How to celebrate Leap Day

Leap Day!  Should be truly special as it only happens once every four years, but today's sad, spoggy weather doesn't portend well for this being a rippin' fun, leap into life - jump into spring kind of day.

How should we celebrate Leap Day?  Each holiday has its designated decorations, foods and festivities. 

Christmas - turkey and gifts, carols and candles
Valentines Day - flowers, candy, jewelry and hearts
St. Paddy's - green beer and corned beef
Easter - eggs, chocolates and hats

Even the more minor holidays have special ways of celebrating: Robbie Burns Day requires scotch and hagus.

So Leap Day really deserves its own set of celebratory parameters.  Should we be literal and actually have a designated time that everyone leaps?  Perhaps a gathering of observation in Victoria Park - or a central location in your city or town - to have a group leap.

Or should we be more symbolic and everyone think about how he or she will 'leap' into new endeavors and 'leap' out of bad habits or negative relationships.

What kinds of foods symbolize Leap Day?  Frogs legs?  Wiggly, jiggly jello - any kind of kenetic foodstuff would do, I suppose.  Your thoughts?

What are your ideas about observing Leap Day?  I'd love to hear some creative feedback.

I'm ready to leap into spring that's for sure.  This ROCASS has had enough winter!

Oscarizing

Is there any better way to beat those mid-winter blues than watching beautiful, incredibly thin people parade around in clothes worth more than your car?

Oh yeah, I guess anything  . . .

Rodent rage

Well it's three to two - seems Old Man Winter is here to stay for a while longer in Canada or at least your friendly (or not-so-much) neighborhood Groundhog says so.

Here in central Ontario, Wiarton Willie failed to visualize his shadow, as did Nova Scotia’s Shubenacadie Sam.

But three others - Alberta’s Balzac Billy, Quebec’s Fred la Marmotte and the lone submission from the other side of the border Punxsutawney Phil - all saw their shadows and ran back inside away from the cold that encompasses us.

Yes, it's been a bit warmer this year than last.  But I don't attribute that to global warming, rather than Mother Nature's admission that we've had several really sucking winters in a row and we deserved a bit of a break this year.

Too bad those damn rodents disagreed.  Here, kitty kitty  . . .

Minus 15 here in the Forest City

And this image says it all

Cold, cold, cold

Yeah, it's January and the temperatures have finally reached Canadian-cold rock bottom levels that we usually associate with this time of year in North America's deep freeze.

And while I'm a proud snow bitcher, the fact that we've had warmer then usual temps and less snow than normal here in southwestern Ontario, it does seem somewhat reassuring that Armageddon isn't on the horizon now that we have cold weather and a coating of the white stuff covering the ground.

However, yesterday at the London Wine and Food Show, I did get some questioning looks and snarky remarks about wearing sandals.  Don't usually wear them after the snow flies but flip flops (my glittery, lovely footwear of choice) are the most comfortable things known to woman-kind's feet and it was going to be an arduous day of walking and wining!

So now it's cold and snowy in our part of the Great White North just as it should be at this time of the year and all's right with the world.  Time for a warm bath  . . . .

Not nice

On the day that we're remembering our fallen soldiers that the heroes still with us have to face cold temps and a frosty blanket of white on their journey down to the cenotaph in Victoria Park.

These older gentlemen and ladies will put on their uniforms over sore joints and achy bones and do what they have to to honor fallen comrades because that's what they do.

It is instructional, though, as the rest of us stand around with numbing toes and running noses while at the park to be forced to endure just the smallest degree of the cold misery many of them encountered

A good reminder, for sure.

Lest we forget  . . .

Snow spotted in London

Yipes - you snow bunnies will be glad to hear that snow has been spotted in downtown London on this morning of November 10, 2011.

Yes, you heard right.  A few flakes were seen dancing downtown and I blame the people in Victoria Park.  No, not those controversial Occupiers but the other ones - those putting up Christmas lights.

It's too early to anticipate the Yule and therefore Mother Nature is protesting. 

This is acting out at its most visible.

So stop it - put away the festive folderol and let's finish fall first!