SPORTS NEWS

Haley is officially allowed to play for the Castlebar Celtic in Ireland!!  She is currently in Wexford for a tournament semi-final for her team.  They are playing for the FAI Senior Women's Umbro Cup.  The team stayed the night before in a hotel.  It takes many hours to get there, as there is no direct way because you have to drive around the Wicklow Mountains.  They won their game 2 to 0 and that puts them in the Championship game for the Cup.  This has been an ongoing tournament, at least since July.  I don't know when the next Cup game will be, but it's wonderful to have Haley cleared to play!

Next week they have a regular conference game in Wexford, and we are planning to head down there for the weekend.  Hiking the Wicklow Mountains is another activity we want to do.  Maybe in October.

Haley is also playing Gaelic Football for her school.  They had their picture posted in the Longford Leader!  She is, of course, new to the game so there is a learning curve, but she reports that it is fast-paced and a lot of fun to play!

The senior men's hurling final tie-breaker match was held yesterday in Dublin.  Cork v Clare.  County Clare won!  I found myself rooting for Clare, I can't say why, as I have no connection with either team.  Maybe it was because Steve found himself rooting for Cork, as some of his co-workers are from County Cork.  Anyway, it was fun and we enjoyed the game.  It was a close match and lots of goals so it was very exciting.

Steve is currently grilling a Sunday night leg of lamb, Haley is on her way home victorious, the Hawkeyes kept Floyd, Connor made a safe venture to Ingleside and all is right with my world today!

Sheep, Cows, Pigs and Provinces

I have a calendar that I bought in Long Grove, IL at the Irish shop there.  It has lovely pictures of Ireland, taken by Irish native Liam Blake.  Some of the photos are of places we have now seen in person, and it also has some information about the country.

It tells me that Ireland is a country of about 4.3 million people.  It also tells me that there are an estimated 5.5 million sheep!  It does not tell me the cow or pig population.  I have been here for almost 3 full months now, and yesterday was the first day I saw a pig in a field!  I have seen lots of sheep and lots of cows, but so far only one pig!  I know they have them here because they sell bacon (rashers) ham and other fabulous pig products, but I never see any on our drives.  Bonus, I never smell them either!

The sheep are often spotted with color, like they will have a big patch of bright blue, pink, orange or green or other bright colors which I assume identifies who owns the sheep.  The cows are not so marked.

The country is divided into four provinces.  Ulster (which includes Norther Ireland) Munster, Connaught, and Leinster.  We currently reside in the province of Leinster.  There are four professional rugby teams and they are called by their province.  Steve bought Leinster rugby sweatshirts for the kids last Christmas, which they wore in our Christmas picture. 

Hawkeye Fans in Ireland!

The van going by on the road is the mail truck out here.  See the guy painted on the side flying in his cape?!

My Kitchen In Camlin Willows

My kitchen is finally organized for the most part.  Could only get one picture hung so far, but moving forward just the same!  Small oven, but it works.  Took these shots after attempting to get the wine stains off the wall...

Football, Hurling, Plastic Wrap, Sunglasses, and Wine

Finished all the unpacking and Rugby has his alligator!  Now the movers have to come back to pick up all the cardboard, paper, wood crates, bubble wrap, etc and we can finally finish  making the house a home!

Have gotten the kitchen together for the most part - a lot fewer cabinets than  we had back home - but honestly, who uses all their kitchen stuff anyway?  I have become a pretty able chef and grocery shopper!   I will say that American plastic wrap is easier to use.  The  stuff itself is fine here, it's just that they don't  provide a serrated metal edge on the cardboard holder to be able to easily remove a piece to use!  Petty I know, but it's amazing what a hassle it is to not have a way to easily cut your plastic wrap!  Fortunately, our Costco size roll of plastic wrap arrived with the shipment and now I again have the serrated edge to cut the wrap and make my life easier!  And, since it's Costco, I have plastic wrap that will last FOR YEARS! 

Saw the school kids again last friday at the mall while walking the dogs - they again petted the dogs and one boy commented to Chloe (the human) as he petted Chloe (the dog) "Ah she look just like ya Chloe!"  I don't know if they realize that Friday mornings at the mall are one of the highlights of my week!

Having lovely days here - lots of sun and temps in the 60's and  Saturday and Sunday Steve and I were able to sit out on the patio and enjoy the afternoon outside!  We have bought a charcoal grill and used it all weekend, extending our summer activities as much as possible.

