Happy St. Patrick's.....Thanks to Good Neighbors

Years ago, a friend who always referred to herself as a "Yat" (in other words, a New Orleans native) had the opportunity to go to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Now, my friend had never been to a parade outside of the Gulf South, so she had no idea she was doing anything unusual when she jumped up and down on the street yelling, "Throw me something, Mister!"  Needless to say, the New Yorkers thought she was a little odd.

Maybe we're just crazy here.  I don't recall anyone throwing stuff from parades in the various other places I've lived.

In our part of the world, folks attending parades expect to get something for their attendance effort and it's a big deal to see what you can catch from the float riders because absolutely everyone throws something....and that includes St. Patrick's Day parades, too, but what they throw for this holiday is food!

Seriously.  Cabbages.  Carrots.  Onions.  Potatoes.   All raining down on hapless and happy parade-goers.  Of course anyone with a lick of sense knows well  enough to watch out for what is coming so they don't get bashed over the head by flying veggies.

I'm not person to care for crowds so I don't go to the parades but my Good Neighbors do, and I was really pleased and surprised the other day when they called to tell me to come on by to get some parade food.  They had caught more food than they could eat and they were sharing generously with several people. 

I came home with lots of carrots and some onions and two oranges and three cabbages, as well as a pack of ramen.  It was a lot of stuff, and I was really grateful.  I was also really happy that I got to share with the Good Neighbors, too, because I had 18 eggs to give away that someone had given me--far more than I could use up in baking.

So yesterday I made a gallon of basic soup starter, vegetarian style, and I've got six containers in the freezer just waiting for the day I need them.  And it's all thanks to St. Patrick, Good Neighbors, and silly Southern traditions.

I love how stuff like this happens. Life is good.