What's this brown stuff?

Over the past several days, the weather's been nice enough that the snow has really started to melt, revealing a highly unfamiliar brown surface underneath. I think, a long time ago, that we used to call it "dirt" but I can't be certain. I felt like an archaeologist yesterday, albeit a thoroughly disgusted one, as I shoveled up dog poo that had originally been deposited before Christmas. For those of you counting, that was two full months ago, and it's only now coming to light. And let me tell you, it doesn't get any less gross as time passes, it just gets crumblier every time it freezes and re-thaws.

Now that the poo has been taken care of, the next project is the Christmas lights. Yep, it's February 19, and our lights are still up. At least we're not the only ones -- between icy driveways and drifts of snow up against the houses, it's been damn near impossible for just about everyone to dismantle the holiday cheer. While I was out walking with Maggie today, I did see that Mr. Atomic Christmas had removed about 80% of his festoonery, but his full-size wicker light-up deer were still standing tall and proud.

Another thing I noticed when we were out today -- we have big sidewalks. I haven't seen this much concrete in months. When the best you get for weeks at a time is a tiny little path big enough for one person and one dog (single file), a big 6-foot-wide sidewalk meandering through the park looks like it came out of some Imagineered vision of a bright utopian future. (Please begin chirping a cheerful mod-sounding xylophone soundtrack) "Someday, Timmy, sidewalks will be big enough for a jogging soccer mom, her behemoth all-wheel terrain stroller carrying in-vitro conceived twins named Cash and Jaxson*, AND her bored Lab. Just imagine."

Now I understand why the coming of spring seems like such an amazing thing in this part of the world. Not that we're anywhere near spring.

*Seriously, two employees at work have, within the last six months, given birth to children and given them the abominations of "Cash" and "Jaxson" as names. I weep for the future.