Silver

• Temperatures Drop Into 30's
• I Find Silver

Money
The amounts of cash which I have been waking up with has roller-coasted between 80 and 114 dollars through the holidays.
25 Dollar Monday
25 Dollar New Years Eve
New years eve, I knocked off after having made the amount above and was "in bed" by the time I heard the explosions of fireworks over the river.
The temperature had dropped into the low 40's and I guess I chickened out...
55 Dollar New Years Day
The first day of 2014, I was out and playing pretty early in the day.
I made 55 bucks, before 7 p.m., and could have potentially put in 5 more hours and perhaps had a 200 dollar night; but the flesh was weak.
I had played my butt off, gotten a couple 20 dollar tips to "prove" it; and I was emotionally drained.
35 Dollar Friday... 
Friday night, I made about 35 bucks while playing 3 sets, in between breaks.
I am without the benefit of any signs, as they have all gotten destroyed by water,  and I haven't found the right cardboard in order to put my Sharpie to work.
I am also without a tiposaurus, as I haven't found a replacement for the one which was stolen.
When I told Lilly that I had made 35 dollars the previous night, she remarked that she was renting a room to someone who was only paying "27 dollars a day," for it.
That, of course, would be about 800 per month, which I suppose she feels is not an adequate amount for a room right off of Bourbon Street in an historical house.
"I wouldn't want the pressure to come up with 27 dollars each and every day (and maintain my lifestyle at the same time)," I told Lilly. 
I Strike Silver
If It Looks Like A Duck...
Friday morning, I was walking along and I saw, at the edge of a curb, almost totally embedded in mud; what appeared to be a bracelet; and my curiosity was aroused when a closer look at it showed it to be the tell-tale hue of actual, as opposed to "costume" silver.
And Weighs Like A Duck...
I picked it up and noticed the weight of it and concluded that, had it been fashioned out of a cheap metal, then the cheap metal would have to have perhaps lead encased inside of it.
And Quacks Like A Duck...
Then, I rattled the thing and recognized the tell-tale "ting" of real silver.
I am going to have it appraised tonight by some jeweler on Royal Street, who has the very same bracelet displayed in his front window, who might tell me less than 100% of the truth; but I won't sell it on impulse, as I did the I-phone which I found about a year ago (for 20 bucks).
The Present
Now, it is Monday.
I woke up under the dock with 52 dollars on me, down from the previous high of 114 dollars which I had before the cold spell hit when I decided to take 2 days off from busking to watch NFL football from various sidewalks.
A Driftwood Fire
Last night, the temperature reportedly dropped to about 29 degrees.
I was alright under my 3 blankets, although I need to find a way to attach them together (perhaps using diaper pins) so that they will be one unit and the top blanket won't slither down towards my feet if I wriggle, nor the middle blanket to one side or the other..
The rats kept busy finishing the left over spaghetti with mushroom sauce and bits of seasoned chicken breast,  which I had cooked over a driftwood fire. 
They then rattled the tin foil pan for more (they are intelligent) until I gave them an oatmeal cookie to quiet them down.
There have been people inhabiting that spot, off and on, for so long (I found a handful of coins half embedded in the mud at one spot; the newest of the bunch bearing the date of 1999, for example) that the rats are truly domesticated.
The driftwood tends to be mesquite, and is excellent cooking fuel.
Up Early
I wanted to be up early, in order to go to the Rebuild Center to check upon the parcel which the Lidgleys had sent on the 12th of December.
The crew of the Natchez steamboat woke me up at around 7 a.m. with their noise and occasional shouts between each other.
The river has risen about 5 feet over the past few weeks, and now I am out of the line of sight of anyone on the lower deck, unless they were to squat down.
I woke up the final time at 7:56, sat up and drank some "29 degree" instant coffee, and was on my way.
Karrie There
Karrie was just coming out of one of the showers when I was signing up for one.
She said that she had resorted to wrapping her (only one?) blanket around her feet and then sliding into a plastic bag.
She has been very friendly and even thanks me for talking to her.
She must have been telling stories to the other denizens of the woman's shelter; because a couple of them whom I've never spoken to, or vice-verse whom I overheard Karrie to say "That's Mr. Daniel" to; approached me wearing smiles of approval and introduced themselves; as if seeing me for the first time; and then one of them said "We don't want to keep you from talking to Karrie; she's such a sweet girl, you know..."
I know.
Karrie was interested in how I had passed the night, and I couldn't help brag about my high and dry spot which is out of the wind, and my 3 blankets and the hot spaghetti dinner which I had cooked. I guess I could move some shale boulders around and throw down some extra cardboard to make room for her; should her existing "arrangement" become unbearable to her.
Parcel There
The mail room guy produced a parcel with the tell-tale "Royal Mail" sticker on it.
I wanted to open it in the company of Karrie, for some reason, but she had disappeared.
I suppose the reason is the same as why I told her about my "accommodations" ...life could be better with me Karrie ...see, people even send me stuff....
The parcel contained some very nice clothes, instant coffee, a Starbucks gift card, 20 dollars, some body wash and a couple packs of cigarettes.
All of the brands (except Starbucks) are things not found in this country; so I will look and smell like an Englishman in the French Quarter.
Weather

Now

Clear

Temperature

34.0 °F

Feels Like 29 °F

The weather is the biggest story right now.
It is too cold to play right now. I have never played below 38 degrees before.
It will be even colder tonight.

Tomorrow

37 | 31 °F

Partly Cloudy

Wednesday

52 | 46 °F

Clear

The only thing for me to do, I suppose, is to get those diaper pins, so I can make one thick blanket out of the 3, and to plan upon having a fire and some kind of hot meal before I lay down.
I may even try to spend most of tomorrow under the dock, reading and writing and thinking and listening to the AM/FM radio and waiting for it to warm up on Wednesday.