St Patrick's Day

My children are really Irish. I know this because for the last few days they have spoken about nothing but St Patrick's day approaching. It would be expected if Fred or I mentioned it a good deal, but we haven't and we don't. We just celebrate at the appointed time. But our children look forward to this day with great anticipation. They love corned beef and cabbage,They love soda bread,  they love ice-box cake ( which they have termed zebra cake).

Maybe its really my own fault. The only thing I have always insisted on for St Patrick's day is a raffle. My Uncle Dave ( God rest his soul)  used to hold a raffle at the end of dinner each year for St Patrick's Day. He would hold up various trinkets like leprechauns, and green little pipes,  or beads of some sort- to us young children and make us guess the number in his head. Fortunately for me I always seemed to win. And it had to be honest because my Uncle Dave was a priest and wouldn't ever cheat on a thing. (Even if I was his favorite.)  I won, fair and square.

So, when we began celebrating St Patrick's Day I would ask Fred to pick up something to raffle off.  Apparently this is what really makes the holiday special for my kids. They woke us up this morning so anxious to wish us a Happy St Patrick's Day! Naturally we did all the great food and green clothing, but they were just tickled that they won some prizes like cards,and bears, and shamrock glasses as well. 

I'll leave you with a small story about Irish women and marriage that I certainly believe is true. At least in my own experience it is. But if you'd like to verify after reading- feel free to ask Fred...

IF YOU MARRY AN IRISH GIRL

The first man married a woman from Italy. He told her that she was to do the dishes and house cleaning. It took a couple of days, but on the third day, he came home to see a clean house and dishes washed and put away.

The second man married a woman from Poland. He gave his wife orders that she was to do all the cleaning, dishes and the cooking. The first day he didn't see any results, but the next day he saw it was better. By the third day, he saw his house was clean, the dishes were done and there was a huge dinner on the table.

...

The third man married a girl from Ireland. He ordered her to keep the house clean, dishes washed, lawn mowed, laundry washed, and hot meals on the table for every meal. He said the first day he didn't see anything, the second day he didn't see anything but by the third day, some of the swelling had gone down and he could see a little out of his left eye, and his arm was healed enough that he could fix himself a sandwich and load the dishwasher. He still has some difficulty when he pees......