Hidden History of Nursery Rhymes

Nursery rhymes are often dismissed as silly verses for children, filled with talking animals, tumbling eggs, and dancing dishes. Yet beneath their playful surface lies a hidden history of political, and cultural significance. Many of these rhymes originated in times of turmoil and were used as subtle vehicles for satire, protest, or commentary. Their simplicity masked complex truths—making them both entertaining and subversive.

Groundhog day

Groundhog Day is the annual holiday in the U.S. when our own favorite groundhog wakes up from his hibernation, pokes his nose out of his burrow, and lets us know if spring is about to be sprung.  Since not everyone has grown up with this particular tradition, I thought it might be useful to provide some basic information about this specialized form of weather prognostication.

Journal Prompt: Why Not?

 To see the journal prompt, please click on the "Read More" link.

Hygge

Winter is in our neighborhood with a vengeance, and it may be time to think about an idea called hygge and how to create it in our homes.  Hygge is a Danish and Norwegian concept that is about coziness and comfort. They know all about cold, and they created hygge because they probably needed a pleasant way to survive the darkness of the long Nordic winter. 

Hygge is a way to find moments of comfort, safety, and celebration, and to break up the dark days of winter with some contentment.  Hygge has to do with warm sweaters, hot cocoa, and chicken soup.  On frigid, winter days, the simple act of a lighting a candle with a cup of coffee in the morning could make a big difference in how you approach your day.

Writing About Reading

Although the ability to read in Elizabethan England was considered important, the skill of writing was treated as optional, even unnecessary. To us, the idea of teaching reading without writing may seem rather odd, yet in the sixteenth century, it was a deliberate and widespread practice rooted in privilege and power.

Reading was seen as important for religious devotion, moral instruction, and obedience.  The Book of Common Prayer and the English Bible were central to daily life, and being able to read them was considered necessary for spiritual salvation. Writing, on the other hand, was not required for salvation. It was a skill associated with record-keeping, commerce, administration, and theology—jobs typically reserved for clerks, merchants, government officials, and ministers.

Mostly, those in power wanted people to read what they were told to read, but they didn’t want to see what just anyone might write.  Their idea was to maintain order, not to encourage creativity.

But in this day and age, many of us we are luckier than our foremothers and forefathers.  A lot of us have been taught to both read and write.  And one good way to find things to journal about is to consider your favorite books, and write about them. 

So, consider gathering up your pen and paper (or computer), making yourself a cup of tea or other adult drink, and writing about your favorite books.  Here are some literature prompts to encourage just that.

1. Write a poem about a place, a character, or an idea in a favorite book.

2. Imagine that you could become a character in a book.  Not only that, imagine that you could change the plot to suit yourself.  Would you do it?  Would the story end differently?  How would you manage it?

3. Consider a character that you absolutely despise.  What makes them so revolting?  How did the author present the character to make the reader hate them?  

4. Think about how the passing of time is shown in a book you have enjoyed.  Does it seem to flow smoothly and realistically? How would you (as the author) do it differently?

5. Consider an animal or an object in a favorite book.  Was it given a personality like a human?   What do you think about making non-human characters act like people?

Herb of the Week: Lovage

 

Robbie Burns Day

         

The Other Red Meat
     By Alf

 Some hae meat and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it;
But we hae meat and we can eat,
And sae the Lord be thankit.

-- Selkirk Grace by Robert Burns

Robbie Burns Day is coming, and I’d like to tell you about how you can have some haggis of your very own.

A shrill, piercing wail split the night and rattled the windows.  Surrounded by a wall of sound, all heads turned as one in that crowded banquet hall to stare in wonder at the bagpipers strutting by.  I was ten years old on that snowy winter evening long ago, as I watched them pipe in the haggis to celebrate the birthday of the Scottish poet, Robert Burns.

There were four pipers and two drummers, each decked out in the full regalia of kilts and tam-o'-shanters.  But the real star of the show was not the music or even the ghost of Robert Burns; it was the haggis.  Carried in on a silver platter like the crown of a monarch in regal procession, the haggis made its exalted appearance directly following the pipers.

