St. Patrick’s Day was my grandmother’s birthday, and although she was 100% off the boat Italian, she used to say she was meant to be Irish. She had a collection of hats so big it was published in the local paper, and you’d better believe some of them were green.
She also dyed her hair as red as I dye mine, well into her eighties.
She was quite a woman. She ran her own business, she stood up to her moody alcoholic husband (whom I loved–but I didn’t get to see his darker sides, mostly) and she was a bonafide hottie, who was modeling to get through school when she was recruited by the OSS.
No lie.
So although I’m not a fan of drinking, St. Patrick’s Day holds a special place in my heart.
This year, it was more of a travel day–Chicken and I were supposed to be flying to Nashville to participate in BookLover’s Con, but Covid-19 had other plans, and we accepted that. Today, we had to go grocery shopping (reports of no toilet paper are, eerily enough, absolutely true. Yikes, people–how much were you planning to crap in the next month?) and generally clean house.
And I made corned beef and cabbage with fried potatoes (because boiled potatoes are boring, unless they’re mashed with sour cream) and invited my children over for dinner.
Chicken’s roommate couldn’t make it, but my older son’s girlfriend could, and we watched Disney movies and generally had a pleasant night together–a gathering of seven if you will.
I think it was something we needed to remember. Social distancing is important–and so is being careful. For a while, our next movie gatherings may be on Netflix Party. But for tonight we were together and happy, and I’m going to maintain this was important. being together and happy produces endorphins, right? That boosts our immunity, right? Same reason masturbation’s good for us, right?
And mostly, it reminds us that when we come out of our social distancing caves, there are people who love us, and a reason to get back together.
Stay healthy and safe–and happy St. Patrick’s Day everybody.
