Mission bells ring

Today is Saint Joseph’s Day, which about as many people know as who know that 17 March is also Saint Gertrude’s Day. Joseph is the patron saint of engineers, carpenters, the Church Universal, families, those in doubt, the dying and Vatican II.

The day, 19 March, is also when the swallows return annually to the Mission of San Juan Capistrano, in California. (I mean, a few are generally spotted before the day, but this is their official “return”.) So in their honor, today’s earworm is “When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano,” with the Ink Spots.

Tbh, I am not really feeling this song; there a lot more from the 40s that I can get into. But it’s day-appropriate, so I’m going with it.

 

 

 

Viable defense

Well, alrighty then. If I ever go postal and commit multiple homicides—not naming any target populations, but they would most likely have been elected by goobers—I’m going to use the “I was having a bad day” defense.

Because I’m white, that’s why.

 

 

 

A bit of the Green

On this, our second Saint Patrick’s Day under the pandemic, I’m going to just share with you some pix from my trip two years ago to Dublin. Specifically:

Saint Stephen’s Green

"The Famine"

Wolfe Tone (and student)

Swan in the rain

And Merrion Square 

Magpies

Inside story

Last week I shared with you photos of a car that made quite the statement. Many of them, in fact.

Well, over the weekend I came across it again, but from a different angle. And, while there were many opinions expressed on the exterior, it turns out that the interior also says plenty.

They’re running out of flat surfaces to stick things on.

 

 

Gratitude Monday: public health

Friday afternoon I was in the middle of my yoga lesson when my instructor found out that she and her husband were eligible to schedule appointments for the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. They’re getting it today, yay!

Other people I know have received the one-and-done J&J vaccine, which was only approved a week ago.

President Biden promises that every adult American will be able to access the vaccine by May, and that by July—if we’ve achieved herd immunity—we may be able to gather in small groups to celebrate Independence Day. (Perhaps not surprisingly, Repugs have bitched about every aspect of this 180-degree turnabout from the previous administration’s approach(es) to the pandemic. They also voted every single one of them against the COVID relief bill, but fortunately, they’re the minority party in Congress.)

That’s my gratitude for today. That we at long last have a national policy and program for getting shots in arms and providing relief for the millions who’ve suffered economic catastrophe in the past 12 months. I’m also deeply thankful that Republicans were out-voted in both houses (thanks, Stacey Abrams!). And I’m hoping that I may be able to have an in-person yoga lesson some time next month.