The Drenched Diehard in Generally Speaking...

Many, many times, I have told you about how I've never missed a Mardi Gras. I always think that if it was important enough for my parents to drag me out in the sleet as a 8 month old for a picture on my first one, then there isn't much that works as an excuse to lie about in bed.

That being said, this might go on record as my strangest Carnival to date. My season has extended, with my joining a new krewe this year, the Mystic Krewe of Nyx, a three year old Uptown all female krewe. I only joined in January, so this year I got to stand on the parade route in my Sisters in Waiting shirt, collecting purses from my fellow krewe members. We couldn't stay for the whole parade, as it broke down like mad and only half of it had passed us by 11:30 pm on a work night. Not to mention, it was a brisk 42 degrees. The forecast had called for rain, which would have made three years in a row they rolled in the wet. I think that scared a lot of parade goers away, so we managed to snag front row slots with no one around us. That was actually pretty awesome, to have so much rich space on St. Charles Avenue for the parade.

The next night was Muses, which I have managed to attend for the last three years to get my shoe from my old high school chum. The weather was a little colder and windier, and the shoes were not that easy to get. Before I realized my friend was in the krewe, I had stopped going because I never seemed to be able to snag a shoe. Now that I go again, I have to say, it's quite a lovely parade and it has SO MUCH KREWE MERCHANDISE!! In addition to my lovely shoe, I got dog tags, friendship bracelets, shoe shaped ice cubes. You name it!!

Friday I usually rest, as Saturday is Endymion, and that's a long day. Saturday dawned bright and hot. I overslept and woke up and made it to the parade route to stake out our spot within a half hour of opening my eyes. My college roommate and friend since the fourth grade brought us a feast of McKenzie's king cake, Popeye's chicken and sandwiches. We lounged in the sunshine like lizards, eating and visiting with people that came by all day. The parade, as usual, was lovely. I caught Will a cup from Darryl from The Walking Dead. I was home by 6:30, before the first float made it downtown.

Sunday is another day of rest.

Lundi Gras I prepped for Mardi Gras by making my sandwiches and setting up an ice chest for both Lundi Gras and the next morning. This is my trickiest game, since I may not get home before midnight, and have to be up at 6. The stupid polar vortex swept through, so on top of my sunburn from Endymion, I think I got frostbite in the 37 degree wind tunnel. Still wouldn't miss it if I had a choice. Orpheus was lovely. Probably prettier than Endymion. We caught a ton of beads.

And then, this morning. My eyes just opened on their own. Not only was the weather to be the same as Lundi Gras, but they added rain into the mix. Delightful! I used to look forward to Mardi Gras in March, but the last two have had the WORST weather. Anyway, I decided to take a chance for my coconuts. I figured the cold would work as crowd control, if nothing else, and that the rain would hold off until Zulu ended. It was a bet I lost, as to the rain. I stood out there in the cold, alone, in the thinnest crowd I could remember. And when I say cold, I mean the can't feel your fingers after 15 minutes cold. It was 35 and overcast. That being said, I have never failed to feel my heart trill with the first notes from the Marine Corps band as the parade begins. Today was no exception. I reflected on my wacky weather season, and thought about all my friends I had paraded with this year and how much fun I had had, and I felt ever so very blessed. And then the coconut gods began to rain on me, with the skies following. Four coconuts and 25 floats in I had had enough. I had no plans to see Rex with the weather, so by 9:30 I was back in my car and on my way home. I was crossing Claiborne, since Rex hadn't begun yet, when I was stopped at the intersection so that Rex could pass directly in front of me. I waved madly, he regally waved back to me and just like that my Mardi Gras was complete.

I came home, took a much needed warm nap with the kittens, had some chicken with Will as is our tradition, and another nap. And now I can blissfully enter Lent with no regrets.

I would say that the theme this year would be friendship and determination. So many kindnesses this year, to someone bringing us food to share on the route, to someone simply sacrificing sleep to go to a parade. So many people I know commenting on how they were home, warm in their beds. And while that would have been nice, I am much more pleased with my extra valuable 2014 coconuts that I braved the weather to catch.