It’s that time of year again…….

in the Deep South!

**when adults and children alike, line the streets along multiple parade routes well in advance of the parade start time braving the cold; and begin to shout “Throw Me Something Mister” like mad crazy people when the parade rolls by**

**when we dispose of last year’s drinkware and restock the cabinets with a fresh stack of coveted plastic drinking cups**

**when grown adults flail themselves in front of large, 8-12 wheeled, moving vehicles all in the name of catching beads**

**when we perch our preschool-sized children atop our shoulders til our shoulders are black&blue or hold them high til our arms are trembling to catch ridiculous throws and feel a sense of achievement when we score something as comical and insundry as a rubber chicken**

**you will wear the same shirt each day of the weekend for several straight weekends and on into the Monday and Tuesday of the holiday week because it is your purple/green/gold fleur-de-lis shirt of the season**

It’s Mardi Gras season!!!!

and, these two boys have come to truly enjoy the chaos of it all (you can see last year’s festivities here).

As the festivities of the carnival season come to an end today,

on a much more serious note, the season of Lent will begin tomorrow on Ash Wednesday.