Wednesday, August 22, 2012

I want to invite you to a musical treat:


check in at 8 PM Eastern Standard time.. If Bernie isn't on that day, check the next day.

It is quite a treat.. I promise.

PLEASE REFER TO THE MENU ON THE SIDE BAR
or
at the bottom of this page




Dedicated to my Weight Watchers Leaders,
Patricia and Mickey

NEWEST SONG-
I'll Get That Whole Wheat Bread

 Newest 2 Poems
I have a problem eating out. I therefore limit myself to no more than once or twice a week at most. However, last week I had to eat out almost every day and therefore sabotaged my plan. I luckily only
gained one pound and am back on track. This limrick describes what happened. 
GETTING BACK ON TRACK

I went through two weeks of mad hell.
 I was surely not  eating  so well.
No time in gym, things were looking quite grim..
How much weight I put on......couldn't tell.

Then I found out  I put on a pound.
But now I intend to rebound.
I will follow the plan, and I know that I can.
It's an eating routine very sound.



Because limricks are difficult to read , I am putting emphasized words
in  red, larger print and italics.

                                                        I...
                                                       went through two weeks of mad hell.
 I was surely not  eating  so well.
No time in gym, things were looking quite grim..
How much weight I put on......couldn't tell.

Then I found out  I put on a pound.
But now I intend to rebound.
I will follow the plan, and I know that I can.
It's an eating routine very sound.

*
A Meal Can Be a Banquet
I’ll put down my fork,
Between every bite.
Perhaps it will help,
I think that it might.

My eats will last longer,
A satisfied feel.
And more like a banquet
Than a very small meal.





INTRODUCTION

I am a member of Weight Watchers. Maintaining a healthy weight for myself is not easy. My coach once suggested that I find a way of making losing weight "fun." I thought of writing some weight-loss poems, and finally started a collection of Mother Goose rhyme adaptations.  As a composer/lyricist, I decided to expand my efforts and use the poems as lyrics put to melodies.

PLEASE NOTE: The songs and poems might not be suitable for those who are hypersensitive about weight, and weight loss. The songs and poems are for those who want to have a bit of fun on their weight loss journey, and for those who would like a laugh now and then.  


"Mother Goose" is part of folklore legend. There are many theories as to the origin of the name, and how the Mother Goose folk literature developed. 

ORIGIN OF MOTHER GOOSE
"Mother Goose" is part of folklore legend. Legends are historical stories in which the "facts" are not verified. Some parts of the legend might be true, other parts are not. Legends are traditional and  speculative.There are many theories as to the origin of the  name, and how the Mother Goose folk literature developed.  The term , “Mother Goose” is associated with short rhymes told to children, also known as nursery rhymes. The term “Mother Goose” was   first used as a title for a collection of folk stories.  The origin of the term “Mother Goose” is unproven, though there are many theories.

One legend is that the term “Mother Goose” is associated with  an 8th century woman of noble birth named Bertrada who married  Pippin the Short, of the Franks..the parents of Charlemagne.  Bertrada educated her son, and was involved with other children.Legend has it that she had large, peculiar shaped feet and was known as
Berte aux grand pied, or Bertha Greatfoot, or Queen Goosefoot--sometimes referred to as "Goose-footed Bertha." Another legend of still another Bertha, born about 972 ,
claims that she gave birth to a child who had the head of a goose.

References to “Mother Goose” can be traced to the 17th century.  In France,Charles Perrault published  a collection of folktales in a volume under the title Tales from the Past with Morals, but has the subtitle “Contes de ma mere l’ove…Tales from My Mother Goose.

Perrault’s book was translated into English around 1729. It was called Mother Goose’s Tales.  This book became popular when John Newbery republished it as
Mother Goose’s Melody in 1760. By this time, short rhymes were also included.


  In America, the book was published under the title Mother Goose Melodies in the late  18th century by Isaiah Thomas. It is also claimed that an earlier version , published in 1719 by Thomas Fleet called Songs of the Nursery  or Mother Goose’s Melodies for Children. Thomas Fleet was married to a woman named Elizabeth Goose (also known As Vergoose or Vertigoose).  Elizabeth lived in Boston. It was claimed that her name was the origin of  Mother Goose, but there is no evidence to support this claim. In any case, the term “Mother Goose” appeared both in France and England as early as the 17th  century.

