Cats for St. Pat's

The Black Cat Naps in Spring Morning Sun
Jan L. Waldron

Sharing the day with St. Patrick:
St. Gertrude of Nivelles ~ Unofficial Patron Saint of Cats
~ Feast Day: March 17 ~

Sharing the patronage of cats:
St. Julian of Norwich ~ Original Crazy Cat Lady
~ Feast Day: May 8 ~

Thanks Steven!

Ethereal Green Steps for St. Patrick's Day

"Untitled (Woman on Underwater Steps)" (1989)
by American Artist Jane Fisher (b 1961)
Thanks Celebrate the Seasons!
Thanks Anne Marie!

And One More Cat!

Pierrot and the Cat (1889)
by Théophile Steinlen (1859-1923)

A Day for Blessings

~ Happy St. Patrick's Day ~

Three Sisters in the Garden
by Jen Norton

A Blessing for the Day

"To love someone long-term is to attend a thousand funerals of who they used to be.
The people they're too exhausted to be any longer. The people
they don't recognize inside themselves anymore. The people
they grew out of, the people they never ended up growing into.
We so badly want the people we love to get their spark back
when it burns out, to become speedily found when they are
lost.

"But it is not our job to hold anyone accountable to the people
they used to be. It is our job to travel with them between each
version and to honor what emerges along the way.
Sometimes, it will be an even more luminescent flame.
Sometimes, it will be a flicker that
disappears and temporarily
floods the room with a perfect and necessary darkness."

by 🖋Heide Priebe

Upon reading this meditation, I immediately thought of my sibs and how we keep on growing and changing and loving each other, even as we become old people!

I was also reminded of these great lyrics by Tom Waits:

Old boyfriends

They look you up
when they're in town
To see if they can still
burn you down
He fell in love, you see
With someone that I used to be . . .

Sung by Crystal Gale

Glass Heart by Siobhan Allen

St. Patrick's Day ~ Childhood Crafts

Everything you need for a Happy St. Pat's:

Graham crackers with frosting and sprinkles . . .

A letter from Di to Grandpa and Earl . . .

A homemade card to Mommy & Daddy . . .

A poorly drawn leprechaun . . .

And an Irish jig!

☘ ☘ ☘ ☘ ☘

Mother’s Day Card ~ Same Era

Où sont les neiges de mars?

"some unnecessary stars
fell quietly
from last night's
sky . . . "

MAGNOLIA

The bare shrub
unnoticed by me
in February

has snow clumps
still clinging to it
in late March

which, when examined,
are plum, purple - veined
buds.

A day later,
I blink:
it appears

some unnecessary stars
fell quietly
from last night's
sky

and settled lightly
lightly
among shivering
branches.

by Francine Tolf
in her book Prodigal

Many thanks
to Contemporary American writer Francine Tolf
for allowing me to share her poems on my blog:
on The Fortnightly
on The Quotidian Kit
on Kitti's List

************************
P.S.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Green Eyes for St. Patrick's Day

Thanks Curtis

Green Eyes
Every night we light the candle
That stands beside our bed
But sometimes the flame's too much to handle
That's what you said
That's what you said

And you should know
Because you built a fire in me and you made it burn
You followed me watching every move
Matching every turn

Your green eyes, they don't miss a thing
They hold me like the sun going down
Warm me like a fire in the night
Without a sound

You were waiting till I heard
Just as patient as that love light in your eyes
You never threw away a word
Or ever talked in a disguise

I ought to know
You were a beacon to a sailor lost at sea
I saw it in your eyes when you looked at me
So openly

Your green eyes, they don't miss a thing
They hold me like the sun going down
Warm me like a fire in the night
Without a sound

The first time I ever saw your laughter
Break loose inside and tumble out to me
My heart knew it had found what it was after
And it came so easily

We should know
After all the years of the hard and heavy times
Now, our days go by like best friends' story lines
Yours and mine

Your green eyes, they don't miss a thing
They hold me like the sun going down
Warm me like a fire in the night
Without a sound
Without a sound

Kate Wolf (1942 - 1986)

St. Patrick’s Candle & Tree

Not exactly the same as a four - leaf clover,
but the parsley was so lovely and robust this year,
lasting well into the winter, beyond the first frost!

