The Unicorn Song

During the Middle Ages the people of Europe believed that unicorns existed. The King James Version of the Bible uses the word unicorn eight times. Unicorn horns were often found in cabinets of curiosities in Medieval and Renaissance Europe.  They were most often examples of the distinctive straight spiral single tusk of the narwhal whale. They were brought into Europe as a very valuable trade item, and sold as horns from the legendary unicorn; being of ivory, they passed the various tests intended to spot fake unicorn horns. Elizabeth I of England kept a "unicorn horn" in her cabinet of curiosities.

In 1967 when I was just starting to pay attention to the radio, The Irish Rovers had a top 40 hit with "The Unicorn". It sold 8 million copies worldwide and reached #7 on the US charts. Here is a copy I found on YouTube.



Listening to The Unicorn Song always makes me smile.  I found out a couple of interesting things about the song.  The first interesting fact is that The Irish Rovers were a Canadian band.  They are still touring, almost 50 years later.  The song was written by Shel Silverstein, who was a cartoonist, poet, recording artist and is probably best known for his children's books.  He was a very eclectic songwriter, penning such songs as "A Boy Named Sue", and many of Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show hits including "Sylvia's Mother" and "The Cover of the Rolling Stone".

This year I added another Unicorn themed album to my record collection, Helen Austin's Always Be A Unicorn.  I really enjoy Helen Austin's music.  I first became acquainted with her music through the song "Relay" which she wrote for Relay For Life.  This year she released her first children's album, "Always Be A Unicorn".  The record was nominated for a JUNO in the Children's Album of the Year category at Canada's Music Awards.

You can watch the YouTube video of the title track here.




The ABC Wednesday Meme is a fun way to see some great blogs.

Purple Day

March 26th is Purple Day.  Purple is the color associated with Relay For Life.  I have been a Relay For Life volunteer for 7 years.  But Purple Day is not associated with Relay For Life.  Purple Day is the global day of epilepsy awareness.  People around the world are asked to wear purple on March 26 and encourage others to do the same.

Epilepsy affects over 50 million people worldwide. That's more than multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and Parkinson's disease combined.

When I was a boy I suffered from a mild form of epilepsy. I had episodes called petit mals. A petit mal seizure is the term commonly given to a staring spell, most commonly called an "absence seizure." It is a brief (usually less than 15 seconds) disturbance of brain function due to abnormal electrical activity in the brain. I had no idea that other people did not experience them. I could feel them coming on and knew to sit down or hold on to something for a few seconds.

 MY SCHOOL PHOTO CIRCA 1967

The first time that my Mother witnessed one of my petit mals she was very scared. I guess that my eyes rolled back in my head. I knew that for those few seconds that I could not see, but did not know that my eyes rolled back. I didn't think that it was a big deal, but my Mom said I had to see the doctor as soon as possible. The doctors were able to control the petit mals with medication, and told me that I would most likely outgrow them by the time I was 20. Fortunately I did, and was taken off of the medication by the time I was 18 or 19.

Epilepsy is a medical condition that produces seizures affecting a variety of mental and physical functions. It’s also called a seizure disorder. When a person has two or more unprovoked seizures, they are considered to have epilepsy.

A seizure happens when a brief, strong surge of electrical activity affects part or all of the brain. One in 10 adults will have a seizure sometime during their life.


Seizures can last from a few seconds to a few minutes. They can have many symptoms, from convulsions and loss of consciousness to some that are not always recognized as seizures by the person experiencing them or by health care professionals: blank staring, lip smacking, or jerking movements of arms and legs.

Please take the time to learn more about this condition that affects over 50 million people worldwide. Based on recent surveys, The Center For Disease Control estimates that nearly 2.5 million people in the United States have epilepsy, with 150,000 developing the condition each year.


One way to get involved is to participate in Purple Day. Purple Day was started in 2008, by nine-year-old Cassidy Megan of Nova Scotia, Canada. It is an international grassroots effort dedicated to increasing awareness about epilepsy worldwide. On March 26, people from around the globe are asked to wear purple and spread the word about epilepsy. You can learn more about Purple Day by going here.

                                    CASSIDY MEGAN