Haley has started playing football for her school team.  This is Irish or Gaelic football.  It's kind of a mix of soccer and basketball in a way, and Haley says it's a lot of fun to play.  They have practices and games during the school day - another plus I suppose...Haley has already  had a sleepover at a friend's house and today is home sick with the flu!  We had planned to go watch the senior men's final football game at a local pub on Sunday afternoon, but passed as Haley was sick.  The game ended with Dublin beating Mayo by one point - and we were rooting for Mayo  since we have more ties to Mayo than to Dublin. Next big GAA game is the Hurling final on Saturday.  They played a championship game a few weeks ago and the game ended in a tie - so the teams come back to play another full game at a later date - and this Saturday is it!  Don't know what they do if this game ends in a tie as well, but may find out!   

Have found that an ideal item to have in Ireland is glasses that transition for sun and shade.  Even on cloudy days, it is often still rather bright out - not enough for regular sun glasses, but if you have the transition lenses, they tint just enough to keep you from having to squint.  I have been wearing my glasses a lot for this reason. May need to invest in sunglasses that do this for when I am wearing my contact lenses too!

My big task today is cleaning the kitchen.  Largely because I had a wine mishap and sprayed the wall and ceiling accidentally with red wine.  Let me explain - when a cork cracks off and doesn't come out fully, you can't get the wine to pour out, so it seems sensible to push the remainder of the cork into the bottle, right?  (I know, if I REALLY cared about the wine, I would discard the bottle because the  bad cork could mean lousy wine - right?)  But, sometimes it's just the need for the wine that drives me, so I pushed the cork in  with a knife.  Well, obviously, if the bottle is full and you push something down into it, the liquid will be displaced upward (I am not a scientist, but I understand this concept)  Still, who knew it would shoot so high?!  Yes, I still drank the wine because, I am an attorney...  What?!

Now I am off to see if I can get the stains off the walls and ceiling.....

Found His Alligator

Weather, Dogs, Soccer, and Friends from Overseas

This has been quite a week for weather!  We had 100 km/h winds on Sunday, pouring rain on Monday, and then a regular day of clouds with spots of sunshine on Tuesday and it's warming up a bit again!  Crazy stuff! 

Haley had a soccer game on Sunday, and Celtic won 4 to 2.  It was fun to watch, but will be even better once Haley gets cleared to play.  To be able to play, she needs international clearance from USA, FAI, and FIFA.  No, she's not a professional soccer player - why do you ask?!  Seriously, seems like a lot of releases needed for her to just play soccer here, however,  they want proof that her parents know she is here, proof that  we are here legally and with a legitimate job, all that evidence that would show that she wasn't just brought here to play soccer for the Castlebar Celtic. I can report that so far, all the soccer clubs have provided food and drinks  after the games for all the players and  spectators.  Really is pretty cool!  Everyone has a nice clubhouse.

Last week we trekked to the Garda station to meet with immigration.  We were granted our VISA extensions, so Zach, Haley, and myself are good to stay through September of 2014!  Which is great because we are really enjoying Ireland!  The Garda also took new photos for us, as the ones in the computer system were taken at the airport after our flight overseas, and we all looked  terribly tired!

This week I have been just trying to get more stuff unpacked - got the last items unwrapped - and trying to sort through where things should be, getting rugs for the hardwood floors, and hanging pictures.  On  Tuesday morning I walked the dogs at the mall as usual, and since it was pouring rain, there were not many people there.  We had a good walk but lots of other animals were out enjoying the rain.  Chloe was beside herself and  kept running and then barking and making an absolute nuisance of herself!  At one point she had Ducks to the left of her, Cows were to the right, and there she was, stuck in the middle on lead, she was, stuck in the middle on lead!  (Yes there is a tune in my head as I write it and I am sure all you clowns and jokers can figure it out!)

On Wednesday I had the pleasure of driving south to meet Sarah Megan for lunch!  She is a co-worker from Prairie State Legal Services (actually one of the people who interviewed and hired me there 17 years ago!)  She was touring Ireland with family and so we were able to meet at the Grand Hotel in Moate for lunch and to chat for a bit.  I  failed to get a picture - RATS!   It was great to see her and it made me think of all the people I worked with and what a great job I had!  I LOVED MY JOB!  Anyway - I salute the hardworking attorneys at Prairie State Legal Services in Illinois.  They are an incredible bunch of people. 

