Cathy Jo's Page

I hope anyone in the Chicago area will stop by and say hello--my husband and I will be hosting the Irish Wake Tent (nothing serious, just a going-away party!) across from the Cultural Tent the whole festival. I will also be telling stories and sharing the lore of the fairy folk in the Cultural Tent each day (Tales of the Fairy Pipes on Friday at 5 pm and Sunday at 1 pm, Fairy Lore Saturday at 7 and Monday at 1)--That's this weekend, May 22-25!

So why am I talking about that festival? Only because I'm going to be there, with the Irish Wake exhibit! More info as it comes about, but I hope to meet up with some of the "County Cook" Irish there!

I hadn't planned on doing anything so tourist-y, but we couldn't get to Kinsale and we found ourselves in Blarney--or rather, in a B&B looking out over Blarney town--and the next morning it just made sense to stop and see one of the most famous sites in Ireland. And since there was practically no line when we got to the top of the ruins....The things I remember most of that place was hearing the church bells peal out over the town (Lady's Day in Harvest time, after all) and the fairytale sig… Continue

#2 Son left this morning for basic training (Air National Guard)--the first chick out of the nest (three others still at home) and I'm drooping a bit. I know he'll be okay, I know he'll be back--not till November, in time for the holiday season--and I know he's not likely to be called into active duty, but I've never said goodbye to one of the kids for longer than 11 days before and even then I could call them.
And yet...this is the way it's supposed to be and it's not as bad as all those Irish… Continue

That's a prosperous and happy New Year to you all! May all your changes be for the best.

That's my wish this year because I see many changes coming in my own life. #2 Son, the one who used to help me with the Wake Tent, joined the Air National Guard just before Christmas and will be shipping out for training soon. He'll spend six months in Texas (Sheppard AFB) and possibly more, depending where he interns after the training. He'll be an EMT (emergency medical technician or paramedic) wh… Continue