NOTE: COVID-19 related Mar 6, 13, 15 and later

Today is St. Patrick’s Day.  Take your pick of a thousand descriptions of the history and tradition of St. Patrick and the Day, and think about some good memories.

This is a different time than any I can remember, and everyone, everywhere, knows of what I speak.

Much to my surprise, my 23andMe DNA has me with significant Irish and English ancestry through my Dad’s 100% French-Canadian ‘side’.  From the report:

Richard, your DNA suggests that 23.9% of your ancestry is British & Irish.

I didn’t really realize that till I did the DNA.  It makes sense, looking at the map of England and France, which share a long water border both on south and southeast of England (northwest France.)

But for the moment here’s the old postcards from my German grandparents farm, received in the early 1900a.  They speak for themselves.  I thought I had at least one with an Irish theme, but guess not.  Accept the sentiment anyway.

Have a great day, and think of some good things you can do to recognize and thank and support the service persons you would normally see at your local restaurants and work in other services we take for granted.  Especially keep in your thoughts and prayers those in any aspect of the practice of medicine, anywhere.  They’ll need all the support they can ge, now and later.

POSTNOTE: An overnight note from friend, Chuck, jogs me to send along this Louis Schwartzberg TED Talk from 2011.  I’ve sent it several times previously.  It is even more relevant today.  It is about 9 minutes.

Chuck sent a link to another really excellent and pertinent talk: here.  I’ve asked Chuck’s permission to send along his thoughts as well.  Check back at this space, later.

10:10 a.m.:  Just back from an outdoor walk on a nice day in Minnesota.  On this day I was thinking to Sam, my Aunt and Uncle’s dog on the farm in North Dakota.  He’s the dog that graces the home page of this blog.  A couple of times a year I would go out to the farm to help out for a few days.  Each time I came, Sam not only knew my car, but me, and my habits.  He knew I liked to walk and my route, as well, including the fork in the road where I would go either left or right.  He waited there till I decided, then off he went.

I had not been on my ‘woods walk’ for a long while – my habit had become the local fitness club.  This first trip out in a long while, I found everything was familiar, my gait was somewhat faster, my general condition good.  Same route, same amount of time.  All good.