Three Blind Mice…
And Bloody Mary

There I was at Maureen and Dennis’ home. Maureen has helped me a great deal training Ginger. Additionally, when I recently faced a personal issue, I sought information from her, which she supplied. Dennis is my photo and video expert. In addition, he provides ideas about things, which range from photography to power-washers. My life wouldn’t be what it is without them.

In addition, they have two children, Emmy and Fletcher, who I love and cherish my times with them. Emmy is nine and has a way with settling Ginger down. Fletcher loves wandering around my home asking me about nearly everything including photos from all my world travels. They also recently took Campbell’s Cooking Class.

Several week ago, I stopped to ask Maureen a follow-up question related to my personal desire and wanted Dennis to explain some techy photo problem. Resolving my questions with Maureen and Dennis was like a ping-pong game. I went back and forth attempting to resolve both issues at the same time.

Emmy and Fletcher were present. Emmy listened to my fretting to her mother and my questioning her father. However, Fletcher could care less about either my personal or photographic concerns. He wanted to show me one of his best toys…splat mouse. It was a three-inch rubbery mouse, which contained water inside it. The game is to splat the rat on the floor or wall by throwing it at either surface.

Fletcher demonstrated the splatting the mouse to me and asked if I wanted to try. I hesitated a moment until he said that I couldn’t hurt the mouse. So, I threw it on the kitchen floor. The water inside the mouse sprayed an area of 10 feet in diameter. I was surprised that the mouse disintegrated on my first throw, but Fletcher’s face, when he realized that his mouse had disintegrated, hurt me as much as what he felt.

I apologized to Fletcher profusely and assured him that I would return with a resurrected rodent replacing the one that I killed. I did so in less than a week. Actually, I got one for Emmy, Maureen, Dennis, but three for Fletcher. I’m sure by the time that Fletcher is 21 that he will have gotten over his loss. Nonetheless, I never leave an opportunity to teach students regardless of their age.

Therefore, I sat down with Fletcher and Emmy and talked about the nursery rhyme, Three Blind Mice. Their expressions weren’t anticipatory when I began my mini-lecture.

Three blind mice, three blind mice,
See how they run, see how they run,
They all ran after the farmer's wife,
Who cut off their tails with a carving knife,
Did you ever see such a thing in your life,
As three blind mice?

Therefore, I told Fletcher and Emmy that the nursery rhyme was a really dumb nursery rhyme…at one level. However, at an academic level, it was a great rhyme but not fit for young children. The rhyme has its origins in England back in the first half of the 16th century during the reign of Queen Mary I. Her father, Henry VIII, wasn’t into Catholicism since he had six wives in about three dozen years. The Catholic Church allowed several marriages, but Henry VIII pushed his luck too far with marriage number six and really got into trouble with the church. In response, Henry VIII started his own religion. When Henry VIII died, Mary succeeded him. Back to Catholicism went Mary I…with a vengeance. So vindictive was she that Protestants called her Bloody Mary.

Bloody Mary, aka Mary I

The three blind mice in the nursery rhyme were three Protestants who dissed Mary I. Also, she was married to King Philip of Spain, and they had huge estates scattered throughout merry old England. The three blind mice, the three Protestants, ran after the farmer’s wife, which was Mary I.

Three blind mice, three blind mice,
See how they run, see how they run,
They all ran after the farmer's wife,
Who cut off their tails with a carving knife,
Did you ever see such a thing in your life,
As three blind mice?

The three blind mice were three English nobility that didn’t like Mary I. So, she had them burned at the stake…thus blinding them in the process while killing them, which puts an entirely different spin on that nursery rhyme.

My mini-lecture about the Three Blind Mice wasn’t finished. I asked Fletcher and Emmy whether they understood the message beyond the history lesson? They both said that we all should be nice people and treat individuals as they would want to be treated. At least one of Fletcher’s mice didn’t chase after Ginger, who is my queen.

Then I added a critical postscript to my mini-lecture. Donald the Dumb went to Wharton and considers himself, “You know, I’m, like, a smart person.” Well, I’ll let you decide whether he is or not. However, he is as arrogant and misbehaves as the president like Bloody Mary as the queen. Both have grossly misbehaved. Donald the Dumb needs to take some of my classes while he is our fake president.



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05/08/17