The drive to Moate was interesting.  I took some R numbered roads which are not too bad - they have markings and all, and also took two L numbered roads, which can be hit or miss - generally no markings and tight  lanes, but not usually a lot of cars so it went well.  The Google maps GPS actually worked great at getting me there, though sometimes it would say, "In 500 meters, turn left" and then it wouldn't give a name for the road I would be turning on!  Fortunately, I had the road numbers written down and got it all put together and made it to Moate in record time!

Nights are starting to get pretty chilly so we turned on the heat last night and had a kerosene delivery today to get ready for the cooler temps.  Today is lovely again, up in the 60's and spots of sunshine so it's all grand!

Final bit of information - we have accepted an offer on our house in Illinois!  If all goes as expected, we will be closing at the end of October.  It's sort of bittersweet, as I absolutely loved my house and the people on the cul de sac, but it will be good to reduce our expenses while we are living in Ireland. 

So, off to run errands and all those things I can do during the day since I am home!

Chloe hunting wabbits

Dogs and Driving

Took the dogs on their daily drive to Moyne School to drop off Haley and then to the leisure center to walk on the path at the  mall.  Chloe has a tendency to whine in the car, but Haley found the solution to be music.  If music is playing in the car, it calms the pup.  Like that saying, music calms the savage beast!   Mom always said she would play classical music for when school got out, just to calm Jack, er, the kids, when they came home from school!  Bottom line is, it works!

When we take our walk, many people say hello and will stop to pet the dogs.  I am  getting to be known as The American with the Golden Retrievers!

 There is a school nearby that often takes  trips to the park.  About a week ago, three kids came up and asked if the dogs would bite.  I assured them they were friendly and they got pets and the kids  asked their names.  When I said Chloe, the girl said "That's MY name!"  and they all laughed and ran off to play.  Today there were more kids who wanted to pet the dogs, and  of course, Chloe and her friends were there too.  One boy  said, "I know this is Rugby, but I can't remember the other one's name" and Chloe (the human) smacked him upside the back of his head and said  "It's MY name!"  It was quite funny and we all laughed (including the boy who got smacked) and  again, we went on our merry way.

The dogs are doing quite well.  As you can see from the back garden photos, Chloe likes to bark at the cows.  It makes them run away, but they always come back and they just stare at the house - a little  freaky, but they seem friendly....Chloe has also tracked a bunny living in our yard, and often-times the only part visible on Chloe is her tail sticking out of the shrubbery while she tries in vain to catch the bunny.  I have seen Chloe almost engulfed by the shrub while the bunny hops off the corner of the yard to  wait until we go back inside!  It's like Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd!

Finally found the dog brushes so their coats look much better now, as does my living room floor!  They have both lost weight  due to the exercise they are getting, so have had to increase Rugby's food allotment.  He is already a very skinny golden!  Chloe is looking very svelt and we will keep her that way.  Now for me.....

So  had to fill the car with gas - It's funny because when it's full, the tank reads like 1300 km to empty!  The car takes diesel and I am here to let you know - the diesel pump in the US may be the green one,  but in Ireland, the green pump IS NOT  DIESEL!  Fortunately, I realized the error quick enough not to do any damage to the car - shew!  So for us, the diesel pump is black.

I am learning.  Diesel pump: black; speed limit signs: mean what they say. 

More Rainbows

More cows in the back garden

Walk Through Derrycassin Wood

Sunday morning and we take the dogs on a walk through the woods.  Reminiscent of Glacial Woods in Ringwood, it feels like we are back home with the dogs taking a hike.  Big difference here is that there don't seem to be any rodents, much to Chloe's dismay!  We have been on many walks since we have been here, and have not seen any squirrels, chipmunks, or mice.  Chloe is a champion mouser and has taken her share of mice, chipmunks, rabbits, and moles back home in Illinois, but here in Ireland she has been "skunked"!  We have a rabbit family in the front yard, but they are big enough to escape Chloe and that is good as they are really cute in the yard!  

On our walk in the woods, we saw tons of blackberry bushes, holly, rhododendron, ferns, moss, mushrooms, and a bright yellow fungus!  The woods were once the site of a house and walled garden built in the 1760's. the house no longer stands but the garden wall is still partially intact.  Our vet told me to take a picture of the map at the beginning with my phone, and it turned out to be sage advice as one could get a bit lost on the numerous paths in the woods.

