Tickle Me Melmo

Photo: 16 month old granddaughter Zoe is learning to text! Her brother watches attentively. He doesn't have a cell, but is plugged in.
Zoe got an Elmo, the Sesame Street character, from Santa for Christmas. Elmo giggles and wiggles when tickled. She is a little aloof and wary of him so her parents were surprised when they were shopping and she spotted an Elmo in a store. Mom says she almost jumped out of the stroller while pointing and saying "Melmo, Melmo". I knew she was smart.

I watched the local news yesterday and they said yesterday was (supposedly) the "Most depressing day of the year". I am not sure what criteria they use to get that result and who THEY are, but the TV audience of Minnesotans probably believed it.
It rained all weekend washing away the salt and sand on roads and then snowed Monday. The rain melted the St. Paul Winter Carnival ice and snow sculptures.
Yesterday it snowed lightly and we were back to sliding off roads and fender benders again. Commutes were slow. The sky was gray. The temperature is dropping.
We were the lucky ones. Up north, which is everyone north of the metro, or bottom quarter of the state, heavy snow fell. Some places got a foot and a half. Western and southern Minnesota had blizzards. Schools and freeways closed. Just a nasty reminder that it is still January.
When this happens people used to call Hobbit Travel ( a big local agency) and book a trip somewhere else. We couldn't do that since Hobbit went bankrupt and closed suddenly around Christmas.
Minnesotans couldn't travel easily in the state and couldn't get out of the state. On top of that our Vikings lost the playoff game and most don't believe Brett Favre will play next fall. I think they send the wrong quarterback to Disney world. The losers should go to the happiest place on earth.
Maybe the people who decided yesterday was the most depressing day of the year were from Minnesota.
You can only mope so long and then you must make a list of things that cheer you up.
Number one on my list: remember everything gloomy here paled compaired to the suffering of Haitians.
Number two: I am so blessed if all I had was my family.
Number three: If I get blue, I can always go find Melmo and have a good giggle.