Kiss Me, I’m NOT Irish!

St Paul and Minneapolis are having their St Patrick’s Day parades today as the REAL St Patrick’s Day is tomorrow, on Sunday, and I guess it just isn’t as fun to get rip-roaring drunk on a Sunday.

St Paul’s parade was at noon and the parade in Minneapolis starts at 6:00 pm. Buses and light rail will be free for riders beginning at 6:00 pm and going through the last run. We got to protect innocent drivers from the drunk drivers, you see.

Last year, on the REAL St Patrick’s Day, it was 80 degrees! 80 degrees! We had an incredibly bizarre spring last year with buds on the trees, flowers blooming, and everyone wearing shorts with their green T-shirts.

This year, we’re still in the dead of winter. Our temperatures hover around freezing during the day and do a deep dive at night. We just had a couple of snowstorms pass through yesterday and are expecting another four inches or so during the night on Sunday through Monday morning. Another gummed up rush hour is in store for us.

Fortunately, for all the St Patrick’s Day revelers, today is sunny, but windy and chilly. But doesn’t green beer take the chill out of air?

When Joe drove over the Minneapolis to pick up his mail at his PO box this morning, he stumbled into the St Patrick’s Day 5K race. He had to zip and zag around all the closed streets to finally get out of Minneapolis and back into St Paul. St Patrick’s Day takes over both cities.

This was my first totally free Saturday since way before Christmas. I didn’t have to get up early to facilitate grief group. I didn’t have to get up early to get my taxes done. I didn’t have to get up early to go to any birthday parties or basketball games. I didn’t have to get up early to go to workout. It was so wonderful to lie in bed until after 7:00 am. That’s pure bliss for me.

Later in the morning, I had errands to do, so Joe and I stayed out of the St Patrick’s Day areas. I put my first paycheck from my new job into the bank. We drove out to the cemetery to visit Ray and Alice. There were deer tracks are down Ray’s row. I’m sure he loves seeing the deer walk over him.

Finally, we got to my favorite store, Target, which was packed with people who were not at St Patrick’s Day festivities. I picked up a few things and then we came home.

My grandsons are in Florida, I think at Bush Gardens, with my cousin (he’s their cousin, too!) and his family and their dad. The younger one sent a video of the ocean – oh, it looked so inviting. They’re coming home during the snowstorm on Monday – welcome back to the never ending winter in Minnesota.

We have freezing and melting going on and that causes dangerous ice to build up on sidewalks on roads. Joe fell last night when going out to the garage. The way the ice freezes is like smooth glass and it’s so slippery. Joe was OK, but it was scary. It’s so easy to break a bone or get a concussion from falling on ice.

I placed a large board where we need to walk between the garage and the deck steps. Then I sprinkled a thick layer of salt on the driveway where the ice is thickest. Our drug dealing neighbors only shovel 2/3 of their driveway, because they’re lazy and stupid, so their snow melt is coming onto our driveway creating more ice than usual.

Well, tomorrow, all the St Patrick’s Day revelers will be sleeping it off while I get up early to go to the gym on the real St Patrick’s Day. Green beer has no appeal to this Scandinavian girl.