Laissez les bons temps rouler!

"Laissez les bons temps rouler!" (Let the good times roll!)

A major winter storm was forecast for the northeastern U.S. for Friday into Saturday. While predictions indicated the worst of it would bring major snows to the New England states, a mixture of freezing precip including ice and snow was expected in Pennsylvania. So I decided to skip driving, skip taking the bus, and just stay home for a day!

I had grocery shopped earlier in the week, accomplished all of my errands, even picked up take-out food (chili and burgers) on Thursday on my way home. We were well stocked and ready for the worst!

So Friday, we stayed home. The day included sleeping in (always a treat for this working girl), a mushroom and ham and cheese omelet for brunch, a Friday afternoon matinee movie (the excellent True Grit remake starring Jeff Bridges), several hours with my tabby in my lap and my latest book in hand (Jon Land's latest Caitlin Strong novel), as well as numerous other treats.

And the weather? We awoke to icy steps and sidewalks, and light snow began in late morning. It picked up and snowed pretty hard between 1 and 3 pm, and after that, the big winds began. By the time it was all done, we had only gotten about two inches of snow.

We were very lucky here, but others were not so fortunate. Snowfall totals in states north and east of us (where it is still snowing!) are expected to be measured in feet, not inches. As of Saturday morning as I write this, disaster areas have been declared in five states, with Massachusetts having banned cars from every road in the state.

But where we were, things were snug. A small party even broke out at one point during the day, with festivities, and masks, and feathers, and general jocularity. The panda duo may be a bit early in doing so, but they'd like to wish you all a festive Mardi Gras! Laissez les bons temps rouler! Let the good times roll!

A song to accompany this festive scene: Let the Good Times Roll! by the Cars.