A Mardi Gras Wonderland
I awoke this morning to a Mardi Gras wonderland, surrounded by bead bags in the process of being filled to the brim. Recycled cardboard boxes and a mountain of cellophane circulated under foot. The bags of secret Krewe of Muses wonders pictured above are not all there is to behold here. I had to crop some of it, lest you get a forbidden early peek before the parade.
At our place, it is Muses Throw Sorting Weekend, one of my favorite times of the year. Lisa has an organizational system steeped in mystery and magic. I heard her up past 2 a.m. last night, opening boxes and ripping plastic – a determined little Carnival elf. She tweaks her organizational plan every year as krewe-themed items and supplemental goodies change, but, in general, she takes her thousands of throws and mixes most of them together so she will almost always be throwing something different from one moment to another. The matter is, however, never that simple.
She will take Muses throws that are already well packaged and repack them better. She will laser-print labels for them if she thinks they require explanations or instructions. She will pull the safety tabs on light-up throws so she will be able to quickly hit the ON buttons before she tosses them. It’s all about maximizing the experience of the paradegoer and making sure she doesn’t waste time fumbling with things during her ride.
This is a one-person party of love, creativity and obsession. It’s one thing in this world that is completely hers and subject to her every whim. I contribute by staying out of the way.
Guy D. Johnson is a writer and marketing communications professional. Previously an animation studio owner, daily newspaper editor, reporter and photographer, volunteer fireman, railroad bridge gang helper, FM radio station underling and cave guide. He has lived on farmland trusted to the sun and rain; atop a wooded hill; beside great rivers; upon an arid, high plateau; and at the subtropical coast of the Gulf of Mexico. For 20 years, he worked and wrote in New Orleans.
The two of you were perfect mentors for my ride of a lifetime! <3