A Poem, A Port, A Remembrance and

Greene Revelry

St. Patrick's Day
A poem by guest author Anna Alexander

Oh St Patrick’s Day is almost here

My calendar proclaims
And I have fallen back in time
Wishing I were young again
When all my world seemed green
And all my life was cheer
With the fragrance of corned beef
And a pail from the local pub of green beer

My Irish gramma held court at table with her tea
While her softened sibilants whispered words to me
Of times and places I am not sure
Were only in her mind , but how I loved those lovely words
And longed myself to see
The places that she spoke about to me

The kitchen was a castle and her chair a throne
My mother was a cook with charm
Her spoon it was a scepter
And dinner was a feast
Of boiled cabbage and corned beef.

We all wore something green
Mother would bake a cake
The frosting an emerald sheen
Smiles and laughter ; order of the day .
No one frowned or looked down ,
I wish it were so today

For life it was so simple then
When all I had to do was just be me
Safe and loved in the family nest
The memories that I recall
From my childhood days
These were ….THE BEST-MOMENTS OF THEM ALL

Anna Alexander 3/15/05©

For more positive entertainment, information and inspiration be Irish for the week with

Virginia Greene ezine

www.vgreene.com

more poems by Anna Alexander along with an essay titled
"Little Grandma: A Remebrance"
Port Dingle Diaries "A Commodore for St. Patrick's Day" by Virginia Greene
Boomer Journeys "A Pinch of Greene for St. Patricks' Day" by Alex Carrier

Greene Lite ezine

www.vgreene.com/greenelite

"Wear Your Greene Proud" by Lou Page
"A very special Hope" by Alex Carrier
PLUS - a recipe for grilled spicy sweet potatoes and more about the revelry and other activies in the Greene County area - including
Kid Pan Alley pictures and review

New issues coming out on Wednesday, March 22

Greene beer stops traffic!
By Alex Carrier

And will for another few weeks. The beer isn’t green but traveling through Greene County, Virginia. Well, not actually beer but 40 fermenting vats.

The Coors plant across the Blue Ridge Mountains from Greene is adding a brewing operation to their bottling and distribution facility. So, 40 vats are taking the trip over the mountains and through Greene.

The trip is slow and quite the show for local residents who take time to watch and photograph the procession. Who says nothing big ever happens in the country?

Of course, the coolest part is when a specially equipped truck lifts poles and other hazards too low for the vats to travel underneath.

All traffic has to be halted both ways at the mountain pass allowing the trucks to travel in oncoming lanes in order to get under a bridge.

Luckily the vats are not carrying beer. Otherwise, some industrious souls might sit on top of the bridge with 12 foot long straws taking a good long sip as the trucks go underneath.

That is assuming the full vat would ever make it out of the county. I’m thinking it would disappear for a few hours while the rest of us had a really big block party.

So anyway you look at it, the beer was in Greene for St. Patrick’s Day. As for me, I’ll wait until the tanks have served their purpose and get a personal taste of the soon-to-be-homegrown brew.

If you like this blog, read more by these authors at www.vgreene.com and www.vgreene.com/greenelite where you will find information on all authors and more content.
© 2006 Virginia Greene

If you are what you eat…
Posted by Alex Carrier

If you are what you eat, then this month, I would be a chocolate covered Easter egg. No, not just any egg but one filled with a secret recipe of creamy sweetness, hand shaped with loving care and then individually dipped in white or dark chocolate, cooled, trimmed, carefully inspected for that just right yummy Easter egg goodness shape and quality (not the size of some wimpy chicken but almost a hefty goose egg size), wrapped by hand in crinkly cellophane and perfectly placed for my (and your) enjoyment.

Why is it that National Nutrition Month falls right between the sweet goodness of Valentines and the yummy sweetness of Easter? The spring season is even better here in Greene County because that is when the good souls at Shepherd of the Hills Catholic Church make their heavenly chocolate covered Easter eggs.

This year’s selection includes chocolate covered cherry, raspberry, orange, coconut, chocolate, peanut butter, butter cream, walnut and white chocolate covered walnut and chocolate. Irresistible.

These $1 mouthwatering marvels are helping finance the purchase of a new stove for the church kitchen. (Works for me!) And people wonder what is so nice about small-town living. Most of us know some member of the church and that is how you can get your hands and taste buds on these springtime delights.

Now, all I have to do is figure out how many extra minutes to exercise so I can work off these got-to-have-them calories.

Photos by Alex Carrier

If you like this blog, read more by these authors at www.vgreene.com and www.vgreene.com/greenelite
Where you will find information on all authors and more content.
© 2006 Virginia Greene