Slow down and....catch some beads....

Sometimes, sometimes, I really love living where I do. Like -- now --
during Mardi Gras season. Everywhere you go you hear music -- damn good music -- music that makes you smile and puts a little oomph in your step. People walk around with beautiful gaudy beads hanging around their necks. Children skip by, tossing purple, green, and gold beads into the air, expertly catching them as they fall back into their hands. Parade routes are the topic of the day on the radio, in the newspaper, on tv. It's not unusual to spot an oddly decorated truck on its way to or from a parade. You greet each other with "Happy Mardi Gras!" even if you have no intention of celebrating. There is just no way NOT to be part of what's going on. It's in the air. Like it or not, odds are, you're going to be caught up in the spirit one way or other. Whether it's catching beads from a co-worker, from an apartment balcony, a front porch, or a passing car -- you won't escape the season without a glittering new strand of precious gems to add to your collection. I'm willing to bet that not even the most dour of souls is able to resist smiling at least once during carnival season.

So, folks, from just up river of the Big Easy, HAPPY MARDI GRAS!