@WonderWartHog99
I agree drinking water back then was considered dangerous. I don't drink alcohol very much and take my chances with the water we have today. Now that we have cleaner water should we cut back on wine?

@flower_nut Straining the chlorine out of the tap water and bottling it yourself is a lot cheaper than chugging something like Mad Dog 20/20. ("Mad Dog" refers to a cheap brand of kosher wine, Morgan David 20/20. Pretty bad stuff to keep junior from chugging it at home).

@WonderWartHog99
I was at a family gathering in my teen years when all the parents went to a wedding rehearsal. They left the kids at home and alcohol was in abundance. We played bartender and I don't remember too much after that. 🥵

In Ireland, St. Paddy's Day is a kind of meh, religious observance.

In the states, it's one of two great "let's get drunk" days. That's because around the start of the 20th century, the Irish stereotype was a bunch of no good, worthless drunks prone to enter NYC politics and get jobs for the relatives. Therefore, if you need an excuse to get drunk everybody is Irish on St. Paddy's Day.

>. . . . although like all good fictional tales many contain elements of truth.

Have a dram too much and see wee folks.

@girlwithsmiles
An excuse to drink is amplified today by marketing and popular demand. The bible has good advice mixed in with supernatural ideas. Jesus turned water into wine and everything in moderation. Now we mass-produce wine without any miracle and try our best to practice moderation while drinking.
A fairy tale would be like living on a flat world with a dome overhead at the centre of the universe with a god at the controls.

@flower_nut >Jesus turned water into wine and everything in moderation.

As popular fiction, he did it for a wedding so everybody could party, party. Isn't that what happens with an open bar?

@WonderWartHog99
Sorry. I know very little about the bible except it contains magic which bible thumpers claim is not magic and not extraordinary. Alcoholism is a major problem and Jesus/god should have known this would happen regardless of sliding in 'everything in moderation'. How convenient is it for religion to have a book with so many different interpretations? I understand the bible is big on a person's revelation. I believe revelation is as good as a person's word but is their word any good and far do you trust words?

@flower_nut any excuse for a drink may be amplified for some, for myself I spent my years 18 - about 25 as a pretty bad drinker, so nothing is going to take me that to that, not everyone is as susceptible to advertising as others. The bible contradicts itself, one of the many reasons that people turn away from religion, sure you can cherry pick bits, which is interesting, but I’d rather read authors that are more consistent.
Yes many mass produce wine, some sell as a boutique and are often sold out prior to pressing, some like to make the magic happen themselves I don’t agree with your perception of fairy tales, but am happy to leave you to your interpretation. I get great joy from them and find they read at various levels, I sought out positive female protagonist tales for my, God daughter

@flower_nut >is their word any good and far do you trust words?

One looks for additional witnesses to collaborate or physical evidence. Often one finds one person finds something in the middle of nowhere that nobody else could find like a burning bush or golden plates that have gone missing . . .Some narratives are based on a freaking dream.

One needs to be skeptical of things like that, especially voices nobody else has heard.

When I hear "God told me . . . " my next question is "Does he still have a lisp in a high pitched sissy voice?"

@girlwithsmiles, @WonderWartHog99
I guess if someone believes the world is flat they must be living a lie rather than living in a fairy tale. A fairy tale usually contains extraordinary events like the world being flat. When someone swears by the bible I don't know what else to call it except living in a fairy tale? Maybe my terminology is mistaken relative to someone who is well-read such as most members of this site.
Fables and tales usually have morals but it's hard to decipher the truth from a fairy tale. Once upon a time, I believed Santa Clause could travel around the world but slowly realized it went against everything in reality. Although Santa Clause warms the hearts of young and old he was a mortal man who evolved into something extraordinary.
I'm not against drinking alcohol, I drink once and a while myself but depending on what someone believes it could be considered a sin. I find it ironic that Jesus supposedly turned water into wine with all the problems and heartache that it causes today. I understand that Alcoholics Anonymous has a several step process using religion to help with a person's sobriety. I wish good reasonable information was at the forefront to help someone rather than religious contemplation.
The tale of a town called Bedrock warms my heart more than the bible ever did. The Flintstones showed how dumb ideas can be and showed the truth was always better than a lie. I never believed the Flintstones were real but I got the message from their tales.
We're all friends here and although criticism smells like shit it encourages a better way to deal with shitty matters.
I like your honesty and thank you for commenting.

@WonderWartHog99, @girlwithsmiles
I believe revelation is as good as a person's word but is their word any good and how far do you trust words?

Yes, I agree! Mental illness causes a host of thoughts that may seem reasonable but in the end, it affects the people that are left behind the most. Suicide is a means to an end when suffering is unbearable but we have medications today that help with mental illness. My revelation is witnessing the suicide of my father after he struggled for several years with a mental illness. My oldest brother soon followed 20 years later and 20 years after that my son was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
When you see first hand how the mind plays tricks you become skeptical of all revelation especially your own.

@bobwjr
Yes, it was and somewhat nerve-racking. She took several photos and suggested she could fill the pipe with soda pop when she was done but she never did.

@Cutiebeauty
Well, cutie, I could say the same for you but your name says it all. Thank you! I believe you have a great perspective especially when blood doesn't define us.

@wolf041
The pub was the social hub from one to the next back then and today we have pub crawls with group discounts and taxis.

@Lilac-Jade
I felt sort of unique to have my birthday associated with a celebration and have my picture in the paper. Your daughter must have been singled out in school on Saint Patrick's Day? A coworker of mine has a birthday on February 29th and his wife's birthday is April fools, and I'm not joking!

@flower_nut She never said anything, but then it wasn't much of a big deal where we lived during the school years. We wore green at home & did green colours for her birthday supper, but didn't make much of the Irish thing. We treated the birthday as more important.

@Lilac-Jade
My mother did as well. She would ask us "what kind of cake do you want for your birthday?" I asked for pumpkin pie 3 years in a row. My brother would have a cake for his birthday 2 weeks earlier than my birthday.

@Captain_Feelgood
I agree. I don't think Saint Patrick would approve of the shenanigans happening today in his name.

@BufftonBeotch
Thank you. It's a shy smile.