Ssmom

SsMom posted on Gardening & Landscaping  I am an infrequest poster, mostly a lurker - I have a question for you gardening gurus - we have a large hydrangea in our yard - are you supposed to deadhead the blooms? They are fading. Thank you! June 27 at 10:44 EST .    Belwhatter  SsMom, not sure which is your climate zone - mine is zone 7 maritime climate; hydrangeas flourish hereabouts - After bloom I have found it best to leave the flowerheads to dry out, then remove them just before you suspect the first freeze. Leave stems in place until spring then gently prune - make sure you have two or three leaf buds showing in case a late frost does more damage. June 27 at 12:55 EST .  1 person like this.    SsMom  Thanks Belwhatter. I don't know what zone we are in - we are in Memphis. I didn't know if it would bloom more if the dead flowers were removed. June 27 at 15:32 EST .  1 person like this.

SsMom posted on Nostalgia  When I was growing up in a small town in northern Illinois (in the 50's ) we celebrated May Day on May 1. We (or our mothers ) would make small baskets out of paper cups, crepe paper and paper rafia (sp ) and fill them with candy. We then took the baskets to our friends' houses, left them on the porch, either rang the bell or knocked then ran away. No one I mention it to in this day and time has ever heard of that. It may have just been a local custom. I don't think they do it anymore. March 29 at 17:27 EST .    StarFire  Back in the late '50s I remember a Maypole at my elementary school in Texas. We practiced going in and out in opposite directions. After we were finally allowed to do it holding the ends of the ribbons we found we had woven them together around the pole. To second graders, it seemed like magic. March 30 at 01:54 EST .    Balogreene  In Rockford Il, my neighbor started the practice on our block. We made cones of construction paper puy penny candy in them, and a spring flower. March 30 at 07:00 EST .    SsMom  This was just south of Rockford, Balogreene, in Rochelle. March 30 at 11:58 EST .    Balogreene  I know Rochelle. Do you keep up the habit? I don't, but I start thinking about it this time of year. Some day I will bring in the baskets to the girls at work. They take so little to do. March 30 at 13:35 EST .    SsMom  No, I don't do it anymore. I live in Mississippi now and all my kids are grown and scattered. It WAS fun as a kid though to open the door and see what had been left! March 30 at 15:50 EST .

