Traffic on the list seems to be slow today, so for those who are at home, safe from the speed demons, I'll provide you with a little historical data taken from scribbled notes that I just found. I took the info from my mother in 1992. At the time she was 95 and I was asking questions about the old days. I do not recommend you try any of the home remedies that she gave me. I do not stand responsible for the consequences. First, I asked her about superstitions. We have all heard the one about "Red skies at night, sailor's delight...." but I had never heard this rhyme before. She recited: "Evening gray and the morning red Pouring down rain on a traveler's head. Evening red and the morning gray Starts the traveler on his way." (She remembered this from so long ago. I can't even remember what I read yesterday!) I can hardly read my own scribbled notes. I had to write fast to keep up with Mama as she gave me these home remedies for various illnesses. Amounts of each ingredient were not given. So use your imagination! Some spelling may be incorrect. 1. Bad Cough -- Mullen. Wild cherry tree bark. Boil and strain. Add brown sugar, making syrup. 2. Stone Bruise -- Yarrow. Make poultice with cornmeal. White plantan and cabbage leaves. Wrap around heel with gauze. 3. Cold -- Boiled onion poultice with meal to stick together in gauze. Place on chest for cough. 4. Now this one really grabs me! Tonsilitis when a teenager. Choking, couldn't talk, tonsils swollen together. Made poultice of chimney soot, syrup, mixed with meal. Also, boiled soot to drink. Called Soot tea. Opens up throat. (If it didn't open the throat, it surely killed a person--my opinion.) 5. Worms. Vermafuze (?Sp.), a weed. Boil, strain molasses in it. (Every spring, each child took a dose.) Spoonful of sulphur and molasses. 6. I'm sure most of us can't even imagine such as this, and if my oldest sister were still alive, she would kill me for telling it. She was only about four, very ill. She wanted peaches. Began vomitting in front yard. She said, "Oh Mama, come out here and look!" Yes! Stomach worms, 9-1/2 inches long. Hope you aren't eating while reading this! 7. Growing Pains -- You've all heard of 'growing pains', haven't you? You may even recall having them. Well, I think you might enjoy this little story. My younger brother was about 10-11 yrs old. His legs would throb and he complained of them hurting all the time. Mama would have him sit in a bathtub of hot water hoping to relieve his pain. This kid was very modest; couldn't even stand having dirty hands. In a household of kids sharing bedrooms, running around half dressed while getting ready to go to school or church, he wouldn't let anyone see him unless he was fully dressed. We couldn't even go into the bathroom while he brushed his teeth. Mama was concerned because he had been in the bathtub soaking in the hot water for quite some time. She thought she had better check on him. Now folks, I came from a religious family where you just didn't use foul language of any kind, unless you whispered it under your breath. It was a forbidden sin! (I must tell this exactly as it was said, or it will lose its effect.) Mama opened the bathroom door slightly, and she got the shock of her life when my little toe-headed brother looked up from the tub, saw her peeking through the crack of the door, and blared out at her, "Dammit to Hell! I didn't say you could come in here." I still have many of the home remedies folks on the list shared in early 1999. They are a treasure! Pat