A GOOSE STORY

The oddest things weigh on my mind from time to time, and I just have to let them work themselves out of my system. I do wonder some about the paths my thoughts take but God made my quirkiness as well as the rest of me, and in some way he may choose to use it (me) to take someone's mind off of their troubles or call them to prayer in thanksgiving that he has not passed this trait on to them!

Lately, I have been considering the "goose" and the trouble that is so often associated with that word.

*Now let me clarify; I do not consider the delicious goose-berry to be included in the reflection of trouble except for the fact that it takes a troublesome amount of sugar to sweeten them!

I'd rather cook a goose than have my goose cooked; I think. Here is a troubling question; just what does "my goose is cooked" mean anyway? Where did that saying come from?

Well…”looky” (a Kentucky colloquialism)  here at what I found:

How did "your goose is cooked," come to mean, "You are in deep trouble"? The goose may be in trouble when it is cooked, but why should the owner or eater of the goose be in trouble?

Here is one suggestion I found:

Inhabitants of a besieged town in the sixteenth century hung out a goose to show their attackers they were not starving and so enraged the enemy that they set fire to the town and thus cooked the goose.

I began a research of the goose terms. "You can't have your goose and ‘beat’ it too!" oops, sorry my own idiom, I'm thinking about those pesky geese at Yellow Creek Park and their penchant for waddling on the picnic tables, trouble! You know about the "gifts" the goose leaves so plentifully behind in its wake. Stepping in that substance brings its own kind of grief, along with inner and outer turmoil.

  How about "she killed the goose that laid the golden egg," oh, oh, that would indicate deep trouble of some sort! The word (term) goose always seems to indicate one kind of trouble or another.

It seems no matter how the word "Goose" is used; trouble follows; I was recently led on a "Goose chase" while researching a metal "sign" that was offered for sale; it had been posted on a Highway listing "Goose Rock Kentucky." This needed exploring, but alas, there was a lack of information. I “Googled” the twenty-five area restaurants mentioned, but they were actually in Manchester, KY, except for one that was in Blue Hole. I finally found Goose Rock on a small map; it is located off Highway 80 between Plank and Botto. I virtually researched the amenities listed in the search engines for Goose Rock, in real time, there were none; except for the weather, I did notice that it was it was 89° and clear. I gave up on Goose Rock, nothing but trouble!

Then I began to dwell on "Mother Goose," you know her poems. There is trouble for someone in most every one of them.

Her Story: (a very quick history)

On June 8 1715, a certain Thomas Fleet married Elizabeth Goose. Fleet was a prominent printer in Boston, having fled from England during the Queen Anne Riots. They lived in a residence on Pudding Lane (I love places named for food!) of Devonshire (ah cream) Street, which also contained the printing shop. Thomas and Elizabeth then had a son.

Thomas's mother-in-law was also named Elizabeth Goose, "like all good grandmothers" while baby-sitting, she was in “ecstasies” spending her whole time in the nursery, and wandering the house, pouring forth loudly the (not ) melodious strains; they were songs and ditties she had learned in her younger days. This brought great annoyance to the entire neighborhood, and to Thomas Fleet, in particular, who was a man fond of the "quiet." After some time, Fleet, gave up (too much trouble) in attempting to convince his mother-in-law to subdue this behavior, and contrived to document her melodies (?) as well as some from other sources, and publish them in a book.

In about 1720, Fleet first published Mother Goose's Melodies. In 1833, one copy of this book apparently still existed, and was re-published as The Only True Mother Goose. What was, in reality, a compilation from multiple sources was made famous because the woman's name was Goose.

Therefore, Mother Goose got credit for many fables that came from times of old and the "Mother Goose" we know and love was not in the truest sense the "Mother Goose." Sad, and troubling.

A personal favorite of mine follows, (I guess because it was quoted to me so often, for some reason), and as you can see, trouble abounded!

Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme, 1833:

Old Woman in the Shoe:

There was an old woman; she lived in a shoe,

She had so many children she didn't know what to do.

She gave them some broth without any bread,

She whipped them all soundly and put them to bed.

Trouble and “Goose,” a depressing duo.

"Silly goose," now that is a term I use occasionally about some of my grandchildren, and though it may be troubling to them, its origin makes it very applicable to the way I use the phrase. Geese are commonly described as silly, as in the proverb that "it is a silly goose that comes to the fox's sermon." The phrase "silly goose" is of from antiquity, as the Old English word seely (silly) was commonly applied to animals such as sheep and geese, indicating their careless innocence and hapless but blessed nature. So there, I knew it was a loving term all along. No trouble here.

Having had my own goose cooked so often you would think I would have had a hand at trying the real thing, but I have not, as of yet, if I ever do I will be using this recipe I found for "Cooking" a goose in the Field and Stream magazine.

ROASTED WILD GOOSE WITH CRANBERRY, OYSTER, AND CHESTNUT STUFFING

On second thought; it appears to me as though it would take about 16 hours to accomplish this tasty dish, stuffing and all!  So, if you really want the recipe; visit their web site, it’s too much trouble for me!

Here are my final troubling thoughts connected with a goose:

Goose- eggs (bump on the head)

Goose- skin

Goose- bumps (scared to death)

Goose- flesh (eek)

Goose-steps (Hitler)

Wild goose chase

Loose as a goose (oh oh)

What's good for the goose is good for the gander

Gone Goose (dead or gonna' be)

Goosed- Bam! Ouch!

I believe this thought is now out of my system, and I think I'll put this goose to bed, and crawl under my goose down quilt and snuggle into my goose feathers pillow, ah yes; these are the good things concerning a goose. I'll just pop an allergy pill and forget about the "goose down" that causes my troublesome sniffles!

Nighty, night…zzzzzzzzzz…achoooooooooooooo!

Now that's just “ducky!” Oh no! I won't go there… not today!