Like, I'm So Totally Awe-summ, You Know?

Thank you Janeen at ChachanNeen for the Awe-Summ award. You are such a sweet gal. You're always so kind and I feel especially blessed. :o)

Janeen posted this award a couple of days ago, but like the lady that backed into her typewriter, I'm getting a little behind in my work.

Between gardening, running errands and regular household duties, it's been rather hectic of late.

The idea here is to list 7 things that make me awesome. This took some thought. I don't really care to sit around contemplating my strong points. Here lately I'd rather just contemplate my navel. At least I could rest awhile. [giggle]

1) I try to always have a good sense of humor, even in bad situations. I kid a lot but it's with affection.
2) I enjoy making others laugh and have fun. This brings me pleasure too.
3) I tend to be quite good at discerning others intentions. I can spot a bully from 30 paces ... and drop them in 20. [giggle]
4) I'm quite good with animals. Hubby said I should be a Veterinarian but I know I could never remember all those $60 words and medical terms.
5) I've had great successes with locating people, dead or alive.
6) Accounting, and subsequently research, is a strong point with me. I can trace a paper trail better than most. Even bad guys leave a paper trail. [wink]
7) I try to always "die daily to sin and be more alive to God". My Lord Jesus makes me strong in all the things listed above and hides my weaknesses in His goodness.

Alrighty then, if you're still with me [yawn] I'm suppose to pass this on to 3 ladies (sorry guys) who I think deserve this award. Actually, I would prefer to give this to ALL my bloggy friends, but rules are rules.

Envelope please ...

I've decided on in no particular order:
1) Margo at Life In The Short Lane
2) Linda at Life's A Calling Who's This?
3) Margaret at Nanny Goats In Panties

These lovely lady's consistently make me smile and help me get through the day.

There ... it was nice to do something that didn't involve wearing gloves.

An Example Of Typical Phone Lines In India

Click To Enlarge
My husband is a retired telephone man and was just appalled at the tangled mess! Can you imagine the headaches fixing these?? And this is where we call when there is a technical problem with a computer.

And yet another piece of the puzzle falls into place.

Grandpa Tell Me 'Bout The Good 'Ol Days

I thought it would be fun to share some of the drugs that were legal in the good 'ol days.

Bayer's HeroinA bottle of Bayer's heroin. Between 1890 and 1910 heroin was sold as a non-addictive substitute for morphine. It was also used to treat children with strong cough.

[hack] [hack] "Pass the Heroin, would ya dear? I feel a cold coming on."


Metcalf Coca Wine was one of a huge variety of wines with cocaine on the market. Everybody used to say that it would make you happy and it would also work as a medicinal treatment.


Mariani wine (1875) was the most famous Coca wine of it's time. Pope Leo XIII used to carry one bottle with him all the time. He awarded Angelo Mariani (the producer) with a Vatican gold medal.


Produced by Maltine Manufacturing Company of New York. It was suggested that you should take a full glass with or after every meal. Children were supposed to take half a glass.


Here's a paper weight promoting C. F. Boehringer & Soehne (Mannheim, Germany). They were proud of being the biggest producers in the world of products containing Quinine and Cocaine.

Maybe the Columbian's should mass produce these now? They could give them to the Mexicans to pass along to the black gangs in L.A. and they give them out as souvenirs with each purchase.

Just thinking out loud here.


Opium for Asthma. Now this one mystifies me. I don't see how opium would help someone with asthma unless it helped them not to give a rats @$$.

Who needs air when you've got pink elephants dancing on the head of a pin, right? [lol]


Cocaine Tables from 1900All stage actors, singers, teachers and preachers had to have them for a maximum performance. Great to "smooth" the voice.

This explains some of the strange sermons and beliefs I've read about from that time period ...


Cocaine drops were very popular for children in 1885. Not only did they relieve the pain, they made the children happy!

No doubt.


And lastly, there was opium for newborns. I'm sure this would make them sleep well because not only is it Opium, but it's also 46% alcohol.

No comment.


And now you know why it's always called the Good 'Ol Days! They .. were .. just .. one .. big .. blur .....

I'm Just Wild About Wildflowers

High Power Lines
Hubby and I went for a little drive close to the house late last week. We were suffering from a severe case of cabin fever from all the rain (but I didn't shoot 6 holes in it ala Jimmy Buffet song). I figured with all this moisture there had to be wildflowers worth photographing. Thank goodness we have a Jeep! Our poor clay dirt road is a bit messy now.

We also rescued a water turtle from the road on Sunday. Poor thing was covered with mosquitoes and nearly got run over. Hubby put him in a pond close by but away from traffic.

Well, without any further ado, here's some local wildflower photos.


Butterfly weed with a Hoverfly
Butterfly weed is a prolific spring wildflower in Southeast Georgia. Yep. The butterflies love it! This one had a Hoverfly (Syrphidae) paying a visit. Hoverfly's are non-stinging and are very beneficial. They eat primarily Aphids. You'll usually see them 'hovering' very close to the ground in groups.


