The Headless Horseman is a mythical figure who has appeared in folklore around the world since at least the Middle Ages.  Depending on the legend, the Horseman is either carrying his head, or is missing his head altogether, and is searching for it.  Examples include the dullahan from Ireland who is a demonic fairy usually depicted riding a horse and carrying his head under his arm; the titular knight from the English tale Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," a short story written in 1820 by American Washington Irving, which has been adapted into several other works of literature and film including the 1999 Tim Burton film Sleepy Hollow.  The legend of the Headless Horseman (also known as "the Headless Hessian of the Hollow") begins in Sleepy Hollow, New York, during the American Revolutionary War.  Traditional folklore holds that the Horseman was a Hessian trooper who was killed during the Battle of White Plains in 1776.  He was decapitated by an American cannonball, and the shattered remains of his head were left on the battlefield while his comrades hastily carried his body away.  Eventually they buried him in the cemetery of the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow, from which he rises as a malevolent ghost, furiously seeking his lost head.  The Headless Horseman is also a novel by Mayne Reid, first published in monthly serialized form during 1865 and 1866, and subsequently published as a book in 1866, based on the author's adventures in the United States.  The Headless Horseman or A Strange Tale of Texas was set in Texas and based on a south Texas folk tale.   See tales of headless horsemen in cultures of various countries and graphics at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headless_Horseman

Chia seeds come from the plant Salvia hispanica L., and were at one time a major food crop in Mexico and Guatemala. Cultivated as a food source as early as 3500 BC, it was offered to Aztec gods in religious ceremonies.  Two tablespoons of chia seeds (1 ounce or 28 grams) contain about 140 calories, 4 grams of protein, 11 grams of fiber, 7 grams of unsaturated fat, 18% RDA for calcium, and trace minerals including zinc and copper.  They are the richest plant source of omega-3 fatty acids.  Chia seeds are a complete protein, containing all nine essential amino acids that cannot be made by the body.  Chia seeds are a highly versatile ingredient.  They have little if any distinctive flavor, so they don’t compete with other flavors in a dish.  Commercially, they are added to cereals, crackers, beverages, breads, and other baked goods to boost their nutritional value.  Basically, chia seeds can be added as long as there is moisture to hold the seed in place.  Sprinkle a few teaspoons into breakfast cereal (hot or cold) salads, soups, or stews.  Stir into salad dressings, sauces, marinades, or cake/muffin/bread batter.  Chia seeds come in black and white varieties, but there is no difference in nutritional content.  There are a few rare cautions when eating chia seeds.  A case report presented at the American College of Gastroenterology Annual Scientific Meeting in 2014 made headlines describing a patient who ate dry chia seeds followed by a glass of water.  The seeds expanded in the esophagus and caused a blockage.  Because they quickly swell after absorbing liquid, it is advised to eat chia seeds that have already been soaked in liquid or are served with a moist food, such as oatmeal or yogurt.  Do not eat dry chia seeds by themselves.  People who have dysphagia, a condition that causes difficulty in swallowing (as was the case with this patient) or other digestive issues, should eat chia seeds with care.  Chia seeds last for 4-5 years without refrigeration.  Store in a cool, dry spot.  https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/food-features/chia-seeds/

Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett (1849–1924) was a British-born American novelist and playwright.  She is best known for the three children's novels Little Lord Fauntleroy (published in 1885–1886), A Little Princess (1905), and The Secret Garden (1911).  In 1936 a memorial sculpture by Bessie Potter Vonnoh was erected in her honour in Central Park's Conservatory Garden.  The statue depicts her two famous Secret Garden characters, Mary and Dickon.  During the serialization of Little Lord Fauntleroy in St. Nicholas in 1885, readers looked forward to new installments.  The fashions in the book became popular, with velvet Fauntleroy suits being sold; other Fauntleroy merchandise included velvet collars, playing cards, and chocolates.  Sentimental fiction was then the norm, and "rags to riches" stories were popular in the United States; in time, however, Little Lord Fauntleroy lost the popularity that The Secret Garden has retained.   Several of Burnett's novels for adults were also very popular in their day, according to the Publishers Weekly list of bestselling novels in the United States.  A Lady of Quality was second in 1896, The Shuttle was fourth in 1907 and fifth in 1908, T.  Tembarom was tenth in 1913 and sixth in 1914, and The Head of the House of Coombe was fourth in 1922.  Find a list of selected works, and see graphics at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Hodgson_Burnett

