Wednesday Wives Tales~Hiccups

I think everyone must know at least one 'cure' for hiccups. In my research, I've come across many that I've never heard of and most are quite interesting.

One way is to run around the house seven times without taking a breath. I assume that depends on the size of one's house.

You can also stand on one leg and say "Hick-up, stick-up, lick-up, hick-up," three times without stopping to take a breath.

Or, you can touch back of the neck of the 'hiccup-er' with a rabbits foot~when he/she is least expecting it.

How about naming three kernels of corn for three friends, then putting the corn in a container of water and suspending it over your head? I wonder how long you have to leave it up there?

This was one of my favorites: Stick you fingers in your ears and have a person of the opposite sex pour nine cups of rainwater down your throat!

I personally try to hold my breath and count to 60. That usually works for me. As does trying to drink an entire glass of water without stopping.

Being scared unexpectedly has cured them, too, though it usually involved someone shouting all of a sudden or slamming a door unexpectedly. I've never had the rabbit foot rubbed on my neck!

How do you cure your hiccups?

Be sure and check out Tipper's post at Blind Pig & the Acorn on cures for toothaches.

Tuesday Morning

Good morning, everyone. I hope all of you had a wonderful weekend and a nice start to your week. We took off for Branson for the weekend. Sort of a spur of the moment thing~something we are not known for, LOL!

The weather was beautiful and the drive up and back was absolutely perfect! We went to flea markets, craft malls, and enjoyed eating out a couple of times. I saw a lot of neat ideas at the craft malls, as well as bought a few vintage items that I'll post on here when I get the chance to download the pictures from my camera.

It is cold outside this morning~46 degrees! Perfect fall weather.

Have a great day!

Saturday Smile!

The dogwoods are beginning to turn! Hope you're smiling about something today!

Please Pray

Everyone please pray for Ranae and her family today. Click on over to Ewe Creek Cottage and send her an encouraging word.

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Phillipians 4:6

WEDNESDAY WIVES TALES~S-S-SNAKES!

Snakes are not one of my favorite subjects, but there seems to be a lot of beliefs about them.

It is said that in the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains, that all snakes go blind and change their skin during the dog days of summer. I'm not sure the point of this belief, but apparently it is fairly common. It is also said that snakes are more likely to attack people during this period.

If you find a scorpion, there is a snake only a few feet away.

It seems there were some clans (families) back in the mountains that would never kill a snake. These were the snake doctors that you went to see when you had been bitten. They had their own secret 'cure' for snakebite. Since the cures were secret, not much is known about them, except that the snake that did the biting must not be injured at all and should be taken with you to the 'snake doctors', who would release them back into the woods.

An Appalachian belief concerning snakebites was that you must kill the snake, cut it up, and press the pieces to the bite, thus drawing out the poison and healing the bite.

The last one I will mention involves a good omen. That's right~something to make you feel good about snakes. Just remember this~if you find two snakes in your house at the same time, it is good luck for you! (I'd like to know how many of you believe this one, LOL!)

Do you know any wives tales about snakes?

Women of the West

I'm happy that so many of you enjoyed seeing the photo of the Chrisman sisters next to their sod house. I've done a little bit of research on the sisters, but there are some conflicts in what I've read. Some articles state that all the sisters made a claim and others state that by the time the youngest sister was eligible, all of the free land (at least locally to them) was taken. I recently purchased the book Women Of The West by Cathy Luchetti & Carol Olwell. I haven't read all of it yet, but if you are interested in the history of women heading west in America, I think you will like this book. It has lots of pictures, too, which is one of my favorite things about it.

Happy reading!

SATURDAY SMILE!

Reading about pioneer women is a favorite hobby of mine, especially women homesteaders. This is one of my favorite pictures~Lizzie, Lutie, Jenny, and Hattie Chrisman standing in front of their Nebraska sod house in 1886. I can only imagine the adventures they must have had!

Wednesday Wives Tales ~Rain~

Since most of the south is experiencing a long period of rain, I thought we might talk about folk beliefs that concern it.

It’s said if a cat sneezes in your house it means there will be rain that day. (But, if it is your wedding day, it means that you will have a long and happy marriage~with no rain for the day!)

When a fog rises away rapidly, it is always a sign of rain: "Fog goes up with a hop, Rain comes down with a drop". However, if fog seems to disappear into the ground, you can expect several days of clear weather.

When it rains on the first Sunday of the month, old-timers expect rain on the three following Sundays.

