Catching Up With Readers

The summer has been so busy that I missed a few comments and questions along the way. I thought today I would catch up with readers:)

I live in northern Ohio, Huron and we are finally cooling off a little bit today. We have had some rain and everything is perking up. The sky has the fall look to it today. The prairie grass in the back is starting to bloom. The Indian Grass is starting to look beautiful and the Little Blue Stem on the front hill is starting to look beautiful too, it has not turned its bronze color yet but it is near. My ornamental grasses are starting to bloom too. I do love this time of year. But there is something nice about every season. ~Marlene

I agree with Marlene, my grasses are looking pretty too. One of my favorite things this year though were the gladiolas that I forgot to dig up last year. They came back beautifully despite my forgetfulness. I think we had enough snow that they had good insulation and I had planted them deep enough that they weren't killed off by the cold. Volunteer blooms are always the loveliest:) This is one of the gladiolas below in front of my Maiden Grass.


Salmon Burgers ~ My mom used to make these when we were kids. I asked her for the recipe and attempted to make it myself, but picking out the bones took forever! When you say to "pick out the bones," do you mean just the larger bones or every single bone there? ~topiaryrose

I should have put a note in about the bones. Sorry about that! I only pick out the round hard bones that are the vertebrae of the fish. The others are so tiny and soft that they just mix in with the salmon and the breadcrumbs. I've also read that those teeny bones add to the nutrients of the recipe.

As a retired teacher, I thank you for raising, caring children. They will be successful adults you can continue to be proud of NOW, what is a 'Johnny-Jump-Up? ~Elizabeth

You are welcome Elizabeth. I hope they grow up to teach their children about the nature around them just like I did. Below is a picture of a Johnny-Jump-Up:

The proper name is Viola cornuta (Violaceae). It looks like a cross between a pansy and a violet, and the petals are always a mixture of purple and yellow. It's much tinier than a pansy, about half the size.

Thanks everyone! Remember, you can email me with questions and comments, and even if I don't respond immediately, I will when time allows.

~Brenda

Questions from our Facebook Fans

As you know, we set up a facebook fan page for Old Fashioned Living. There have been several questions that have gone unanswered as of late, so I thought I would turn to you, our loyal blog readers for help! Here they are, you can post your answers in the comments, reply to the email you receive, or post the answers directly on our fan page.

From Beth Mitchell
Does anyone know how to increase egg production? I have about 53 layers and I am getting around 30-34 eggs a day.

From Barbara Cole
Looking for a good pickled beets recipe for canning. I know its early but I'm getting ready!

From Angela Desilets Murray
I am attempting my first real herb garden, any suggestions?? We have a farm but really don't know a whole lot about anything, we have six goats that we just love and seven old bettys (chickens) that are more like pets cause we only get two to three eggs a day... time to retire them. And a rabbit. I am also putting in the biggest garden that I have ever attempted to do. I am so excited.

From Kim Bowen
Grandma did it! I have a very old family, I am the last GD of the last DD. My grandma raised cotton and had a card and spinning wheel. What did your grandma do to inspire your love for old fashioned things?

Thanks everyone!

Readers Questions: Rose Water and More

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. ~Anne Frank

It's sunny and warm here in Michigan. I need to get out and do some last minute landscape chores, but first I wanted to post these questions and answers I'd been working on. Thanks for sending them in!

Can you give me ideas for using Rose Water? A friend sent me a 4 oz. bottle, product of Lebanon, but I don't know what to do with it. Thank you, and love your e-letter- Sharon S.

Rose water can be used as a flavoring, much like vanilla. BUT, since I don't know if yours is safe for consumption I'm going to share the non-edible tidbits. If your friends knows, or if it states on the bottle that it's safe for ingesting you can use it in drinks and recipes.

Rose water is excellent for your skin too. It's a natural make-up remover, used with a cotton ball to gently wipe away make-up. It's also a natural refresher for your skin or a cleanser. To use it as a cleanser, place 1/2 cup in a bottle, then add 1 tsp. of glycerin, which can usually be found at a pharmacy or health food store. Use this mixture as a cleanser. You can also add a little witch hazel to the rose water and use it as a toner. Apply with a cotton ball, then rinse gently. Lastly, you can use it with your lotion. Place a little lotion in your hand, then add a tiny bit of rose water. Apply this to your skin as you normally would. Your friend gave you a lovely, old fashioned gift.

