THEY’RE BACK!: “Robin sighting – well, actually a couple, here
in the booming metropolis of Kushequa at 6:56 a.m. today (Saturday)
but no male red wings yet.”

So writes Skip Riekofsky in his first of two recent e-mails.

On Sunday, he writes again: “I watched a male red-winged
blackbird this a.m. at 8:26. He was sitting in the top of a quaking
aspen announcing his presence here in the Ville of Kushequa. The
last couple of days I’ve seen robins, geese and ducks both headed
north in their symmetrical flights.”

LOCAL ANGLES: Kristie Bentley of Grayslake, Ill., writes, “I was
visiting a Navy friend in Arkansas a couple weeks ago and her
neighbor was asking where I was from. I told him Bradford, Pa. To
clarify I asked if he was familiar with Case Cutlery and Zippo
lighters.”

“He brightened and began searching his pockets. This was
accompanied by the jangling noise that so many older gentlemen’s
pockets produce. He pulled out one of those rubber, squeeze coin
purses like the one my grandfather always carried.

“And then he located what he was searching for. It was a black
plastic handled Case Cutlery knife. It was about three inches in
length and well worn from being carried in his pocket. He was quite
proud to carry it, and expounded on the quality of Case knives. I
was proud to hail from the town that makes a product that people
believe in.”

OH, IRELAND: We learned a few things about Ireland while looking
over a few “Ireland of the Welcomes” magazines loaned to us by Ken
Cogan of Crosby. He and his wife, Jane, have traveled to the
Emerald Isle several times and subscribe to this glossy magazine
which offer insights to all things Irish.

Between now and the sainted day of March 17, we hope to bring
our readers up to speed with the real scoop about St. Patrick’s Day
and all things Irish.

It is believed that St. Patrick did use the three-petaled clover
as a way of explaining the Holy Trinity (three divine persons in
the one divinity) to the Irish but the shamrock is not Ireland’s
official symbol. That honor goes to the Irish harp.

Also: The shamrock is not unique to Ireland. Young clover easily
can be found from Tasmania to North America to South Africa.