Happy St Patrick’s Day

You don’t *have* to be Irish to enjoy this day – happy St Patrick’s Day!

Make sure you are wearing something green or you may get pinched… then again you might like getting pinched – snort LOL. I think daddy has his lucky green Irish shirt out to wear today and mom is wearing her green Irish socks. I think they are safe. I think they need to put my green vest on so I can be festive as well. Perhaps mom will get camera happy and take a picture for later on for every one.

I’ve got some St Patrick day facts for you – how many did you know?

St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, although he was born in Britain, around 385AD. His parents Calpurnius and Conchessa were Roman citizens living in either Scotland or Wales, according to different versions of his story.

Wearing green, eating green food and even drinking green beer, is said to commemorate St Patrick’s use of the shamrock. Did you know that mom and dad have been to restaurants on this date where the sweet tea is green! Shocking huh? But the bigger shocker is that the actual color of St Patrick’s Day is blue. Green became associated with St Patrick’s Day during the 19th century. Green, in Irish legends, was worn by fairies and immortals and also by people to encourage their crops to grow.

Popular Irish toasts on St Patrick’s Day include, “May the roof above us never fall and may we friends beneath it never fall out.”

St Patrick’s Day was first celebrated in America in Boston, Massachusetts in 1737.

In Chicago on St Patrick’s Day, the rivers are dyed green.

In Seattle on St Patrick’s Day, there is a ceremony where a green stripe is painted down the roads.

Savannah, Georgia is the second biggest parade party for St Patricks day. Savannah holds a special place in my heart as well as my parents. Did you know that mom and dad adopted me from a little town about 80 miles from Savannah called Bruxton. Small world huh?

Lucky Charms, a favorite cereal for young and old, was created in 1963 with it’s popular mascot, Lucky the Leprechaun. Do you remember the tune?

Hearts, Stars and Horseshoes – Clover and Blue Moons – Pots of gold and rainbows – And the red balloon. That’s the luck of me lucky charms! Their magically delicious!

 

 

Look Up at the Sky Day

 Journalist Rocky the Squirrel here –

Keeping his paws on the nuts of the world –

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April 14th. is Look Up at the Sky Day.  Bet you didn’t know this was a holiday did you?  Today, take a few minutes to go outside and check it out.  Sit on the ground, lay on the ground – have a picnic, or sit at a table.  While you’re there, check out the sky.  Just look up and see what you can find.  Are there clouds?  If so, what shapes can you make out of them?  Are there planes or birds?  And don’t just keep this activity to day time hours, check the sky out at night.  Do you see the moon?  Is it full or covered?  Do you see the stars?

Have a fun time at it and why not invite your humans to do the same.  Take a little time to sit, breathe and look at the wonder of the world.

 

Bashful is Back Home – YAY!

 Bashful made it back to the Hotel Thompson from Australia!  

We all stayed up really late last night talking about his travels and misadventures.  OMP (oh my pig)!  He had a blast down under.  And like Las Vegas, some things that happened in Australia stay in Australia if you know what I mean – winks winks.

You’re not going to accept that, are you?  You want the juicy details of his wicked time with Bimby while making his short silent movie Rockadile Dundee.  I’m sorry.

I can’t tell you any of the juicy details.  Bashful said that a gentlerock does not talk about his ladies.  aaaww – I raised that little pebble right!

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The little international rolling stone came home with some great treasures of his time spent with his host family.  The above left handed picture is Bashful in his suit that he wore to the wedding. What a handsome little guy!  He now refers to that suit as his 007 Rock Bond outfit.  What a riot!  He told me late last night that he wore his suit out one night when he took Bimby out for a date – 🙂

The picture to the right is of Bashful and his Australian outback hat.  What a looker!  And you see that item behind him?  That is a hand painted boomerang from Australia that came home with him.  I’ve already caught him throwing it around the house.  We’ve all learned how to duck really fast with that thing flying about.  And never fear about his cross eyed look in the picture.  I think he was slightly inebriated from the long flight home.  You know, they’ll serve anyone a drink these days in the happy air above.  I guess there is no ‘under age’ in the sky.

This picture to the left is of the other goodies that Bashful came home with that was in his luggage.  Stickers of all different things – Koala bears, snakes and Kangaroos.  Bashful told me that I could have some of them to put in our bedroom – I can’t wait to decorate my board.

And you know, they didn’t forget mom either.  See that fluffy pen in the picture?  It’s a Mickey Mouse pen!  It lights up when you write with it.  Mommy is in love with that pen.  I do believe she took it to the worky place so she can use/look at it every day.

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Fozziemom and company was even so nice to send the purr things some treats.  Trust me, those little vultures jumped on that bag like it was crack!

And talking about crack – snorts.  See that can to the left beside the Koala pouch, Bashful is hooked on that stuff!  Mom/dad tried some last night and gave me a small bite.  OMP (oh my pig!).  It is GOOD!  No wonder that little Bashful couldn’t stay out of it.  It’s peppermint glory.

And you’re probably wondering about that Koala pouch.  It is the cutest little thing that zips up.  There was something amazing in that little pouch.  I’m getting too ahead of myself so you’ll have to wait for what it was. I promise to tell you.

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And of course, we have to show a picture of the intellectual Bashful with his glasses on and sporting his hat.  Can you believe he went to bed last night wearing that?  And yes, he used his specks when he was reading to us out loud about his adventures in his travel log.

Can you believe that we also had a slide show of his side trip to Sydney?  Oh gracious – it was a hoot.  He visited so many places while down under.  I think we will be hearing about his tales for some time to come.

But, we are talking about the international rolling stone – my Bashful.  He will be home for a couple of more days and then he is off to his next host family and his next adventure.  Where will it be?  Only me and the next host family will know.

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But before he hops that plane, we had to take some family pictures of the “Rock Clan”.  There they all are on their sofa in their bedroom getting to know each other.

From left to right, they are:

Princess Coralena (from Hawaii), Mannie (from France), Virginia (from Virginia), Bashful and wait a minute – who is that?

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May I introduce you to the newest member of the Hotel Thompson.  This is Rockelle from Australia.  She is in this picture wearing Bashful’s Australian hat and wait – what is that?  She is siding up with Bashful and they are a twosome?!  Stop the presses – Bashful came home with a girlfriend?!  And they know how to grow them in Australia.  She has the cutest little accent and look at that purple eyeshadow.  She has so woo’ed the little guy.

And you’re probably wondering about how Princess Coralena must be feeling about this.  Well, let’s just say there’s going to be a rock fight about whose rock Bashful really is.  I can feel it in my bones.  But Bashful, he’s a young tyke.  He needs to experience life right now.  He can always settle down when he hangs up his travel boots, right?

So, to Fozziemom and clan – thank you so much for hosting a great time for the little fellow.  I know he had an awesome time and will always cherish his memories with you in Australia.  You were great.

But the bottom question remains – where will Bashful end up next?