Gladness and Madness

St. Patrick's Day 2019 was truly an endorphin-loaded day. 

Under a blue sky. enhanced all day long with brilliant sunshine, how could it be any different?

The day was interspersed with jolly good feelings associated with St. Patrick's day (even a Facebook post with a lovely solo featuring "Oh, Danny Boy"  in a castle in Ireland by our Chamber of Commerce executive director Kate McAlister).

Doesn't get any more Irish than that. 

Then let's talk the proud-to-be Irish Kelly's who hang out at Hope. 

Twice this week, Mr. Kelly has left his chatting group and has come over to our pickup to make sure Bill gets up the steps to Old Ice House Pizzeria safely.

A very thoughtful gesture, indeed. 

The Kelly's are nice people who are proud to have a big black lab named Seamus.

Besides all the good cheer of enjoying another pizza feed, this time with Willie, Debbie and Emma, we also seemed to be at the right place at the right time. 

Some other customers were feeding off a gluten-free pound cake topped with strawberries, baked by their friend and restaurant owner Teresa Stevens. 

While cutting into the cake, one of the customers instructed us that we would finish off the cake because they couldn't eat it all. 

So, yes, a nice unplanned but appreciated dessert. 

Yesterday was also a day of good beginnings. 

Terra came for the first time to get started on another year of working with Lefty as a 4-H project. 

Besides the new experience of giving Lefty his worm medicine, she held the other two horses while I gave them theirs.

Beyond that, her first session involved removing enough winter hair for a slight carpet to appear underneath Lefty. 

She'll be coming as often as possible, and maybe just maybe enough snow will melt over this springlike week filled with sunshine that she can work Lefty in the round pen next week. 

It's so satisfying watching Terra who at 13 has gained so much confidence around horses over the past two years. 

And, it's obvious she and Lefty appreciate each other. 

Another beginning to discuss this morning----just in case you haven't heard:  

MARCH MADNESS

THE DANCE

THE BRACKETS

THE ZAGS, A NO. 1 SEED

My friend Helen and hubby Skip will be doing brackets their first time ever.  Helen sent me a note overnight telling me that she had never heard of half the teams in the tournament. 

To which Bill said, "Tell her to look up the teams and see which ones have the prettiest uniforms."  

And, his suggestion could be as logical as any approach.  Was it last year that those of us who watch a lot of basketball blew our brackets and our Final Fours?

That's the fun of March Madness, and for folks like Helen and Bill who have long days of healing from surgery, it's a great way to focus on something besides counting the minutes, hours and days. 

Good times ahead will soon help us forget all the weariness of winter, and that's okay with me. 

Happy Monday.

GO, ZAGS

and if you want to get past the doldrums, go get involved in a bracket pool and join all of us insane folks who just can't get enough of March Madness. 

That's all.