Off the Beaten Path-Dysert O'Dea

In honor of St. Patrick's Day tomorrow, I offer a photo of the O'Dea Castle, a fortified tower house built around 1480. It sits outside Ennis, in County Clare, Ireland. A long-ago monastery once occupied part of the site, hence the place name dysert, which means hermitage in Irish.

Did my ancestors didn't live in the castle? I wish! It's a safe bet they lived nearby, but in humbler circumstances.

Speaking of ancestors, every three years, far-flung members of the O'Dea Clan (a group that also includes those with the last name O'Day, O'Dee, Dea, Day, and Dee) gather in Ennis. They explore the castle and its environs, research genealogy, and become acquainted with Ennis and each other.

Today, the restored castle--time and Oliver Cromwell's troops had damaged it--serves as an archaeology center. Visitors can see a short film at the site, tour its rebuilt rooms, climb a spiral stone staircase to the roof, and then retrace their steps to the ground floor where tea is served May through September. http://www.dysertcastle.com/castle.htm

The castle's environs include the ruins of a church with a Romanesque arch, a high cross, a round tower, and a holy well. Go to the website of Natural Born Hikers to see stunning photos of Dysert O'Dea. Don't miss the shots of St. Tola's Cross or the Romanesque archway of St. Tola's Church.

For another taste of Ireland, turn to Kecia Adams' blog. Here she looks at Thomas Cahill's HOW THE IRISH SAVED CIVILIZATION, and wonders if Cahill hasn't overstated the case a wee bit.

A job transfer sent Jennifer Jensen and her family to Ireland. There, learning to drive on the opposite side of the road was the least of her driving challenges. Here, she offers the basics of learning to drive in Eire. And here, she posts a video of one of her sons behind the wheel on a narrow country road. Finally, she offers an overview of how St. Patrick's Day is celebrated in Ireland.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Holiday Stress Busters

The stockings are hung by chimney with care, but we have gifts to wrap, toys to assemble, and menus to execute. In the run-up to Christmas, the peace of the season too often eludes us. I don't have answers but know a few sure-fire stress reducers.

Let August McLaughlin sing to you. This original holiday tune will lift your spirits.

Still missing your merry? Fabio Bueno dares you to watch these babbling babies without cracking a smile.


Take a breath, close your eyes, and let Kecia Adams spirit you back to that special, shining Christmas when the gift you'd longed for waited under the tree.


Linus and Myndi Shafer know Christmas isn't about gifts, and toys and menus.


If your celebration turns cloying, Lark Howard has the antidote: action movies. She's made a list and checked it twice.


The best stress reducers are useless against heartbreak and grief. Debra Kristi has practical suggestions for those who have lost a loved one.


When friends and family get together, all may not be calm and bright. Prudence MacLeod offers tips on dealing with the drama lovers among us.


Holiday time triggers Kay Hudson's memories of a long, happy marriage, and she reveals the attitude that helped her survive and eventually thrive as a widow.


Whether you love or dread Christmas, most of us are glad it comes but once a year. But what if Santa were real? Marcy Kennedy believes we'd be better for it.


Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Versatile? Me? (Switches from Tap-Dancing to Juggling)

Lynn Kelley, children's book author (Curse at Zala Manor. Secret of Haunted Bog) and creator of the Random Acts of Weirdness blog has conferred upon me the Versatile Blogger Award. Whoa! I'm thrilled although my so-called versatility is due to an inability to focus rather than talent.

Like most awards, this one comes with rules and responsibilities. For the Versatile Blogger Award, the rules are as follows:

Thank the blogger who nominated you!
Add the award pic to your blog post.
Nominate fifteen fellow bloggers and let them know about it!
Share seven random things about yourself.

I'll nominate seven bloggers today and eight more Friday. By dividing up my nominations, I give myself time and space to able to say a few words about each pick. But, before we get to my picks, here are seven random things you didn't know (and may not have wanted to know) about me:

1. I'm a firstborn. The eldest child's oft-noted quest for perfection doesn't extend to my appearance or housekeeping, but it affects my writing. The trait's good in that I aim high, and bad in that I always fall short.
2. The New York Times Sunday magazine has a feature called "Diagnosis" that introduces a medical patient and his ailment and shows the steps leading to a diagnosis. The feature could be the Rosetta Stone the way I pore over it and try to out-think the medical professionals even though I'm a wuss who has to close her eyes every time a TV surgeon cuts into a patient. Not surprisingly, I'm the kind of viewer who shouts out diagnosis suggestions to TV's Dr. Gregory House. No wonder the guy's cranky.
3. Amazon Prime member? C'est moi. Some people think a $79 per year Prime membership is for those with money to burn, but it's for forgetful types who don't remember the birthdays and special occasions of far-flung friends and relations until it's too late for anything but second-day shipping. My Prime membership pays for itself in saved shipping costs, and, at one point, I feared Amazon wouldn't let me renew because of the number of boxes I had it ship hither and yon. My husband set me straight. "You think Amazon won't renew your membership because you bought too much?"
4. I have ten place settings of Fiestaware in ten different colors. When I reach into the cabinet and pull out a cup for my morning coffee, I never know which color I'm going to get. Will it be turquoise, plum, chocolate?
5. When we moved into our first apartment, I told my husband we'd make all the furniture/decorating decisions together except one: I got to decide where and what pictures we put on the walls.
6. I've lived more years in Texas than in my home state of New Jersey.
7. When Older Daughter was in scouting, she insisted I accompany her troop on camping trips. I hated the first one, but then I fell for sleeping in tents, cooking over campfires, and hiking in the woods. When OD left Girl Scouts, I was the one who missed sleeping under the stars.

Enough about me! Let me introduce you to seven blogs (Introductions to the remaining eight will come soon.) by writers who have inspired me, and/or made me laugh, think, and nod in recognition.

· Tim L. O'Brien's Static in the Airwaves Tim is a writer, husband, father, and friend who chronicles events such as as the reunion of buddies since high school and reflects on subjects that range from how to raise kids who read to the news his son-in-law is deploying to Afghanistan.
· Kiss and Thrill is a new blog started by the 2011 RWA Golden Heart finalists in romantic suspense. The blog's inaugural author interview was with RS best-seller Allison Brennan, and an interview with Brenda Novak is set for tomorrow, December 6. I'm waving at two of the blog's writers: Sarah Andre and Lena Diaz.
· Wild, Wicked, and Wacky Suzan Harden is self-published and proud of it. Her blog offers information for those interested in the indie route, along with movie reviews, guest interviews, song clips, and more. She's a lawyer by training and knows her Gaga from her gag order.
· Fiorella Plum is the nom de plume of an Austin-area blogger who posts every day on subjects ranging from her pastor's reaction to a mugger to what's new in the Luann comic strip.
· Kay Hudson writes about whatever strikes her fancy: books, television, and cats that fall asleep in the carcass of the Thanksgiving turkey.
· Jansen Schmidt's Blogging from the Edge of Eternity is new, just two entries so far, but the posts capture Schmidt's sly humor and enjoyment of life.
· Kecia's Blog is the work of Kecia Adams, a writer, editor, and Navy veteran. The blog's new, but the first post is the POV of a thoughtful mom, and the second is that of a thoughtful citizen of the world.

Hope you like the blogs mentioned above. Lynn, thanks a million for the award.