Handy hints

Some time ago I seem to remember someone in this group asking about a
way of removing scorch marks from linen. In the back of my wife's
favourite cookery book (published in 1927 by the Yorkshire Federation of
Women's Institutes) are some handy, non-cookery hints. Some hints are
still relevant today, others less so...
Scorch marks may be removed from linen by rubbing with a freshly cut
onion and afterwards soaking in cold water.
If a handful of common salt is added to rinsing water during frosty
weather, clothes hung in the garden will be kept from freezing until
they are dry.
One teaspoonful of methylated spirits added to rinsing water for
table cloths and other starched things does away with starch.
White paper should not be used for wrapping around articles that are
to be put away for the chloride of lime in it will destroy the colour of
the fabric. Yellow or blue paper is by far the best for that purpose.
Try baiting the mousetrap with a little chocolate nougat when the
mice ignore the usual bait. Or paint around mouse holes with oil of
peppermint and the mice will soon leave the place as they dislike it
intensely.
Rub the bars of the firegrate with a cut onion before using blacklead
and they will keep black much longer.
When packing your case for an holiday cut several pieces of cardboard
slightly smaller than the case; then fold each dress carefully, wrap in
tissue paper and tie on the cardboard. They can be lifted out easily and
are always straight.
--
Bruce Fletcher
Stronsay, Orkney
www.stronsay.co.uk/claremont
(Remove teeth to reply)

"Bruce" wrote in message
...
Some time ago I seem to remember someone in this group asking about a way
of removing scorch marks from linen. In the back of my wife's favourite
cookery book (published in 1927 by the Yorkshire Federation of Women's
Institutes) are some handy, non-cookery hints. Some hints are still
relevant today, others less so...
Scorch marks may be removed from linen by rubbing with a freshly cut
onion and afterwards soaking in cold water.
If a handful of common salt is added to rinsing water during frosty
weather, clothes hung in the garden will be kept from freezing until they
are dry.
One teaspoonful of methylated spirits added to rinsing water for table
cloths and other starched things does away with starch.
White paper should not be used for wrapping around articles that are to
be put away for the chloride of lime in it will destroy the colour of the
fabric. Yellow or blue paper is by far the best for that purpose.
Try baiting the mousetrap with a little chocolate nougat when the mice
ignore the usual bait. Or paint around mouse holes with oil of peppermint
and the mice will soon leave the place as they dislike it intensely.
Rub the bars of the firegrate with a cut onion before using blacklead
and they will keep black much longer.
When packing your case for an holiday cut several pieces of cardboard
slightly smaller than the case; then fold each dress carefully, wrap in
tissue paper and tie on the cardboard. They can be lifted out easily and
are always straight.
--
Bruce Fletcher
Stronsay, Orkney
www.stronsay.co.uk/claremont
(Remove teeth to reply)

Good Lord, Bruce - those bring back memories! Peanut butter is even more
tempting than chocolate for mousebait, by the way!

Pat

Pat P wrote:
Good Lord, Bruce - those bring back memories! Peanut butter is even more
tempting than chocolate for mousebait, by the way!

We found that a cat was the best deterrent. Since the arrival of Surrey
we have neither seen or heard any signs of mice
--
Bruce Fletcher
Stronsay, Orkney
www.stronsay.co.uk/claremont
(Remove teeth to reply)

"Bruce" wrote in message
...
Pat P wrote:
Good Lord, Bruce - those bring back memories! Peanut butter is even more
tempting than chocolate for mousebait, by the way!

We found that a cat was the best deterrent. Since the arrival of Surrey we
have neither seen or heard any signs of mice


Not so in our house.

Or these 'Merikan mice are bordering on retarded...

We have *12* cats and we *still* get mice! Occasionally I will find one (or
a part of one - ick) in the middle of the living room floor. One had been
seriously licked by the dog (and was getting the stare-of-death from 7
cats), but still alive. That one (drenched in doggie-drool) was taken
outside, and apparently recovered! I kept my eye on it for a while, and
after about an hour, it came out of it's drool-induced "coma" and toddled
off. It was summer, so the drool dried fairly quickly!

