HAPPY SHAMROCK DAY

May the Irish eyes be smilin' on ye today as they were two years ago when my wife, Suz, and I celebrated St. Patrick's Day and my 54th birthday in San Francisco. That was the warmest St. Patty's Day I'd celebrated in a long time as we watched the parade in the City by the Bay.

So, with the forecast for today in the mid-70s it sounds like today should be a grand day for a parade in Cedar Rapids. Wear your green, dance a jig and get out to enjoy the weather with your family and friends for the 1 p.m. parade.

After all, this spring is already looking a lot better than last year. Work has progressed nicely, at least from the outside, to the downtown buildings damaged nine months ago by the Flood of 2008. This is the season of birth -- and rebirth -- so let's have fun and look to a brighter future.