Simpler Times

When I was writing a historical novel or sub-plot, one of my favorite ways to do research was to look at the ads from the times for an idea of how folks lived.

These ads are from a 1903 cookbook published by the Willing Workers of Troy, Alabama. It was the property of my maternal grandmother and gives a good idea of the Troy of that time.

Farming was important.

As was beauty care.

Livestock, buggies, and wagons were available, along with bread and hand-rolled cigars.

 

Robinson Crusoe

                                                                          

Robinson Crusoe is one of those books everybody knows about but probably hasn't read. It's arguably the prototype of cast-away on a deserted island fiction and has spawned a multitude of offspring--Swiss Family Robinson, Lost in Space, The Martian, Castaway . . . to mention a few. And then there are all those cartoons from The New Yorker.

                                                   Like so many, I had never read Defoe's 1719 work in its entirety. But now a copy turned up in my recent book purging/reorganization efforts and now I have.

It's a terrific account of clever survival. Crusoe is on the island some twenty-six years and in that times builds houses, makes pottery, gardens, captures and tames goats, weaves baskets, and makes for himself a rather fine little kingdom.

I have to admit to skimming bits. There's a lot of moral reflection--Crusoe went to sea against the wishes of his parents and remained there despite several close calls before the final catastrophe that stranded him. There's lots of philosophizing about the nature of Good and Evil, including one rather good point made by Friday, the 'savage' Crusoe rescued from cannibals. 

Crusoe has been telling Friday about the devil being God's enemy, and Friday asks if God is stronger than the devil.

Oh, yes, says Crusoe, God is stronger.

Then Friday asks, ". . .why God no kill the devil, so make him no more do wicked?"

Crusoe is at a loss for a good answer and (much like some politicians) "diverted the present discourse . . . rising up hastily as upon some sudden occasion of going out; then sending him for something a good way off. . ."

Some things never change.

                  

Hurrah for Rain!

                  

 

Mullein aka Verbascum

 

Its other names include:

Aaron's Rod, Adam's Flannel, American Mullein, Beggar's Blanket, Blanket Herb, Blanket Leaf, Bouillon Blanc, Bouillon Jaune, Candleflower, Candlewick, Cierge Cotonneux, Cierge de Notre-Dame, Clot-Bur, Clown's Lungwort, Cuddy's Lungs, Duffle, European Mullein, Faux Bouillon-Blanc, Feltwort, Flannelflower, Fleur de Grand Chandelier, Fluffweed, Gidar Tamaku, Gordolobo, Hag's Taper, Hare's Beard, Hedge Taper, Herbe de Saint-Fiacre, Herbe Saint Fiacre, Higtaper, Jacob's Staff, Longwort, Molène, Molène à Grandes Fleurs, Molène Bouillon-Blanc, Molène Faux-Phlomis, Molène Thapsus, Orange Mullein, Oreille de Loup, Oreille de Saint Cloud, Our Lady's Flannel, Queue de Loup, Rag Paper, Shepherd's Club, Shepherd's Staff, Tabac du Diable, Torch Weed, Torches, Velvet Plant, Verbasci Flos, Wild Ice Leaf, Verbascum densiflorum, Verbascum phlomides, Verbascum thapsiforme, Verbascum thapsus, Woolen, Woolly Mullein. . .whew!

  

  It's a weed around here, growing on slopes along the highway and popping up here and there around our house. I always hope some will escape the weedeater -- such stately plants.

I know that mullein flowers used to be gathered and sold for use in medicines, but I have no experience of how it might be used in folk remedies. 

According to one site, mullein is used to make medicine for "cough, whooping cough, tuberculosis, bronchitis, hoarseness, pneumonia, earaches, colds, chills, flu, swine flu, fever, allergies, tonsillitis, and sore throat. Other uses include asthma, diarrhea, colic, gastrointestinal bleeding, migraines, joint pain, and gout. It is also used as a sedative and as a diuretic to increase urine output.

"Mullein is applied to the skin for wounds, burns, hemorrhoids, bruises, frostbite, and skin infections  The leaves are used topically to soften and protect the skin."

But wait, there's more! Mullein is used as a flavoring ingredient in alcoholic beverages.

Are any of you familiar with the use of mullein in folk remedies?

This is a slightly updated (I no longer wield a weedeater) re-post from years back. 

 

In July

 

World Cup 2026

Whew! I am flat wore out after (mentally) playing along with Spain for 109 minutes. That was some game--Spain vs. an incredible goalkeeper.

Of course I was rooting for Spain, if only because He who shall not be named has denigrated them. But they dominated play and so deserved the win.

We watched down at Justin and Claui's where they laid out an amazing spread of yummy stuff--cheeseburger sliders, chips and dips, crudites, brownies and ice cream . . .

