It seems that we never missed a St. Patrick's Day Parade in Cleveland. I'm not sure if we took the day off from school or if the parade was always on a Saturday. I remember the Irish wolfhounds and St. Helen's Academy, the whole school rode unicycles. Most of the kids would be on small unicycle but some were on cycles that were at least 20 feet high, or so it seemed. I remember a couple of times the John Carney kids, Michael and Dodee were in the Elyria Catholic High marching band. I also remember that there was some Irish Society that marched and they all had sheleleigh's? Funny looking canes.
I remember wearing mittens, scarves, socks and hats that Grandma had knitted. They were always very colorful and had a band of different color in them. I also remember the wonderful cable knit sweaters she knitted. I still have one she made. It has a small stain on it and I don't wear it but I can't seem to part with it.
The best part of St. Patrick's Day was going to Grandma's downtown apartment. I liked my tea with sugar and no milk. I loved the teapot she used to make her pot of tea. I also remember her famous soda bread with raisins smothered with butter. But another thing that I remember Grandma Carney making was Jello molds. I remember one year she put chopped carrots in green jello. I really didn't like that.
Sometimes the apartment had so many people in it we had to sit on the floor. I didn't care I loved being with all my cousins and especially liked listening to the adults. I loved to listen to Grandma talk. Her Irish brogue was soothing and always made me feel nice and toasty inside.
Grandma always had a knitting project along side her corner chair by the window. She once told me that it only took her a couple of days to make a cable knit sweater. She never seemed to use a pattern.
What I remember about Grandma was her flowery and paisley dresses, the broach she wore between her breasts,the scapula she wore, her white hair always held back. When I stayed over night at her apartment I saw her hair in a braid. I can remember the scent of her too. It was from her pressed powder.
I remember when she came to stay with us and she made Irish stew with big fluffy dumpling.