More Gifts From the Past

Soon the 110-year-old newspaper in our wall will have to be covered up in another sheet of pesky drywall, so I want to share some gems from it while I still can!  My personal favorite is the page entitled "Fashion Reigns".  Check out the red hot fashions of August 12, 1900.

Another personal favorite is the recipes (which also appear on the fashion page).

Pink Tea:
Put half a pound of white rock candy in an earthen vessel, with juice and yellow peel of four lemons, one orange, a wine glass of rum and a wine glass of whisky.  Pour upon them, boiling hot, a quart of green tea that has stood upon the leaves barely two minutes.  Use only two teaspoons of dry tea and take care not to let the liquid get dark.  Stir the mixture well, then set on ice for twelve hours.  Just before serving add a pint of the best claret and a pint of apollinaris.  Fill the glasses quickly and drop into each a ripe strawberry and one candied or brandied cherry.

Whoa.  Let's get our drink on!  (Four kinds of booze?  Yes please!)  The recipe for Cherry Drink also sounds delicious, if I can figure out what loaf sugar is, and how to get a whole pound of it, I'll make it and report back.

We cleaned inside the eaves last week while preparing for the drywallers and found a couple more gifts from the past.  First, a baking soda tin.  Royal Baking Powder "Absolutely Pure!"

Next, a California State Series Revised English Grammar book.  OK, not the whole book, just the front and back covers.  The squirrels had used the pages to build themselves a nest but the covers were clearly less tasty.

And finally, my personal favorite, the cover to a Peter Rabbit book of indeterminate age.

 

This book belonged to Sharon Meagher. I wonder what the house looked like when she lived here.  I guess we'll never know.  Sharon, wherever you are, I hope you liked this house as much as we do!