We received at least a dozen replies from readers from British Columbia to Ontario with very interesting tidbits of nostalgia, in response to the letter from E.B., Man., requesting the words to Come Little Leaves.
Many wrote of memories of teaching, reciting or singing these songs in their first schools. H.M. from Steinbach, Man., wrote it down from memory and recalls teaching her pupils to sing it in the ’30s when she taught school in Nebraska.
E.W. of Cut Knife, Sask., a seven-year-old redhead who in 1916 was living in Govan, Sask., lovingly remembers her first teacher singing it with them. When she became a teacher in 1927, this was always a song for Grade 1 classes during the 11 years she taught in country schools.
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Thank you to all those readers who responded. Here are the words sent by M.M., Myrnam, Alta.:
Come Little Leaves
“Come little leaves,” said the wind one day
“Come o’er the meadows with me and play;
Put on your dresses of red and gold,
For summer is gone and the days grow cold.”
Soon as the leaves heard the wind’s loud call
Down they came fluttering, one and all;
Over the brown fields they danced and flew,
Singing the glad little songs they knew.
“Cricket, good-by, we’ve been friends so long,
Little brook, sing us your farewell song;
Say you are sorry to see us go;
Ah, you will miss us, right well we know.”
“Dear little lambs in your fleecy fold,
Mother will keep you from harm and cold;
Fondly we watched you in vale and glade,
Say, will you dream of our loving shade?”
Dancing and flying, the little leaves went;
Winter had called them, and they were content;
Soon, fast asleep in their earthy beds,
The snow laid a coverlid over their heads.
– George Cooper
This poem comes from Poems for Boys and Girls, book one, edited by Grace Morgan, Canadian Reading Development Series-Copp Clark Publishing Co. Ltd. 1955-1958.
Home tips and work tips
Balancing work and family is a challenge for almost everyone. Patricia Katz, a fellow home economist, has two new books that are a must for readers who want to put a little more organization into their lives. Home Tips – Organizing Strategies for a Streamlined Homelife gives you choices to make on everything from getting help from all members of the family to having a trouble-free vacation.
Work Tips – Organizing Strategies for a Productive Worklife helps you keep your priorities straight and control paperwork for maximum efficiency.
Both books are available from Centax Books, 1150 Eighth Ave., Regina, Sask., S4R 1C9, 306-525-2304 or fax 306-757-2439.
Horseradish jelly
Dear TEAM: A lady asked for a recipe for horseradish jelly. I hope “Apple Horseradish Jelly” is the recipe she was looking for. I wrote a book on horseradish care and a few recipes (Horseradish Mystery), but the jelly was not included. – M.S., Kyle, Sask.
Apple-horseradish jelly
(Original recipe from Judy McCann)
3 pounds tart 1.5 kg
apples, cut into chunks Do not core or peel
2 cups sugar 500 mL
1Ú2 cup prepared 125 mL
horseradish, drained
Place apples in a large, heavy saucepan and add enough water to cover. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Strain juice through a colander into another saucepan; discard solids. Line colander with a double layer of cheesecloth, and strain juice again into a clean saucepan. (It will take about one hour for juice to drain.) Place saucepan over medium-high heat and bring juice to boil.
Add sugar and cook gently until it reaches 220 degrees on a candy thermometer or until a few drops gel when placed on a plate or in a freezer. Stir in horseradish and simmer one minute. Skim foam and discard.
Pour jelly into sterilized jars. Seal and store in a cool, dark place. Yield: two pints(1 litre).
Dear M.S.: Thanks, May, for sending this recipe.
We visit Clearwater Lake near Kyle, Sask., each summer, and last summer I had the opportunity to buy one of your books, Rhubarb Recipes and More, at the “hilltop” on Highway 4, where you stop for an ice cream cone before turning east on the lake road.
As well as Horseradish Mystery, May has written Wild Berry Recipes, and a songbook of 470 songs called Down Memory Lane Singalong.
If you would like more information on any of these, contact May Sather, Box 269, Kyle, Sask., S0L 1T0, 306-375-2583.
