New Year and Blogging

I've been a bad bad blogger with this one! I promise to get back to this blog in the New Year!
Hope you all had a great Christmas and have a safe Happy New Year!

Some random memories from MY rocking chair

A year ago I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism which can in some cases, such as mine, affect your memory. And as much as I hate to admit it, I’m getting older and with that comes memory loss.  I have to have post it notes and lists everywhere so I don’t forget things. That’s what triggered this blog – I wanted to record some of my personal memories as well as make a tribute to the past and the women who worked  hard to provide a loving and caring home for their families by blogging about different eras, challenges, and experiences of keeping a home .

My oldest daughter and I were walking the other night and I, of course, had my camera with me and kept taking pictures of my Granddaughter. My daughter asked why I brought my camera with me everywhere I go – something I never really used to do unless we were on vacation. I told her that it was because with my thyroid problems and forgetfulness it was the best way for me to remember things – taking photos and blogging about them which includes the date and information.

Then tonight when I was sitting in our gazebo with my youngest daughter, I was reading a magazine called Country from Reiman Publications, and it had wonderful photos of mountains that reminded me of The Canadian Rockies and something my youngest said on our drive through them – she was only 9 and was in awe of the mountains as we drove higher and higher into the clouds when she peeped from the back seat of the van - “Who made them?” We asked what she was talking about and she said “ the mountains”. We simply replied “God”. She simply said “cool!”

That’s something I never want to forget :)

Medicinal Plants

Plants have been used medicinally for hundreds of years. Of course 150 years ago it wasn’t easy to see a Doctor, especially if you lived in the country as many people did. The Doctor had to be fetched and brought to your house and if he was away on another call, you had to wait until he was finished.  Sometimes you would wait hours, other times days, so the lady of the house became knowledgeable in medicinal plants for practical reasons.

I’ve always been fascinated with articles about healing plants and have always wondered if they really work. I’ve never tried any. Not sure if I’m a sceptic or maybe I’m just plain scared to try something that my Doctor hasn’t prescribed for me. So this year, one of my goals is to try using a plant for a minor medical issue to see if it helps.

Here are a few plants and their medicinal uses that I found online at Healthmad.com

Begonia

1. Use the infusion made with Begonia flowers for eliminating toxins from the body.
2. The infusion helps in promoting blood circulation.
3. Rub the flower on burns, pains and toxic sores.

Calendula

1. Use the essence of Calendula for relieving from menstruation pain, sore throats and tonsillitis.
2. Apply it on cancer sores and wounds for quick healing.

California Poppy

1. It treats insomnia, nervous tension and anxiety.
2. It relieves from menstrual cramps and pain.

Chrysanthemum

1. The drink made with this flower cures cold and fevers.
2. Apply the drink with a cotton ball over the eyes for relieving the inflammations.
3. The drink relieves from headaches and hypertensions.

Corn flower

1. Rub the essence over the eyes for relieving conjunctivitis and strain.
2. Use the stem facial of this flower for facial skin eruptions and acne.

Dandelion

1. The infusion made with dandelion treats anaemia, jaundice and nervousness.
2. It also purifies the blood.

Honey suckle

1. Gargling with the essence of this flower relieves sore throat.
2. It is also effective for all inflammatory conditions.
3. The blossoms are rich in antiviral and antibacterial properties.
4. The leaves and stems of this flower are useful for arthritis.

Hyssop

1. Gargling with the essence of this flower relieves sore throat and reduces inflammation.
2. It relieves from cold and flu.
3. Rubbing with the essence on cuts and bruises heals them.

Nasturtium

1. The infusion of this flower cures cold, influenza.
2. It fights against reproductive and urinary tract infections.
3. It fights against bacterial infections and respiratory infections.

Plum flowers

1. This flower is useful in curing cough and diarrhea
2. The smoke of this fruit is effective against parasites.
3. It is helpful in stopping ulcers.

Rose

1. Chew the petals for improvement in blood circulation.
2. The petals act as anti-depressive agents.
3. The petal tea cleanses the liver and gall bladder.
4. Infusion of this flower improves the efficiency of lungs.

Sunflower

1. The infusion of this flower relieves from menstruation pain and ulcers.
2. Gargling with the infusion relieves sore throat and tonsillitis.
3. It is a remedy for cancer sores.

Valerian

1. This flower relieves from anxiety and insomnia.
2. It is a remedy for migraines, tension headaches and rheumatic pains.
3. The essence of this flower relieves from muscle and menstrual cramps.

Viola

1. Apply the essence of this flower to cure eczema and varicose veins.
2. Take the infusion of this flower regularly to cure from coughs and bronchitis.
3. It is useful for urinary problems and cystic.

Yarrow

1. Use the infusion of this flower for upper respiratory phlegm.
2. Use it externally as a wash for eczema.
3. It is a remedy for cold and flu.
4. Smell this flower for hay fever and mild asthma.

