Winter Scenes

Just three more pieces of busy work completed on a very dreary and cold day. I used Paul the Blogger's photograph original of a winter scene for these. Sure hope he doesn't mind.

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Memory of Remedies

This morning as I applied Corn Husker’s Lotion to my wrinkly old face, it brought back memories from a LONG time ago. My mother had a pump and bottle contraption attached to the doorway frame between the kitchen and dining room. It was used as often as the old can opener that was attached to the same board. The Corn Husker’s Lotion has the same texture and aroma as the contents of that pump bottle. Everyone in the home used this lotion frequently. Winter chapped cheeks, sunburned shoulders, scraped knees, and dishwasher’s hands benefitted by its regular utilization. I remember it was called Italian Balm. It smelled nice and, if you licked it, it was sweet. (Yes, I tasted it back then.) Off to the computer for some research I went. 

Ingredients list for Campana’s Italian Balm Cosmetic in Clinical Toxicology of Commercial Products by Marion N. Gleason, 1957, published by Williams and Wilkins 

Essential oils 

Alcohol 

*Phenol 

*Benzoic Acid 

*Gum Tragacanth 

Glycerin 

*Sorbitol 

FYI:  Every American soldier carried a bottle of Italian Balm to treat and to prevent burns. 

*Phenol
Phenol, also known as carbolic acid, is an aromatic organic compound with the molecular formula C₆H₅OH. It is a white crystalline solid that is volatile. The molecule consists of a phenyl group bonded to a hydroxyl group.

Soluble in water

Drug class: Melanin Synthesis Inhibitor

*Benzoic acid
Benzoic acid, is a colorless crystalline solid and a simple aromatic carboxylic acid. C₇H₆O₂. The name is derived from gum benzoin, which was for a long time its only known source.

Drug Class: Nitrogen Binding Agent

*Gum Tragacanth

Gum tragacanth is a viscous, odorless, tasteless, water-soluble mixture of polysaccharides obtained from sap which is drained from the root of the plant and dried. As a mucilage or paste, it has been used as a topical treatment for burns. It is used in pharmaceuticals and foods as an emulsifier, thickener, stabilizer, and texturant additive.

*Sorbitol
Sorbitol, also known as glucitol, is a sugar alcohol derived from fruits, corn, and seaweed. It has a sweet taste which the human body metabolizes slowly. It can be obtained by reduction of glucose, changing the aldehyde group to a hydroxyl group.

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Then the memory of Italian Balm led to a memory of using a yellow vaseline that also smelled nice (to me). My grandmother smeared it on me when we sat on her front porch in the evening to keep away bugs. Yes, we used citronella sometimes, but I always preferred the vaseline. It was also a lip balm. It smelled so good!  Back to researching again. I love the internet for this very reason. My curiosity is often satisfied.

Carbolated Vaseline:

Chesebrough Manufacturing Company

 “This perfect antiseptic dressing is the safest way of utilizing the cleansing and healing values of Carbolic Acid, with the soothing comfort of Vaseline.”

Only Carbolated Vaseline was still on the market when Chesebrough joined with Pond’s in 1955 and it lasted another twenty years or so before it too was discontinued.

Source: http://www.cosmeticsandskin.com/companies/chesebrough.php

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No, I haven’t forgotten another often-applied salve. My use of Resinol is a family tradition as well. My grandmother, mother and I have all used it for multiple kinds of irritations and I still do today. It works, I swear by it. It is still being manufactured. Yea!!

I Lied

When I saw the wonderful photos my friend in NJ took today I couldn't help myself. I manipulated! Sorry I promised on my "End of Mania" post not to make more. (for a while) She had 3 separate and awesome photos and I stuck them together.

 It was a bird-brain afternoon. 

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DANG!

Yesterday as we were taking a short trip into town we almost hit a ring-necked pheasant that was right in the middle of the road here at the lake. I didn't have the camera with me. DANG!

Today at lunchtime the Mister looked out on the lake and saw a pair of coyotes on the ice. He knew what they were because he viewed them with his trusty binoculars. They ran right up into a stand of fir trees before I could get out there with my camera. DANG!

I'm gonna have to get my act together!!

Nice Lookout

It was ZERO this morning and at 8AM the sun shone through the windows. I like sun.

So I stepped out into the cold.

And quickly returned inside.

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End of Mania

I promise to not make more of these for a while. 

A friend's Great Niece

A Friend

Photo Foolery

Yes, I’m at it again. I never claim to be an artist, but I do admit to pretending - especially in the winter.

Great Grandson

Friend's Granddaughter

The trouble is, I NEVER know when to stop!

Great niece lost first tooth

Yes, it's Cold

I don't know what the temperature went down to during the night but it IS colder today. I took this picture at 8am. 

 A neighbor, who lives about eight miles away, has a larger log home with a wood stove, two Eden Pure infrared heaters and their oil furnace going! Here, we only have the propane gas fireplace and are comfortable.  The interior of the cabin measures 24' x 36' which is 864 square feet. Remember that we have no ceilings and the rooms are open right up to the rafters.

I have shown these items before, and still like knowing and showing how we prepare for winter. The leaf blower actually will blow away light snow from areas we travel when we go out. The big snow blower will take care of deeper and heavier accumulations AND the pile in front of the truck from the township snowplow. We cover this blower with one of my old horse muck buckets! It keeps snow off of the engine. "Whatever works" is the theme here. The chair is for resting during outdoor task periods. (When age creeps in, stamina sneaks out.)

Of course there is the snow shovel, snow and ice scraper and broom handy. The ice slicer pellets are kept in refillable containers. This stuff is an all-natural high performance granual de-icer which makes getting to the truck and mailbox possible when conditions are icy. If a visitor comes when we're not home he can tell us about it. Please don't set off the mouse trap though! The four little ice block coolers are leaving space in my refrigerator freezer during cold weather.

The generator is important to us all year around. 

The cabin holds sturdy arms around me.

It is permanence.

It is safety.

It is sanctuary.

It is Tranquillity.

  

Normal Winter

I submitted a photo I took at 7am to our regional news station and the chief meteorologist used it on the noontime news program. The weather hasn’t been “normal” this time of year and it finally is getting cold as it should be. 

The temperature has been dropping all day and now, at 4:40pm it is hovering just above ZERO. 

I wonder what tomorrow morning will bring!