Happy Mardi Gras!

Mardi Gras 2010

I missed my parade this year.  I guess from all reports I may not have missed much...or missed a lot, depending on your sense of adventure.

For the last 5 years, I have been a member of the Krewe of Iris in New Orleans.  We have the first Saturday parade the weekend before Mardi Gras Day.  It is a venerable organization, almost 100 years old now, exclusively for women.  It has never rained on an Iris parade...until this year.  And evidently, Mother Nature thought she had some catching up to do.

Brian and I decided awhile back that due to the year we were having that even though on the one hand, letting loose at Mardi Gras might be just what we would need, financially and even health-wise we just didn't know where we would be.  And it takes a lot of advance planning to be in the Krewe...especially long distance. 

In fact, though they just had the parade on Saturday, in April, they will be sending a little envelope asking for my deposit and vital stats once again.  The Krewe never sleeps. 

But once you are on that float, all masked and costumed up with thousands of people screaming at you to "Throw me something, Miss!" it's all worth it...even if you might feel a little worse for the wear from the party at the parades the night before.  Ahem. 

Mardi Gras isn't quite what I was always led to believe.  You can find what you are currently imagining down in The Quarter any time, day or night.  It doesn't have to be Mardi Gras.  And the parades don't go there.  

Mardi Gras is families lining St. Charles St for miles and  miles with ladders with specially built seats at the top for children to get closer to the floats.  It's about old and young taking some time from their busy schedules and relaxing, enjoying themselves for a few days.  It's bright colors, happy music, and wonderful food.

A few people get unnecessarily crazy.  And sometimes you stop and ask yourself why you have taken leave of your senses and have decided it's your mission in life to collect as many plastic-made-in-China-sparkly-necklaces to fill as many big sacks as you possibly can.  After all, what are you gonna do with them after the parades?  They take up a lot of space in your garage, I can tell you. 

So have a piece of King Cake today, listen to some Zydeco on Pandora and Happy Mardi Gras!  Laissez les bon temps rouler, mes amis!