Lots of Craic at the Elks Lodge

 

Still not done blogging about my plaid tam... I was looking at the red on it and it seemed so bright, so on a hunch I shone my blacklight on it. And check it out!

On the one hand, this probably means the hat isn't that old, since I don't think they made yarn that glows under blacklight in the 1920's. Google AI says it wouldn't be more than thirty years old at the most. But on the other hand, come on, isn't it cool? Every day there's something about this hat that just makes me love it more.

This morning Travalon didn't go to Cherokee Marsh, since it was so foggy out; he only ventured as far as our dock to go birdwatching. The ring-necked ducks look a spooky in the fog.

They were joined by a couple of buffleheads.

Meanwhile, I was on campus but had a very quiet day since not too many people were around, although my coworker whose birthday is coming up on St. Joseph's Day talked to me quite a bit. Hardingfele was busy, so I took a long rosary walk at lunchtime. It was fairly warm out, so I wore my lighter coat and my argyle beret, but it was very misty.

In the evening Travalon and I went to the Elks Lodge again for the second First Thursday Irish Session. We saw a bunch of Shamrock Club people there, and the red-headed flute player was playing but came over to talk to us at the end. I also thought I saw an old coworker of mine, so I called her name, but she didn't look my way. I sent her a message on social media in case she saw it in time, which she didn't, but after getting home she verified that she was there. I also saw some Moldy Jam people. It was truly craic - not just good music and good food, but good fellowship. The red-headed flute player and my Irish teacher Famie (who was not there tonight) were very happy to hear that I'll be at the Slow Irish Session and the St. Patrick's Day singalong at the music club not this coming Sunday but the one after. I had thought about going to a Cathopalian Mass in Milwaukee, since they only have those sporadically, but Cecil Markovitch was lukewarm about going, and the red-headed flute player couldn't believe I'd want to miss the "high holy days" around St. Patrick's Day. Truly, Travalon has been dreading the coming two weeks for over a month now - he's already feeling over-Celtic'd. But he can go play against Bald Bull while we're playing Irish tunes and singing Irish songs the Sunday after next, and there is a tamburitza concert in Milwaukee next month, so then he can get his Croat on.

We are pondering joining the Elks. We already belong to the East Side Club, the Shamrock Club, and the music club, and I also joined the St. Andrews Society and so far have gotten nothing for my dirt-cheap membership, not even a lousy email. Still, the Elks Lodge is beautiful, and they have food most nights of the week, and the people are very friendly. They were having a salad dressing contest, and I voted for the two that were submitted by the two women who talked to us about joining, so now I'm really on their good side. Neither one won the contest, which surprises me because they were popular with all the Shamrock Club people, and even Travalon liked the peanut butter sesame one. Maybe we can have these two ladies make the salad dressing for our next Shamrock Club event.

Famous Hat