There’s Beauty in Green, Too by @middleagedwoman

Mostly at my house this winter, the color green has related to the skin of whichever of us is currently worshiping the porcelain gods. “Green around the gills,” is the saying, I think. And we’ve had plenty of it. Thank the baby jeebus my kids are grown, so they deal with it by themselves for the most part. 20-year-old-Girl suffers in silence, but the 18-year-old-Boy is learning how to handle sickness like a man: all whiny and death-y.

So I thought I needed to think of some positive and uplifting green things to erase the ugly picture in my mind. Kind of like when you have a horrible song stuck in your head and you can only get rid of it by replacing it…

We had joy
We had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the joy and the fun,
Like the seasons are all gone…

See what I mean? You’re welcome.

Here, in no particular order, are ten green things I think are kewl…

1. Green Beer

I am not a beer drinker. Unless there’s pizza. Or it’s 110 degrees outside. Or there’s a game on TV, and chip dip, and….fine, I like a beer now and then. Green Beer is a St. Patty’s day tradition where I live, and there will be dozens of green beer specials advertised in the next few weeks. True story: I once drank so much beer at the Old Shillelagh Bar that when we came out, and I walked into a sawed off post from a parking meter, I didn’t even feel it. But I hit it hard enough that the next day, the bruise was larger than my actual leg. Okay, green beer, in moderation.

2. Cash money

Who couldn’t use a little of this now and then? American dollars used to be pretty dedicated to the color green, but we are approaching Canadian crazy with some of the new bills. Purple? WTF? and orange? Anyway, if you are like me, this is the time of year when your U.S. Gov’t savings account matures in the form of a tax refund! Woohoo!

3. Caterpie

Cutest. Little. Pokemon. Ever. BTW, Pokemon is supposed to be short for “pocket monster.” I don’t know about you, but I have a totally different picture in my head of a “Pocket Monster,” if you catch my drift.

4. Elphaba

When they needed a name for L. Frank Baum’s Wicked Witch of the West, they turned to his initials, L.F.B.: El pha ba. Clever, no? Only thing is, I don’t recall the movie witch looking this hot. That’s Kerry Ellis in beautiful green-face.

5. Harry Potter’s Eyes

I know some people think Daniel Radcliffe is a little hottie, but his character just brings out the “Mom” in me. And even though D.R. is a blue-eyed-handsome-man, Harry has his mother’s startlingly green eyes. A fact no adult in the story ever fails to remind him of.

6 – 7. Envy/Environmental Responsibility

Everyone already knows about these two. I like the fact that they balance each other out. Envy is bad. Environmental Responsibility is good.

8. Shamrock Shakes

Oh so bad for my ass-bags, oh so good for my sweet-tooth. Ya know what sucks about getting older? By the time a person is in their mid-twenties, their body has produced all the lactase it’s going to make, so as we age, we grow ever more lactose intolerant. Sometimes, ya just gotta suffer for the pleasure. And suffer, I do, in ways you don’t want me to describe. Trust me on this one.

9. Kermit the Frog

No list of green things is complete without everyone’s favorite muppet. Look at that smile! Kermit & Co. have entertained our kids (and us!) for over 40 years now, thanks to the genius of Jim Henson.

10. Limes & Olives

Blech! Not together! But each can be the perfect garnish to a perfect drink. Two recipes I love:

Fill a hi-ball glass with ice
Add a shot of Stoli Razberi
Fill glass with tonic water
Add a slice of lime…heaven!

next:

Mix two parts Wiser’s Canadian Whiskey
to one part dry vermouth
pour over ice and add an olive…a Wiser’s Manhattan, enjoy!

6 Responses to “There’s Beauty in Green, Too by @middleagedwoman”

1. TJB says:

   03/04/2010 at 10:33 am

   Great list, love the cold hard cash, Elphaba, and Kermit!!!

   Thanks for the drink recipes.

   [Reply]
2. Jess says:

   03/05/2010 at 8:58 am

   I love green beer!! Wait, it is just the beer I love, but having it green makes it doubly special! Looking forward to the ol St Patrick’s Day here…last year we had over 700,000 people…we are looking to break a million this year. First beer pops at 9:00am…PREPARE!

   [Reply]
3. Captain Dumbass says:

   03/06/2010 at 12:08 am

   That’s a pretty good list. I actually had a shamrock shake last year. Half way through I was disgusted, but that first sip? Oh, that first sip.

   [Reply]
4. Collette says:

   03/06/2010 at 8:19 am

   Your list of green this is great!
   I’m glad we’re finally slowly seeing a little more green here in Michigan due to our 40 degree temps. I’m looking forward to the warmer weather. (((HUGS)))

   [Reply]
5. Andrea says:

   03/06/2010 at 8:49 pm

   Old Shillelagh!! I had a fun night there in September. I’m sure I’ll be back there this summer. Love that place.

   Love the list, especially 1,2,4,5,8,9. I am getting a Shamrock shake tomorrow. Kid size. But I will have at least one this year!

   [Reply]
6. Al_Pal says:

   03/17/2010 at 4:56 pm

   Sweetness.

   Raspberry vodka with club soda and lime has been my go-to “light/clean/barely caloric” drink for a few years now.

   [Reply]