~ Previous St. Patrick's Day Posts ~

Snowy Snowy Night

Snowy snowy night,
paint your colors pink and green . . .

“People make a great deal of the flowers of spring and the leaves of autumn, but for me a night like this, with a clear moon shining on snow, is the best -- and there is not a trace of color [except for green and pink!] in it. I cannot describe the effect it has on me, weird and unearthly somehow. I do not understand people who find a winter evening forbidding.”

― Murasaki Shikibu (c. 973 – c. 1031)

This beautiful color scheme for my outdoor Christmas lights came about not so much by design as by a happy combination of what was leftover after all the indoor trees were decorated and illuminated. Thank goodness the lights were still up for the big snowfall, although there was never really much doubt that such would be the case. With so much green, I had every intention of leaving them up through Mardi Gras and St. Patrick's Day.

When I woke up at 7am on Wednesday, February 2nd, I looked out the window, saw the garbage truck going by in the usual manner, and sadly said, "No snow!" I was wrong, however, to doubt the prognosticators on Ground Hog Day. When I awoke a second time, at 9am, it was a different story and a different world outside my window!

All Day

&

All Night

Here's how it happened . . .

Wednesday
February 2nd ~ 11:30 am

February 2nd ~ 2:30 pm

February 2nd ~ 5:30 pm

February 2nd ~ 6:30 pm

February 2nd ~ 8:30 pm

Thursday
February 3rd ~ 11:30 am
24 hours in:

February 3rd ~ 3:00 pm
The clearing crew has arrived!
A 4 - snow blower event:

February 3rd ~ 6:30 pm
34 hours after snow began

OPEN

How well I remember a year ago today, having dinner at Town & Gown on Friday the 13th. Everyone knew trouble was brewing, but little did we know how bad it was going to get and how long it was going to last. We assumed that our favorite restaurant would be open through the weekend and that we would be able to meet up the follwing week to celebrate St. Patrick's Day (on Tuesday, March 17, 2020).

But it was not to be. We woke up on Saturday morning to the announcement that the shut - downs had begun and our beloved Town & Gown would be closed for the next two months. When it reopened on Wednesday, May 13th, Gerry and I were there first thing for breakfast -- and the next morning for breakfast again, and the day after that for dinner! Thankfully, with all pre-cautions and protocols in place, everything has gone well since then.

One year later, I like to think of the Town & Gown OPEN sign as a metaphor for renewal, symbolizing a new season, heralding a new, confident era of post - virus socializing!

Previous ~ OPEN ~ Signs

And Previous Posts
lattes
spiced coffee
whiskey
scenic views
autumnal ~ flora
leftovers

Plus a surprise throwback:
this clipping saved from seven years ago
found neglected in kitchen drawer

It turns out that back in 2013, nearly two years before Matt and Regen brought Town & Gown to West Lafayette, I came across this list of notable places to visit in Bloomington, and have been saving it ever since.

The clipping comes from the Fall 2013 Campus Visitors Guide that I was perusing during my first ever visit to Indiana University - Bloomington. I've been back a few times since then, but never remembered to bring along the clipping. However, even without the aid of the Visitors Guide, I did manage a visit to the Runcible Spoon.

Why? Because in the meantime, Matt and Regen made their way to West Lafayette, quickly becoming our favorite restaurateurs! So, naturally, we were keen to check out their other trendy locale.

Matt, on the left, kicking back at The Spoon

Oh So Smoothie

And don't forget the ice cream!

Who can always make us laugh?
Roz Chast, that's who!
Check out my recent book blog:
Books to Make You Laugh

Speaking of Smoothies . . .

Ultra - Healthy

Pistachio Fluff
Happy St. Valentine's / Patrick's Day 2017

Root Beer Floats

All Jello, All the Time

Half Orange Juice - Half Guinness*

Coffee Break*

*Last two pics courtesy of Town & Gown Bistro
Thanks Magan, Matt & Regen!

