Failte Padraig
Today the pain continued, although it’s slowly fading. I had to take my breakthrough medication to let me move fairly comfortably. It’ll be better by the end of the weekend, I’m sure, so that’s something to anticipate. Jerry has a new admirer — my neighbour down the hall dropped by this afternoon, and Jerry began by sounding intimidating, then curled up on his feet and snuggled up! Vicious brute he ain’t! Don muttered that the weather was causing him some aches, but he’s feeling better now, and has managed to demolish about half a cake… so that’s all to the good!
Since everyone is Irish today, I was thinking back to my first visit to the “Emerald Isle.” It was in mid October, many years ago, when I visited my friend who is a Dominican priest. At the time, he’d taken a year’s sabbatical from parish work to do some courses and to try to reconnect with his Irish roots — he’d left to go to Trinidad shortly after his ordination in 1967, and always worked in Trinidad, so it was over 30 years since he’d lived there, and he wanted to spend time in his homeland. I took advantage of a university trip to the UK to visit him for a few days, and spent them wandering Dublin, going to the theatre, spending time with the priests and nuns and sightseeing. I fell totally in love with Ireland at the time, although it rained heavily from the time I landed until my plane lifted off. I swear that the clouds rolled in as we landed, and the sun peeped out as we pulled from the gate! I honestly didn’t mind, as I got to enjoy some traditional Irish warming methods — hot rum toddies and an open fire — and some excellent fireside suppers (there’s an apple pie that is the last word in apple pies, and which shines in my memory!) Plus ciders, whiskeys, Irish coffees and cozy wool sweaters and shawls. I went back a few years ago, to a different monastery to visit him after he’d retired back there, and had another awesome time being cared for by the priests and doing some shopping and sightseeing. I’d love to return but my friend has now reached the stage of dementia where he no longer remembers me, and that’s a painful thing. I do have some excellent and fond memories of my trips, and I’d actually kept a handwritten journal of my time, so I can relive the moments on days like today when the weather is very Irish, and there’s a small ocean of green everywhere!
I had a “senior’s moment” or something like… I was talking to my niece, and she had told me that her end of term exams started on Friday this week. So today I called her, and asked if she was ready for her exams and what time tomorrow did her exams start? She gave me that teenage look (everyone knows it; the “you’ve lost the plot” look) and said that they’d started today… I said, but you said Friday. The look got more intense, and then the penny dropped and I realized today is Friday! I lost a whole day somewhere! She had fun laughing at me, (sorry, “with” she said that she’d never laugh at me) and saying, “There, there, Auntie, your oldness is starting to show!” (Cheeky brat!) I’m going to pause here and brag — while we were on the phone, she got an email offering her a place at the university in her first choice program (Geography.) Very proud! I also got to video chat with my little niece and nephew… I finally mailed (6 weeks late! Bad Auntie) her 4th birthday present; and since she won’t accept a gift unless her brother also gets one, a smaller gift was included for him. It’s great that they share and look out for each other.
OK, I’m going to get this out fairly early. Everyone knows that I’ve objected to Disney’s Little Mermaid since that red-haired nuisance first swam onscreen about 30 years ago. My objection was, and remains, that the little mermaid should die at the end!!! That’s kind of a huge point in the story. In answer to the people who have been texting and forwarding the movie trailer — unless they’ve changed the plot so that the mermaid shares the fate of Nemo’s mom and Bambi’s mom, I’m not watching. Yes, I’m curmudgeonly, but really — Disney’s movie promotes some awful messaging to children by not letting her die.
On that note, go have some boxty or colcannon; I’d like a “lawyer’s lunch” but that’s a little too much effort right now, and sip on some Jamieson’s or Bushmill’s. I’m not a Guinness fan, but I’ll have a cider and pie! Good night!
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