THE IRISH, TEA, & ME

 

March is here and St. Paddy’s Day will soon be upon us. And if you’re one of the few who follow my blog, you know that my first trip overseas was to Ireland when I was 25. I am now 75.

Growing up, many times I’d heard the song Galway Bay. Now there I was in a hotel directly across from it! I was on a group tour consisting entirely of Floridians like me. Our guide Paddy Hartnet, didn’t know where Florida was on a U.S. map until we described its distinctive shape.

This was only one leg of the journey. Our days began early, we traveled past wide haunting moors, quaint little villages, ruins of castles, and others stalwartly intact.

Climbing the narrow twisting stairs beside the steep drop at Blarney Castle was scarier than being dipped backward and held below the knees while kissing the Blarney Stone, below was a dizzying drop.

Another highlight of the journey was the feast inside an old castle with waiters in medieval attire. They were also performers who sang, danced, & played medieval instruments.

Recently, I watched a YouTube video detailing everything that offends the Irish. One of these, I can relate to and I’m sharing today.

If you are inviting an Irish person to tea, you must have a vast selection for them to choose. I’ve got this covered, but most Americans would not. The Irish are equally fussy about their tea as am I.

I prefer black tea from Ceylon, or any black one from India. I can enjoy green tea but only if it’s flavored and mixed with black. I love flavored teas. Jasmine flowers are OK, but there’s no way I can tolerate Hibiscus! And I absolutely hate Chai! --It tastes as gaggy and awful to me as cilantro in my food!

On this trip during the 1970’s, every hotel room had a plug-in kettle with an assortment of teas with all the fixings. – I discovered this was common throughout the British Isles and on my Thailand trip as well.

I found this quite lovely. After an active day (and they always began before dawn) it felt pleasant to retire to my hotel room and enjoy a cup, often with a scenic Irish view.

And when given a free afternoon to explore, I could usually find a bakery or sweet shop with treats to take back and enjoy with my tea. I was surprised that even in Dublin, milk was still being delivered by donkey cart

The most scenic place I visited was Killarney with its breathtaking landscape & combination of towering & rolling green hills. Connemara was second with its wild rustic beauty.

Also, I traveled into County Tipperary where my fraternal grandmother was born. She was the grandmother I never knew. My father barely knew her! She died when he was seven years old. And my grandfather never remarried.

I recall the exhilarating feeling of standing atop the rugged majestic Cliffs of Moher and gazing out over the vast Atlantic Ocean. These same waters I’d swam in Florida!

Nowadays while relishing a cup at home, my Irish tea always evokes these and many more wonderful memories for me to savor. It’s a cup of pure enjoyment!

A BLOODY PROBLEM

 

The last time I donated blood, the nurse was unable to draw any from my left arm. I could feel the needle moving under my flesh. They were forced to stick me in the other one. This has happened before. 

Only this time, the blood from my other one stopped flowing. It’s as if my body was refusing to give it up! And I could see blue veins surfacing all the way down my arm.

“This is strange,” the nurse remarked. Then she complained about having to sit there the whole time urging my blood to flow.

“I always have problems with her!” another responded.

Geez! Just because I have a needle in my arm doesn’t mean I’ve gone deaf. I was startled to hear this! I had no idea I was always considered a problem.

And the nurses were now reacting like I was doing this on purpose, -- as if I had that kind of control! In fact, mentally I was saying: flow, flow, flow! I want to get out of here; I’ve errands to run!

That month, the free gift was another T-shirt. I wear those. They’re perfect for grocery shopping & dentist/doctor visits. Just add a coordinating pair of slacks and I’m dressed, without being dressy.

This time, I wasn’t offered one and had to ask! I was told there were none left in my size. All they had was large. I said, “Give me one of those, I know how to shrink them.”

This is easy with that material. Just throw it into the washer, set on hot & then toss into the dryer. And magically you get a smaller size! Keep doing this until you get the right fit.

As to the ones already my size, those need to be hand-washed in cold water, then dried flat.

I was given one but almost had to twist the nurse’s arm to get it.

As I was leaving, I noticed they seemed relieved to be rid of me. -- I should have grabbed even more free bags of Doritos from the snack station before I left!

Several months before, I hired a young tech guy to help me with a computer issue. He informed me that he too had been a frequent blood donor. But discontinued when he developed unsightly bumps in the area where the needle was inserted.

I had no idea then what he was talking about!

But after my last donation, these bumps appeared! I’ve got a big one on the arm where the blood stopped flowing!  And a smaller one on the other arm. Plus, the skin is all messed-up and looks terrible. And I doubt it’s going to bounce back at my age.

No more blood donations for me, at least not any time soon.

I don’t want this to discourage anyone from donating, -- although I’m probably doing exactly that! This is so important; all types of blood are desperately needed!  Lives are at stake! And there must be a way around this.

Perhaps if I’d spaced out my donations longer, this could have been avoided. Instead of donating every 8 weeks, I should have waited 16 or longer. However, being on a fixed income, I really needed that $20 (often more) coupon for groceries, and I will miss it.

I feel awful about this all the way around!

WHOOZ TATTOOZ

 

Decades ago, outside my previous home, I stood with my father as we chatted with our yard man. I noticed a huge portrait of a woman’s face tattooed on his upper arm. The name WANDA was underneath.

“That must be your wife!” I exclaimed, pointing.

“No,” he replied, “my wife’s name is Emma. Wanda is someone I used to know.”

Wanda apparently made quite an impression on him, -- also a lasting one!

Silently, I wondered how Emma felt about Wanda. I’m sure there was an interesting story connected to her, but it wasn’t my business to pry.

As we walked away, my father whispered to me, “His wife is blind.”