SsMom posted on Nostalgia  SsDad is watching the college world series and they showed two little girls in the crowd going to town on an ice cream cone. He said, "Remember getting an ice cream cone when you were a kid - they were SOOOO good!" We got to talking about how much better things tasted when we were kids - we seldom got a coke, but when we did, it was so good! We usually drank kool-aid and it was good. I had some the other day and it just didn't do anything for me! Anybody remember lick-em-aid? Pure sugar!! June 27 at 22:06 EST .    1 person like this.    MsCharlotteVale  Was that something in a straw? LOL. I remember when a cola was such a treat, as was ice cream. I remember when you could go to the gas station and they had tiny containers of ice cream for about a dime and you ate it with a wooden "spoon." It was actually a small, flat thing, not a spoon. June 28 at 01:20 EST .  1 person like this.    Betty Jean  Ooooh, I remember Lik-m-aid. And the colored fingers it produced. Ms. Char, you licked your finger, stuck it in the little packet of stuff that looked like jello powder, then sucked it off your finger. And the flavors were so good and true! I had read something about how so many people used to have to use credit at the little grocery stores and was telling DH about how when my mom would go pay the grocery ticket, the owner of the little store would send home one of those tiny little paper bags full of penny candy. We would get so excited. I also remember the strawberry ice cream cones from the counter in the drug store where you waited for the bus to go to Kansas City. And the counter in Woolworth's in downtown St. Louis where I changed buses coming home from work but would take the time sometimes to stop and have a hamburger and chocolate coke. My friend from high school (The School of the Ozarks ) worked at the sock counter in Woolworth's so I would stop and chat with her for a couple of minutes too. June 28 at 10:22 EST .    Betty Jean  There used to be a 5 & dime store in downtown Branson just filled to the brim with all the little things we loved - hair nets, cap pistols, sewing items, etc. I've not been in Branson for 10 years so I don't know if it is still there. June 28 at 12:53 EST .    Betty Jean  A tidbit of information on Sam Walton. I read his book some years ago and remember that he would fly to an area where he thought he wanted to put a store, go up in his little plane (and IIRC he was the pilot ) and see which direction would be the best for growing the town in. Then he bought property in that direction for the store. I also distinctly remember that Herself! was pictured with the Board of Directors - the only female. She was on the board when Slick was governor. June 28 at 12:59 EST .    Belwhatter  When I was a kid in London, our local Woolworths was the place to go - it was a place to spur dreams and make a promise to save one's allowance for a future purchase. The counters were at waist level about four feet deep, perfect for browsing.To my young mind they had everything a person could ever want in that store. Betty Jean, we only had lemonade powder to stick our fingers in from a triangular paper bag with two pennyworth of fizzy powder, plenty to give you the badge of honor, an orangey tongue and and an orangey finger tip. June 28 at 14:12 EST .    Rollingcow  There used to be 5 and Dimes here in our little town, they lasted until I was in high school then slowly died out. Now we have a scrapbooking store, a florist and a second hand clothing store. I rarely go into any of them although I do make it into the Hallmark Store now and again-it's the only store that never fixed the squeak in the floor. I asked the woman who owns it why not and she said it was one of her favorite childhood memories walking down what used to be an aisle filled with cheap plastic figures of dinosaurs, horses, airplanes and the like. We really bonded over that one. Mrs. Cow June 28 at 14:22 EST .    Dixonnh  Did anyone make cinnamon toothpicks? You'd get the cinnamon oil at the pharmacy, lay about 20 toothpicks on a piece of foil, poor little bit of the cinnamon oil on them, roll them up nice and tight and leave them for 24hrs. You only put one of those toothpicks in the corner of your mouth once.....it would blister. June 28 at 23:40 EST .    Betty Jean  I remember the cinnamon toothpicks but think I always got them out of the little toothpick holder at restaurants - and they weren't wrapped in plastic either, just like straws weren't wrapped. You flipped the little thingy and one dropped down. June 29 at 07:59 EST .

SsMom posted on Recipes  Here is a wonderful cool recipe for the coming summer. Tastes like a Dreamsicle! DREAMSICLE MOUSSE 1 box sugar-free orange flavored jello 1 cup boiling water 1 cup cold water 1 box sugar-free white chocolate instant pudding mix (I found it at Wal-Mart) 1 can mandarin oranges, drained 1 container (8 oz. size) fat-free cool whip PREPARATION: Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Add cold water and let set for 5 minutes. Using electric mixer, beat dry pudding mix into gelatin mixture until well blended. Fold in mandarin oranges and cool whip. Chill before serving. May 5 at 11:36 EST .    1 person like this.    Ynaught  That sounds like a winner! May 5 at 14:54 EST .  1 person like this.    Schatzi51  Printed this off for meself - wow! May 7 at 17:03 EST .  1 person like this.    Montanabound  Sounds delicious. It's so much easier to eat fewer calories with fat free cool whip and sugar free jello - they taste almost as good as the original products. May 8 at 22:16 EST .  1 person like this.    Ynaught  I made this and it is absolutely wonderful! DH couldn't resist it and ate most, so I will have to make more and hide it from him! heh heh May 13 at 08:41 EST .  1 person like this.    Bettijo  I just made this and it is delicious. I intended to "taste" it and ending up eating a big chunk out of it. Thanks. May 31 at 22:09 EST .  1 person like this.

