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Obsessed with green? Me? My kids have always joked that I'm in love with the colour green. Okay, so I have a green truck, the master bedroom is green, actually, so is the den, as well as the front hallway leading into the kitchen. Hmm, the kitchen cupboards are green. And the living room walls are green, but a very light green-- which doesn't count, `cuz The Sidekick picked that colour. When I look around myself, I do seem to have an excess of green in my life. Outside, once the warm weather gets here, I enjoy cutting acres of lawn (which is also green) and later in the summer, the hay fields-- green again. I just realized-- even the pens that I built for the sheep in the barn are green. Now that wasn't planned, they are pressure-treated, so they have a greenish tone. (But when I think about it, I was strangely drawn to the wood...) And though I do like to be environmentally conscious, I don't think I'm to the point where I'd call myself a `green' person... well, maybe just a tiny bit green. But I've never given it much thought until I sat down to write this column. Today being St Patrick's Day, when green is everywhere, I'm wondering if it may have something to do with my blarney heritage. You see, my branch of the Browns hailed from Ireland. My great-greatgreat-great grandfather John Brown set out from a place called Doran, in County Down, Ireland, around 1757, to come to Canada. He was a soldier with the 60th Irish Regiment of Foot, and would eventually see action at the Plains of Abraham in 1759, when General James Wolfe fought General Montcalm. So the luck o' the Irish seems to be in my blood, and consequently, I can't help this affinity for the colour green. You know, this Irish thing goes deeper and deeper. Today, St. Patrick's Day, is my third daughter's 30th birthday. Yup, Margaret Elizabeth Brown, better known as Maggie, was born three decades ago this very day. Not only that, she was delivered by Ted Brown an Irish nurse with the softest Irish accent that ever graced the Emerald Isle. Does it get any greener than that? Maybe, maybe not, but here's another angle. The Sidekick, with her fiercely ensconced Scottish roots through clan Murray of Atholl, enjoys a tie to the 17th day of March as well. Well, sure and begorra, her mother was also born on St Paddie's Day! And while Maggie is celebrating her three decades of gracing this earth, The Sidekick's mother, otherwise known as Betty, is hitting her eighth decade mark this very same day. One more thing-- Betty's middle name is Patricia-- you know, the female version of Patrick. I'm helplessly under the spell of the Irish. No matter how hard I try, the more I find good ol' St Paddy callin' me back. So as a Canadian with a touch o' green in his background, on this St. Patrick's Day, I'd like to share an old Irish blessing I came across years ago. It works for me-- even if it's not printed in green! May your life be always fulfilling, May ye love the woman ye wed, May your children bring ye happiness, And your workin' provide them with bread May ye always walk with the wind on your back, May the sun shine down on your head, And may ye be three steps into Heaven, A'fore the devil larns that you're dead. Happy St. Patrick's Day. --Ted Brown can be reached at tbrown@independentfreepress.com Did you remember to change your smoke alarm batteries? Vision 2000 Exclusive Bonus: Pinnacle Grill dinner for 2, $75 per stateroom Onboard Credit & 2 bottles of wine per stateroom 7 Independent & Free Press, Thursday, March 17, 2011 MEDITERRANEAN ADVENTURE June 30, 2011 | Roundtrip Rome 20 Days onboard the m.s. 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