If a certain rodent in a little town in Pennsylvania is to be trusted, winter will make an early exit and will give way to spring without much of a fight. And just to give the rodent's prediction a boost, there's carnival festivities spread across the globe ~ ok, not really spread, more like sprinkled ~ to chase winter away. Well, we've not had more than 3 days of winder here, but I'm ready to follow Faun and step through the gate (das Tor) onto the meadow with flowers abloom ...