Coronavirus: Our Plans Died

Coronavirus ~ Franklin Institute
The highly contagious coronavirus is killing not only our fellow - citizens but also our plans: travel plans, family reunions, Spring Break, Passover, Easter, weddings -- even those scheduled months from now. Going back to late February, a few towns (Venice but not New Orleans) cancelled Mardi Gras; nearly a month later, St. Patrick's Day celebrations were cancelled the world over. Even just hanging out has been cancelled. With cancellation comes loss, and with loss comes grief. As Scott Berinato explains,

"The loss of normalcy; the fear of economic toll; the loss of connection. This is hitting us and we’re grieving. Collectively. We are not used to this kind of collective grief in the air."

I am also thinking of one of my long - time, tried and true poetic standbys, "The Nose Poem," in which poet Lee Perron highlights the significance of plans:

"your mate dies, or parents
or one of your other friends
there is nothing fearful in the death
the deadman is not the problem
his letters perhaps
some phrase he spoke that rings every after
the way he died, what the surgeons did to his brain, or kidneys,
or heart
what you & he would have been doing now
next week, all summer long as you always did
the deadman did not die
your plans died
and this is what is so upsetting
this makes us so sick we cannot even think . . . "
[emphasis added]

Plans, glorious plans! Remember Adela Quested (from E. M. Forster's A Passage to India)? "She loved plans." It's funny how just a couple of weeks ago, we thought our plans were up to us -- whether we went out for lunch or maybe dinner. But no! Turns out we don't get to decide after all.

During this season of social distancing, Perron's final stanza seems more pertinent than ever. We may shake one another's hands, or not:

". . . in this beauty the car stops
the arm reaches for the doorhandle
and there is nothing left to it but the pulling up on the handle...
and one of you looks back through the car window
you may touch one another's lips, or not
it hardly makes any difference, so beautiful is desire"

Passages from "Desire a Sequence" by Lee Perron
Published in The Chariton Review, Fall 1977
Editor, Jim Barnes

Continued thanks to Jim Barnes for teaching me this poem back in 1977; and to Lee Perron for befriending my family back in 2003 after receipt of our fan letter.

*****************

So group hugs are temporarily
cancelled, but all is not lost.
We can all adopt this gracious custom:
Understanding The ‘Wai’ Thai Greeting!

Happy St. Pat's Cake & Tree

Getting Ready for St. Patrick's Day

Easy Recipe: Any chocolate cake mix
Follow directions except . . .
substitute 1/2 cup melted butter for 1 /2 cup vegetable oil
substitute 1 1/4 cup milk for 1 1/4 cup water
optional: add 1 cup sour cream or greek yogurt

Mix by hand or with small hand mixer
Bake in tube / Bundt pan 40 - 45 minutes
use non - stick baking spray

cool in pan for 10 minutes
cool on plate for 30 more minutes
pour / spread frosting over the top &
sprinkle with whatever colored sugars match the season / occasion

Slice the butter & cream cheese into the food processor
to soften at room temp while the cake is baking;
then while the cake is cooling, add powdered sugar & vanilla,
and process for a minute or so, until creamy.

Frosting -- easy to make in food processor:
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1 8oz pkg cream cheese (can use lower cal, but regular is best)
3 cups of powdered sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla

Previous Posts

The Pact: Sailing Right Behind

Happy
Belated Saint Patrick's Day
& Early Vernal Equinox,
& Thanks to my friend Mumbi
for this beautiful Friendship Rock!

I've been listening to a lot of golden oldies on the
car radio this week, including these two favorites:

Bridge Over Troubled Water
When you're weary
Feeling small
When tears are in your eyes,
I'll dry them all
I'm on your side
Oh, when times get rough
And friends just can't be found

Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down

When you're down and out
When you're on the street
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you
I'll take your part
Oh, when darkness comes
And pain is all around

Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down

Sail on silver girl
Sail on by
Your time has come to shine
All your dreams are on their way
See how they shine

Oh, if you need a friend
I'm sailing right behind

Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind

By Paul Simon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll Be There
You and I must make the pact
We must bring salvation back
Where there is love, I'll be there

I'll reach out my hand to you
I'll have faith in all you do
Just call my name and I'll be there

I'll be there to comfort you
Build my world of dreams around you
I'm so glad that I found you

I'll be there with a love that's strong
I'll be your strength
I'll keep holdin' on

Let me fill your heart with joy and laughter
Togetherness, girl, is all I'm after
Whenever you need me, I'll be there

I'll be there to protect you
With an unselfish love that respects you
Just call my name, I'll be there