SsMom posted on Gardening & Landscaping  I have a quick question...I live in the Memphis area and would like to put out a hummingbird feeder or two. When is the right time to do that? Thanks! April 5 at 17:08 EST .    Clipped wings  I don't live much south of you (northeastern AL) and I saw the first hummingbird yesterday. Today, I went out and bought a red mandevillia plant in a hanging basket to have near the feeder. This was the first time I had seem these plants in a basket but am eager to see how it will do. In anticipation of the birds' arrival, we had put out a feeder about a week ago. In this area, we can expect to see them from the middle of March onwards. April 5 at 18:01 EST .  1 person like this.    SsMom  Thanks, CW, I will get my feeders out today! April 6 at 10:18 EST .  1 person like this.    Cheese  Here in zone 4, Wisconsin, the rule of thumb is that feeders can be up from Mother's Day through Labor Day. Mother's Day is May 8th this year. I've also read that you should leave the feeder up in the late summer until you no longer see hummingbirds feeding at it. Conventional wisdom used to be that if you left it up too long at the end of summer, you'd encourage the birds to stick around too long. Now it seems to be thought that you can just leave it up and they know when to head south at the end of summer. As long as you still feed them, they'll have good nutrition until they leave. Happy spring to you all! April 7 at 16:26 EST .  1 person like this.    MsCharlotteVale  Thanks for the reminder, I'll fill my feeder tomorrow even though I haven't seen any hummingbirds yet; probably because I don't have any flowers out yet. April 8 at 01:55 EST .  1 person like this.    SsMom  I put two feeders up on Saturday afternoon the 9th, and the hummers started hitting it early the next morning. Have already seen several! Love to watch them. April 12 at 14:41 EST .  1 person like this.

SsMom posted on Jokes  LETTER TO MEN’S HELP LINE Hi Bob, I really need your advice on a serious problem: I have suspected for some time now that my wife has been cheating on me. The usual signs: if the phone rings and I answer, the caller hangs up; she goes out with the girls a lot. I try to stay awake to look out for her when she comes home but I usually fall asleep. Anyway, last night I hid in the shed behind the boat. About midnight she came home and got out of someone's car while buttoning her blouse; then she took her panties out of her purse and slipped them on. It was at that moment crouched behind the boat that I noticed a hairline crack in the outboard engine mounting bracket. Is that something I can weld or do I need to replace it? February 23 at 10:21 EST .

SsMom posted on Nostalgia  Saw this on another website - today is National Gumdrop Day. What is your favorite non-chocolate candy from days gone by?    February 15 at 17:01 EST .  View all 25 comments.    Schatzi51  Chuckles (sort of large, flat gumdrops). And nougats with jellies in them we called "frenchies", and Bonomo's Turkish taffy! Wax lips, candy lipstick, candy necklaces, red licorice, Dots, pixie stix - omigosh - you've started something! February 15 at 17:19 EST .    SsMom  I DID start something, didn't I, Schatzi? LOL! I like gumdrops but used to love Chuckles. I would save the red and black and eat them last as they were the best! February 15 at 17:50 EST .    Rollingcow  I thought I was the only one who did that SsMom! Dad used to bring Chuckles home for us and I always got the black ones since my brothers didn't like them. I'm a bit of a black licorice freak and love Nibs, Dad also brought these home and we were the only ones who liked them. Mrs. Cow February 15 at 18:33 EST .    Ynaught  Squirrel nut zippers, Charleston Chews and Mary Janes were my faves. I also like that neapolitan striped coconut candy. Don't know what it is called, but I always loved it. February 15 at 18:48 EST .    Rollingcow  Those coconut things were the best! I can't think of what they were called. I still buy Charleston Chews (chocolate is my favorite) and keep them in the freezer, I love that they sell them in bite size now. The grandboy knows where they are and I have to remind him not to shove a chair up to Grandma's fridge and help himself, the granddaughter hasn't figured it out yet, apparently she thinks they're just manna from Heaven. Mrs. Cow February 15 at 19:25 EST .    Paget51  Those coconut stripes were so good! I also loved candy cigarettes and the blue or pink bubblegum cigars. February 15 at 21:22 EST .    Yottyhere  We use to buy these red balls that LOOKED like the candy Boston Baked Beans but those were hard and crunchy...these red balls were soft and squishy and SO SWeeT they made your teeth ache :D They didnt come in a container we use to buy them at the little Syrian grocery store that had a penny candy counter...they had this window counter display with about 40 shoe box size containers filled with different candies they all cost a penny a piece. You would go in and get a little brown bag and tell the lady you were going to get 20 cents worth of penny candy and she would stand next to you when you picked them out. We just called them RED BALLS. never could find them again....they might have been some Syrian confection February 15 at 21:36 EST .    MsCharlotteVale  I remember penny candy in little brown paper bags. The grocer was very patient while we pointed to various candies. A quarter's worth of candy was worth its weight in gold! February 16 at 03:39 EST .    BetterNow  Bit-o-honey, and something we called "dog bones". They were about the size of half the length of your finger, crunchy with a peanut butter flavor, and had a cocanutty type of coating February 16 at 10:32 EST .    Surfhut  Pixy Stix. Not candy, but I loved those little cloth drawstring bags filled with pieces of gum that were supposed to look like gold nuggets. And hard candy that tasted like root beer. It's a wonder I still have a tooth in my head. February 16 at 12:47 EST .  View all 25 comments.

