Thanks for all the wonderful ideas; I'll be trying them. Here, due to the heavily mineraled 'n orange water, I stopped using the hot water heater. About a gallon of water is heated in the microwave oven. Then it sits on the side of the tub and mixed w/cold tap water; using a qt-sized container (from recycled yogurt or cottage cheese), water is slowly poured over hair then the rest. Used is a 2-n-1 shampoo for dry hair, which rinses off quickly. If the well is running 'fine' a wash cloth is used; if it's sluggish, it's not and less water is used, from 1-3 gal. ... View related article.
Here's probably an unpopular opinion about leaves... just leave them where they fall. They nourish the soil, protect it during drought, keep down weeds and slowly you'll need less time to mow. There are a lot of 'perks' to going natural and green. ... View related article.
Amen! For nostalgia I made Depression Era meatless recipes to remind Mom of her younger years. To your beans, grains 'n rice, add a little cheese and you have a complete protein. These were such a hit that I've continued to make them and have grown to prefer meatless menus. They actually improved our health: all the doctor's office tests have been 'normal' or better! ... View related article.
In E. Tx, this is a dessert. No wonder y'all like it :o) Your talking about your Nanny reminded me; for a few months when I was learning to talk and visiting my aunt and uncle at the Guantanamo Naval Base, in Cuba, she hired a young woman to entertain me a few hours a day. Later she apologized that she thought she was so busy doing her officer-wife's duties and writing a column for the local newspaper.
For me, it was an experience of a lifetime; I came home speaking Spanish, learned so much and retain a love for the Cuban people. My grandmother wanted us youngsters to call her Nanny. She lived with us or we lived with her, take yer pick. She took care of us while Mom worked, taught me how to make southern foods and enriched our lives. Such good memories. ... View related article.
Great ideas, folks :o) Another safe powder to use is Sevin Dust, 5% solution. You can put it right on your dog, on the floor and behind furniture. Read the label for complete details. ... View related article.
Thanks, All, for the wonderful tips; i'll be trying them out. Can't wait to try the emu oil. Here's what's worked here... used to use just vasoline petroleum jelly then don socks; had to dedicate a couple pairs socks just for this since the vasoline was hard to remove. Couple yrs ago, when my feet were so rough, i asked my doc for his recommendations--soak in a bath of Johnson's Foot Soap for about 30 min. Then use pumice stone.
After shower, hand/body cream was used as usual. It's still used altho i'm more prone to using just the pumice stone after a shower, then hand/body lotion. Couple wtrs ago, besides the pumice stone, olive oil was used--either 'straight' or mixed in w/my usual hand or body lotion, in varying amounts according to the seasons. Got the idea from the Bible since folks back then used olive oil for just about everything. It works wonderfully all over.
To keep the olive oil from going rancid during the warm months, i've sprayed in a bit of perfume, all of which have a fixative added; any scent will do. Am currently experimenting w/adding essential oils; research shows which are traditional fixatives or plus experimentation is being done. Hope this helps. ... View related article.
In the early to mid-1950s in the N. Central Fla. area, sometimes we had a 'frig and sometimes it was an ice box. Don't remember most of 'em except for one used a short time in my grandmother's country home; it had a separate compartment for the ice and was light green; the others just had the ice in the same section as the food. The ice blocks would last about 3-4 days. In Gainesville, where my Mom lived, a single mom supporting 3 others, we relied upon an ice box until the price per block rose beyond 35 cents; i think her salary was around $25-30/wk so w/all the other expenses including buying her own home, that was considered 'too much'. Then we switched permanently to an electric 'ice box'. For many yrs in Central Fla, ice box and refrigerator were interchangeable names for the same contraption - a 'chill chest' as called on Food Network's 'Good Eats' program.
Our bathrooms had no heating either. Our homes were heated by one multi-room kerosene heater; electric space heaters filled in where necessary :o) Altho others had them we didn't get an air conditioner; we just kept all the windows open for cross breezes. In the early 1960s we got our first fan, a floor model but i couldn't turn it on too high: my grandmother said it was too loud :o) A/c wasn't enjoyed until i'd grown up and left home. Good old days with happy memories :o)
Out here in the e. tx piney woods, during 'brown outs' or when well parts fail, water saved in recycled vinegar jugs is poured into the commode's tanks for flushing. It's like camping in your own home, relatively speaking. We've learned to collect water in larger tubs for dish- and hand-washing plus showers. Like the military only allows 2 gal/shower, we almost achieve that, in our quest to leave as small a 'footprint' as possible. When the water is running correctly, we still turn it off while teeth-brushing, hand-washing or showers until it's needed. Also, containers are re-used or re-purposed whenever possible.
When emergencies or necessities require our meeting our necessities like people have done for millennia it's hard to complain altho we'd like to :o) With time, we've learned 'making do' makes us stronger and better to deal with life's other surprises :o)
