Happy St. Patrick's Day

Another St. Patrick's Day brings back fond memories of my Great Aunt Gertrude Hickey (nee Houlihan) who lived until the ripe old age of 101, sharp as a tack until the day she died.

Gert loved her highballs and with the exception of the occasional doctor's orders limiting her to one per day, she pretty much had free reign over the sauce. One of our favorite Gert stories had her at the doctor's office one day. After the medic examined her, he said: "Gert, you're the picture of health, you've outlived most of your friends and family. You're in better shape than most people half your age. Tell me, how do you do it?" Aunt Gertrude replied: "Well I never smoked, I get plenty of rest, and I've learned never to take anything too seriously. And I take plenty of Vitamin ET."

Now the doctor was too embarrassed at the time to admit he never heard of such a vitamin but on a follow up visit he said: "OK Gert, we searched through all our medical journals and came up empty, what the heck is Vitamin ET?"

With a devilish look on her face Gertrude told the doctor: "Early Times!"