Happy St. Patrick’s Day - Are you feeling green yet?

Green: The Emerald Isle, as opposed to the Emerald City in “The Wizard of Oz”. Have you been to Ireland?
Green: to recycle, re-use, and save energy.  Is this really a new idea? I watched my grandma patch 5-buckle overshoes and my mom replace zippers and sew patches and buttons on jeans, shirts, and coats. I always chuckle when young folks remind me to recycle and save energy, at the same time they refuse to shut off a light switch. Of course, most of these “new fangled ideas” for saving energy have been practiced for years by us country folks. Aluminum pop cans weren’t a problem when I grew up. We paid that tiny deposit on our pop bottle and always returned it. The bottle didn’t need to be crushed and remade. That bottle was just sanitized and refilled.
Green: not trained or experienced, as in being a greenhorn. Many homesteaders came west to seek cheap land, but they were a bit green. Some came from experienced farm families, but a few came from eastern cities and had much to learn on the prairies. These greenhorns had to plow the prairie sod with a horse-drawn walking plow, build a dugout, cut lumber, and hitch up a team.   
Green: the color of a child who ate too many green apples. Have you heard about being green around the gills? The use of green to describe an ailing person's complexion dates from about 1300, and gills refers to the flesh around human jaws and ears. It’s not only children who sometimes turn green. A few succumb to car or sea sickness. None have escaped every stomach bug, and some have willingly imbibed too many potent drinks, leaving us truly green around the gills.
Green: as in putting green on a golf course. Philip is blessed to have a good golf course, and it’s so nice that kids can now learn and compete with golf as a school sport.
Green: as in greens and green thumb.  Many raise gardens of all sizes, both flowers and vegetables. Neighbors in our community love to share.    
Green: as in grasshoppers…..yes, they are still alive in western South Dakota, and each year we hope there will be fewer of them.
Green: as in money.  Farmers and ranchers have been fortunate to find that the higher cattle and grain prices have put some “green” in their pockets….until the gas man, the fertilizer man, the feed salesman, the repair man, and the tax man have them fork over their  “green” to them.   
Green: as in apples and fruit, before they ripen. Folks around here love to pick wild fruit and apples to turn into jams and jellies. Yes, sometimes they are picked green because waiting too long, means the birds and bugs start eating the delicious, sweet fruit.
Green:  You can be green with envy over someone else’s new pickup, a spring rain in another county, or the winner of a basketball game.
Green: as in granny smith apples.
Green: as in S&H Green Stamps, so well-remembered. We traded eggs and cream at the local smalltown store for groceries. But, once in awhile, we went to the “big city” where we would try to shop at places that gave out green stamps. When we returned home from shopping, Mom would go to the top drawer of the hutch, pull out the S&H booklets, lick each stamp and paste it onto the page. Sometimes we got to help lick.
S&H symbolizes the Sperry & Hutchinson Co, which Thomas Sperry and Shelley Byron Hutchinson established in 1896. These green stamps became the most popular, found in many households from the 30’s to the 80’s, but reaching their peak during the 60’s and 70’s. There was a “wish book” catalog, but there were also stores. I remember going to the “Green Stamp Store” in Mitchell, South Dakota, to trade in our books of green stamps. We perused the toys, dishes, linens, and furniture. I never remembered getting any toys, but Mom said we got the baby buggy, the highchair, and a card table and chairs with our green stamps. During the height of their popularity, S&H was printing three times as many stamps as the US Postal Service. 
Green: as the window and door trim to accent the pretty white farmhouse where I grew up. We even had the tops of the houseyard posts painted that deep green to set off the white posts and rails. 
Green Eyes: only 1-2% of people have green eyes
Green Tea: Asian variety of tea known for its green color and healthy qualities.
Green Lantern: comic book character, first appearing in 1940.
Green: as in public common or park.  The Milesville Park is just 50 yards from our house.  Along with the Hall, it is a great gathering place for friends and neighbors.  For many years on July 4th, there was a huge beef barbecue supper with entertainment, homemade ice cream, and fireworks, with the crowd spilling into the park. Community ladies keep the park mowed, and it is open for fun all the time.
Greenland: a very large island country, part of the kingdom of Denmark. Three-quarters of Greenland is covered by the only permanent ice sheet outside of Antarctica. With just over 56,000 people, it is the least densely populated region in the world. Greenland has one of the highest shares of renewable energy in the world, mostly coming from hydropower. If you can’t make it to Ireland, perhaps you’d consider a trip to Greenland…or maybe not. 
Green: the western South Dakota we hope to have this summer, one with plenty of green grass!  All of this wet snow encourages our dreams of green. Spring will soon be here, and let’s hope all will soon be green for a long, pleasant summer season.
Here’s wishing you a “GREEN” St. Patrick’s Day!