Link to fiction and short stories by Frances Hodgson Burnett at http://www.online-literature.com/burnett/

The words kit and caboodle have rather similar meanings.  A kit  is a set of objects, as in a toolkit, or what a soldier would put in his kit-bag.  A caboodle (or boodle) is an archaic term meaning group or collection, usually of people.  There are several phrases similar to the whole kit and caboodle, which is first recorded in that form in 1884.  Most of them are of US origin and all the early citations are American.  Caboodle was never in common use outside the USA and now has died out everywhere, apart from its use in this phrase.  Kit and caboodle had the advantage of the alliterative 'k' sound and that's doubtless why it has outlasted the others, which are now all fallen out of use.  https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/kit-and-caboodle.html

In the 1930s, many people living in isolated communities had very little access to jobs, let alone a good education for their children.  In Kentucky, they had isolated mountain communities which could only get their books and reading material from one source . . . librarians on horseback.  President Franklin Roosevelt was trying to figure out a way to resolve the Great Depression of the 1930s.  His Works Progress Administration created the Pack Horse Library Initiative to help Americans become more literate so that they’d have a better chance of finding employment.  The horseback librarians were mostly made up of women.  They were paid salaries by the Works Progress Administration.  The rule was that libraries had to exist in the counties where books would be delivered.  Many of the local schools contributed to this effort by donating literature, such as newspapers, magazines, and books.  In 1943, the horseback book delivery program had ended because employment skyrocketed during World War II.  http://historydaily.org/female-librarians-on-horseback  Thank you, Muse reader!

The public library in Toledo, Ohio (built by the WPA) is home to a unique WPA mural made out of Vitrolite glass.  Under the supervision of Frank Sohn, these murals were made in the Libbey Owens Ford Company factory in Parkersburg, WV.  Installed in 1939 as a WPA project in the Central Court (first floor), the Children’s Room (second floor), and the Story Hour Room (second floor; done by artist Anna L. Thorne), these murals are sectile mosaics composed of more than 80 different colors.  The Toledo Zoo is home to several works done under the Federal Art Program.  Among the artists who contributed to the zoo murals and backdrops are Woody La Plante, Paul Breisach, Myron Plant, and Fritz Boehmer.  In the 1970s, a number of the zoo murals were destroyed due to a “redecorating” decision.  In recent years before his death, Mr. LaPlante worked at restoring his own WPA murals.  Mr. La Plante was only 19 years old when he worked for the WPA.  Howard Ickes created a 60′ long mural for the University of Toledo library, entitled “History of Toledo.”  In Navarre Park, Jess DeVinney made a handmade iron gate and marker for the Peter Navarre cabin.  Other WPA projects (non-art program) include the construction of the Glass Bowl and Scott Hall, both at the University of Toledo, and two hospitals.  The Ottawa Park Amphitheater was completed by the WPA in 1937.  It was constructed of locally quarried limestone.  Restoration was completed in 2002.  http://www.wpamurals.com/toledo.htm

The 2019 NBA All-Star Game played on February 17, 2019 was the 68th edition of the exhibition basketball game.  This was the second time that the format was not East/West.  The game was held at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, home of the Charlotte Hornets.  Charlotte was announced as host on May 24, 2017.  This was the second time that Charlotte hosted the All-Star Game; the first time was in 1991, at the Hornets' previous home arena Charlotte Coliseum.  The game was supposed to be played in Charlotte in 2017, but was moved to New Orleans because of controversy surrounding the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_NBA_All-Star_Game

The most important things we saw at All-Star Weekend  Find opinions, recounts, history and more.  Link to videos at http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/page/allstarweekend26022141/nba-all-star-2019-most-important-things-saw-all-star-weekend

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY  The negative is the equivalent of the composer's score, and the print the performance. - Ansel Adams, photographer (20 Feb 1902-1984)

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2047  February 20, 2019