Pass the Paczki, please

P, carrying Chomper, his dino/fish/mouth that grabs stuff. Today, snow.


It's true. E and I aren't exactly, umm, plugged in. A friend mentioned the Super Bowl Sunday evening.... and it was the first time E and I had thought about it since someone mentioned it... a year ago :) (P's Aunt D and B instinctively play translator for me when in a group setting, defining pop culture trivia whenever it arises, knowing I'm clueless.) But, thanks to our location, the Little Man's life is brimming with cultural fun, pop or otherwise, despite his parents.

For example, our last craft at the library was to celebrate February 14th. As Susie, P's sweet librarian, introduced her newest craft, she asked the tableful of faces if anyone knew what we would celebrate on the 14th? Each and every smiling mug trilled "Chinese New Year!" "Yes!" Susie beamed. "And we're going to make paper lanterns with dragons on them!" P was delighted.

Today's Fat Tuesday, Pancake Day, or whatever you'd like to call your (originally pagan) pre lent ritual, would probably have slipped by us too, but for our fabulous Polish friends who invited us over for Paczki. The snowstorm brewing out our window had P reconsidering his excitement for friends and fried food, but then the snow loving gleam entered those baby blues and out we flew....

Right into much more snow than I had expected. Walking everywhere as we do, I religiously check the online weather before leaving the house. Sometimes, for insurance, I double up on my information and call my father, my favorite weather relay man (happily ensconced in warm, sunny, Sarasota, he's always more than chipper to tell me how cold my day will be:) Well, I should have called him today, because, as is often the case, the weather outside was much different than that typed on my screen.

Nevertheless, we eventually made it all the way across the park (which, come to find out, grows bigger when it snows) to visit our buddies. And we carnival'd in style on some delish donuts while racing cars and playing under quilts.

Feet stuffed in trash sacks and hoods worn low, we re-schlepped home, fat and happy this Tuesday. The park had grown, again, but gawd was it was gorgeous.