I have never tried any of these and take no responsibility for  this information.  Use at your own risk. If you have ever tried any of these flowers medicinally, I would love to hear if they worked for you or not.

Good Old Primitive Kitchen

Here are a few shots of the Kitchen cabin they had at the Heritage Village. I love the decor and all of the enamelware. I started my collection of enamelware years ago and am always on the lookout for more!

Our kitchens today are so much easier to use but I love the look of these old ones. The warmth and smell of wood burning coming from the old cook stove was wonderful!

More from Muskoka Heritage Village

The 2 photos below are of a seasonal camp that the First Nations people would have made in the early 1900s. I just LOVE the blanket! Looks like a great place to take a nap too.

The photos below show what a typical trapper’s cabin would be like. This one is a reproduction round log cabin. Fur such as beaver, muskrat, raccoon, wolf, marten and mink were harvested off the trap lines. The trapper lived here and stretched and dried the hides. They were sold locally or taken to the Fur Auction for export to Europe.

One room school house

This one room school house was built in 1895 out of hand-hewn hemlock logs. It was constructed by volunteers with a $75.00 allowance  from the School District.  It came from Lake Vernon in the Muskoka’s and now rests at Muskoka Heritage Place. I went there recently with my Granddaughter and will be sharing all the photos I took starting with the school house. Click on photos to enlarge.

 

From the Archives of the Government of Ontario…

The education of children in isolated northern communities presented special challenges. Often there wasn't a large enough population base to support a teacher and build and maintain a schoolhouse. One way of reaching the students in theses areas was the railway school car.

From the 1920s to the 1960s there were several school cars, each considered its own school section, traveling routes ranging from 83 to 221 miles on the Canadian Pacific, Canadian National and Ontario Northern Railways. Students were taught in a railway car that had been converted into a classroom with separate teacher's quarters.

How exciting that must have been to go to school in a railway car!

If you have any photos or short stories about one room school houses and would like to see them posted here, just shoot me an email or leave a comment and I’ll get back to you.

Remembering the past - one post at a time

 This new blog will be all about life in the past 200 years to the present. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I should have been born 100 years earlier which would have been 1864, which sounds about right to me. 

 I absolutely love history and "story tellin's" of the past. I hope to have a lot of photos, articles, home remedies, and of course stories! I'll keep adding to the list as time goes on and I hope I can bring back some wonderful memories for all of us.

 I have a special fascination with the Great Depression so I'll be sharing everything I can find about that too. My parents were both born during the Depression and I'll be getting a lot of information directly from them. 

Times were hard, life was simple, and people were kinder to one another. I think it brought out a certain kind of strength of character to live through something like that.  

With that said I'd like to share a poem from Paul Harvey. It's appropriate for me being a first time Grandma and I'm sure many of you will relate to it as well.

~To My Grandchildren~ 

We tried so hard to make things better

for our kids that we made them worse.

For my grandchildren, I'd like better. 

I'd really like for them to know 

about hand-me down clothes and homemade ice cream 

and leftover meatloaf sandwiches. I really would. 

My cherished grandson and grandaughter

I hope you learn humility

by being humiliated,

and that you learn honesty by being cheated. 

I hope you learn to make your bed

and mow the lawn and wash the car.

And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car

when you are sixteen. I hope you have a job by then. 

It will be good if at least one time

you can see a baby calf born

and your old dog put to sleep. 

I hope you get a black eye fighting

for something you believe in. 

I hope you have to share a bedroom 

with your younger brother or sister.

And it's all right if you have to draw a line

down the middle of the room,

but when one of them wants to crawl under the covers

with you because they are scared, I hope you let them.

When you want to see a Disney movie

and your little brother or sister wants to tag along,

I hope you'll let them. 

I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends

and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.

On rainy days when you have to catch a ride

I hope your driver doesn't have to drop you two blocks away

so you won't be seen riding with someone as uncool as your mom. 

If you want a slingshot, I hope your dad teaches

you how to make one instead of buying one. 

I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.

When you learn to use those newfangled computers,

I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head. 

I hope you get razzed by your friends 

when you have your first crush on a girl or boy 

and when you talk back to your mother 

that you learn what Ivory soap tastes like. 

May you skin your knee climbing a mountain,

burn your hand on the stove and 

stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole. 

I hope you get sick when someone

blows cigar smoke in your face.

I don't care if you try beer once,

but I hope you don't like it.

And if a friend offers you dope or a joint,

I hope you realize they are not your friend. 

I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch 

with your grandpa and go fishing with your uncle.

May you feel sorrow at a funeral and the joy of holidays. 

I hope your mother punishes you when you throw

a baseball through a neighbor's window

and that she hugs you and kisses you at Christmas time

when you give her a plaster of Paris mold of your hand. 

These things I wish for you...

tough times and disappointment,

hard work and happiness. 

These things I wish for each of you. 

~Paul Harvey~