SsMom posted on Shopper's Beware Caveat Emptor  Has anyone tried "TV Ears?" I have seen them advertised and wondered if they really work. SSDad has to have the TV so loud so he can hear it that I can't sit in the same room with him. With the TV Ears, supposedly he can put them on and control the volume of what he hears without having the TV so loud the neighbors can hear it! He is not ready to try hearing aids so I thought this might bridge the gap, if they work. February 4 at 14:49 EST .    Nugoddess  Spend a couple of bucks and get remote headphones for SsDad. My dad is just about deaf and relies on his headphones - it's the only way any can tolerate his television. He has Sony brand - I think they're about $200.00 but you may be able to get a better deal on them. They're rechargeable and come with a ''cradle'' to recharge the headphones. February 4 at 21:31 EST .    Gerty  As usual, Nugoddess is right. Have been wearing them for years! You can do much better on the price at Radio Shack and they are just as good. Best feature-you can go from room to room and not miss a word. I have a two hundred ft. driveway and I can still hear Rush when I go pick up the mail. Yes, same remote headphones also work for my computer sound system. You won't regret this purchase. February 5 at 12:43 EST .    SsMom  Thank you both, you may have saved my last nerve! ha! I know he can't help it that he can't hear well anymore, but dang that TV is loud! I will go to Radio Shack tomorrow and see what they have. February 5 at 18:32 EST .    Bettijo  My daughter gave me TV ears a couple of years ago. They did not last very long and did not work very well prior to expiring. I would not recommend them. February 15 at 19:59 EST .    Yifin  I've gone the other way and got myself foam earplugs. I can still hear the TV and it sure helps my nerves! February 24 at 09:58 EST .    Texastealady  Gerty & Nugoddess ~ I know my TV is too loud but I am losing some hearing & miss some dialogue which is especially annoying. I'm not ready for hearing aids either, but please explain how remote headphones work - I presume you're talking wireless, so how are they connected to TV? Radio? Computer? I have ear buds SIL gave me for Christmas but they are plugged into the computer which is, of course, a wire. So, not exactly remote ~ but Gerty says she can go down her driveway 200' and still hear Rush on the radio. Please 'splain y'all..... March 6 at 14:30 EST .

SsMom posted on Jokes  Like the Boy Scouts say: "Be prepared. THE WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TRAVEL WARNING DUE TO COLD WEATHER They suggest that anyone traveling in the current blizzard conditions should make certain they carry the following: - Shovel - Blankets or sleeping bag - Extra clothing including hat and gloves - 24 hours worth of food - De-icer - Rock salt - Flashlight with spare batteries - Road flares or reflective triangles - Full spare gas can - First aid kit - Booster cables I looked like an idiot on the bus this morning. February 3 at 10:16 EST .    2 people like this.    Yottyhere  hahahahaha February 3 at 11:54 EST .    Schatzi51  Hohohohhohohohoho! February 3 at 19:16 EST .    Nugoddess  Ss Mom, I totally stole that joke! Loved it! February 4 at 08:23 EST .    SsMom  Nugoddess - glad you liked it! Actually I stole it from someone too! Too good to keep to myself! February 4 at 09:56 EST .

