St. Patricks day is big deal in my family. We’re very Irish. I, of course, am Irish and Cuban but the Irish side with my seven aunts/uncles and many, many.. many cousins is very strong. Also, my grandfather Tom Hughes passed on St. Pats which makes this a bitter-sweet family holiday. But not to the kids, of course! This year we celebrated by going to a back-yard picnic and concert.
The concert was a small Irish band playing traditional music, jigs and reels! We didn’t know the owners of the home directly, but through a derby friend that went to school with the husband/father of the house. Their place was kind of a dream for me. They had a back yard bar where they were taking donations for delicious home brewed beer, an in-ground fire pit with stone seating, chickens, a goat, a tree-fort and a stage. I should add, they had a little 6 year-old boy who was running around Lord of the Flies style with about a dozen boys whom I overhead saying – you can only refer to me as “Lord Vader”! Tucker was a bit young for the Lord Vader crowd, but there was a bubble machine and plenty of younger kids to play with and places to explore.
After the concert we came home and Mom made two corned beef briskets (mustard baked and traditional), braised cabbage and buttered potatoes. Overall, a great day.