On the coldest day ever registered for March 17 by Environment Canada, the city celebrated St. Patrick's Day. The Irish community got together to pay homage to its heritage. At Saint Brigid's Centre for the Arts there was a gathering of green-clad, proud Irish-Canadians.

And our local newspaper produced a few photographs of the occasion. Among them was one of two people who had been married for 69 years. To one another, of course.

Julie Oliver/Ottawa Citizen

This is Tedde Baker, 90 years of age, and her husband Art Baker, now 92. Art Baker made his proposal for marriage to his sweetheart Tedde back in 1945 on St. Patrick's Day, when he returned from the Second World War. "I couldn't wait to marry her, but wanted to make sure I came home in one piece before I asked her", he said.

Now that's something; 69 years of marriage. Happy and content with it. Cherishing one another and their memories of those 69 years together, sharing whatever life during that time brought them to.

In a few months' time we'll have reached the lesser milestone of 59 years of marriage ourselves, my husband and me. Somehow, 59 years doesn't quite have the cachet of 69 years. Quite, quite amazing.