Burns....

.... on this blessed day 249 years ago, The Bard was born in a meek farmhouse near the Scottish village of Ayr..... and in his short life - which is still celebrated by hundreds of thousands of upstanding gentlemen every year - he woo'd many lasses, shared many glasses, and penned some of the most memorable Poetry & Song that has ever been put to paper....

.... as a young and impressionable Tennessean abroad for the first time, my initial introduction to Mr. Burns was courtesy of the Montrose Burns Supper back in 1992.... I wrote of that night (badly) right here, in case you are curious..... hey, it was quite a party.....

... tonight there will be no whooping it up, though..... instead, I am just going to kick back with a nice tumbler of The Water of Life and re-read some of Burns' stuff.....

..... and hey, I happily offer a tip of my un-bejeweled pith helmet to The Maximum Leader this evening.....as he is celebrating the life of Burns as well......