Bitter Cold

It has been bitterly cold.  Sunday night my car thermometer registered at 13 below - that's a real number, not a wind chill number - although by the time I arrived home an hour later, the temperature had risen to a balmy minus ten.   A nearby community was 24 below, so I felt lucky to live in the tropics.  But the wind chill by my house was 35 below.    Brrrrrr.    Today it was 10 degrees ABOVE zero when I went out, and it felt like a heat wave. 

Strangest of all, a friend and I were driving the other day when, (literally) out of the blue, a bird dropped dead right out of the sky, falling right in front of our car.  I've never seen such a thing.     I know there are parts of the world that are colder, and I hope they have way better socks and gloves than I do.   For mid-Michigan, this is cold weather.

Today is Mardi Gras, so yesterday the Littles and I decorated the King Cake that I ordered, as I do every year, from New Orleans, with the traditional green, gold and purple sugar.   An hour later we were all in sugar shock.   Love it.  :)    And since I live in Michigan, where paczkis are the order of the day on Fat Tuesday, I managed to eat one (or two) of those at my early morning meeting at work.   It's good to know that I am all ready to celebrate Fat Tuesday today -- I've got the fat already packed on, lol.   Hey, it's a matter of self defense when the weather is this cold!  I need that insulation to keep me warm.  :)    I hope you are all feeling as fat and happy this Mardi Gras as I am!