A Tale of Witch Hazel and Vicks.
It has been in the teens and single digits for the past couple of weeks, so everyone's been doing what they can to keep from getting sick. I had my flu shot a couple of months ago, I eat oranges, and clean the machines at the gym before and after I use them. So far, that has worked for me. Growing up, we never heard of a flu shot. I am sure they were around, but we never knew about them and never got one. A runny nose or a cough was nothing new with a house full of kids so mom was always setting up the vaporizer and rubbing Vick's on our chest. And, I seem to remember a mustard paste on my chest a time or two. I can't remember what else mom would have used the tin of powdered mustard for. If we had cough medicine in the cabinet, it was Vick's Formula 44. I also remember her mentioning Witch Hazel all the time, but not sure if she used it. It scared me a little bit. Gramdaw's name was Hazel, and grandmaw could scare you if she wanted to, so Witch Hazel was certainly much scarier. Mom may have put it in the vaporizer a time or two. I think that thing was on in the bedroom we all shared the whole winter through and when one of us was sick, the rest of us would just feel damp by morning. It was bigger around than a basketball and looked like a spaceship with a light mist coming out of the top.
Sometimes just opening the jar and taking a deep breath was all I needed to open my head right up.
Mom lived by that old saying "Feed a cold, starve a fever.". Feeding a cold usually meant a can of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup. We never had homemade. Now that I'm grown, I make soup all winter long. Homemade chicken noodle soup is like mom kissing a boo-boo. It just makes it all better. If we had a sore throat, it was a gargle with warm saltwater. If we had a cough with that sore throat, a hot mug of lemon and honey water or tea was the remedy. I told you before about the hot toddy that Charlie would make me sometimes after I shoveled their driveway. If I got too hot and started coughing it would help, and sometimes it was to keep a cold away. Well, mom kept a bottle of something in the linen closet for just that occasion too. I doubt there was any more alcohol in the hot toddy than there was in a dose of cough syrup, but it would break things up in your chest and you slept pretty good. Mom would check for a fever first by touching your forehead, then by asking us if we felt like we had a fever. I would usually know if my eyes were burning. I never liked the thermometer. She would pour alcohol over it to sterilize it and it always tasted nasty. If we just had an upset stomach, we would usually get a Ginger Ale or a flat Coke. I am not sure why it was best if it was flat. I guess your stomach didn't need the fizz if it was already upset. When I was in elementary school, the office called home one time to tell them that I was sick. Mom and dad had the day off for some reason and picked me up on their way to grandmaw Barton's house. I kept telling them that I didn't feel good, but mom thought I just wanted to spend the day with them and they took all the time they needed getting to grandmaw's and back home. But, when we pulled in the driveway, I jumped out of the car and threw up all over the front steps. I probably skipped dinner and had a flat coke before going to bed that night. A day home sick meant that we sometimes got to watch tv, curled up on the couch with a blanket. I would usually watch reruns of Gidget, Bewitched, I Love Lucy, and Andy Griffith. I'm not sure if the shows made me feel better or being home with just mom and none of my brothers did the trick. I forget about those simple remedies sometimes, and sometimes it’s best to go to the doctor, get some medicine and get back to life. But, sometimes you just want to curl up on the couch in a comfy blanket and let the ills of the day fall away.