Fine words doth butter no parsnips

From Wiktionary:  In 17th century, found in various forms with the adjective for the words or the food that is buttered being different, thus allowing combinations of "fine/fair/soft words butter no parsnips/cabbage/fish/connie" before becoming standardized in the form "fine words doth butter no parsnips".

I actually was digging my own parsnips last week when for some reason that phrase crossed my mind.  It's probably because my age that I've even heard it.  Not to say I date from the 17th century, but I have been around for a while.

It's been drifting through my mind ever since and I actually had only a general sense of exactly what it meant.  I knew it was an indication that covering anything up with a more palatable substance (hence the butter) didn't necessarily improve the overall situation or change the item that is being buttered.  

So if a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, then something that is wrong and ugly is still wrong and ugly no matter how you try to cover it up.

Today's world is sometimes sad and scary but covering up the truth with words and actions designed to trick us into thinking otherwise won't help.  Best we put our chins up and stick our chests out and do what we can to make things better.  

When I started this post I really had no idea where it would take me - it seemed a bit darker than most of mine and really didn't have much to do with prepping or gardening or any of the other subjects that I am usually drawn to.  But I think the parsnips are trying to tell me (butter or not) that we all can do something to make things a little brighter rather than ignoring a problem or a situation or trying to bury it in "butter". 

 How about an unexpected act of kindness, a phone call to someone you "keep meaning to call" or perhaps sharing your last summer's canned tomatoes with the next door neighbor -  a batch of cookies to the local road crew as a thank you for all that midnight plowing.  When a person is feeling out of control or depressed or just fed up with all the flying crap that is around on random medias, this could be a pivotal reminder that there are people who care, people who are willing to step out of line and lend a hand and that not everything needs to be covered with butter to make it palatable!

 Sometimes just an old fashioned "wash and brush up" can make even the ugliest parsnips something that you would love to have for supper with or without the butter!