That's A Lot Of Blarney

I know. It is just February and Punxsutawney Phil just saw his shadow. Nevertheless, there is a famous quote that says, "No winter lasts forever; no Spring skips its turn." - Hal Borland (No this is not 'Tim's sidekick' on Tool Time.) At any rate, Spring is just around the corner no matter how you look at it - six weeks delayed or not - and that means March is just around the corner. March...that wonderful month that contains St. Patrick's Day. Begora! Can this be true?! I assure you, it is.

So, in keeping with this 'Springy' theme, our kind neighbor with the sainted John Deere tractor, came to turn over the great Goatie Poop Mountain. After all, just like a new leaf, compost must be turned in order to become 'effective' in this life. It's a rule.

Anyway, during 'the great turning', the kind neighbor uncovered a most auspicious rock. This rock was bigger than Boo, and that is saying quite a lot. So he idled the engine long enough to ask the goatmother if she wanted this leviathan boulder put 'someplace'. Naturally, 'someplace', to the goatmother, means somewhere in close proximity to either her beloved garden or her beloved goats. The goats won out. And who can complain? Certainly not I.

So, the prodigious stone was plopped unceremoniously from the grand bucket of the sainted John Deere right into our enclosure. Now how cool is that?

At first everyone was just a little dumbstruck.

But then it dawned on even the 'remotest' of us (Boo) that here was indeed not just a rock, but a rock! This was akin to none other than the famed Blarney Stone of old. Now what is the Blarney Stone, you might ask? Well, according to legend, the Blarney stone is a block of bluestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle in Cork, Ireland. There are numerous suppostions as to its origin, including the rock that was struck by Moses with his staff to produce water for the Israelites during their flight from Egypt. It was later returned to Ireland., of course. Another legend claims that the stone's powers were revealed by a witch who was saved after drowning - or is that from drowning? Anyway... No matter the origin, it is said that if one kisses the Blarney Stone, he or she will be endowed with the gift of great eloquence.

So, after giving proper homage to the 'Rock Gods', we proceeded to do just that. Kiss the Blarney Stone. We all gathered 'round and Ella was the first. Of course Ella was the first. When is Ella ever NOT the first? (Heaven only knows she could use a little eloquence, not to mention a little decorum.)

Next it was my turn. Not that I needed it, but one can never be too careful, can one?

"So, Marigold. You talk too much already. Why do you need to go kissing a stone, for goats' sake!?"



Hay! Now I can assure you, one can NEVER be too eloquent. Besides, "Talking and eloquence are not the same: to speak and to speak well are two things. A fool may talk, but a wise man speaks." - Heinrich Heine (German Poet and Writer, 1797-1856) And everyone KNOWS just how wise I am, now don't they?