
What could possibly go wrong?
Today was the Day – the kitchen was calling me to prepare some meals and do some thorough cleaning.
Recovering from Covid-19 had been taking too long, so enough already.
In the kitchen I put the left-over chicken in a pot to simmer with herbs and spices to give it some flavour. Peeling and chopping onions, celery and carrots took some time, but soon I had par-boiled some vegetables and made a vegetable salad to go with the chicken salad next on my list.
This chicken salad was going to be so full of flavour!
After I separated all the scraps of meat from the bones I mixed in the chopped celery, chopped gherkin, chopped water chestnuts, mayonnaise, mustard salt, pepper, celery seed and a little vinegar.
Now to the chicken noodle soup.
More celery, onion, potatoes, shredded carrots added to the nutritious bone leeched chicken broth seasoned with garlic, onion, sage, thyme and bay leaf and noodles.
Oh, so good!
Lots of flavour and 'good for you' nutrients.
The kitchen counters, toaster, coffee pot, can opener and toaster were all wiped and sanitized.
All the utensils, cutting boards, pots, strainers, wooden spoons were in the dishwasher.
The salads were in the fridge cooling and setting.
The soup had been ladled into plastic boxes with lids.
I know, I know we’re not supposed to use plastic anymore.
A cup of hot tea was waiting by my big chair.
The last step was to stow the boxes of soup in the freezer when
S P L A T !
A large box of soup had sprayed itself all over the kitchen floor, the stove, the dishwasher and the outside of the ‘fridge as it hit the floor.
Talk about “The Best-laid schemes of Mice and Men” going awry!
All that preparation, measuring and stirring - all over the floor.
I thought about Robert Burns as I wiped all the lovely, chopped chicken and vegetables off my kitchen floor and realized
it is his Birthday 25 January and time to celebrate.
I hope this story will help you remember what Burn’s poem is all about and smile as you clean up the messes of life.
The floor needed a good scrub anyway.
To a Mouse” written by Robert Burns while ploughing a field and turning up the nest so the mouse had to weather winter with no home.
This was the first poem I had to memorize and recite.

To A Mouse
Wee, sleeket, cowran, tim’rous beastie,
O, what a panic’s in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty,
Wi’ bickerin brattle!
I wad be laith to rin an’ chase thee
Wi’ murd’ring pattle!
I’m truly sorry Man’s dominion
Has broken Nature’s social union,
An’ justifies that ill opinion,
Which makes thee startle,
At me, thy poor, earth-born companion,
An’ fellow-mortal!
I doubt na, whyles, but thou may thieve;
What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!
A daimen-icker in a thrave
’S a sma’ request:
I’ll get a blessin wi’ the lave,
An’ never miss ’t!
Thy wee-bit housie, too, in ruin!
It’s silly wa’s the win’s are strewin!
An’ naething, now, to big a new ane,
O’ foggage green!
An’ bleak December’s winds ensuin,
Baith snell an’ keen!
Thou saw the fields laid bare an’ waste,
An’ weary Winter comin fast,
An’ cozie here, beneath the blast,
Thou thought to dwell,
Till crash! the cruel coulter past
Out thro’ thy cell.
That wee-bit heap o’ leaves an’ stibble
Has cost thee monie a weary nibble!
Now thou’s turn’d out, for a’ thy trouble,
But house or hald,
To thole the Winter’s sleety dribble,
An’ cranreuch cauld!
But Mousie, thou art no thy-lane,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men
Gang aft agley,
An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,
For promis’d joy!
Still, thou art blest, compar’d wi’ me!
The present only toucheth thee:
But Och! I backward cast my e’e,
On prospects drear!
An’ forward tho’ I canna see,
I guess an’ fear!
Happy Burns Day on the 25th!!!