May your troubles be less, may your blessings be more...

My eye is still trying to migrate somewhere south of it's socket. I think I've got enough mucous in my head to lube a small engine. And my throat is a flaming barren desert. And when one of my family asks me a question I kind of just want to curl up in a ball and cry. Welcome to day two of "the sinus siege". I'm not sure who my opponent is but he's going down (I hope).

Hopped up on cold meds I did manage to get my corned beef & cabbage cooked yesterday. And I made Irish soda bread. Not the fake kind with raisins and sugar. (hello, they didn't have raisins in Ireland when they started making soda bread). And dinner was Delicious. I even had a Killian's. And kicked ass at one game of Wii bowling. Then I went back to bed.

My Dad's side of the family has always been proud of it's Irish heritage. My maiden name was Day but we found that it used to be O'Day. My parents always said if they had a boy they would name him Sean Patrick. But since I don't have any brothers, I stole the name for my son. Hildi has what people call the "Irish look". Her hair is auburn, fair skin and blue eyes. But whether that's from my dad's Irish side or my mother's scotch ancestors, who can say? But Lu definitely gets her looks from there as well.


Hildi and Lu

I've been told I have the look of the "black Irish" (and no, that's not a racial slur), they have dark hair, dark eyes and fewer freckles. I don't really know whether that's true or whether my coloring come from the American Indian ancestors. At any rate, our Irish ancestry was always a source of pride. And now that Lu has found herself an Irish boy to marry, I guess it will carry on.


Dexter & Lu. Last name Flanagan. Won't my grandkids be adorable?!

One day while we were in Myrtle Beach, shopping at the outlet mall, we decided to get lunch. We ordered and as the cashier was ringing us up, she asked "Are you guys Irish?" Huh?! I'd never been asked that before. I'd been asked if I was Italian. I'd been asked if I was Latino. What would have made her think 'Irish'? Maybe it was Lu's reddish hair and blue eyes? Maybe it was our wrist tattoos? (because everyone recognizes Gaelic, right?) So I said "well, yes, we are". Turns out it was our rings. I wear a claddaugh ring on my left hand instead of my wedding set sometimes. And Lu's pre-engagement ring is a claddaugh. Hildi's wedding ring is a claddaugh. The cashier said she'd done a paper on claddaugh rings for a class. They are a traditional Irish wedding ring dating back from the 17th century. For love we wear the heart, for friendship we wear the hands, and for loyalty and lasting fidelity we wear the crown. I'm even getting a new one in honor of our twentieth anniversary. I just haven't been shopping yet!

I hope that everyone enjoyed their green beer last night. Or their corned beef and cabbage. Or however it is you celebrate St. Patrick's Day. We sure showed the wearing o'the green. And well, around my house, there's plenty of blarney every single day. I hope you all had a Beannachtam na Feile Padraig!

A traditional Irish blessing for you:




♥Spot