Mardi Gras in our small town, a weekend getaway, and a freezing bike ride

I'm writing this as things are dripping and dropping and melting around me.  There's hope, y'all.  The snow is going away. Every day more of my garden is getting exposed.  Oh, it feels so good!

I'm sure you are sick of everyone complaining about the snow, so I won't do that.  Instead, I'll tell you how our family dealt with this cold, snowy winter.

We were selected Royal Family for this year's Mardi Gras celebration in our town, which involved dressing up outrageously, leading a parade, dancing in the street, and consuming large amounts of candy. We even had our little dog's tail dyed Mardi Gras colors (don't worry, it's washable and non-toxic!)

I love our little hometown of Concrete!  There's always a real sense of community at this parade, visiting with friends who were hiding away during winter, lots of laughter, dressed up people and critters.

Let me present to you the Royal Family:

As spring is approaching with its temperamental weather swings, where it snows one day, and the other you can sit on the porch without a coat, the chickens are waking up again and laying eggs.

The other day, I dug up some of our own ham from our very own pigs, and I scrambled them up with some spinach and our very own eggs.  I finally feel like a homesteader again, making fresh food straight from the farm instead of heating up frozen pizzas.

That Sam I am
that Sam I am
I really like green eggs and ham!

On one of the first snow-free days, I dusted off my bicycle and rode along the Skagit River.  Yes, it was cold, and yes, I wore four layers of clothing, but as soon as I laid eyes on the unique color of my beloved river, the icy wind blowing the cobwebs out of my head, I felt elated.

The endorphins from the exercise sure helped, yes, siree!

Look at that, will ya?

And then it snowed again the next day.

My man surprised me with a weekend trip.  He could probably tell that I was getting severe cabin fever, so he found us a great Air B and B room ($50 a night!!!), loaded up the kayaks and bikes, and off we headed to Fidalgo Island.  It's just 80 minutes away from us, harboring our most favorite places to play and eat. (Hello, Adrift Restaurant!)

The sun shone the whole time!  Lucky us!!!

I shall leave you with a few other snap shots of our week:

~ Our oldest kiddo Kai being inducted into the National Honor's Society

~ My knitted skirt coming along

~ On a hike in our backyard

How about you?  Is your snow melting?  Have you started gardening yet?