I have a bowl/vase made of semi-vertious porcelain. Made in the late 1800's. The number on the bottom is 34. Can you tell me anything about the porcelain from that time and the value. ~Donna

I've gotten many emails in the past asking about the value of a collectible or antique. Unfortunately, this is something that requires an expertise that I don't have. I love owning and admiring collectibles to be sure (especially tea sets!), but I don't have the foggiest notion of value. I did some looking and I think the About.com section on collectibles is a really good place for you start your research. They have articles and links that are very helpful. You can visit it here: http://collectibles.about.com/od/priceguidesonline/u/PriceGuidesAZ.htm

I have bought several different colored bath towels and they always seem to loose color immediately, why? It's splotchy where they loose color, the last set the kids grabbed before they were laundered and they lost color too, I don't know what I am doing wrong. Thanks! ~Maryann

This could be several things. First, be sure no one in the family is using something that would cause the dye to wash out, such as an acne cleanser or a strong facial wash. If they are, try using white hand towels when they are drying their face. Sometimes if you are using a powder detergent it can clump and cause blotches on towels. Make sure you dissolve the powder as the washer starts to fill, then add the towels. Lastly, if the towels you buy aren't made in the US, they might have a lesser quality of dyes used in the fabric. Other countries don't always have the quality standards that we do. In the future you could try buying towels made in the US.

If you try all of these things and they still blotch, the only thing left is to buy light colored towels. At least it wouldn't be as noticeable.

A few years ago we tackled towel care on Old Fashioned Living. It was amazing the tips that came in from readers! I ended up putting them on a page so everyone could view them. You can read the tips here: http://oldfashionedliving.com/towels.html

~Brenda

Reader's Questions and More Tips

May you have warm words on a cold evening,a full moon on a dark night,and a smooth road all the way to your door.~An Irish Blessing

Today I have a couple great questions, and tips that were sent in by readers.

I've recently bought a beautiful Edwardian parasol. It's beige linen, with a wooden handle and tip, metal fittings. Unfortunately the parasol is stained in the folds, almost looks 'tea dyed'. I'd like to clean it and get it back to it's basic creamy linen. Do you happen to have any guidelines for me? I was thinking of using either Oxiclean or Bix, in a big galvanized tub on the patio - soaking the parasol, then rinsing with hose and putting in the sun. But I don't want to ruin it, or make it worse than it is. Can you share a bit of your expertise with this vintage novice?

~Best,Kat

I'm going to say, since it seems to be made of linen, to follow the same directions in caring for vintage linen, which I have on OFL: http://oldfashionedliving.com/vintagefabric.html Be sure to test a spot first, before doing the entire umbrella.

I think you could carefully clean the wooden parts with Murphy's Oil Soap or another gentle wood cleaner. I'm a little concerned with soaking the entire umbrella because you'd have to soak the wooden pieces too, but it may be the only thing you can do.

I need a plant hanger for the topsy turvy tomato plants that I want to grow. I can't put them on the porch because there is no sun or rain for the plants and I am looking for a metal plant hanging stand for the tomato plants. ~Sue

I know many people hang them from metal clothes line poles, or make wood frames to hang them from. If you look closely at the pictures in the article about growing tomatoes upside down you can see the wood frame the author used: http://oldfashionedliving.com/tomato2.html
As far as the clothes line poles, you may even be able to find one or two by asking around. People will often have them sitting around unused if they are no longer drying clothing outside. Another easy thing to use for upside down tomatoes are shepherds hooks. You will need the tall variety, but they are sturdy and should easily hold the tomato plant. They also have the ones with a hook on each side, which would work great.

These are tips sent in last week by our readers:

Ah Yes, SQUIRRELS! One was caught in my chimney. It had slipped below the baffle. It was a baby and the mother had evidently been dropping food to it. She was too big to get in the baffle. I had to hire a critter catcher, who had to tear off part of the chimney to get the baby. Well that was not too good.

