I have been away for the past couple of days and I thought I would send a few remembrances out to shake the cobwebs out of your minds. My father and his father, both did everything on the farm according to the almanac signs. From when to breed livestock,ween young stock from mothers, 'Cut' young mail animals, plant crops, dig root crops (potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, etc..), start seedlings for planting vegetables and flowers, and digging annual bulbs and roots up to store for the winter and a couple of others I don't remember right now. I remember a few remedies my mother had for us kids: Turpentine & sugar applied to where we stepped on nails, and then tied on with a strip torn from a flour sack. Buttermilk put on sunburns The heated whiskey, lemon and sugar drink for sore throats Casteroil for anything that you complained of Blair Liniment for sore muscles ( I still use this today when I can get her to send me some) Some kind of worm medicine when we complained of feeling run down and lifeless Spider webs for stopping bleeding Cold spoon or cloth on the back of the neck for Nose bleeds I remember one year back in the mid 50's my mother took some of us over to Jefferson, NC to visit my 'little' Mamma, on the train from Abingdon. My sister had some worts on her hand at the time. There was on old woman riding over the mountains with us and noticed them. She took a string and loosely tied them around each one and said something as she did this. She told my mother that they would disappear in about a week. And she was right they did. This was my only encounter with what my mother called 'Mountain Witches'. She used to enthrall us with many tails of good witches from back in the Mountains as a youngster. I think this was a trait from the Scotch-Irish and German Mix. Bobby Vencill New Market, Md