The Dryer

Beautiful sunny week!  Even saw a couple driving a convertible!  With the top down!  That is NOT a common sight in Ireland!  Finally getting almost everything unpacked and put away, so will be able to hang pictures soon.  Yay!  Now onto my continuing observations of ordinary life in Ireland.  

Interesting appliances here.  The dryer is loud and it will rotate, then stop and change direction.  There is a pan that fills with the water that gets pulled out of the clothes, and you have to dump the water out into the sink through a hole in the upper corner.  I assume the dryer's in the US have a tube that disposes of the water as it is pulled out of the clothes. It is rather amazing to see how much water actually comes out of the newly washed clothes!

Cloudless Sky in Longford

Okay, Haley is learning all the school lingo.  Hard copies are hard-covered notebooks, and soft copies are paper-bound notebooks.  She needs a 3 ring binder - I thought no problem, I  have one.  Well, paper sizes here are not the same as back  home - so they  would  stick out the top! I wonder if our  printer will operate okay with Irish size paper?   

Haley has finally got her class schedule worked out and has gotten her school locker. She has found everyone to  be friendly and yesterday she came out of school chatting away with a group of classmates, so it's all coming together.

I can also report that the speed limit signs ARE NOT GUIDELINES!  I am the sad recipient of a speeding ticket...  So today,  I  drove the speed limit and I was passed by 3 people!  They will learn that those signs are NOT just suggested speeds!!!  The worst  part is that the ticket is by camera, so they  mail it to the registered owner, which is Steve's boss!  Oh I will never again succumb to my lead foot!!!

Today  is the third  sunny  day in a row!  It has been in  the  upper 60's though it is expected to cool to the 50's starting  tonight.  Still, it has been lovely for walking the dogs and getting into town to pick up hard copies and soft copies and all those things Haley needs.  I did pay the 2 euro I owed to the key-maker and I can happily report that all the keys are grand!

Off to the school supply store and then to enjoy more of the sunny day (though there are big puffy clouds now!).

The Trust Factor

Okay, in Ireland when you buy gas, you fill up first, then go inside the shop to pay.  We filled up one day and Steve had forgotten his bank card.  He goes in and the guy says it's grand, just go home and get it and come back to pay!  We did do just that, but I was floored!

Well today I was downtown and had to have some keys made.  Most cobblers (yes, shoe repair is big business here!) also do keys.  I ask for 4 keys and when he hands them to me it is 12 euro and I only have 10!  He takes my ten and tells me to bring the 2 by when I can!  Again, I certainly will do so.  People are so nice here, and no one wants you to feel humiliated!

I LOVE IT HERE!!!!

NEW ROUTINE

Now that Haley has started school, our morning routine has shifted.   Steve still walks to work but must go solo, as Haley and I leave in the car to take her to school.   This  week we started taking the dogs in the car and after we drop Haley at Moyne, we go straight to the mall (park) and walk the path a few times.  It works well and keeps the dogs happy, though we do miss walking with Steve to work.      

In doing so much driving, I have decided that the speed limits and road markings seem to just be guidelines!  Still, I try to follow them so I don't get a ticket or get stopped, but I rarely see anyone about   enforcing rules of the road.  What also strikes me is the markings on the road.  There is a line  painted down the middle separating the two sides of traffic, and that is always painted in white.   If it is dotted, it is okay to pass, and  if  solid, then no passing.  On the two sides of the road where the shoulder would be, there are painted yellow dotted lines.  If there is no shoulder, the yellow lines mark the edge of the road.  If there is a hard shoulder, then traffic can slide over onto the shoulder to let faster cars go by.   Sometimes, the hard shoulder isn't wide enough for the vehicle to get completely off to the side, and in those instances, the passing car expects that oncoming traffic will slide over onto THEIR shoulder and give room to pass!

What I found most confusing was that two-way traffic is divided by white lines, and one-way traffic is ALSO divided by white lines!  Now, there are not that many roads with two lanes going in the same direction, but it still seems like a different paint color for each kind of roadway couldn't hurt!  Fortunately, I have not run into any trouble knowing what kind of roadway I am on in general...

Today is a lovely day and the weather forecast calls for NO RAIN!  Zero percent chance!  The sky is bright blue and temps should reach 19 degrees Celsius, so about 66 degrees F.  There are big, puffy clouds, but the forecast also shows bright yellow suns with NO CLOUDS on them for the afternoon!  Pretty gutsy forecast!  I hope it bears out!