I had everything repaired and painted, and as workers were doing that job, they had a big critter jump out of the chimney. Scared them half to death and they nearly fell off the 4 story scaffolding that was their work area for the repair. Yes, I do have workman's insurance, but they were okay, just scared. I have had squirrels get in my attic, more critter catcher $$$$$. They can really chew through anything. They have chewed up TV cables and phone lines. I have a backyard that is all trees, and they just bounce all over. I hate to admit but sometimes I let the dogs out to chase them, but it does not deter them. Chihuahuas somehow do not seem to evoke the fear of being eaten in critters, and the squirrels will sometimes come right up against glass door, as dogs go into frenzied lunging against door, and hysterical barking...Squirrels, turns around, gives a flip of its tail, and is gone. Do you think the tail flip is like a human giving the Jimmy Carter 1 finger wave that he talked about? ~Isabelle in Atlanta

Friends of mine just completed a complete rebuild of an exterior wall of their two story house. They had a squirrel feeder on a second floor deck as the Grandmother used to love to sit in her "office" up there and play solitaire on the computer and watch the birds, squirrels and hummingbirds at the various feeders. Little did they realize that all the seed knocked off the bird and squirrel feeders onto the ground below as being eaten up by rats. With an ample food supply, the population of rats soared although no one was aware of it. In order to be close to the never ending food supply during the cold and rainy winter months, the rats began chewing through the foundation and walls of the first floor library. This continued until the inevitable day when rats were seen running throughout the first floor rooms and the resulting close inspection of the foundation and walls revealed an enormous warren of rat runs. Needless to say, there is no more feeding of squirrels and the work is just about complete on the rebuild of the affected first story walls and floors. I suppose the best lesson to learn from this is that squirrels are best fed well away from the house or barn. In winter there are all too many creatures vying for those bits of dropped seed! ~Jacqui in California

ODOR HELP
Just wanted to let you know that Walmart and some hardware stores sell a product called "Just One Drop" that eliminates odors on or in anything. I've heard that it works by breaking protein bonds that bind the odor to the plastic, vinyl, cloth, etc. ~Jacqui

Reader's Questions: Squirrel Problems

If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it. ~Mary Engelbreit

Every Wednesday I'll be answering reader's questions. If you have an additional tip on the topic please post them in the comments. We love reader's tips!

Squirrels are eating my house alive. Nothing I do seems to scare them. They run across my attic and have eaten holes in the side of my eaves so that they can run in and out. ~Elayne

When I lived in the city the squirrels were without mercy. They chewed holes in plastic tubs, tore up plants, ate vegetables from my small garden and caused so much damage. There are many things people recommend. None of them work ALL of the time, so it's a matter of trying different methods until one works for you.

Hot peppers and cayenne pepper are worth a try. You can melt petroleum wax or petroleum jelly with halved hot peppers, then cool it, and smear it where the squirrels are chewing. This may be a solution for parts of the house they are damaging. You can try sprinkling cayenne pepper down too. However if have cats or dogs you'll want to limit this to where they can't get to it.

Sheet metal, chicken wire or 1/4-inch wire hardware cloth can be used to cover areas they are getting into also. You should use this in the spot or spots they are getting into the attic through. Just an extra note: I used chicken wire over garden beds after planting bulbs with good success.

Moth balls placed where they are doing damage may help too, but again, you want to keep these away from kids and pets.

I need some help on how to keep squirrels away from my fruit trees.I have tried home remedies and those sacks they tie into the trees and nothing has worked. Last year I didn't get but one peach from 3 of my trees,the squirrels took them green even. I'd appreciate any help. ~Darlene

Moth balls hung in the trees in the spring before the trees start blooming may help. You'll need to replace them as the smell lessens. You can use knee high nylons tied at the top, or old nylons cutting the legs off to hold the moth balls. Hang them from the tree branches, but where they aren't touching the fruit. Make sure the moth balls are a good brand, and haven't been sitting on a shelf so long that the smell has weakened. The rain and air will weaken the odor, so replacing them will be important right up until you harvest the peaches.

Other than this you could try hanging pie plates and other noisy items in the tree, but I doubt this will deter an aggressive squirrel.

We have more tips on wildlife pests on OFL:
http://oldfashionedliving.com/gardenpests2.html