--
http://www.firstgiving.com/nalee1131964

On Sat, 28 Jul 2007 09:57:07 -0400, "Magic Mood Jeep"
wrote:
X-No-Archive Yes


Not so in our house.

Or these 'Merikan mice are bordering on retarded...

We have *12* cats and we *still* get mice! Occasionally I will find one (or
a part of one - ick) in the middle of the living room floor. One had been
seriously licked by the dog (and was getting the stare-of-death from 7
cats), but still alive. That one (drenched in doggie-drool) was taken
outside, and apparently recovered! I kept my eye on it for a while, and
after about an hour, it came out of it's drool-induced "coma" and toddled
off. It was summer, so the drool dried fairly quickly!

I heard the results of a study that showed that not all cats are
mousers. Mousers have a genetic marker that makes them as they are.
My old cat was a terriffic mouser and he ate well, so even making the
cat hungry will not make it hunt mice unless it has the marker. The
study showed some cats would starve while mice ran around them.

Magic Mood Jeep wrote:
"Bruce" wrote
We found that a cat was the best deterrent. Since the arrival of
Surrey we have neither seen or heard any signs of mice

Not so in our house.
Or these 'Merikan mice are bordering on retarded...
We have *12* cats and we *still* get mice! Occasionally I will find one
(or a part of one - ick) in the middle of the living room floor. One
had been seriously licked by the dog (and was getting the stare-of-death
from 7 cats), but still alive. That one (drenched in doggie-drool) was
taken outside, and apparently recovered! I kept my eye on it for a
while, and after about an hour, it came out of it's drool-induced "coma"
and toddled off. It was summer, so the drool dried fairly quickly!

I don't know whether Surrey is any good at actually catching mice as
we've not seen her in mouse-catching action. However, if any stray
beetle, spider or other creepy-crawlie is foolish enough to wander into
the house and make any slight movement whilst in Surrey's field of
vision then Surrey leaps into action. She chases and corners the poor
creature before playing with it for ages, often allowing it to escape
across the floor before casually strolling over and recapturing it,
until we cannot watch any more and have to put the creature out of its
misery. Surrey is also extremely fast on her feet as we've noticed when
she plays with one of the table tennis balls that someone bought her for
Christmas - yes, Surrey is a very, very pampered pet!
--
Bruce Fletcher
Stronsay, Orkney
www.stronsay.co.uk/claremont
(Remove teeth to reply)

On Jul 28, 8:07 am, Bruce wrote:
Magic Mood Jeep wrote:
"Bruce" wrote
We found that a cat was the best deterrent. Since the arrival of
Surrey we have neither seen or heard any signs of mice

Not so in our house.
Or these 'Merikan mice are bordering on retarded...
We have *12* cats and we *still* get mice! Occasionally I will find one
(or a part of one - ick) in the middle of the living room floor. One
had been seriously licked by the dog (and was getting the stare-of-death
from 7 cats), but still alive. That one (drenched in doggie-drool) was
taken outside, and apparently recovered! I kept my eye on it for a
while, and after about an hour, it came out of it's drool-induced "coma"
and toddled off. It was summer, so the drool dried fairly quickly!

I don't know whether Surrey is any good at actually catching mice as
we've not seen her in mouse-catching action. However, if any stray
beetle, spider or other creepy-crawlie is foolish enough to wander into
the house and make any slight movement whilst in Surrey's field of
vision then Surrey leaps into action. She chases and corners the poor
creature before playing with it for ages, often allowing it to escape
across the floor before casually strolling over and recapturing it,
until we cannot watch any more and have to put the creature out of its
misery. Surrey is also extremely fast on her feet as we've noticed when
she plays with one of the table tennis balls that someone bought her for
Christmas - yes, Surrey is a very, very pampered pet!
--
Bruce Fletcher
Stronsay, Orkney
www.stronsay.co.uk/claremont
(Remove teeth to reply)

We have at least a dozen outdoor cats, mostly calico - they just
appeared on the porch one day 3 years ago so we've taken to feeding
them. Our poor little indoor kitty is beside herself as she runs from
window to window watching them.

