Grutz says, "If only St. Patrick was from Iowa." or "Marsha Blackburn is ruining my St. Patrick's Day."

On this wonderful day of St. Patrick's, let up begin with a poem by the late John O'Donahue, entitled "Beannacht", gaelic for "blessing".  Here's a link to a slideshow of western Ireland from NPR's Being, in which John O'Donahue recites his poem.

"Beannacht"

On the day when
the weight deadens
on your shoulders
and you stumble,
may the clay dance
to balance you.

And when your eyes
freeze behind
the grey window
and the ghost of loss
gets in to you,
may a flock of colours,
indigo, red, green,
and azure blue
come to awaken in you
a meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays
in the currach of thought
and a stain of ocean
blackens beneath you,
may there come across the waters
a path of yellow moonlight
to bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
may the clarity of light be yours,
may the fluency of the ocean be yours,
may the protection of the ancestors be yours.
And so may a slow
wind work these words
of love around you,
an invisible cloak

to mind your life. 

Well if that doesn't put a warm ember in your heart.....may this blessing find you all.

And now, something completely different.

If Saint Patrick was from Iowa, I would be set.  Nothing against the home of my ancestors, Ireland, but this is a much more than petty whim.  Alas, traveling and moving so much has left me less than prepared for St. Patrick's Day, specifically, green attire.  Now, if the Patron Saint of Ireland were the Patron Saint of Iowa, I would be dancing a jig in black and gold.  I have more Iowa Hawkeye gear than you can shake a shillelagh at, which is a good, good thing, just doesn't help on St. Patrick's Day.  I lamented to my Aunt Jill about my black and gold heavy wardrobe while visiting in Denver and she felt my pain (both she and my Uncle Dave went to the University of Iowa).  She graciously sent me a University of Colorado t-shirt for my birthday back in October.  Oh wait, the Buffalo's colors are.........wait for it...........black and gold!  Oh the irony was not lost on me Aunt Jill!!!  Needless to say, it's the most comfortable t-shirt I've ever had, thank you so.

Ok, there has to be a solution for my green/hawkeye/St. Patrick's Day wardrobe malfunction........

BAM! Problem solved.

Now that that's out of the way, now there's this: House to vote on cutting off funding for NPR.  Hearing Rep. Mrs. Blackburn (over the chirps of bald eagles, of course) on NPR this morning started my day off on the wrong foot.  I do not even know where to begin on this issue (Let alone the John O'Donahue piece above was from Being, an NPR show!).  Oh yeah, I think I start and end with one thing: facts and news.  NPR provides news and facts.  What does most private "news" media provide?  Commentary and opinion.  End of story.  Contact your representative in the House vote down this bill.  I'm off my soapbox (for now).  

Have a wonderful and safe St. Patrick's Day.

Now for some info that you'll probably erase with green beer later today.  Birthday!!!

Paul Green (17 March 1894 - 4 May 1981) was an American playwright best known for his depictions of life in North Carolina during the first decades of the twentieth century. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Dram for his 1927 play, In Abraham's Bosom.