polly put the kettle on

we’ll all have tea…

Maybe we should define kettle…

kettle (from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/kettle) “O.E. cetil (Mercian), from L. catillus “deep pan or dish for cooking,” dim. of catinus “bowl, dish, pot.” A general Gmc. borrowing (cf. O.S. ketel, O.Fris. zetel, M.Du. ketel, O.H.G. kezzil, Ger. Kessel). Spelling with a -k- (c.1300) probably is from infl. of O.N. cognate ketill. The smaller sense of “tea-kettle” is 20c.”

We had a teakettle here earlier for repairs…someone locally boiled the kettle dry for so long its spout fell off. The beau soldered it back on for them. I think I remember this happening once before.

cognate ketill=Found in Old Danish as Ketil (also found as a by-name), in Old Swedish as Kætil, and in OW.Norse as Ketill. From the OW.Norse noun ketill. The basic sense of this word is “kettle” but is used in names meaning “helmet,” as in a kettle-helm. Another sense is “chieftain with helmet.”

When I hear the word helmet I immediately think: “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God….” So I keep that in mind as I continue. Kettles, kettles…

Of course my favorite Kettle is Ma, who has universal connnections. ;)

Universal…hmmm, now there is a connection here…name that rover.

Oops. my A.D.D. leading me off…

Back to kettles, and a little salvation too, maybe…. It’s red kettle time of the year, folks, so start chunking your change into them, a lotta folks need help. A little salvation goes a long way, ya’ know.

Having started with Polly and her kettle, Polly Put the Kettle On is an old nursery rhyme. In preparing my post I ran across this link which showed a third stanza:

Blow the fire and make the toast
Put the muffins down to roast
Blow the fire and make the toast
We’ll all have tea.

According to the author of the page on which I found that, it first appeared in print in 1858. Realizing I was on the page of a storyteller my mind jumped again…

At this point, a favorite story line comes into my head…a ‘possum was a knockin’…Oh I know…where did that come from?

Granny is a-rockin’ and Ma’s a cookin’taters. Pappy is a-whittlin’ …“

…Possum come a knockin’ at the door, at the door. Possum come a knockin’ at the door.” (knock knock).

Granny was a-sittin’
and a-rockin’ and a-knittin’
when a possum come a-knockin’
at the door.

Knock Knock

At this point in the entry I need to do what I came here for… get back to business of the way I think, making connections and I think catillus is a lazy way of saying catalyst…and sometimes I feel like that…a lazy catalyst, so back to the old grindstone…or is that millstone? I suppose it depends on who you ask.

Back to what it is I do…what is that?

Mmm. maybe I need to do it in different post! Now I’m thinking little red hen…Here’s today’s collage, kettle included, but I’ll save the anagram for the next post.