February is perhaps my least favorite month. Other than the Super Bowl, there’s not much else to recommend it. When you live in the South, you are on the tail end of winter yet it still isn’t Spring. Here it’s not unusual to have pollen clouds one day and a light freeze the next. I desperately want to dig in the dirt and plant something but it’s just too early.

But every once in a while you get that beautiful “almost” Spring day and suddenly February doesn’t seem so bad. Yesterday was one of those days, thank goodness, and a bonus day to boot since it was Feb. 29. The sun was shining, a breeze was blowing, and you could be outside for a while without a jacket. A friend of mine and I took advantage of the beautiful day and took a tour of the Nina and Pinta, replicas of two of the ships Columbus used on his expeditions to the New World. They were docked in Biloxi and open for tours. New thing for February was done in the nick of time!

The line was long, but it moved fairly quickly. Still, we were in line for an hour, so we were very happy the weather turned out so nice. As we got closer it was apparent that the ships were much smaller than expected. Pleasure boats parked near them were not much smaller, and to think of Columbus and his crew setting out for the unknown in those tiny ships is rather mind-boggling.

We boarded the first ship, the Nina, and a got a nice overview from one of the volunteers who works on the ship. As it turns out, the boats are manned by volunteers, all of whom take 3 or 4 week excursions on the ships giving tours and doing basic maintenance as they sail from port to port. Retirement goals! Anyway, we had a second tour with another docent then exited the Nina fairly quickly: had to get through the line. Luckily you’re on your own when you board the Pinta and can stay longer, look through things, and ask more questions.

I can’t say that I learned a lot more than I already knew, but did learn two new things. First, the crews for the Nina and Pinta were 24 and 26 men respectively, much smaller than I had assumed. When you see the ships, though, it’s easy to understand that it would be a little crowded even with such small numbers. The Santa Maria was a larger ship and had a proportionally larger crew but there is no replica of that available for touring.

The second thing I found interesting was that these ships always carried several spare anchors, sort of like spare tires. Given the weight of the anchors — several hundred pounds — and the amount of time it took to raise them, any need for a quick departure such as, oh, say a pirate attack, would necessitate that they cut the rope to the anchor and get moving as quickly as possible. Hence, according to the tour guides, the term “cut and run.” Not sure of that etymology but I like the story!

More adventures to come in March!

New thing today: went to the day parade in Ocean Springs! Have a new pile of cheap beads and lots of laughs to remember the day.

Mardi Gras in Mississippi is not quite like the same festivities of nearby New Orleans. The floats are more, shall we say, middle class, and you don’t have to show your ta-tas to get beads! Mainly it’s trailers with painted plywood, canned music, and some big pickup trucks with a marching band or two and — of course — the aforementioned beads. But for some reason we still scream for cheap beads and plastic footballs and have a great time doing it. Ha!

Our group was particularly pleased with the float that was playing ZZ Top melodies immediately followed with Twist and Shout. Yes, I was practicing my twist moves and it seems I worked a kink out in my back while I was doing it so it was a double win!

We’re planning to hit the evening parade in a couple of weeks, another first. Biggest lesson learned from this week is GET THERE EARLY! Ran in a particularly snarky young police woman who was completely unhelpful when I tried to ask for alternate directions. We rode round and round for a while, finally landing at another friend’s house who gave us a lift to our viewing spot. The lovely Ginny has a home near the parade route and she graciously hosted us to hang out and have a porch party afterward. The Gang is below; we’re still trying to come up with a name for ourselves so if you have suggestions, please share. We only ask that you keep it clean. And if you can’t keep it clean, keep it to yourself. Ha!

Doesn’t seem possible, but the first month of 2020 is in the past! When you work in higher education administration, January is a blur. That being said, I kept looking for new experiences but had a hard time finding anything that fit into my schedule.

Until the end… a friend told me about Sally’s Baking Addiction, a site with monthly baking challenges, and it piqued my interest. Oddly enough, I had decided the day before that my NEW thing for January was going to have to be something simple, probably cooking a new dish or perhaps yeast bread, which I’ve never tackled. Lo and behold, the January challenge was an artisan yeast bread. New thing found!

I actually tried the recipe twice. The first time the taste was okay, but the dough never really rose. It was sad. The dough just sat there in the bowl, a gooey lump that sort of gurgled a little but never really got up and did the requisite work to double in size. I cooked it anyway, hoping it would rise a little then but no such luck. Meh.