SsMom posted on Nostalgia  Anybody remember "spoolies?" They were pink plastic rollers for your hair. I found some when we cleaned out my mother's house after her death-they fell apart when I tried to use it. I also found some pop beads! January 30 at 17:37 EST .  View all 15 comments.    MsCharlotteVale  Yes, I remember every painful, uncomfortable hair roller. I was relieved when messy hair became stylish. I also remember when few people had hair dryers so we had to sleep on rollers (or try to sleep). January 30 at 19:01 EST .    MsCharlotteVale  I also remember when people washed their hair once a week, whether or not they needed it. (LOL) Lots of women used to go to the beauty parlor once a week and then before they went to bed they'd roll toilet paper around their hairdos or wear those things that look like shower caps to keep that hair styled until their next appointment. It's no wonder that short hair became popular at some point in our history. (My inability to style my hair has always been an issue with me. I still can't hold a hair blower in one hand and work a brush with the other hand.) January 30 at 20:29 EST .    Hammock  I remember... I also remember Dippety Doo hair setting gel. Schools had no air conditioning and the sweat would make the Dippety Doo gel turn liquid again, and it would roll down your neck. At the same time the starch was going out of your crinolines and you had to go to the girl's room to rotate the 2 or 3 you were wearing to fluff up the flat spot in the back. January 30 at 20:58 EST .    MsCharlotteVale  Geez, I so remember Dippety Doo! There probably wasn't a grooming product that I didn't buy at least once in the '70s. They didn't make me look better and I wish I had saved all of that money, I'd be rich. January 30 at 21:33 EST .    Yottyhere  My mother did my hair up on Saturday nights in freaking rags so I looked like the biggest dork in the area. THEN relatives would come over to play cards or watch our TV. Years later I asked Mom why she humilated me that way LOL and she told me she had no idea I was upset about it at all. Sure, I am walking around like a mobile ragbag and I wouldn't be upset! Next day was even worse then I had to walk around with these sausage curls that everyone would pull to see them bounce and say "boinga boinga" My sister got to wear a pageboy hair style and I got to look like a Good Ship Lollipop refugee. I think I will pout. January 30 at 21:37 EST .    MsCharlotteVale  I remember my mother washing my hair with Tide detergent because we couldn't afford shampoo for some time. The "conditioner" was cold vinegar and water. Rich people used to use lemon juice rinse on blond hair and vinegar on dark hair. The upside is that there weren't any chemicals in vinegar and lemon juice. It does make me laugh nowadays. January 30 at 21:44 EST .    Yottyhere  I know some of my girlfriends when I was growing up would shampoo in Tide if they had oily hair. They said it dried up the oil. January 30 at 22:10 EST .    MsCharlotteVale  It probably dried up our brains but that's an issue for another day. January 30 at 22:15 EST .    Rollingcow  Oh, Yotty, you brought back a memory that has been dormant. My Grandma used to do my hair in rags whenever she could get hold of me. I can remember going to school with banana curls and being laughed at as it so wasn't the style in the early 70's. When ever I make one of the grandbabies do something they don't want to I tell the Calf I drop a dollar into my money box, not so the kids can go to college, but for future visits to the shrink, too bad my folks didn't do the same, I'm thinking the memories this wall is bringing up is going to drive me to it. Mrs. Cow January 30 at 22:21 EST .    Ynaught  I remember washing my hair with either Breck or Prell, about the only shampoos available, in only one color, fragrance and purpose. Then I would roll my hair with orange juice concentrate cans and sit on the floor with my head stuck under a dryer that looked like R2-D2 for a couple hours waiting for my hair to dry. Eventually I could come out from under the dryer and comb my hair out to look just like Annette Funicello! Well, maybe not just like her - but that was the plan! How is it that I ever had the time to sit under the dryer for so long? Now I may have time for 5 minutes with the blow dryer if I am lucky. I am conveniently forgetting the hours spent on the computer during my day because that time is necessary for my peace of mind! January 31 at 09:48 EST .  View all 15 comments.

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