Auld Lang Syne - Happy New Year!!!

Lily and daughter Smidge

Lily here tonight...Since we live in an area of the country that was settled mainly by Scotch-Irish folks we thought we would post about the origins of the New Years Eve song Auld Lang Syne.

The most commonly sung song for English-speakers on New Year's eve, "Auld Lang Syne" is an old Scottish song that was first published by the poet Robert Burns in the 1796 edition of the book, Scots Musical Museum. Burns transcribed it (and made some refinements to the lyrics) after he heard it sung by an old man from the Ayrshire area of Scotland, Burns's homeland. 

It is often remarked that "Auld Lang Syne" is one of the most popular songs that nobody knows the lyrics to. "Auld Lang Syne" literally translates as "old long since" and means "times gone by." The song asks whether old friends and times will be forgotten and promises to remember people of the past with fondness, "For auld lang syne, we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet."

The lesser known verses continue this theme, lamenting how friends who once used to "run about the braes,/ And pou'd the gowans fine" (run about the hills and pulled up the daisies) and "paidl'd in the burn/Frae morning sun till dine" (paddled in the stream from morning to dusk) have become divided by time and distance—"seas between us braid hae roar'd" (broad seas have roared between us). Yet there is always time for old friends to get together—if not in person then in memory—and "tak a right guid-willie waught" (a good-will drink).(info from New Year Traditions)

Auld Lang Syne

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And auld lang syne.

CHORUS:

For auld lang syne, my dear,

For auld lang syne,

We'll tak a cup of kindness yet,

For auld lang syne!

And surely ye'll be your pint-stowp,

And surely I'll be mine,

And we'll tak a cup o kindness yet,

For auld lang syne!

We twa hae run about the braes,

And pou'd the gowans fine,

But we've wander'd monie a weary fit,

Sin auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidl'd in the burn,

Frae morning sun till dine,

But seas between us braid hae roar'd

Sin auld lang syne.

And there's a hand my trusty fiere,

And gie's a hand o thine,

And we'll tak a right guid-willie waught,

For auld lang syne.

Happy New Year to all our friends  - May 2012 bring you nothing but happiness, prosperity and health!

Shabby Chic Decorating - the Cat version

Today has been designated Shabby Chic Day! Mom has been a big fan of Shabby Chic decorating for many years - even before us. She believes in reusing and recycling but we have taught her a bunch more things to bring her up to the higher levels of Shabby Chic for Cats.

How many cats can you find on the bed?

Tip number one - cover all furniture with soft fluffy fleece. We love to lay on soft fabric -the thicker the better. This gives a casual comfy look to the home.

Darby

Tip number two - instead of putting it away, pile your clean laundry on the top of the dresser for a few days so we can snuggle on it and make it cat presentable.

Joey and Ivy

Tip number three - scatter various size pet beds around the house for us to nap in. Naps are very important!!!

Mamacita, Rosa and Yoko

Tip number four - for us older cats, place steps next to sofas, chairs and beds so we can walk up easily. And do leave scratching boards out in plenty of places for us to use.

Two Spot and Sam

Tip number five - window coverings should be kept to a minimum to allow lots of sunlight indoors and for our viewing pleasure.

Lily

Tip number six - boxes are a must, in all shapes and sizes placed in nooks and crannies. One can never have too many boxes!

The whitsters (and Woody)

Tip number seven - for those of you lucky enough to have a screen porch, plenty of shelves at different heights make great spots for us to lounge, catch some rays and snoopervise.

There you have it - the essentials of Shabby Chic decorating straight from the experts!  How do you help decorate your house?

P.S. Mom posted this last week and quickly took it off realizing it was the wrong week!  Just in case some of you saw it briefly in your reader!!!

Happy New Year!

Well the holidays are winding down but we have one more special night to enjoy.  Us cats don't know what all the fuss is about tonight but it sure is fun to partake of the festivities! We will be right with Mom and Pop to watch the ball drop on TV! 

This is what the ball will look like tonight. For 2011, Waterford Crystal has designed 288 new “Let There Be Love” crystal triangles featuring a romantic pattern that blends a modern cascade of hearts with diamond cutting.

Here's some info on the origin of the ball drop - The actual notion of a ball "dropping" to signal the passage of time dates back long before New Year's Eve was ever celebrated in Times Square. The first "time-ball" was installed atop England's Royal Observatory at Greenwich in 1833. This ball would drop at one o'clock every afternoon, allowing the captains of nearby ships to precisely set their chronometers (a vital navigational instrument).
Around 150 public time-balls are believed to have been installed around the world after the success at Greenwich, though few survive and still work. The tradition is carried on today in places like the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, DC, where a time-ball descends from a flagpole at noon each day - and of course, once a year in Times Square, where it marks the stroke of midnight not for a few ships' captains, but for over one billion people watching worldwide. (From the NYC Times Square.org site)

With the theme "Let there be love" in mind we want to wish you all a New Year filled to the brim with love, laughter, hugs and joy.  See ya in 2011! With love from all of us.