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A Collection of This and That
By Florence Vining Thomen, East Canaan
Did you know that if you set a fence post in coal ashes, it will not rot? That artificial cats make good scarecrows? That if you want to remove a broken handle from an ax, bury it up to its broken handle and burn it? That you can use tin shears to cut asphalt roofing? That salt in whitewash makes it stick? And that salt helps to put out a chimney fire? Or that old-timers put a box on the back of the harrow to facilitate gathering of stones along the way?
I have a recipe for making coffee from cereals, and a formula for making furniture polish. American Indians made camp showers by suspending a large water-filled leather bag in a tree, with small holes punched in the bottom; the water was supplied by a second person carrying buckets of water up a ladder and dumping them into the bag.
An Arabian proverb says: "A friend is one to whom one may pour out all the contents of one's heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that the gentlest of hands will take it, keeping what is worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away."
Joke — "Nancy, every time you're naughty, I get another gray hair."
"Honest, Mother?"
"Yes, dear. Why does that surprise you?"
"Mother, look at Grandma's hair!"
Quote — The hand of a friend is comforting. How much more the hand of God, who said, "For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee: Fear not, I will help thee."
I heard on TV that chocolate is not additive—Ha! Ha!
It takes two million flowers to be tapped in order for a bee to make one pound of honey. Honey has the ability to attract and absorb moisture, which makes it remarkably soothing for minor burns and helps prevent scarring.
Did you know that vinegar makes hiccups go away? It's good for leg cramps, too, if taken every day. A half hour before breakfast, mix 1 tsp. honey and 1 tsp. vinegar in a glass of water; it is supposed to keep one healthy and alert. Another "cure" for hiccups (hiccough) is 1/2 tsp. vinegar and 1/2 tsp. baking soda in 1/2 glass of water.
To keep the birds happy, spread the following mixture on a pine cone: a cup of peanut butter, a half cup of crumbs and a half cup of finely chopped apple; hang the cone in a nearby tree. Instead of drippy, melting suet, in warm weather spread the peanut butter on stale bread and put it in the suet bag. Or make a mixture of cornmeal, flour, peanut butter and shortening, placing it in an onion bag.
I wonder if you know that strawberries have sharp pointed seeds, as can be seen in a microscope. I'm told that they could be harmful for people with diverticulosis. What a pity!
I hope you have gained some "useful" knowledge from this vast collection of informabilia—a new word!
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