friday's frontier fact

As I look out on my vegetable and flower garden in full bloom I think of those Kentucky settlers who had the same after they settled themselves and the land. Ever heard of blue marigolds? They were a favorite old flower. Also cockscomb and phlox and roses. Herbs were always treasured. Thyme tea could take away a headache. Ginseng root was chewed to revive oneself. The list goes on and on.

In The Frontiersman's Daughter Lael's garden is the woods. You'll find she keeps quite busy tending it:) One thing she doesn't like is snakes. "A man hoeing a small patch in the spring often killed a dozen rattlesnakes or copperheads in a morning." (Frontier Living; Tunis).

This bit of reading says so much about those first settlers, "The preferred yard around a cabin was bare ground. Weeds and grass were cut away. Snakes were easier to spot and children were safer. Women tied switches together to make rough brooms called besoms with which to sweep the ground and scoured away chicken piles and other stains with kettles of hot water splashed on the dirt. A swept yard sparkled and when flowers and shrubs were planted at the edges became a thing of beauty and order in the threatening wilderness." (Boone; Robert Morgan).

Only 4 more Fridays till the book is on shelves! Have a wonderful weekend!