Here’s to Scotland’s poet, Robert Burns, who was born this day, Jan. 25^th, in 1759, and to those hearty souls who will celebrate Burns Night tonight in his honor. Yep, he wrote “Auld Lang Syne,” “To a Red, Red Rose,” “Brig o’ Doon,” and many more poems and songs, all linked to Scottish culture.

His work inspired other poets as well, notably the romantic poets Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Shelley.

My last name before marriage was Keith – that’s a Scottish clan, complete with their own tartan and proud heritage. Our family has been tracked as far back as 1023 in ancestry. They were sheep herders, clan leaders, ministers, and . . . pirates. Many of them lived in Donnotar Castle, their family home, out on a peninsula above a cove (where they could lure laden ships in). The ruins of that castle are still there to this day.