The Blog from the Bog Returns!

FMM: 2 mi

Hi, Lads and Lassies,

My much-anticipated 10 days with Mary and Mom are over. You’ll be happy to know that Mary colored my hair and left about half of her wardrobe here for me, so I am much improved…Now I only need a haircut… She and Mom also brought me Pepperidge Farm cinnamon bread (3 pieces left), English muffins (1 left), Welch’s grape jelly, Killion’s honey (those of you from Paris know that not just anyone can get a bottle of that!), handfuls of rubber bands and paperclips, a few pads of scrap paper, and a needle and thread. I had visions of them not being allowed to cross the border with the contraband and an alert official forcing them to swallow whole loaves of PF bread and Mom’s ubiquitous Archway ginger snaps on the spot. However, the smuggling plan was a success…
...I had planned a full range of activities, but I needed to add a few more as Mom, who turns 99 on Nov. 16, had more energy than Mary or I who were perfectly happy to lie around for long periods. If you're not interested in our travelogue, you may want to skip the next few lines...Here is some of what we did: lunched at Eason's Bookstore in downtown Dublin while overlooking O'Connell Street, toured the Pro-Cathedral, lunched at Kavanagh's Pub, the oldest family-run pub in Dublin (the proprietor's daughter had a lovely 94-year old man for Mom to meet, but alas, he only comes in for his pint on Saturdays..), toured Glasnevin Cemetery and gave Mary the first of her many Irish history lessons--she thinks she is an expert now, dined at The Brazen Head, the oldest pub in Dublin, while listening to a storyteller who told us that there is no such thing as leprauchans (bummer!) but he warned us that fairies DO exist and under no circumstances should disturb a "fairy fort", took a bus tour to the Wicklow Mountains -a very foggy day ruined our view, but Mary got to walk 3 miles up a mountain in the rain and wind to view a lake while I sat with Mom in the cozy lodge. The highlight of their trip was our trip to Kenmare, County Kerry, where our grandmother McCarthy was born in 1874. It is a gorgeous seaside town which is a very popular vacation spot. We had just missed the tourist season, so it was quaint and quiet. We went to the Holy Cross Church where we think our grandmother was baptised. The priest was very nice and friendly and he gave us the information that the parish could provide about McCarthy baptisms. We're not sure it's the right McCarthys as some of the dates don't match, but, nonetheless, he assured us with a smile that "all of the McCarthys and Moriartys in Kenmare were "fine, upstanding citizens." We were glad for that. Hopefully, the Kenmare relatives won't come to the U.S. to trace what's become of all of US.....anyway, we took a private 9 hour tour of the Ring of Kerry with Declan Finnegan. Mom, Bob, and I had been on a bus tour of the Ring of Kerry before, but Mary hadn't. Our tour guide owns the tour company and normally does the bus tours, but he took the 4 of us in his car. It was perfect (that would be pronounced "pear'fect" here in R land). He stopped wherever we wanted and even took us an extra hour to realize one of Bob's dreams: seeing the home of "the great liberator", Daniel O'Connell. We were the only visitors there, so we got to wander to our hearts' content and view the unbelievable ornate chariot that greeted Daniel (aka "uncrowned king of Ireland" from the early 1800s) when he was released from prison (accused of "seditious speech" by those pesky British). He rode it through the streets of Dublin amid a crowd of 200,000 cheering supporters...Kenmare is known for its lace dating from the potato famine when a nun showed the women how to make it as a way of supporting their families. Mary, Mom, and I enjoyed looking in the shops and buying a bit of lace. The items are gorgeous. I assume they're still made in Kenmare, although they could be made in China for all I know...Bob put up with all of us females and even entertained Mom a few nights so Mary and I could go tip a few pints and try to solve the problems of the world - if only everyone would do exactly what we say what a wonderful world this would be!!!

Now I am back to my lonesome without a friend in the world except for those of you reading my blog. I am a pathetic creature. Today I will make the 3 hour trip to return Mom's wheelchair.



I must duly recognize the SNAIL MAIL HONOR ROLL:

Teresa Foster
Molly O'Connell
Nancy O'Connell
Donna Yormark Lipski*
Marianne Juergensmeyer

*= more than one item received

If you want YOUR name to appear above, simply send me a letter via snail mail. I know some of you bunco ladies have the proper postage as I gave it you myself, so get busy! If you need my address, send me an e-mail.

Bob is in Florida unti Monday morning. Bob, Eddie Mitchell, and Bob's niece Kristen O'Connell had been to Clearwater Beach last night and had eaten at the Palm Pavillion. Tim arrived there last evening.


As ever,

Tizzie/Tiz/Tizmom/Mom/Liz/Elizabeth