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Tuesday’s Topic this week is: Let the feasting begin! That must also make today Fat Tuesday for Mardi Gras.

Quote from Wikipedia: Mardi Gras (French for “Fat Tuesday”) is the day before Ash Wednesday, and is also called “Shrove Tuesday” or “Pancake Day”. Mardi Gras is the final day of Carnival, though the term is often used incorrectly to describe the days and weeks preceding Fat Tuesday.[1] Carnival begins 12 days after Christmas, or Twelfth Night, on January 6 and ends on Mardi Gras, which always falls the day before Ash Wednesday. Perhaps the cities most famous for their Mardi Gras celebrations include New Orleans, Louisiana; Venice, Italy; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Many other places have important Mardi Gras celebrations as well. Carnival is an important celebration in most of Europe, except in the United Kingdom where pancakes are the tradition, and also in many parts of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Galveston Texas has a large Mardi Gras carnival celebration every year – I’ve been to it … once? … twice? It was many years ago when I went with my daughter to the parade at night – it was before my grandson was born and he will be 11 this coming May so it has been a few years huh? I am not overly fond of huge crowds these days and trying to find a place to park … and sometimes it can get down right dangerous at night with all the party-goers – do I sound like a party-pooper? Getting older has made me much more safety conscious than I was when I was young – that is a fact!

I don’t think I have much in my cupboards or refrigerator for feasting on a Tuesday … I was not prepared for it to be here so soon … ;P … Easter must be coming early this year – let me see … where did I put that calendar? … I looked it up online instead of going in the other room – it is 2008 – Sunday, March 23rd per calendardate.com.

Nearly time to dust off those Easter bunny costumes, get the easter egg dye and plastic easter eggs, lovely baskets with paper or plastic Easter grass and assorted Easter decorations … bunnies, ducks, chicks, crosses … It isn’t even Valentine’s Day for all those lovely roses and Valentine candy or cookies let alone St Patrick’s Day flags with shamrocks and green beer for those who drink yet and here we are getting ready for Easter so soon.

I think I have a pepperoni pizza and maybe a vanilla coke … perhaps I better go feast now … it is windy and raining outside at the moment! And I am not planning on fasting for Lent … eating sensibly is important but fish is a good source of nutrition in our diet.