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| 12/27/14 - NNHS Newsletter - A 'Soalin' | ||
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“Somehow, not only for Christmas,
-
John Greenleaf Whittier |
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Dear Friends and Schoolmates,
Today's
Newsletter theme was suggested by
my cousin, Jean Atkinson Mallory (Rappahannock HS / John Marshall HS - '65)
of VA on 12/08/10. Thanks
again, Jean!
BONUS #1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnbD3QLU5o4 - A 'Soalin' - Peter, Paul and Mary
BONUS #2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07tu3e-otkU - Sole Cake - Sting
From http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=7984:
| A-Soalin' was a yuletide (Christmas) tradition and dates from long before the
Elizabethan era. It has NOTHING what-so-ever to do with the tradition of
Hallowe'en. The Elizabethan 'round' reported by "Jacob B" is in fact one of the earliest written examples of the song. It was a chant / round / song sung long before those times. Oral tradition (from a mate in Britain who is really big on this stuff) has it that the tradition of going 'A-Soalin' is probably almost as old as 'Shrove-ball'. SHROVE-BALL - the tradition of playing "street football" between the two opposing elements of a single town where everybody who was fit and able played - generally teams were called the "Uppies and the Downies" or the "Uppers and Downers", "Upp'ns and Down'ns", "Northers and Southers" and so on. Games were begun at around mid-afternoon and went until sunset and there were no rules - though around the late 1700's and onwards, weapons were somewhat frowned upon. Prior to this time it was not uncommon for a contestant to be stabbed (occasionally fatally) by an opposition player to gain possession of the ball. The idea was to get the ball to a "goal beyond the territory of the opposition (in the case of Workington in Cumbria; that meant the "Uppies" had to strike the ball against a large capstan on the town wharf while the "Downies" attempted to strike it against the wall of the city park). Oral traditions have 'Shroveball' being played in Workington since before the arrival of the Vikings in the 10th Century. Shroveball is played - depending on the town involved, is played on either Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day), Easter Saturday, Monday or Tuesday - NEVER, of course on Good Friday or Easter Sunday. Soalin' was another 'one-day-a-year' tradition and generally occurring around (from recollection) Boxing Day or Christmas Eve - again it depended on the town / parish / county, etc. On this day (evening) the less fortunate of the town would go from door-to-door to ask for comfits from the larders / purses etc of the more fortunate townsfolk. It was considered VERY bad form (even to the extent of being cursed by The Lord) to turn away one who was 'A-Soalin' empty-handed. The Peter, Paul and Mary version is a more modern rendering of the traditional 'Soalin' song - sort of like the treatment Steeleye Span, Fairport Convention, Martin Carthy, etc. give to traditional English Folk songs - to "contemporise" them. |
THIS WEEK'S BIRTHDAYS:
Happy Birthday
today to
Anita Morgan Becker ('66) of VA!Happy Birthday to
morrow to Bob Stalnaker ('63)!Happy Birthday this week to:
29 - Roy Tate ('57)
AND Ginny Goolsby James ('63) AND
Kenny Lipscomb
('63)
of VA AND
Michael Artman ('66) of VA;
30 - William Gwynn ('57)
AND
Ron Miller ('59) of NC
AND
Lucy Southall Propst ('63) of VA
AND
Carole Althaus Tanenhaus ('65) of
MD
AND
Joyce Tedder Rossman ('68) of PA
AND
Sarah Stewart Vance ('69) of VA;
Susie Overton Jones ('63) of VA
AND
David Rosenwasser
('64) of MO!
01 - Gloria Hand
Burns ('57) AND
Bill Fitzgerald
('58) of VA;
03 - Carl Rossman of PA
!
Many Happy Returns to You All!
http://www.nnhs65.com/Happy-Birthday.html
200 YEARS AGO TODAY:
December 27, 1814 - War of 1812: The American schooner USS Carolina was destroyed. It was the last of Commodore Daniel Patterson's makeshift fleet that fought a series of delaying actions that contributed to Andrew Jackson's victory at the Battle of New Orleans. |
THIS DAY IN WWII:
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December 27, 1939 - Winter War: Finland held off a Soviet Union attack in the Battle of Kelja. December 27, 1942 - The German military formed the Smolensk Committee and began enlisting Soviet POWs in the battle against Russia. |
THIS DAY IN
1964:| Sunday, December 27, 1964 - Actor
Ian
Gomez was born in
New York City,
New
York. Sunday, December 27, 1964 - Actress Theresa Randle was born in Gary, Indiana. |
From My Niece, Shari, of VA - 12/26/14
- "A good to know healthy tip and 'The Attitude of Four Hairs.' ":
| Jokes A literature buff, my friend Larry installed an answering machine on his telephone. Instead of the usual instructions about leaving a message, Larry recorded a parody of Hamlet's famous soliloquy: "To speak, or not to speak, that is the question. Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to leave a message after the beep, or to take arms against a sea of answering machines, and by opposing, end them. To dial, to speak, nomore. Thus answering machines do make cowards of us all." ccccccccccccc I figured that at age seven it was inevitable for my son to begin having doubts about Santa Claus. Sure enough, one day he said, "Mom, I think I've figured something out about Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy." Taking a deep breath, I asked him, "What is that?" He replied, "They're all nocturnal." cccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc Bizarre News.. (Ouch!) *-- Dog accidentally shoots owner with rifle --* SHERIDAN, Wyo. (UPI) - Authorities in Wyoming said a man was shot in the arm when his dog stepped on a loaded gun in the back seat of his pickup truck. Johnson County Sheriff Steve Kozisek said Richard Fipps, 46, of Sheridan, was standing next to his pickup truck Monday when his dog climbed from the front seat to the back seat and stepped on the loaded .300 Winchester Magnum, which did not have its safety activated. The gun fired off a round that struck Fipps in the left arm, Kozisek said. Kozisek said evidence from the scene and statements from two employees who were working with