Anyway, we used to have a dreadful vole problem. The yard was
littered with mounds of earth and it was dangerous to go skipping out
in the lawn at night. Leg breakers, those holes were. Then one day
the cat army showed up.

Well, on to my point now. I read that a well fed cat is a better
mouser than a hungry one because the hungry one will only hunt till it
is full, whereas the well fed cat will hunt for fun, so there is no
limit to their conquests. So, we figure a big bag of catfood monthly
is a fair price for the mousing and vole removal service they
perform. Also, no squirrels. They even eat a fair share of
grasshoppers!

Deb

"lucretia borgia" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 28 Jul 2007 09:57:07 -0400, "Magic Mood Jeep"
wrote:
X-No-Archive Yes


Not so in our house.

Or these 'Merikan mice are bordering on retarded...

We have *12* cats and we *still* get mice! Occasionally I will find one
(or
a part of one - ick) in the middle of the living room floor. One had been
seriously licked by the dog (and was getting the stare-of-death from 7
cats), but still alive. That one (drenched in doggie-drool) was taken
outside, and apparently recovered! I kept my eye on it for a while, and
after about an hour, it came out of it's drool-induced "coma" and toddled
off. It was summer, so the drool dried fairly quickly!

I heard the results of a study that showed that not all cats are
mousers. Mousers have a genetic marker that makes them as they are.
My old cat was a terriffic mouser and he ate well, so even making the
cat hungry will not make it hunt mice unless it has the marker. The
study showed some cats would starve while mice ran around them.

The same goes for dogs. My friend's dog, part Bichon and part Terrier, is
constantly bringing her gifts of dead lizards and flying after squirrels and
other critters. My Puff, a Maltese, has had lizards walk across his feet
and he just backs up as if to say, what??? As to squirrels and mice, he
just looks at them with disdain and/or ignores them completely.

lucretia borgia wrote:

I heard the results of a study that showed that not all cats are
mousers. Mousers have a genetic marker that makes them as they are.
My old cat was a terriffic mouser and he ate well, so even making the
cat hungry will not make it hunt mice unless it has the marker. The
study showed some cats would starve while mice ran around them.



And some cats (she says, glaring at one of them) are very good
mouse-catchers, who will then let the mouse go so they can have the fun
of catching it again and again.

And when GrandMeow and GrandPurr bought said cat a furry mousie toy for
Christmas, she carried it around like a baby. I even found it tucked
into my bed so it wouldn't get cold. Oh, yeah, just where I want to
find the next invader.

--

Karen C - California
www.CFSfacts.org where we give you the facts and dispel the myths
Myths, with research cites: http://www.aacfs.org/images/pdfs/myths.pdf

Finished 7/8/07 -- A Wife's Prayer (adapted from Erica Michaels)

WIP: Winnie the Pooh & crew for the next baby,
Marbek's Bethany Angel, MLI's The Teacher
Retrieved from UFO pile: Marbek's Snow Angel
LTR: Farmers Market, Flowers of Hawaii (Jeanette Crews) for ME!!!

Editor/Proofreader www.KarenMCampbell.com
Design page http://www.KarenMCampbell.com/designs.html

lucretia borgia wrote:

I heard the results of a study that showed that not all cats are
mousers. Mousers have a genetic marker that makes them as they are.
My old cat was a terriffic mouser and he ate well, so even making the
cat hungry will not make it hunt mice unless it has the marker. The
study showed some cats would starve while mice ran around them.

I remember hearing a story on NPR about how mice and rats become
"paralyzed" in the presence of a cat. It's a brilliant story of
symbiosis in natu

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...toryId=9560048

Sue


--
Susan Hartman/Dirty Linen
The Magazine of Folk and World Music
www.dirtylinen.com