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ERIN GO BRAGH! Which means (and I only know because I looked it up, Dear Reader) Ireland Forever! It can also be translated: Ireland until the Day of Judgment (Yikes!) At any rate, I'm going to tell you about my St. Patrick's Day ups and downs, so I figured that would be as good an opener as any!

Because that yard man of mine was scheduled to have outpatient surgery today, and it was postponed on the penultimate day, I said to him this morning: "Top o' the mornin' to ya!" And then I said, "Since it's a fabulously warm day and you don't have anything scheduled, why don't we go some place fun?!" Which is precisely how we ended up on South Street in the city of Philadelphia, where as well as brotherly love, the love of all things Irish abounded today. There was the wearin' o' green, and the playin' o' bagpipes, and the drinkin' at the pubs!

(There was also the eatin' of a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich by my yard man [which has nothing to do with the Irish, except for the fact that he'd likely dance a jig if that's what it took to get one!)



Of course, after we stopped for some Bailey's Irish Cream,
there was the sportin' of green beaded necklaces and shamrock stickers, too. It was all very festive.

And exceedingly warm and pleasant! As we strolled down the sidewalk I suggested to the yard man, "This beats hernia surgery any day, wouldn't you say?!"



We took a side trip over to the Italian Market, where I saw lots of food offerings for which I'd never dance a jig,






















although most of the foods I saw there did excite me. And the yard man and I got our own private Olive Oil Tasting.




With the taste of olive oil still in our mouths
(and our heads full of olive-oil knowledge),
we returned to South Street to eat supper
at Supper (a restaurant so aptly named!)


Then we called it a day at Philly.
A very good day,
marred only by a parking ticket.
(We shouldn't have lingered so long
over our super Supper supper!)

We set out for home by the
light of a big fat moon.

And, ahhh, on St. Patrick's Day,
we had the luck o' the Irish with us!
(For the life o' me, Dear Reader,
I could never figure out if the
luck o' the Irish is good luck or bad; but either
way, we had it! Our day was not over.....)



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