But I was determined to make it work, so I read the recipe again to see where I went wrong. Aha! The recipe stated that you use “cool water” but then later says use water the temperature of a baby’s bath. Those are two very different things to me; what about you? Cool, to me, means room temp. A baby’s bath temp? Well, that’s trickier. Never had one of those myself — a baby, not a bath — though I did occasionally bathe my niece and nephew, both of whom are in their 30s now. So it’s been a while. Still, I figured it had to be warmer than room temp, but the recipe basically screamed NO BOILING WATER so I went with hot out of the tap and let it be. Also added a few cranberries and pecans to the mix, and the result was….

Ta-Da! This little batch of dough made like James Brown on Got On Up! Doubled in size and then some, especially as it proofed in the refrigerator. Yes, after the initial rise you put this in the refrigerator to let it continue to rise for another day or so. I’ve eaten one loaf, will start working on the other tomorrow. I can’t say this is the best bread I ever had by any means, but it does make a nice piece of breakfast toast with a little Irish butter slathered on top.

So, there you have it: my new adventure for January. Not sure where February will take me, but it’s shaping up to be another busy month so I need to plan soon. March is set: a vacation to a snowy climate which I’ve never done. Will order some good thermal underwear soon to keep me toasty as I embrace my inner snow bunny.

What adventures are you having? Let me know if you have ideas or plans of your own!

End of another month and another year and still working on new adventures! The Holiday Season is always entertaining, and it was especially fun for me this year spending some time with a new circle of friends here on the Coast. Working evenings the first two years I lived here made it very difficult to make friends, but I’m finally able to get out and be among the people again, so to speak, and it’s been much fun!

As has been the case since I moved back to Mississippi, Mom came down for Christmas and I had fun cooking for her and spoiling her a little bit. I mean, it’s the least I can do given how many meals she cooked for me over the years! I tried several new recipes this year and everything was great. We had Oysters Bienville and Rockefeller; both were quite yummy! Also made a Tiramisu Cheesecake that was so amazing! I cut it up and put the individual pieces in my freezer, so I’ll be able to enjoy that for several more months.

Moving on, my goal is obviously to work some of those calories off and get myself at least nominally prepared for the trip to Breckenridge in March! I’ve put more than 200 miles on the exercise bike since Thanksgiving and planning to put another 10-12 on at least 3 times/week. I also had a new activity this month when I walked the Biloxi Bay Bridge! It’s a “thing” here, and you see people walking and running it all the time; had been wanting to do it for a while, but just hadn’t gotten around to it. While it was quite windy, it was a lovely walk! The bridge is 1.6 miles each way, so a 3.2 mile walk total. The distance isn’t daunting, but it is a little steep so I didn’t know how my chubby body would handle it, but all was well!

One of the things I found interesting — aside from the view — was that people are adding locks to the bridge to commemorate their love. Much better than spray painting on the water tower, IMHO! Ha! The picture below was one I thought was particularly lovely. Maybe I’ll add one professing my long-existing love of Tom Selleck! LOL!

I had planned to do something “new” artistically this month and take a pottery class, but the class I signed up for was canceled at the last minute, so that’s out. Since my heart was set on something new, I watched flow painting videos on You Tube and bought some supplies, planning to get to it over the weekend. Unfortunately, I don’t have an inside space to get it done and the outside weather hasn’t cooperated; a little too windy and a little too cool. But I will definitely post pics when all is finished.

My Resolutions for 2020 are simple: Live more and laugh more! May you all have the happiest of New Years and find new adventures of your own.

Officially one month in to the Year of Being 59 and all is going well. Visited a few more new restaurants and planned my first big and new trip for the year of adventure. Heading to Breckenridge in March to visit my cousin and try my hand at some winter activities. Having never vacationed in cold weather, I’m not sure what to expect except to be very cold! Ha! I will need to purchase some warmer clothing, but I’ve got time to work on that. I’m furiously riding the exercise bike my aunt bestowed on me to try and get myself at least up to being able tromp through the snow enough to deserve a glass of wine in the evening.

A few months ago I was “adopted” by a group of local women into their Friend Zone and have been having fun with them. We haven’t come up with a name for our group yet, and still some conversation as to whether we are a gang or a club. I’m going with Gulf Coast Gang or GCG for short. We had our first Thanksmas Holiday dinner last weekend and much fun and laughter ensued. In some ways, a group of women together in a bunch never get much past 16 years old, and it can be so much fun!

My other “new” experience this month? Mississippi has finally joined most of the rest of the country in Lottery-mania, and while the regular Lottery tickets won’t be sold until the 2020 they started selling scratch-off tickets within the last month. Being a dutiful citizen and honor bound to support education, I went with a friend to the local grocery story in Gautier and purchased $20 worth of scratch-off tickets. After furiously scratching for about five minutes it became clear that the famous Sasser Luck was in play and it was quite possibly the quickest $20 I had ever lost. On the plus side, I am now cured of my five minute gambling addiction, so I got that going for me.

