chateau Pecan Sololiquy

We was crossed up dat time! How y'all doin?
Y'all looked at dem pecan trees? I just been talkin 'bout em, I got a lot of trees at my house, dey hadn't been bearin, neither, too much, now maybe ma son when he go out dere to where ma house at, I'm at the Chateau, you know, but out there they have a lot of pecan trees that haven't been bearin for several years, there, too good. They useta make a lot but they told me there's a certain time... I tell you, if you treat em, they got a way you put that.. uh, whatcha call dat stuff around da tree... lime! And dey said it would make but you put dat around dere, don't put it right at it, the tree, but you gotta treat em, but I think they round in October I believe.. or January 1, whatever it is, but I mean, das what they put around em to make em bear! But lately my trees ain't been makin many and I got a lot of trees around out there.. round where I stayed out there... Bayou Chicot...Where the Wittington store was there, I got a grey trailerhouse ova dere, right dere, across the road on the right, dey was on the left I was on the right, that's where I lived right dere, ma family's still dere. But anyway dat pecan tree, dey say some years dey don't make good! Every other year, das what dey say! So I said dey got a way to treat em! Even I see the man talkin with Gary Arnold, got em talkin 'bout dem trees, you put dat lime around em, but you put it so many inches from da tree, and you make a lil' round hole, you know you make a lil hole and den put dat down in dere and den cover it up, den, if it's dry you water it. But if it rain, you know, that'll make it go down into the ground but nowaday, mine don't make hardly nothin no mo'. I beem needin some pecans, but my son dere, he ain't tole me nothin' dis year but he probably go out dere in a few days. And then some of the trees are too old, when dey get too old I don't think they bear too good no mo'. Yeah, it's like us old, when you get arthritis, you know, that makes it difficult! Y'all have a good day I'mma let y'all go! Take care now.

Rime de Rose du Bois

Ça c'est ma portfeuille 

ça c'est mes mouchoirs, 

ça c'est tout mes piastres de l'or 

pour aller au festival.

A New Crop of Random ECards

YOU need to put some kerosene in the cistern to kill the tadpoles!

If you T-Galop all the way from la Pointe-aux-Pins to T-Mamou, you will burn some calories.

OUAIS! And I can name them... Allons 'oir.. there's drought, flood, bolls weevil and worm, rayon, nylon and .... hmmmm....

Ohhhhh she is as fine as a syrup cake!

La Ville des Manteau....

Go West Young Man! Go West and Go To Mamou!

Just Stop.

This reminded me of when Mr. JD was at the Mamou Mardi Gras and all the young guys were dancing on top of their horses and he stood up and said  "Hey! I'm fifty years old!"

Watch em, now!

So THAT's how they knew to come to Ville Platte...

C'est vrai!

Here's some veggies and cheese for yall to snack on.