I'm not normally a sports fan but this was special. And how nice when you-know-who was roundly booed when his image was shown. (Not the guy below--that's just a random pic I took.)

 

Silent Sunday

 

Moby Wan Cannoli

 He is not pooping; he is sitting on Bob. (Who quickly let him know that such behavior was unacceptable.)   

                                        

This big goofy guy has taken to spending weekdays at our house while his people are at work. He is one of the sweetest dogs I've ever known and, as such, has me wrapped around his extra-arge paw.

                                     

Hawk

.

Justin got those pictures of a hawk resting in the shade of our old chicken house. 

It seemed disinclined to move and I contacted Connie, my bird expert neighbor. She said it might be resting in the shade (it's very hot here today) or digesting a big meal or, worst case, feeling the effects of eating a poisoned rodent.

Connie also said she couldn't be sure from the picture  sent her if it's a Red-Tailed (look for red on the tail feathers) or a Broad -Winged Hawk (look for white on the breast,)

We'll try to keep an eye on the critter. Connie also gave a number to call for a rehab group.

Update: As of Friday morning, the hawk is gone. And not lying on the ground, thank goodness. So it must have been the heat or a big meal.

 

Some Neighbors

These are all at a distance, testing the modest limits of my camera's lens. But I caught the elusive Scarlet Tanager again, as well as a not very elusive Blue Jay.

The little jungle of trees at the foot of our yard seems to be a popular hangout.

There's a Downy Woodpecker . . .

And a Red-Bellied Woodpecker, both frequent customers at our suet feeder.

Excellent neighbors, all of them!

                                                                     

Just Breathing

 

Dear Sirs

 Where even to begin? My concerns are legion.

  First of all, the SAVE act is not only unnecessary as the number of illegal voters is vanishingly low and the act would encumber many citizens, mostly women whose married names differ from their birth certificates. This act is yet another blatant attempt by this regime and your president to remove legitimate voters from the rolls.

Secondly, it is deplorable that this corrupt regime panders to big business and big oil by erasing environmental protections for endangered species.

Thirdly, the weaponization of the (so-called) Justice Department against journalists is the mark of a dictatorship. 

The ongoing abuses by ICE must be stopped and the murderers brought to trial.

The Epstein Files are still not released in un-redacted form.

The mind-boggling corruption and self-dealing of this administration are a stain on our country. 

The same administration that pardoned the violent rioters of January 6 has had people arrested for touching the Reflecting Pool. 

And the on-going destruction of the White House and the Mao-style banners in DC are a disgrace.

How blind/corrupt/self-interested must a Congressperson be to condone all these things?

Where Would You Go?

                                                            

This was a fun read for a bookworm such as myself. Quinn describes a magical library that will allow a person in need of escape to enter the world of a book. Not, I hasten to add, to become one of the existing characters and a part of the story, rather to become a character who fits into that world.

For example, one person who loved the Sherlock Holmes stories becomes Mrs. Hudson's niece and spend a lot of time in the kitchen (and, surprisingly, in a 'friends with benefits' relationship with the sleuth himself.)

As I said, a fun read. A little more chick lit-ish than my usual reading but the premise absolutely captures me and got me to wondering which book world I'd choose to live in.

It's a lot to ponder. I spend a lot of time re-reading favorite books--like Jane Austen and P.G. Wodehouse. But much as I enjoy these worlds, I wouldn't choose either--the constraints on women in Austen's world make it a no go, and while I adore the utter silliness of Wodehouse's characters and would like to spend time at Blandings Castle, it's all too two-dimensional to imagine actually living there.

The Aubrey-Maturin books have absorbed me for many hours (I've read/listened to them half a dozen times), but the reality of woman's lot in those times, just  as with Austen, makes it unappealing for an actual escape.

What about the Narnia books? I ponder. Old and dear friends, a mostly happy world . . . could be a possibility.  I'd probably pick The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and hope to be a minor character on board the ship.

I've imagined myself in many favorite books--like Sayers' Gaudy Night, Pratchett's Wee Free Men, Benson's Lucia books, Alcott's Eight Cousins, Wright's Islandia, White's Once and Future King . . .

There's almost always a drawback--burdensome clothing, a manifestly unequal society, lack of sanitation. I'm drawn to English books set between the two world wars--but would I, as a minor character in one of these books, know what lay ahead?

I find it an interesting mental exercise. Of course, Quinn's premise was that people were attempting to escape bad personal situations. And I'm not. But if I were. I might be tempted to escape into one of my own books and spend some time with Miss Birdie and Elizabeth, hoping not to get involved in a murder. And hoping that in their world, DJT is just a washed-up reality show host.

What book worlds would you consider escaping to?