I'll be there to comfort you
Build my world of dreams around you
I'm so glad that I found you

I'll be there with a love that's strong
I'll be your strength
I'll keep holdin' on

If you should ever find someone new
I know he better be good to you
'Cause if he doesn't
I'll be there

Don't you know baby
I'll be there, I'll be there
Just call my name, I'll be there
Just look over your shoulders honey, ooh!
I'll be there, I'll be there

Whenever you need me,
I'll be there, I'll be there
Don't you know baby
I'll be there, I'll be there
Just call my name, I'll be there

By Hal Davis, Berry Gordy,
Willie Hutch, Bob West
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Esther ~ Kitti ~ Mumbi ~

Magi and Fruitcake

My brother Bruce sent me this cartoon
~ perfect for Epiphany ~
along with the suggestion for those
who fell behind in their baking this year:
"You don't have to wait for next Christmas.
Make a Valentines fruitcake,
or a St. Patrick's Day fruitcake!"

. . . but no one would turn away my fruitcake,
made with orange slice gumdrops!

Orange Slice Gumdrop Cake
Recipe from Midwest Living Magazine, December 1992

1/2 lb orange slice candy, cut up (1 1/2 cups) -- mixed with 1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup chopped dates
1 1/4 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped nuts pecans or almonds

Bring butter and eggs to room temperature; then beat butter, sugar, and eggs in large bowl.

Add the 1 1/2 cups flour and buttermilk alternately to egg mixture, beating after each addition.

Fold in dates, coconut and nuts; then gumdrops.

Grease and flour 1 regular sized loaf pan (or use baking spray) and spread batter evenly.

Bake at 300°F for about 1 hour and 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Or you can use 3 medium - small loaf pans (not tiny) and bake for a slightly shorter period.

If you want to glaze the cake(s), stir together 1 cup of powdered sugar and 1/4 cup orange juice until smooth, and pour over the hot cakes. (I never do this step; unglazed is fine with me.)

Cool in pans on wire racks for 20 minutes, remove from pans, cool completely.

Wrap each cake in plastic wrap or decorative holiday ziplock baggie.

Store in refrigerator for up to 4 weeks, or eat right away. Serve at room temperature.

****************

And now, an epiphanic poem on the serious side:
Will Peace Come Forever?

We traveled together.
It took me two weeks to understand
what Ahmad was saying.
We studied the stars. Forever I
love the desert sky at night.
The stars, so strong, so guiding,
so, yes so bright, tonight and last night,
so bright.

To Bethlehem we agreed.
I saw an angel in my sleep last night.
He said that people will talk of
this trip for thousands of years.
I asked if the King we seek is really
that great. He smiled and muttered in
an angel's way.
Tears flowed down
his cheeks.

I love sinking my feet into the sand
knowing that each step takes me
closer
to the King. I watch the star; we all watch
the star.
Luand is tall and he smells of his gift
frankincense. He glides along,
praying, praying that we will not
die in the dessert.
But Ahmad, the star seeker, the star
reader knows we will not.
And a thousand years from now,
who knows,
maybe someone will wonder where the
myrrh came from.

But oh I am happy, so happy to
follow this star and pray and
laugh in the night.

Catherine DeLong ~ writer ~ reader ~ friend
2004 Christmas

Some additional Magi / Epiphany Poems
to take a look at in greater detail when time allows:

Elizabeth Coatsworth

T. S. Eliot

Christopher Pilling

Muriel Spark

Sara Teasdale

Evelyn Waugh

Irish Decoupage

I picked a St. Patrick's Day Card for my
8th Grade Decoupage Project ~ 1971

"For each day, she thought, she needed a whole other day to contemplate what had happened and store it away, get it out of her system so that it did not keep her awake at night or fill her dreams with flashes of what had actually happened and other flashes that had nothing to do with anything familiar, but were full of rushes of colour or crowds of people, everything frenzied and fast" (58).

from Brooklyn (2009)
by Irish novelist Colm Toibin (b. 1955)

Lady Lavery Banknote
Portrait of Lady Lavery (nee Hazel Martyn)
as Kathleen Ni Houlihan, 1928

Painted by her husband, Irish artist Sir John Lavery

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!