European Elderberry (Sambucus nigra)
The Elderberry is not only a lovely addition to the spring wildflowers, but the berries are used to make [hic] Elderberry Wine. Don't worry Pappy, we're not selling it. "So, don't send 'dem revenuers around here! There's nothing to see behind that barn ..." [hic]

It's not advisable to eat the berries raw. The Elderberry must be cooked to fully remove all the toxins. I don't think they'll kill anyone but you'll get an upset tummy for sure. Elderberries contain potassium and large amounts of vitamin C, and have been proven in quite a few recent studies to shorten the duration of cold and flu symptoms, as well as strengthen the immune system. Also, the dried leaves mixed with lanolin help relieve burns and sunburns.

Some folks make jam from them too. Anything that makes pie works for me! :o)


Lizard Tail (Saururus cernuus)
Now this nifty looking little plant is commonly called "Lizard Tail". It likes wet feet. You'll find them growing in profusion down near creek bottoms and anywhere it's wet but not too sunny. They're also easy to find because Lizard's tail has a distinctive orange like-smell.


Goat's Rue (Tephrosia virginiana)
And this is my Jewel In The Crown today, a Goat's Rue! You heard right Margaret, it's named after a Goat (but not in panties). It doesn't smell like one though. [giggle] This is a very uncommon site. I even e-mailed my fellow Georgian, Mildred, and asked her "What is THIS??!" Because although all the wildflower plant books say it is a native here I have never seen this lovely little plant before.

The Goat's Rue is in the Pea Family (Fabaceae). It has several common names: Rabbit's Pea, Hoary-Pea, Devil's Shoestrings and Catgut. They sound like alibi's to me, like it's on the lamb. I guess this one is hiding out because there are no other Goat's Rue near it.

Goat's Rue and related species may have been used as a fish poison by Indians in some parts of the Americas. Cherokee women used a root decoction to strengthen hair and Cherokee ball players applied the decoction to their limbs to "toughen" them. It was given it to children as a tea to make them strong. It was used by the Cherokee and other tribes in various medicines for treating conditions ranging from worms to urinary problems and tuberculosis.

There's a warning too, apparently this plant may irritate the skin and the seeds may be toxic.

Ya think???!

Medicinally, European Goat’s Rue is mainly used to increase milk flow, both in nursing humans and in dairy cattle. It is also one of the herbs which can be used to lower blood sugar levels. It is an appetite stimulant and digestive tonic which promotes production of the various digestive juices, and is extremely useful for treating chronic constipation.

And now you know.

Hope you enjoyed the 'walk' in the rain with us.

Thanks for stopping by!

Excuse Me But There's No Apologies Here

Just a quiet moment to pay tribute to all veterans and those actively serving in our armed services.

In our home we appreciate and support our military more than words can express, with no apologies.

And we will never forget your sacrifices so that we may be free.

May God richly bless you and your families. Stay safe dear ones.

Mr. Zip

Welcome to Postcard Friendship Friday.

My contribution today is Mr. Zip.

May 1963
Source
Our home received a similar notice like the one above in the early 1960's. It's too bad my father didn't save his. Who knew this would be a collectible?

I recall my father saying, "Our zip is 32780. Memorize that." (He was a man of few words.) Well, I did and I still remember the zip to this day.

Want to join in the fun of Postcard Friendship Friday? Everyone is welcome. This 'event' is hosted by my good friend Marie at Voila! Vintage Postcards. Be sure to leave a message at her blog so we'll all know to visit your place too.

Thanks for coming by! Have a great weekend y'all.

Too Old To Die Young

Happy Birthday To Me!

I LOVE birthdays!

Especially mine.

It means I'm still alive.

I like that.

It annoys all the right people.

So, we're out and about today. Hubby has plans that he won't share with me ... yet ... about what he has in store. So, you'll just have to wait too to see what the Sparkster et. el. where up to today. [smile]

In the meantime, how about some old photos?

The first one is my birthmother. Once I made up my mind to find her, it took me all of three weeks to find her burial location. Yeah, she was deceased by the time I got 'round to locating her. Mary died in a tragic auto accident in June of 1980 in Yulee, Florida, just about 18 months before my search.

Too little, too late.

But ... I have learned oodles about my roots irregardless. I'm still glad I searched (and so are many other folks going by all the e-mail of Thanks I get).

My birthmother, Marian Estelle "Mary" McMahan (left), and a friend
In the above photo, Mary was preggers with me. Being unmarried she wisely allowed me to be adopted by a loving married two parent family. I wish I could have told her "Thank you for not killing me". Sure do appreciate that.

Now finding my birthfather, since he wasn't named on my original birth certificate, is a real detective story! Pappy would have been proud of me. You can run, but you can't hide ... am I right Pappy? Never tell this ol' Bulldog (me) that something can't be done because then I will probably do it.

I've learned a lot in my short 53 years on Earth.

Here's a few of my pearls of wisdom. Feel free to leave your pearls too.

* After all my family research, and helping others do the same, I'm amazed at how closely related we all are.

* Life is very precious and every moment should be treasured. It can be tragically short or painfully long. But a good attitude makes the path a whole lot more pleasant.

* That friends may come and go, but they stay in our hearts forever.

* Our Judeo-Christian western European capitalist culture really is superior to all others. There's no denying history.

* That a loved ones smile or gentle touch at just the right moment is worth more than diamonds and gold.

* And mostly, but certainly not lastly, that God's love above all else stands the tests of time, even unto death. He is always there for us.

Now, off we go to celebrate the end of Sparky Birth Month. [tee hee]

Thanks for coming by and singing "Happy Birthday". Sing loud now so I can hear you!! :o)

Freshly Squeezed Sparky