This has been a long week after losing the battle against a cold. This particular illness has kicked my butt with extreme fatigue. My activity of choice has been napping...even between patients and in my car at lunch. Yesterday I started feeling like I might get some energy back and today is much better. Unfortunately, my sister and Miss Teen have caught the same thing.

My father in law ended up in the hospital with an infection in/on his arm. Sadly, he has reached the stage in his life and health that hospitalizations are occurring a couple of times each year. I didn't really realize how much he had declined until I was looking at some pictures from a few years ago. It is hard to watch and harder still to watch my husband come to the realization that his father is nearing the end of his life.

It has been raining, raining, raining for the past couple of weeks. Son hasn't been able to ride his horse much because of the weather. Yesterday was clear so we went to the barn to try and get a ride in. The mud is/was so thick and deep that son sunk 2 feet deep into the mud and lost my rubber boots in the muck. We had to rig up a barrel to use a boat in the mud and then dig the boots out. By the time we finished both he and I had mud up to our knees and two pairs of boot completely encrusted. Yuck. The sun is supposed to stay out this week.

We are watching the Super Bowl even though the Saints didn't make it. It is difficult to explain how much the Saint's good season lifted the mood. The week before the Chicago game was crazy. Almost everyone down her is rooting for Indianapolis. Peyton Manning is from New Orleans, his father was quarterback for the Saints for many years. If that wasn't enough to make the Colts earn the favor of New Orleans fans, the behavior of some of the Bears' fans sealed the deal. Several New Orleans fans who went to the Bears game were subjected to verbal abuse, physical intimidation and unbelievable rudeness. There were fans who had signs that said "Bears will finish what Katrina started." Uncalled for. They played a good game and deserved to win, but that is just plain rude. Every Saints game I went to, I made a point of thanking the opposing fans for coming to New Orleans and I am not the only one who does that. I found New Yorkers more humble after 9-11, and maybe Katrina made us more humble. May Chicago not have to learn humility the same way.

Mardi Gras is getting into full swing. Today was the second parade in my town with two more to go. I missed the parade today because I had to take Miss Teen to her belly dancing class, but hubby's band played on one of the floats. Son rode with hubby and threw beads. He had a good time, but would rather catch than throw. We are going to be in town for Mardi Gras this year. Often Miss Teen and I travel to Europe for the week, but funds are short and I have a good friend undergoing chemo and radiation and I need to stay in town for her. I am considering having the whole family costume for Fat Tuesday itself. Any ideas?