Head back to Kansas with Dorothy, fly to Never Never Land with Peter Pan, and read about the two writers that gave us these wonderful characters. ℘℘℘ It’s mid-November and we are solidly into my favorite time of year. After the clocks are turned back and it gets dark early, for a brief three months I invariably long for the halcyon days of my youth. Then all I had to … [Read more...] about Sláinte! An Irish Christmas with a Drop of Scottish
Edythe Preet
Sláinte! The Great October Fair
The Ballinasloe October Fair is one of the oldest fairs in Ireland. While now predominantly associated with horses, in its heyday it served as a market for the sale of cattle and sheep by the farmers of the west to their counterparts in the east of Ireland. ℘℘℘ An Irish adage advises: Go East for a woman; go West for a horse. When I was a girl I had a … [Read more...] about Sláinte! The Great October Fair
Sláinte!: The Lace Place
Imagine Ireland. What do you see? Patchwork green fields, stone walls, crystal streams, ancient ruins, horses...and lace. From manor house to country cottage, windows are draped with the delicate webwork. Sofas, tabletops, dressers, beds, and tea trays hold lacy runners, scarves, and antimacassars. Brides seem like angels haloed in billowing veils. Casual observers see only … [Read more...] about Sláinte!: The Lace Place
Sláinte! Rainy Day Comfort
"Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain." – Anonymous ℘℘℘ When people who live elsewhere than Los Angeles phone me and ask “How’s the weather?” I often reply, “What do mean ‘weather’? We only have sun.” Call me an ingrate for grousing about the bounty of sunny days we experience, but constant sunshine has a real downside. Drought. The natural … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Rainy Day Comfort
Sláinte! Auld Lang Syne
With the New Year in mind, Edythe Preet writes about Robert Burns: Scotland’s Immortal Bard. ℘℘℘ In case any reader has ever wondered how a gal named Preet could claim Irish ancestry, here’s my genealogy: my maiden name was Burns, my father was George Burns (mom heard many a “So are you Gracie?” wisecrack), and dad’s mom was a McCaffrey, born in County Fermanagh. Like thousands … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Auld Lang Syne