Patti M. Walsh

Cancel Patrick?

While the world at large plans to turn itself green on the 17th in honor of Saint Patrick, Nina focused on a different perspective of Ireland’s patron saint. I caught her perusing Wakes Rites, The Ancient Irish Rituals of Finnegans Wake, by George Cinclair Gibson. (Don’t go adding an apostrophe to Finnegans—more on that inContinue reading “Cancel Patrick?”

Prato Pistoia Mardi Gras Parade

The Krewe of Prato Pistoia rolled through the neighborhood on Mardi Gras, February 16, 2021, with 34 carts, 3 bicycles, several dogs, and 1 community patrol officer to the delight of hundreds of revelers at driveway gatherings.

King (Cake) for a Day

Even though there are no Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans this year, there is one in our neighborhood. So Nina decked herself out in beads and did a little research. She’ll tell you that if you want to know anything about Mardi Gras, there is no better source than the Arthur Hardy Mardi GrasContinue reading “King (Cake) for a Day”

The Assignment and the Fetish

Nina was beyond confusion. She had just read my story “The Fetish,” and demanded to know what on earth do a voodoo priestess and a missing man have in common with Uncle Tom’s Cabin? I could have told her that many American slaves were influenced by the Caribbean practices known as voodoo that date backContinue reading “The Assignment and the Fetish”

2020 Hindsight

“Good riddance,” I quipped when Bob replaced a 2020 calendar with a 2021 version. Before I could shred the old one, though, I stopped to marvel at the quiet beauty of the marshlands it depicted. Stunning landscapes and exquisite characters. Sunrises, sunsets. Spoonbills, panthers, tiger swallowtails. That’s when Nina stepped in, quite literally stopping myContinue reading “2020 Hindsight”

Nights Before Christmas

’Twas the night before Christmas when I found Nina browsing The Legend of Papa Noël. Written by Terri Hoover Dunham and illustrated by Laura Knorr, this children’s book is subtitled, “A Cajun Christmas Story.” Since Christmas appeals to the young at heart—and we’re both getting up there in years—I snuggled in with Nina to revisitContinue reading “Nights Before Christmas”

Cat Nap

When I unpacked the yarn I had transported from Virginia to Florida, I found several granny squares left over from an afghan I made for a niece about 10 years ago. I knew there wasn’t enough for another afghan, and besides, who needs an afghan in Florida? But maybe a throw for the living roomContinue reading “Cat Nap”

Parting the Thin Veil

As Halloween dawned, I found a perplexed Nina reading The Celtic Book of the Dead by Caitlin Matthews. Subtitled A Guide for Your Voyage to the Celtic Otherworld, the book and its accompanying tarot-like cards explore the immram—a mystical journey to find the meaning of life. Matthews lays out this path by first explaining theContinue reading “Parting the Thin Veil”

Rescued by Ron

Blogger Ron Cat died peacefully in his sleep October 2, 2020, after 18 wonderful years with us. Bob, Nina, and I miss him. Nina seems perplexed by Ron’s absence. She sniffs around his favorite chair, hides in different parts of the house, and demands affection—she’s typically aloof. She found a little solace reading Rescuing Sprite:Continue reading “Rescued by Ron”