Stimulus Package

Carnival may begin on the sixth day of the year, officially, but it doesn’t really feel like Carnival until you see your first parade. That first parade in Orleans Parish is Krewe de Vieux, and it also happens to be the best — always. It’s raunchy, satirical, and tremendous fun. This year KdV took on the economy, and they certainly enjoyed a target-rich environment. Their overarching theme, Stimulus Package, was perfect in its simplicity. Indeed, if you don’t get a chuckle out of both words, “stimulus” and “package”, then your mind is clearly not in the proper context, namely: the gutter. I was impressed by all the floats, but a few stood out. A float by L.E.W.D. was titled “Inaugural Balls” — nuff said? The late great Ashley Morris was re-imagined as a superhero heading up the “Fleur de League” in a float by the Mystic Krewe of PAN. That brought a tear to my eye. The Mystic Krewe of Spermes featured a salute to “Trickle Down Economics” that cast the old term in a brave new light. But I think my favorite float was by Seeds of Decline. The title pretty much says it all: “Fannie Mae Goes Down,” depicting a new version of Monopoly. I took a photo with my phone, but it didn’t turn out. Just as well, or this blog might be flagged as a porn site. Of course, other people with better cameras and more fortitude than I have posted pix to satisfy your prurient interest.

It was Persephone’s first parade. Her friend Lavender (six months old) came along and brought her mother Daisy. Fortunately these girls are still too young to ask their parents any embarrassing questions.