I woke up early this morning to find the following note:
Dear Leprechaun,
Once again this year,
It is me you don’t have to fear.
In this box I give you a token of my heart.
The box in which you slept in has been taken apart.
In here you will find no trap,
But a bed, food and flowers from which bees took their sap.
Some Z’s will come from your mouth, sleeping you will try.
Well, dear leprechaun, for now this is good-bye.
A few years ago, Goodnight told me that kids make leprechaun traps. I didn’t know that. But hey, why not?!! The German’s leave their shoes by the door on the eve of the feast of St. Nicholas. So she’s been making leprechaun traps since she moved in with me.
After she woke up this morning, I asked her about her creation. She told me she didn’t want to make a trap. “It’s an oasis,” she said.
Yup! It was. It had a loft for the ‘wee one’ to sleep and there was an assortment of nuts left on a teeny table on the main floor.
Interestingly enough, she must have had a visitor. 
I was knitting in my bedroom when she woke up. She came in and showed me a different note:
Thank you for a place to rest.
Of all my stops, this was the best.
I hate to leave, but I’m very shy.
I hope to see you by-and-by.
L. L.
(Lucky Leprechaun )
Goodnight is 50% Irish, so I let her have her day. I found a recipe for Vegan Irish Soda Bread that I am going to try. I’m not a vegan, but I use a lot of vegan recipes for baking. I received permission to post the link. So if you are interested, check it out. There is a vegan version of Irish Stew, too.
You can find both recipes here:
http://autonomieproject.wordpress.com/2009/03/09/vegan-recipe-of-the-week-irish-stew-and-soda-bread/
I wonder how many different versions of Danny Boy I’ll hear on the radio today, while I’m busy in the kitchen. . . .
But here are a few serious Irish contributions to our world:
In 1923, Irish writer William Butler Yeats was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his poetry.
In 1925, Irish writer George Bernard Shaw was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his dramas.
In 1951, physicist Ernest Thomas Sinton Walton won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on splitting lithium atoms using a particle accelerator. His work contributed to the transformation of subatomic physics.
In 1969, Irish writer Samuel Beckett received the Nobel Prize in Literature for his new forms of novels and drama.
In 1974, Seán MacBride was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace because of his work in founding or participating in international organizations, like Amnesty International.
In 1976, two Irish women, Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan, shared the Nobel Prize for Peace for their founding of Community of Peace People, an organization attempting to encourage peaceful resolutions to the troubles in Northern Ireland.
In 1995, Irish writer Seamus Heaney received the Nobel Prize in Literature for his lyrical poetry.
In 1998, two Irish men, David Trimble and John Hume shared the Nobel Prize for Peace for their efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Northern Ireland.
In 2007, young American born Irish Goodnight won second prize in a rather large local loon calling contest.
In March, 2010, same young Irish Goodnight was awarded the ‘A’ Honor Roll for the second time in a row in 6th grade. We expect great things from her, though likely not in poetry.
More information at: http://nobelprize.org/ Check it out. There’s always a link to the Noble site in my list of links.
I think the Leprechaun who left Goodnight a note, also left behind . . . some cake!
Image credit: http://www.funmunch.com/events/patricks/st_patricks_day_graphics/st_patricks_day_cliparts/st_patricks_day_clipart_11.gif
