Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez!

So I honestly thought that Mardi Gras was last Tuesday, not today. That's a fair indication of how much I'd like to wrap up February and get on with March now, thankyouverymuch. February hasn't been much more than snow, ice, cold temperatures, and cabin fever. I was telling my mom about how much snow still remains in our yard and she asked if I'd seen any daffodils yet. I don't think we're going to see any spring flowers any time soon, not unless they come equipped with a miniature flame thrower to blast through the 18-24 inches of snow and ice still on the ground here. And we got another snow squall yesterday, which thankfully "refreshed" the area of the yard we've stamped down so that our dog has had a place to use the bathroom for the last two weeks but didn't accumulate so much that our driveway returned to its previous status of a luge run.

Mom lives in Tidewater, so the concept of this much snow on the ground is completely foreign to her. Remarkably Poquoson has had two snow storms with actual snow accumulation on the ground already this year, and there's a chance that they may get even a third snow shower this week. That's a harsh winter for that part of the state, but none of the snow lasts very long. Unlike where I live, where snow that fell in mid-January is slowly compacting into a glacier under the weight of all the snow that has fallen since then. I think I heard yetis yowling in the yard Saturday night.

I may be exaggerating a little here. I believe that's one of the symptoms of cabin fever.

At any rate, I was very surprised this morning to hear that Mardi Gras is today, not last Tuesday. Some of the participants are complaining about how cool the weather has been in New Orleans the past couple of days, even dipping down to 34 degrees one night. We've had unending weeks where 34 degrees would have been a welcomed high temperature, but I'm done complaining about the weather. For today.

At least the fact that Mardi Gras is today gives me a fantastic excuse for polishing off the rest of those cheesecake bars in the fridge. Laissez les bon temps roulez, let the good times roll! Lent begins tomorrow, and while I don't observe Lent, I'd like to participate by giving up winter. Please take it away now.