We draped the Irish flag over the back of the living room loveseat which we’ve successfully reclaimed from Blue, the cat. On the mantle, I replaced February’s red candles with green, and there were enough daffodils in the garden to fill a small vase – their stems joined the color theme.
Irish music streamed out of the Sonos for hours except in the office where I spent my day teleworking, as people call it these days.
Yesterday, I baked a loaf of Irish soda bread, my first attempt. It was flavorful but very crumbly. Maybe more butter? We each had a slice with breakfast. Not a fan of corned beef, we had crab cakes for dinner with a Gloria Ferrer chardonnay. Yes, I had three squares or more of Chocolove’s dark chocolate with sea salt and almonds. The wrapper had a new love poem which I couldn’t bring myself to appreciate. More John Donne! Untouched since last year, we left the Tullamore Dew on the shelf. We’re set for next year.
I gave thanks for my ancestors who braved the ocean for a chance at North America with nothing but hope that their new home would be an improvement over the place they left behind. Don’t most of us have that same thanks to give?