If chickens go into roost earlier than usual, it means a storm is coming.

These are two that I've heard all of my life:

If it rains while the sun is shining, the Devil is whipping his wife.

If it begins raining in the middle of the day and chickens remain out in the rain, it means it will rain all day. If they run for cover, it means we will only have a short shower and then it will clear up.

Do you know any rain signs?

SATURDAY SMILE

This little rocker is very special to me. Both of our daughters rocked many a mile in it when they were little. I found the little pillow at a flea market last year and thought it was perfect for the chair.

Remembering. . .

GOD BLESS AMERICA

Rainy Thursday

Little Penpen had a give-away last week~and I won! I was very surprised--and thrilled. The sweet stitchery arrived in the mail yesterday.

Right now it is hanging on the wall by my front door, but I think I'll move it to my new computer desk when it is finished. I love to keep a lot of quotes, verses, and sayings for inspiration when I'm writing. This piece will fit right in. Thank you, Penny!

Wednesday Wives Tales~Curing Warts

In researching through my books, as well as the Internet, there seems to be numerous cures for warts. Apparently, mountain people were plagued with them, as one book I own has three pages worth of cures!

When I was approximately nine years old, my dentist noticed a wart that I had on my hand. He told me that he knew of a way to get rid of it, if I was interested. Of course I was!

He said that I must steal a dish towel from my grandmother, bring it home with me, rub it on the wart, and bury the towel in the back yard. And no one must ever know that I stole it, or it wouldn't work. Well, I couldn't bring myself to steal a dish towel from my grandma, of course, so I have no idea if this method works or not!

One easy way to get rid of them is to tie as many knots in a string as you have warts and then, in secret, burn the string. Another is to cut an onion in half. Eat one half and rub the other half on the wart, then throw the other half over your right shoulder, walking away and never looking back at the onion.

Many of the methods seem to involve spitting on the wart, or using pennies in various ways to get rid of them.

Do you know any old wives tales of ways to get rid of warts?

Labor Day

We celebrated Labor Day with a few family members at Petit Jean State Park. It was a beautiful day and perfect for a hike.

I love spending time on top of that beautiful mountain. If you're ever in the central area of Arkansas, be sure to take a trip to Petit Jean and explore the natural beauty of the park.

Country Drives

This time of year is perfect for a country drive. We took our usual route back in the mountains last week until we got to the first stop sign.

Instead of our usual left, we took a right. About a mile down the road, we emerged from the National Forest and crossed the state line into Oklahoma. Out of the Forest, we were in were in rolling farmland.

There isn't any color to speak of in the trees just yet, but we enjoyed the beautiful scenery. I especially loved this old bridge that we crossed. You don't see many like them anymore--they are all being replaced with new concrete bridges. I know they're probably much safer, but not nearly as picturesque!

Have you been on any country drives lately?

Saturday Smile

The sky was extra beautiful this week!

Sympathy For Miss Muffet

Little Miss Muffet

Little Miss Muffet, Sat on a tuffet, Eating her curds and whey. Along came a spider, Who sat down beside her, And frightened Miss Muffet away!



Until almost two weeks ago, I'm not sure I'd really seen a black widow spider up close. At least not in my house! Until my daughter found a dead one in our bathroom sink. A week later, I found another dead one in the bathroom window sill. (I did not take the picture of the one above!)



The first one, well we just assumed that it had somehow been brought in on someones clothing. A lot of things had been moved out of the goat barn, and that seemed the most logical explanation. But, I'd been painting the bathroom all week when I found the second one, so Wednesday, we fogged the house. I hope that is the end of our spider infestation! Since then, we've spent a lot of time washing everything and vacuuming the floors and furniture. I don't like to use poison, but this time, I thought it was necessary.



Have you ever had black widow spiders in your house?

Wednesday Wives Tales

I first read about 'feather crowns' in The Ozark Mountaineer Magazine some years ago. I've been looking for the exact issue, but have been unable to find it.

Feather crowns are formed inside the pillow of a dying person, especially one who 'lingers'. After the person dies, the family opens the pillow and searches through the feathers for a crown. These mostly consist of halo shaped groups of feathers, though some are more like a feather 'cap'. These feather crowns were greatly prized by the family, as proof that their loved one had gone straight to heaven and were shown off to neighbors. Some crowns were saved for years in boxes by the families and some were said to have quite a collection of them. There are even stories of people being buried with a loved ones feather crown.

Have any of you ever heard of them or seen one?