“Well, that’s convenient,” I replied, “I wonder how long it took him to find a blind woman to marry.”

Dad chucked.

Personally, I’ve never had a desire for a tattoo. It’s tantamount to wearing the same outfit every day. Taste, like everything else, changes over time.

But of course, there’s cosmetic tattooing! I’ve had my lips done several times only to watch it fade significantly in mere months. This process needs to be redone completely. Each time the price hiked, but my income didn’t, so I stopped.

At my father’s memorial service in 2001 I noticed the aging spouse of a relative had her eyebrows recently tattooed, they were thick and dark, unlike when she was younger. I said nothing, but this woman sure looked spooky!

And I once dated a man whose own name was tattooed in large letters on his bicep. He explained that he liked his name. Well, I like my name, too! But you don’t see me wearing a necklace displaying it in big letters!

I took this as a red flag, which later proved to be correct. In retrospect, I’m surprised the guy didn’t have a red heart tattooed around it.

Tattoos can be artistically beautiful. But I’d rather sport the designs on a T-shirt rather than upon my body.

TIME HALT! AT LEAST SLOW DOWN!

 

Recently, I hit the big SEVEN FIVE And to quote the fictional character Rocksy Hart from the rollicking musical Chicago, I’m older than I ever expected to be! Of course, I feel that way about any birthday with a zero or five at the end. Plus, the last ten years have been sped by like a missile!

I feel like I’m on the fast track to the crematorium.

Ten years ago, this month I was touring Thailand. One of two countries which I was considering expatriating; but decided against for a long list of reasons. However, that trip feels like it happened just last year. It’s still fresh in my memory. I remember every detail, which is amazing since nowadays I have difficulty recalling what I cooked for dinner the night before.

And it feels as if my father died only five years ago, when in fact it has been twenty-five.

Sadly, the older one gets, the faster time passes as the end grows ever nearer. These are the years I would rather slow down!

I read an online article comparing this to reading a novel. When you are young, the story is fresh, and everything is surprising, and exciting. Later, when you are older, you read the same story again. But this time, you know what to expect and zoom thru it.

That’s a great analogy. However, even at my age, life is still filled with surprises, but most of them are unpleasant. Unfortunately, more bad things happen in life than good. And the ones that blindside you are the worst!

If I could turn back the clock, I wouldn’t. My life has been too gruesome; with too many things I’d never want to relive again.

Each day, I live fully in the present, trying to make the best of it, because every moment of it is now precious.

A CALENDAR YEAR, NO MORE

 

For decades, I received so many free calendars; I could have hung one in every room. I was giving them away! Almost all were filled with gorgeous photographic scenes or artwork.

Around the pandemic years I stopped receiving any. Just before that, they were replaced by single cardboard ones of various sizes that were plain and featured all the months at a glance. But even these became far and few between until free calendars disappeared altogether from my mailbox.

 My favorites are the ones that accentuate the main holiday, or theme of the month.  Such as a bunny or eggs for Easter, clover for St. Pat’s Day, Fireworks for July, or a winter scene for Christmas, or a beach scene for June. Unfortunately, these seem to be going out of fashion.

Not to mention that now I almost have to go begging for one if the Dollar Stores sell out! Or pay a ridiculous price somewhere else.

A Facebook acquaintance told me that last year she received 20! I’d be happy to receive just one!

Even the calendars for which I am forced to overpay are never reinforced at the hole as they used to be. To keep one hung permanently requires a whole lot of scotch tape. And this looks tacky!

The older I get; the quality of life seems to be going in constant decline. This is just one example!

DIANNE'S CHRISTMAS SALAD

 

I love this salad so much I sometimes eat it as an entire meal!

Ingredients:

Fresh leafy baby spinach

Honey goat cheese (Find it in the gourmet cheese section of the supermarket, not the dairy case.

Fresh blueberries

Seedless grapes

Chopped pitted dates

Walnuts

Lite Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette

Directions:

In a large plate or bowl spread out the leafy baby spinach

Top with lots of fresh blueberries

Top these with sliced/crumbled honey goat cheese

Scatter seedless grapes

Add chopped pitted dates

Scatter with walnut halves

(Be generous with all the above toppings!)

Then, sprinkle sparingly with Lite Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette

And Viola Enjoy!

SMOKE & SURPRISES

 

This happened early in the double zero decade. I’m guessing around 2003. And it was around Christmas, because my tree & decorations were up.

I switched on the hall light downstairs. To my horror, smoke began streaming from it! Instantly I switched it off.

In a panic I grabbed the phone book and chose an electrician at random. I don’t even remember which one.

The electrician told me he’d be right over, but it would cost me $70. -- This was a lot to pay for an electrician back then, but a bargain price these days! Fearing my home was ready to go up in flames, I said YES!

As I waited, I wondered how perilous a situation this was; after all, he didn’t tell me to leave the house immediately, and to run next door to phone the fire dept.

I picked up my huge hurricane light and examined the wall for scorching. Thankfully, there was none. Then I heard my doorbell ring.

Upon opening, I was startled to discover 6 or 7 men in their 20’s standing there!

“You have a smoking light switch?” inquired the one in front.

I nodded.

One by one they paraded into my house. I figured this must be an emergency or why else would they send a team.

However, only the one who spoke worked on the light switch. All the others just stood around silently and watched.

The switch was repaired in a jiffy. He turned it on to show me.

Now, I wanted this group of strangers out of my home quickly as possible since I could see no reason for them being there in the first place, and their presence made me uncomfortable.

To facilitate this, I asked the guy who fixed it if he could mail me the bill.

“No problem,” he replied. “We have your name and address.”

I watched as one by one, this large group paraded out of my home. I felt relieved to see them go.

And to my surprise, I never received a bill.