Tomorrow is Robbie Burns' Day. Might I wish a happy day to everyone with a breath of heather in their soul!
    Burns was born on January 25, 1759 into a peasant farming family in southwest Scotland. The young Robbie took up farming but had no success with it, and so he began writing poems for local circulation. He penned his verses in the language which the Brits were working so hard at that time to make a thing of the past. By so doing, he endeared himself to every Scot who ever harboured feelings against the Sassenach. That is how he has come to be so identified with the national pride of Scotland. Burns died in Dumfries, only 37 years old, from the rheumatic heart disease he had suffered from since he was a child.
   From the genius of Burns came much that was entertaining and as much that was food for thought, too. My favourite lines come from his "To a Louse"

O wad some Pow'r the giftie gie us
To see oursels as others see us

I did my best to bring the value of that idea to the attention of every class I ever taught.
   Among his other works, Burns penned "Auld Lang Syne" and of course, the famous poem entitled "To a Haggis," in which he describes the dish as that "Great chieftain O' the puddin'-race." Everywhere a celebration of the man's life is held tomorrow, you can bet that haggis will have a position of honour among the culinary delights offered. Haggis tastes slightly like hash. It is made from the heart, liver and lungs of a sheep. To prepare this treat the organs are finely chopped and mixed with toasted oatmeal, onions, and seasonings, and then everything is boiled in a bag made from the sheep's stomach. Sound like something you'd eat? If you've even a drop of Scot in you, the answer to that question has to be a resounding "yes!"