What in the world is haggis, you may ask?  Contrary to misleading stories spun by jokers, a haggis is not a small, hairy creature that roams the moors at night.  It is also not a boiled bagpipe.  But rather it is the King of Puddings, a legendary dish revered and celebrated by Scots for centuries now. 

Legend has it that the mighty haggis got its start in a very practical way.  It is said that Scottish women used to fling bags of hot haggis across churning streams to their hungry husbands waiting for it on the other side.  This provided the farmers with their mid-day meal, so they did not have to stop work and trudge home in order to eat.  From these lowly origins, the haggis has ascended to the lofty place it holds today.

You too can pipe in your own haggis.  The following is a recipe for the noble dish along with a recipe for Clapshot, which is its traditional accompaniment.

Haggis

1 sheep’s stomach bag
2 lbs. dry oatmeal
1 lb. chopped mutton suet
1 lb. lamb or venison liver, boiled and minced
2 cups stock
Sheep’s heart, boiled and minced
1 large chopped onion
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

 The night before, wash the stomach in cold water.  Turn it inside out, scrape it, and soak it overnight in cold, salted water. Brown the oatmeal lightly in the oven or on the top of the stove until it is crisp. Excluding the stomach, combine all of the other ingredients together, and add enough stock to moisten.

Since the oatmeal will swell during cooking, only fill the stomach about half full; press the air out, and sew up the stomach with a trussing needle and string. *  Pierce the stomach with the needle in several places to let out steam so that the haggis will not burst.

Place in a pan of boiling water.  Cover the pan and boil slowly for 4 to 5 hours. Add more water as necessary to keep the haggis covered while it cooks.  Alternatively, you can place the haggis in the top of a steamer and cook until done. 

Haggis is traditionally served with clapshot and neat whiskey.

*If you choose to make haggis without the sheep’s stomach, place the mixture in a greased, ovenproof bowl, cover with foil, and tie the foil on with string.  Steam as above. 

Clapshot

1 lb potatoes
1 tablespoon chives, chopped
1 lb. turnips
1 heated tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper

Cook the potatoes and turnips separately.   Drain the vegetables, and then mash them very well together with the chives and butter.  Add salt and pepper to taste and serve very hot.

 

Buckwheat Muffins

Buckwheat is a food plant that is grown in North America, Asia, and Europe.  Although it is often thought of as a grain, it isn’t related to wheat at all.  Instead, buckwheat is the seed of a plant that is related to rhubarb and sorrel.  It might be eaten like a grain, but it has a different nutritional composition.  In fact, it is richer than grains in protein, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber.  Here is a recipe for muffins that uses this high-powered plant food.

Buckwheat Muffins

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups buckwheat flour
1/2 cup -whole wheat pastry flour or whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 egg
1/4 cup oil
2 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon dry yeast dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup raisins

Directions
Mix the flours and cinnamon together. In a separate bowl beat the egg in the oil.  Add to the flour mixture. Add yeast and water and raisins to the flour mixture.  Mix well.  Let sit for 15 minutes or more.

Spray muffin tins with cooking spray or put in cup liners.  Fill the prepared muffin tins 3/4 full.  Bake 20 to 30 minutes at 400 degrees.  Serve hot with honey, apple butter, or jelly.

More about Buckwheat
One cup of buckwheat groats has 155 calories and almost 6 grams of protein.  In addition, buckwheat protein contains all of the nine essential amino acids.  These are the acids that the body can’t make for itself, so this is particularly important.  This food also has a lot of fiber, and that is good for protecting against inflammation and cancer.  In addition, it has antioxidants, and it can lower blood glucose levels.

Buckwheat has been used in many dishes.  Not only for pancakes and muffins, it has also been cooked as a hot breakfast cereal, fashioned into noodles, made into groats, and fermented into beer.  Of course, if you are allergic to buckwheat, you should avoid it.  Otherwise, this food is nutritious and gluten-free, and it can support good blood pressure, low blood sugar, and strong immunity.

 

Arnarson, Atli, Healthline, Buckwheat 101: Nutrition facts and health Benefits, 14 Nov., 2023. <https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/buckwheat> 10 Feb, 2024.