Clancy and The Blarney

Top o’ the Day from Roscoe O’Dog and Coco O’Dog! We’re taking over JerseyLil’s computer while she’s busy eating Irish chocolate to wish everyone good cheer on the Feast of St. Patrick!  In true Irish tradition, may the celebrating continue throughout the month of March, or until you run out of pints to drink and stories to tell.
  
Dogs are quite fond of St. Patrick. Legend has it that he chased away the snakes from Ireland, and we enjoy chasing reptiles and critters, too. 

Have you heard the story of the Irish dog named Clancy who came upon a leprechaun one glorious morning and had the most exhilarating chase of his life? Well, sit back with a pint and we'll tell you the tale.

Irish ancestor’s dog. Name lost to history but we’ll call him "Clancy."
(From Mannix/Rivers/Leonard Family Genealogy, circa early 1900s)

Once upon a charmed morning on the Emerald Isle in a place only glimpsed for brief moments when the mist of dawn lifts to reveal a golden sunrise, a handsome and spirited canine named Clancy was enjoying the start of a new day. It was shaping up to be a beautiful morning and Clancy's keen sense of smell could detect the aroma of breakfast sausages in the air. Lazily digging around in the green clover for dog bones he had earlier buried, Clancy suddenly sniffed out a wee man wearing a worn but bright top hat and smoking a clay pipe. What a surprise, it was a leprechaun. Startled, the leprechaun hurriedly ran away, puffs of smoke and bits of gold dust trailing behind him.

Excited by the thrill of the chase, Clancy ran after that swiftly fleeing leprechaun, over hill and dale, until he cornered the wee trickster at the end of the rainbow. Once there and cornered, the wee fellow was compelled, upon the oath of ancient laws, to hand over his pot of gold. Clancy's chase was rewarded, he had the pot of gold! Oh, but that's not the end of this dog's tale. 

Running happily through fields of shamrocks carrying his treasure, Clancy came upon a bushy-tailed red squirrel native to the land. Eyeing that shiny pot of gold, the squirrel began chattering loudly at Clancy, trying to get him to drop the gold and pursue a chase through the fields. Clancy pondered the situation...oh, how he loved a good squirrel chase, but he was not about to part with his hard-earned prize.  

Irish red squirrel (Clancy's nemsis)
(photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Determined not to give up on the much-desired gold, the clever squirrel then claimed to have a tasty stash of corned beef-flavored dog bones hidden among the shamrocks. That got Clancy's attention; he was hungry after chasing the fleet-footed leprechaun over hill and dale. While Clancy was momentarily distracted by the thought of delicious corned beef-flavored bones, the squirrel quickly grabbed that pot of gold from Clancy and ran off, chattering away with glee and waving his bushy, blow-dried tail behind him. There was no stash of dog bones to be found. Clancy had been tricked…by a squirrel. That old squirrel was full of the blarney!

Feeling dejected and about to bark at someone, Clancy brooded in his dog house, then wandered over to the local Watering Bowl Pub to drown his sorrows. While lapping a pint and exchanging miseries with his canine buddies, he suddenly caught a glint of something out of the corner of his eye. Curious, he sniffed around and "Praise be to St. Paddy," there in the corner of the room was the pot of gold!

After running off with Clancy's treasure, the wily squirrel had scurried over to the Pub to rest and celebrate with a pint. Having a bit too much of the celebrating, the squirrel meandered off accidentally leaving the gold behind. So Clancy got his paws on that pot of gold again...that lucky dog! 

And that's no blarney tale!   

May your dog bones be plenty; May your troubles be few.
May the paw-fect good fortune of the Irish Dog be with you!

An original fable ©2013 JerseyLils2Cents

Leprechaun image from public domain clipart

Irish Dogs and the Blarney

Coco O'Dog and Roscoe O'Dog

Top o’ the Day from Roscoe O’Dog and Coco O’Dog! We’re taking over JerseyLil’s computer while she’s busy eating Irish chocolate to wish everyone (cats too!) a Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Dogs are fond of St. Paddy. He chased away snakes from Ireland, and we chase reptiles and critters, too!

Have you heard the tale about the Irish dog named Lucky who came upon a leprechaun on a glorious St. Patrick’s Day? Lucky, a handsome canine with a toothy grin and keen sense of smell, sniffed out a leprechaun while digging around for dog bones. Excited by the thrill of the chase, Lucky ran after that leprechaun, over hill and dale, until he cornered the wee trickster at the end of the rainbow and got his paws on the pot of gold.

That’s right, Lucky found the pot of gold! Then he unwisely bartered with an ornery Irish squirrel who claimed to have a nice stash of dog bones hidden among the acorns. The squirrel grabbed that pot of gold from Lucky and ran off, chattering away and waving his blow-dried tail behind him. There was no stash of dog bones to be found. Lucky had been tricked…by a squirrel! That old squirrel was full of the blarney!

Feeling down and about to bark at someone, Lucky walked over to the Watering Bowl Pub to drown his sorrows. Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw it…a glint of gold. Curious, he sniffed around and Praise Be to St. Paddy, there was the pot of gold! The ornery squirrel had scurried over to the Pub to celebrate with a pint of Guinness, scurried off and left the gold behind! So Lucky got his paws on that pot of gold again…that Lucky Dog!
And that’s no blarney tale!

May your dog bones be plenty; May your troubles be few.
May the paw-fect good fortune of the Irish Dog be with you!

©2012 JerseyLil’s 2 Cents. All rights reserved.

March Trivia: Fun Facts and Fables

• The Daffodil and its smaller cousin, the Jonquil, are the official flowers for March. Among the first flowers to return in the Spring, daffodils and jonquils represent rebirth and new beginnings. 
• March was named for the Roman god of war, Mars. Originally, March was the first month of the Roman calendar until Julius Caesar changed it to the third month. Why did Caesar change it? Perhaps he had an argument with the god of war after losing a battle and said, that’s it, Mars you’re not first on my calendar anymore!
• Speaking of Caesar, the Ides of March (March 15^th) is one day he should have stayed in bed! Ignoring those gloomy warnings from the temple soothsayer to “Beware the Ides of March,” he went to the Roman Senate that day and was prompted stabbed 23 times by his former friend, Brutus, and a group of conspirators. (23 times…I mean, really, guys, wasn't that overkill?!) So the Ides of March has come to be known as a day of betrayal.
• The patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick, is honored in March…a good excuse for all the Irish and Irish-at-heart to party all month! (Pass around more of that green beer, please!)
• The saying “Mad as a March Hare” comes from the behavior of rabbits in March, the beginning of their breeding season. The male rabbits run about wildly, acting crazy, even having boxing matches with each other, competing to see who will win the affections of those cute female bunnies!
• March is National Peanut Month. Good for those little peanuts getting their own month!
• The aquamarine gemstone is the birthstone for March.
• Yellowstone became the world’s first National Park in March of 1872.
• Did you know that March is National Noodle Month? Yes, to eating lots of noodles!

There you have it! Fun stuff you did and didn't know about March.

© 2012 JerseyLil’s 2 Cents.