Living on treacle and stout

The weather was just right for the Austin Celtic Festival Saturday, a little on the cool side so that a sweater was needed morning and evening -- also it was overcast and misty -- so rare weather for us but not the Emerald Isle. I love Celtic music, and we were treated to lots of it, including the wonderful John Williams (pictured above) on the button accordion. Reason enough for going right there.

In addition to lots of accordions, pipes, and drums, there were lots of skirts and swords... and I imagine that a lot of these are actually sharp! I said "skirts" and of course I means "kilts", but don't see how calling it something else changes it fundamentally. I really think that skirts (or "kilts", if you insist) should be a regular part of a man's wardrobe if he wants them. I prefer wearing pants to skirts myself, but think everyone should have the option of wearing either one. And believe me, these things do NOT look feminine.

There was opportunity to whack a knight if you wanted, and most of the volunteers were kids. The "swords" were made out of something pliable, so hopefully the suits of armor prevented bruises.

There wasn't a lot food available for us veg-heads, so we took advantage of the bake sale. There were some very unusual choices, such as lavender bread and soda bread, but we got by on a loaf of treacle bread. I have to admit, I've never seen the word "treacle" on my food before, and never even knew what it was. I always had the impression that it was some kind of drug or poison, based on its mention in Alice in Wonderland: the Mad Tea Party:

'Once upon a time there were three little sisters,' the Dormouse began in a great hurry; 'and their names were Elsie, Lacie, and Tillie; and they lived at the bottom of a well--'

'What did they live on?' said Alice, who always took a great interest in questions of eating and drinking.

'They lived on treacle,' said the Dormouse, after thinking a minute or two.

'They couldn't have done that, you know,' Alice gently remarked; 'they'd have been ill.'

'So they were,' said the Dormouse; 'VERY ill.'

Alice tried to fancy to herself what such an extraordinary ways of living would be like, but it puzzled her too much, so she went on: `But why did they live at the bottom of a well?'

'Take some more tea,' the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.

'I've had nothing yet,' Alice replied in an offended tone, `so I can't take more.'

'You mean you can't take LESS,' said the Hatter: 'it's very easy to take MORE than nothing.'

Turns out that treacle is molasses. And that last little quote from the Mad Tea Party reminds me of a joke that my Mother told me all my life, and her mother told it to her. You have to think like a hillbilly to even get it.

Youngster at table: Give me some molasses.
Kid's Mother: How can you have mo 'lasses when you ain't even et none yet?

Not really the King's English... and it helps to embellish it with a rural Oklahoma accent.