I remember going for walks with my grandmother in Ft. Worth, around their new suburban neighborhood. At the end of the street, there was still country, with a pasture that held a riding stable where we could rent horses. Of course, that happened rarely. We were more likely to do something that didn't cost anything-like a walk, or playing solitaire, or just sitting on the porche, watching the cars go by, when we visited. Grandma would stop at certain bushes, and break off twigs, that she said made good toothbrushes. I didn't want to put a dirty stick in my mouth, but she proceeded to laugh and show us how to brush. She did use snuff, and her teeth were not very white. I wondered why she just didn't go to the store and get some toothpaste and a toothbrush. (She did have those at home, but she seemed to like those sticks.) She just brushed, threw the sticks away, took a few home with her. She would also find bushes with twigs that made good switches, for the legs of whiney little girls who wanted to go home! Sure did sting! My younger cousin said the stern tone of voice and a good pinch did it for them. On those walks, Grandma also told us about her father, the doctor, using cobwebs to stop bleeding. I could imagine big spiders and cobwebs, maybe in a barn. That made my mind turn to more pleasant things, like my boyfriend. So, I don't recall the other interesting things she might have said. Cecelia >I have two small sticks tied with a rag in a snuff box.Daddy says it was > his grandmothers sweetgum toothbrushes,She would use the frayed ends of > te small twings to brush the snuff off her teeth. > The ones I have had not been used thank goodness > > >