SIDE SALAD - Everything crunchy is good.

THE SOMBRERO PROJECT ROLLS ON

The Sombrero Project (and its subsequent parts (Dos, Tres and Quatro and Cinco) got a new baby brother last week: Sombrero Project Part Seis.

Included in this batch is this great photo of my colleague The Colonel clutching an Our Lady of Guadalupe blanket:

What is Our Lady of Guadalupe?

I'll let this site explain:

In 1531 a "Lady from Heaven" appeared to a poor Indian at Tepeyac, a hill northwest of Mexico City; she identified herself as the Mother of the True God, instructed him to have the bishop build a temple on the site and left an image of herself imprinted miraculously on his tilma, a poor quality cactus-cloth, which should have deteriorated in 20 years but shows no sign of decay 474 years later and still defies all scientific explanations of its origin. It apparently even reflects in her eyes what was in front of her in 1531!

Her message of love and compassion, and her universal promise of help and protection to all mankind, as well as the story of the apparitions, are described in the "Nican Mopohua", a 16th century document written in the native Nahuatl language.
There is reason to believe that at Tepeyac Mary came in her glorified body, and her actual physical hands rearranged the roses in Juan Diego’s tilma, which makes this apparition very special.
An incredible list of miracles, cures and interventions are attributed to Her. Yearly, an estimated 10 million visit her Basilica, making her Mexico City home the most popular Marian shrine in the world, and the most visited Catholic church in the world next to the Vatican.

Anyway, OLOG is very big in Mexican circles. And whenever we eat at El Taconazo, we see the shrine set up in the main dining room.

I saw a blanket with the BVM (Blessed Virgin Mary) on it a couple years ago at the 'Nazo but didn't have the scratch to pony up for it at the time. By the time I did, the damn thing wa sold.

I waited and waited, kept looking for it, but they never restocked. When we went in two weeks ago, they finally ordered another one, a queen-size version. I was not to be denied.

And you know what? It's actually a pretty nice blanket. Very heavy, very warm and soft. It's now the Official Cold Weather Blanket of the Valrico Sit-Out. At least during cold months.

But I'm not a total fool for anything the 'Nazo puts on sale. For example, I didn't buy this bag of candy:

My reason? Well, look at the label.

Mmmmmmmmmmm. Them's good eats.

And in case you didn't get the point that this is all about the pollo...

They put the international symbol for poultry on each lollipop.

Didn't Sylvester see this image right before he tried to eat Tweety?

Just asking.

Posted by Jeff at March 27, 2006 07:41 AM