There is an old  rhyme which actually uses the term “Mother Goose” –

Old Mother Goose
When she wanted to wander
Would fly through the air
On a very fine gander.

Mother Goose had a house;
It stood in the wood
Where an owl at the door
As sentinel stood.

Mother Goose as a Witch
Many of the Mother Goose rhymes can be traced back to the 17th century, or possibly earlier. During the 16th and 17th century people were obsessed with witchcraft. There were many disasters, especially the Bubonic plague epidemics (a serious epidemic occurred  in England, especially London, in the year 1665, followed the following year  by a devastating London fire. People sought out an explanation, and often put the blame on witchcraft.  Legend tells us that Mother Goose might have been associated with witchcraft. Many early pictures of Mother Goose depicted her as some sort of witch...though some of the pictures do not necessarily show her as  evil.




Witches were known to use what was called  "a familiar,"  an animal the witch used to assist her in her evil deeds. Many of the nursery rhymes have animals such as cats, frogs, geese,crows, mice. 

One rhyme is known to be associated with the Bubonic Plague: Ring-a-round-a Rosie.

Mother Goose Rhymes With Hidden Meaning?


It has been thought that perhaps some of the Mother Goose Rhymes had hidden
historical/political interpretations. There does not seem to be any documentation
to prove this. There is some legendary speculation that the rhymes referred to
people and events at the times when the rhymes were first recognized-- or perhaps later.  It is possible to be the case because the early centuries in British History, especially the 16th and 17th centuries were very repressive times.   Throughout these centuries,one "inappropriate" or "ill-advised" word could land one's head on the chopping block, or  body at the stake to be burned.  Historical/political comment had to be symbolic or not spoken at all.  The theories are interesting but may never be proven one way or the other. However, since these theories are part of folklore, they are interesting in that light.

Is Mary, Mary quite contrary Mary Queen of Scots? Is she Queen Mary I (Bloody Mary) No one knows for sure.  Who was Jack Horner and Old King Cole? Read the backgrounds for the songs and discover some of the legends..click on the menu on the sidebar. 

 Please keep in mind that the information is based on legend and is therefore speculation; nothing is proven for sure.

A book written by Katherine Elwes Thomas, The Real Personages of Mother Goose,  describes many of these legends.Online resources were also used for information used in this blog.

MENU


INTRODUCTION



WEIGHT-LOSS SONGS, ADAPTED FROM MOTHER GOOSE RHYMES-click below1) 'A' WAS AN ARCHER
Background- Weight Loss Song-click

2) THE QUEEN OF HEARTS
Background Weight-Loss Song

3)OLD KING COLE
Background- Weight-Loss Song

4)JACK SPRAT
Background
Weight-Loss Song 5) MARY MS. CONTRARY Background
Song

Weight Loss Songs, not connected with Mother
Goose Rhymes

1) I'll Buy That Whole Wheat Bread

*******************************
WEIGHT-LOSS POEMS-ADAPTED FROM MOTHER GOOSE

1. Little Bo Peep
Background
Weight-Loss Poem


2. Peter,Peter, Pumpkin Eater
Background-
Weight-Loss poem

3.There Was An Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe
BackgroundWeight-Loss poem

4. Little Miss Muffet Background
Weight-Loss poem

5.Little Jack Horner
Background
Weight-Loss poem

6. Jack Be Nimble
Background
Weight-Loss Poem

7. 'A Diller, A' Dollar
Background
Weight-Loss Poem

8. Tom, Tom, the Piper's Son
Background
Weight-Loss Poem

9. Goosey, Goosey Gander
Background
Weight-Loss Poem

10. Hickory, Dickory
Background
Weight-Loss Poem

11. Humpty Dumpty
Background
Weight-Loss Poem
*******************************
GENERAL WEIGHT-LOSS POEMS:JINGLES TO DIET FOR...
12. In Mom's Day

***********************************
I invite you to visit my other blogs and website; please click below for an index of those sites.

































































































































 
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)