Lucky Balance

Top of the evenin' to ye. I hope ye all be havin' a wonderful St. Patrick's Day! I started out mine with yoga class. It was already in the 50s when I headed over to Collingswood, sunny and bright and breezy. We worked on heart-openers today, most of which involved standing and balance poses. Balance definitely is not my strong suit. I still have a hard time focusing.

After class, I headed for the Collingswood Library for my first volunteer session of the day. Not a whole lot to do there. I just shelved some DVDs and did a lot of organizing. I don't know how action movies keep getting mixed in with the dramas!

I made a brief stop at Rite Aid and picked up a box of raisins for a recipe I intended to make later and at WaWa for a bottle of water, then headed back to Oaklyn. I'd decided I was going to volunteer at the Oaklyn Library today instead of waiting for tomorrow or Saturday, when I had less time. The DVDs weren't too bad, but the kids' books really needed to be done.

Headed home after I finished at the library. I had a quick lunch, then went back out for a walk. I hadn't realized how low I was on sugar. Besides, I badly wanted a walk. By 1:30, it was absolutely stunning outside. I was warm in my blue jacket going home, so I just wore my green sweater for my walk and was perfectly fine. There couldn't have been a nicer March day.

Got the sugar at CVS. Also picked up honey, which was on sale. I took a detour going home to say "hi" to Uncle Ken and Dad, which I haven't done in a while. Dad and Jodie were in Allentown for Jodie's work at Campbell's Soup, but Dolores, Uncle Ken, and Jessa were at home. Uncle Ken was cleaning out the garage...or he was supposed to be. According to the ladies, he wasn't really getting very far. Dolores was making stewed cabbage for dinner, and Jessa was just hanging out. She gave me a ride home; she was on her way to work anyway.

Spent the rest of the afternoon doing things at my place. I've always wanted to try making Irish Soda Bread. The Acme sells it in late February and March, but I've never had the time on St. Patrick's Day to make my own before. That's what the sugar and the raisins were for. I used a recipe in my big Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads. It came out completely yummy, very moist and flavorful. (The raisins weren't in Clayton's version, but the Acme includes them, so I did, too.)

I ran my LP soundtrack from the movie version of Finian's Rainbow while making the bread. This was Fred Astaire's last singing and dancing appearance in an actual musical (other than That's Entertainment II, and he has some nice numbers in this odd version of the whimsical Broadway musical about an Irishman who buries a pot of gold near Fort Knox, hoping it'll "grow" the way America's gold supply seems to have.

While the bread was in the oven, I checked my e-mail and did Wishcraft. I've decided that I want to do two things. First of all, I'd like to work for a smaller company or business as part of the team, even just part-time. Since I know how little these pay, I'll supplement my income with a small at-home business. I'm reading a book with a list of 55 different at-home businesses you can start. I may start brainstorming on a few of them.

Ran what little I had with an Irish theme while making "fish and chips" (flounder in vinegar with sweet potatoes, onions, and mushrooms) and boiled cabbage for dinner. One of the stranger episodes of Moonlighting's second season had a young Irishwoman who claims to be a leprechaun go to Maddie and David and ask for help protecting her and her pot of gold. Naturally, this sparks debate between the two about magic and believing in the things we can't see. It turns out, however, that people are after the lass' gold...but not for the reasons she thinks!

Porky Pig had an even scarier experience with the Little Folk in the classic Looney Tunes short "Wearin' of the Grin." When he arrives at a large, spooky castle near Dublin, he dreams that a group of vengeful leprechauns mistake him for a thief and make him wear green shoes that dance forever! But is it all a dream?