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May your glass be ever full
May the roof over your head be always strong
And may you be in Heaven half an hour
Before the Devil knows you're dead.
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And, yes, even with a last name of Metze, I am a bit Irish. Of course, my first name is Irish too; but that's not the bit. I come from an ancestor (Great Grandfather) name Toole. He was not an O'Toole. Because of certain legal problems, he changed his name to Smith; thus, my dearly departed Mother t'was born a Smith.
He and his brother [the GGfather] went to a dance in Arkansas. During that evening, a fight ensued. His brother shot and killed a man. I don't quite understand the next part completely. Because the brother was in danger of being hanged by a mob, my Great Grandfather confessed to the murder/shooting and was sentenced to jail. Rumor is that my Grandfather actually witnessed the shooting - thus, explaining certain things about his character.
Eventually, he escaped prison - there is a story about a mass breakout at the Arkansas prison located along a certain river - he was one of the few to get away...several were killed. Rejoining his lovely wife ( "LOVELY" - Afterall, she was my Great Grandmother, you know) he moved into Kansas and eventually Oklahoma. He took his wife's maiden name, Smith. This was in the late 1800s. My mom was born in 1910...so...
My Grandfather somehow ventured back into Kansas and met my Grandmother Olive, a farmer's daughter. The King Family farm in Kinsley, KS. They were married and moved to Kaw City, Oklahoma where they had a hoard of children. My Grandfather James M. Smith was a barber for most of his life. I understand he was not a truly nice man - not a sweetheart. I don't know - just rumors.
And, now you have it. Yes, I be Scottish too; but, we'll save that Stone for another time and place.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!
my Irish eyes are smiling
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