For Patrick...St. Patrick, that is

Grandma on the far right, birthday girl, next to her, other grandma.

Today is my grandmother's birthday ...

with my older brother, 1960

She used to wear a clover pin with a pearl in the center for her birthday -- but it was gold, not green.  I think I own that pin now, it's somewhere ... though the pearl is probably gone.  My mom always lets me take the broken jewelry.

She is on the far left, my mom next to her

Well, as I wandered towards sb to study (still not doing that though)... I saw throngs of green-wearing people congregating at bars ... on one side of the street, there was a line of green- and basketball jersey-clad people clambering to get into a bar that presumably had a television with basketball games on the screens.  On the other side, there was an inordinately large group of bag pipers playing to a near-capacity (at NOON) crowd on the patio of one Irish-like bar.  It's New Mexico, people, none of these bars are truly Irish -- but they try.  Green balloons, one woman in a completely inappropriate green dress, and odd leprechaun hats abounded. 

Did I mention that I am not wearing green?  I am not... nor do I intend to put any green on, even if I do attend a "St. Patrick's Day Party" later ... nope, not going to do it.

Here is a little article I found about the saint for whom this day is named, if not celebrated.

I wonder if Patrick thinks of March 17th festivities the way the Benito Juarez must think of Cinco de mayo celebrations...