Its snowing in Portland Oregon :0)

Good morning, it’s Feb 23. Woke to a soft blanket of snow here in Portland. We do not get a lot of snow as they do on the white east coast. In fact it reminds me of Ireland were it was an extremely rare sight

. Although I do remember one year when I was about 12 praying that it would snow at Christmas. Lo and behold, just past midnight X-mass eve down it came. It lasted till about noon that day and made for a perfect Christmas for this Irish boy :0)

Another time I was staying with my scout troop in an old Monastery in a mountain range, cannot remember were. We woke up Saturday morning to 2 feet of snow. All activities were canceled as the power was down. We had no snow gear; hey, this was the Emerald isle not the North Pole, no Scott or Hilary here!

Well we scavenged every black trash bag we could find, made leggings and plastic coats. Then found old doors, trash can lids, cardboard box`s and went sledding. For many of the troop it was the first time. I had done it as a kid In Glasgow Scotland, so I was a pro!

We were snowed in so they had to send a bulldozer from the next town to dig us out.

 We kept praying he would not make it, after all we were having a grand old time being cut of and heck who wanted to go back home to school Monday to be taught by the Nuns. Miserable bunch Nuns they should have rejected the call got married and saved us all a lot of grief at the therapists.

Sorry, have nothing good to say about the ones that taught me.

Then there were their partners in crime the Christian brothers, well that is another story.

Sure enough, Monday came and the Irish foreign legion was still surrounded. They do not call us the fighting Irish for nothing. We did not have enough food supplies so we ate a lot of oatmeal. However, we did not care.

 Finally, the next day Paddy the bulldozer man broke through our lines to be met by disgruntled faces. In his tow was a large red country C.I .E ( state bus) bus. The defeated legion was marched on board then driven home to prison.

That was the last memory of snow in Ireland for me, years later I moved to Michigan, need I say more.

 Only that one day I got stuck in the snow not far from home and had the bright idea to tie a couple of fence planks to me feet , with the aid of some branches had my first cross country ski trip home. Necessity is the mother of Invention. The following week I ordered real cross country ski`s from LL Bean. Love that company. I broke one first try and they sent me another no charge.

Well its Feb 23, 5:46am and those were my first thoughts on this new day with new possibilities. Have a great one were ever you are today: 0)