The holidays are full upon us, and if no more writing ensues before then I wish you all a very Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas!

While it hasn’t officially been a month since I hit the big 5-9, I have been trying new things. Starting slowly, it seems, but planning to build as time goes on. Took a quick trip over the Thanksgiving break to visit my aunt and uncle in Florida and had a great visit. Had never been there to visit them before, so that’s my new trip for the month. Made a stop at the Buc-Ees on the way and picked up some treats for them. My aunt and I looked at scrapbooks she’s put together on the family and that was wonderful. Saw pictures of people I’d never seen and enjoyed learning more family history. Also got to meet my cousin’s children for the first time, though I’ve followed their antics on Facebook all their lives. Sweet kids and enjoyed the visit!

The drive to and from the middle of Florida was mostly unremarkable except for the traffic on I-75 on the way down. On the way back I stopped for gas and snacks and the woman behind the counter — I swear — had only two teeth. That was new! Not exactly the kind of new experience I am looking for, but I figure just be on the lookout for anything new and you’ll find it. Ha!

Instead I spent my Thanksgiving quietly, recovering from the drive and then re-arranging the living room for the Christmas tree and getting the decorations up. Working on a new wreath to go with it all this year. It’s also the beginning of Baking Season for me, so that should keep me busy. The excitement level is really rising.

New adventures continue as much as possible, going to new restaurants and trying new dishes at familiar places. Trying to find a pottery class that’s open when I can attend and looking at some new Christmas parades or experiences in the area for this month’s adventures. May the month bring you new adventures and lots of joy!

Only 362 days left in my 50s and so much to do! The birthday on Friday was much fun and went just as planned: massage, nap, dinner with friends. I highly recommend that plan when your birthday rolls around. While there was no “big” new thing that day, I did order two dishes I’d never had before at the restaurant: crabmeat beignets and a lobster pasta dish. Yummy, yummy on both counts! Possibly the best thing about living on the Gulf Coast is access to truly fantastic seafood all the time.

Choosing to embrace all things new, I downloaded an NFL football betting app today and proceeded to lose all six picks. Not that I already had plans for the $250,000 I was sure to win, but I’m glad I didn’t call that realtor and make an offer on a house. Ha! I have been lulled into a false sense of self-confidence on the football thing, running about 60-65% on average for my picks every season for several years now. But then again, I’m only picking winners, not point spreads, and I’m only “betting” with myself. And there’s no money involved, of course. There’s this thing called “Sasser Luck” that runs — or rather curses — many members of my family and definitely hangs out with me on a regular basis.

Can’t imagine how someone bets millions of $ like that Texas Mattress King guy did on the World Series and promptly lost. If it was me, I’d still be breathing into a paper bag to keep from hyperventilating and eating my weight in Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

Heading into the first full week of this my Year of Being 59 and hoping to get a few new experiences in. Planning to keep my eyes, mind, and heart all wide open and enjoy life to the fullest!

A few weeks ago, as I was pondering the unavoidable fact that the age range I have to check on forms is getting closer and closer to the end, I made a decision: I’m ready for some adventure. Oh, not that my life has been non-adventurous, but it has been somewhat bland for the last few years.

That is about to change.

Starting this month, I will do at least one thing I’ve never done every month. In fact, I plan to embrace new experiences as often as possible. With unlimited time and resources I’d hit a new country every month and see the world! Not really a possibility given current circumstances but wouldn’t it be nice? I’ll settle instead for a few new places and lots of new experiences. This could be fun…

So far this month, I’ve eaten at three new restaurants and visited my first Buc-ee’s truck stop outside Mobile, Alabama. If you haven’t been to Buc-ee’s, picture what you would have if a Wal Mart and a Bass Pro Shop had a baby. Or maybe a Target went on a bender. Whatever it was there were about nine million varieties of jerky and at least 326 different t-shirt slogans, all containing some variation of the word “Southern.” It was awesome!

My actual birthday is the 15th, and I have a lovely day off work planned featuring a massage, a nap, and dinner with friends. These are all things I’ve done before, but my “big” new experience this month is yet to come. Stay tuned…

And now, a few words about the author

If you can’t tell from the title, I’m a woman of a certain age, rapidly approaching senior citizen status but determined to do so with a “Sassy” attitude. All kinds of opportunities present themselves and I plan to take advantage of as many as I can without compromising my values or breaking a hip. Care to join me?