Fipps at the time of the incident support Fipps' version of events. Authorities said Fipps' injury is not considered life-threatening, but there is a chance he could lose his arm. cccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc Wisdom Tip.. Health Eat more often You may already know that eating smaller, more frequent meals during the day can make and keep you slim. A new research from the U.K. shows that frequent eating also lowers your cholesterol. cccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc RANDOM TIDBITS In 1913, the Russian Airline became the first to introduce a toilet on board. There are more than 16,400 parking meters in Manhattan, New York. In 1955, the Ford Thunderbird outsold the Chevy Corvette 24 to one. Rock drawings from the Red Sea site of Wadi Hammamat, dated to around 4000 BC show that Egyptian boats were made from papyrus and reeds. The world's earliest known plank-built ship, made from cedar and sycamore wood and dated to 2600 BC, was discovered next to the Great Pyramid in 1952. The world's oldest surviving boat is a simple 3 metre (10 feet) long dugout dated to 7400 BC. It was discovered in Pesse Holland in the Netherlands. cccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc Quote "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." ~John F. Kennedy~ cccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc Mountain Wings The Attitude of Four Hairs There was once a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror and noticed only three hairs on her head. "Well, I think I'll braid my hair today", she said. She did and had a wonderful day. The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw only two hairs on her head. "H-M-M-M, I think I'll part my hair down the middle today", she said. She did and had a grand day. The next morning she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw only one hair left on her head. "Well, today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail," she said. She did and it was a fun day. The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single string of hair on her head. "YEAH! I don't have to fix my hair today!" she exclaimed. Remember, you may not be able to control what someone says, does or some of the situations that life throws you, but you sure can control the way you react. ~Author Unknown~ cccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc Speed Whoosh! I sailed by person after person on the track. Whoosh - Whoosh - Whoosh! I am a runner. Well, technically a jogger. I often run at the track near my home. Most on the track walk, therefore my speed, however meager in running terms, is far faster than walking. So it's whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, as I pass the walkers over and over around the track. My speed and endurance seem amazing to the walkers. Some will come and walk for an hour. I am running when they come and still running when they leave. I have whooshed by them twenty or more times. I got several lessons in life today on the track. As I circled the track with my long steady strides passing the walkers like lamp poles, I got to feeling superior. I know you shouldn't, you don't have to tell me, but after the constant whooshing past far younger people, it goes to your head. Then he came. He was short, perhaps five feet three. He didn't look like much of a runner. I saw him get out of the car and stretch as I whooshed by a couple holding hands. He started running a few feet ahead of me. He was fast. I sped up to keep up. At last, I had someone to pace myself against. After half a lap I was on his heels but my breath was coming harder and heavier. After the first lap I was gasping but still on his heels. After a lap and a half my foot started hurting. I was hurting; I was gasping for breath. I had a MountainWings Moment. I slowed up and got back to my pace. The pain in my foot went away. I could breathe again without sounding like I had a lung disease. He sped away. In a fairly short time, Whoosh! He went past me. Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh! In life, there will always be those slower and faster. Some have natural ability; some have trained harder. For some, speed is simply their destiny. The point is, we each have our own speed, and we often end up hurting ourselves and pushing ourselves to the point where the breath is knocked out of us... because we are trying to keep up. I learned several lessons that day. Don't get puffed up because you are faster than some. Don't feel inferior because some are faster than you. Don't judge the capabilities of others by how they look. How much of your breath (spirit) is knocked out because you are running someone else's race? Are you trying to outrun someone's car, house, clothes, looks, job title, etc.? How much pain are you in trying to keep up with someone who may be running for an entirely different reason, heading to an entirely different place, with entirely different muscles? Slow down or maybe speed up, but run your race to the best of your ability. Whether you realize it or not, you are the real pace setter. Don't run fast when you should be running slowly. Don't run at all when you should be walking, and don't walk when you should be running. ~A MountainWings Original~
Thank you, Shari!
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From Jimmy Hines ('64) of VA - 12/26/14:
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EVERYONE PLEASE BE SAFE. ALWAYS BELIEVE. UNTIL NEXT YEAR HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE. LOVE, SANTA JIM
Thank you, Santa Jimmy!
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From My Friend, Tina, of SC - 12/26/14 - "Smile!":
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 Thanks,
Tina!
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From My Husband, Paul Harty (Bardolph HS, IL - '61) of
NC - 12/02/14 - "Some Grins (#15 in a series of 15)":
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Laughs for the day………..
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From George Helliesen
('61) of MI - 12/22/14 - "Modern Times (#3 in a series of 30)":
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How
sad!
INDEED!
Thanks,
George!
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